I Went to Hawaii

So one of the biggest things that I did recently is I went to Hawaii!!!

I was so excited!!!  Because lets be honest here, I am a normal stay at home wife and mom that operates within a budget.  It is not a part of my normal life to jetset around without my kids.  Or jetset at all for that matter, kids or not.  A trip to Hawaii is never in the budget. So how did it happen you ask?  Well my husband was there for work.  He is always saying how I should come with him on these trips but I live here in the real world knowing that it won't work out.  But this time he was going in March over Spring Break, so I could leave the kids with family without having to worry about how they were going to get to school.

So the Hubs got me a ticket with frequent flier miles, he already had a hotel room and rental car through work and was getting per diem.  So yeah I pretty much went to Hawaii for FREE!!  HOLLA!!!  But shush don't tell anyone because I kind of feel like I pulled a fast one and am just waiting for someone to tell me the I  am not going to get off that lucky.

So I was there for a week without children, and for a few hours during the work week my Hubs had to go to meetings.  He said that he felt bad for leaving me all alone; but lets get real, I am the full time mother of three boys.  I am never alone, I truly relished the time that I spent alone!

I used some of my free time to:

Lay on the beach, and watch the people go by.

Read a book....in peace without being interupted by "Mommy I need a drink"

I worked out in the Hotel gym, at my own pace without the hour and a half limit that my gym has at the daycare.

We stayed on the island of Oahu, down on Waikiki Beach.  It was okay but it was a very touristy area so it was nice when we took a trip north to Kualoa Ranch to enjoy a horseback ride.

The ranch was really cool.  It is a 4000 acre ranch on the east side of the island.  The ranch has been used to film a lot of movies like Godzilla, Jurassic Park, and 40 First Dates, just to name a few.  The scenery was off the hook.

We also climbed to the top of a volcano called Diamond Head.



That was super fun and a really cool way to look down at Waikiki Beach.

"Look mom I can see my hotel from here!"

Anyhow, we also went and visited the Pearl Harbor memorial.  But ding dong me forgot my camera so, I guess if you want to see pictures of that you will have to Google it.  I am sure that there are plenty of images out there.

It was an interesting and sobering reminder of the cruelty that we as humans can inflict upon one another.  But also a stark reminder of the bravery and compassion that we can also display.  But mostly it made me think of my Grandpa.

There was lots of shopping and eating, and maybe a little bit of adult beveraging.

All in all it was a great time.  I feel so blessed to have been able to spend alone time with my best friend, and reconnect with him the way it was before kids, and mortgages, and soccer practice etc.  I just keep finding myself dreaming of the next time that we get to get away!

So how about you, have you gone anywhere exciting recently?  Have you been to Hawaii and can't wait to get back?  Or are you looking forward to a trip?  I would love to hear about it!

Sunny