Maui
August 21st, 2010 by Rachel
We had a wonderful time in Maui. We didn’t do much the first few days but sleep and relax and play. Lizzy slept well (her first time in a big bed – queen size) but was so funny. The first night we made a big wall all around it but she still fell out a few times! So cute. She didn’t get hurt and went right back to sleep. In the morning she told me “I fall out my bed and hurt my head Mama.” In the middle of the night after one fall, Bobby made her a bed on the floor with couch cushions. Fell off those too and was just on the floor in the morning. Day 2 we pushed the bed over and put the top mattress on the floor with pillows all around. She did really well – though she still “fell overboard a lot” – and slept the rest of the time with no problems. She took epic naps after playing at the beach each day.
We all woke up very early each day because of the time change. Our patio was one of our favorite parts. We spent most of the morning each morning (6-8 a.m.) and the late evenings (7-8 p.m.) out there. Lizzy had some toys and we bought her bubbles and little flashlights, so she had fun and roamed around and talked to her “friends” to herself. I would read my Bible and eat my breakfast each morning while she played and talked to me. In the evening, we made shadows with her little flashlight and blew bubbles and watched the sun go away and change the clouds into different colors. One night we went to the beach to watch the “sun go to bed.” Lizzy wanted to know where the sun’s “banklet” was so I fumbled and finally said that it could use the clouds for a soft blanket. She loved that and when we flew home she got to see the sun literally set into the clouds and it looked just like a big white, fluffy blanket!
The water is warm in Maui so it’s really fun to play in it – morning, noon, or night. Lizzy loved playing with me in the water and in the sand with her toys. We never stayed more than about 2 hours because it is so tiring and the sun gets very hot. Even with lots of sunscreen, we all got a few pink spots here and there. I was the only one with a bit of a tan to start with so I got pretty dark (for me). Everyone was super friendly, and so we made new friends wherever we went. Most of that was thanks to Lizzy. She is such a people-person and loves kids. She went up to kids everywhere we went and made friends and played with them. Her favorite is 4 year-old girls right now. She loves to talk with them and play together.
One of our weekend days we went to ride on a boat that has glass windows all around the bottom so you can sit down there and see all of the fish and turtles and that kind of thing and be “under” the ocean. It was a very kid-friendly boat so Lizzy could see under the water (she is too little for things like snorkeling). She was so excited about the bubbles the boat made and the colored fish that she didn’t really care that we only saw a few turtles, a sea urchin, and nothing else very exciting. Bobby and I were laughing because for us it was pretty boring but we didn’t care because she loved it and we just hung out. Another day we went to the aquarium which was a big hit. She got to see a lot of neat sea creatures there and could look as long as she wanted. Bobby was working Monday through Friday (he would start at about 5:30 a.m. and be done by 3:00 p.m. or so) so Lizzy and I stayed there for several hours. On the other days, I usually took her to the beach all morning, came home for lunch and naps, and then when Bobby was done with work we would all go do something together such as go to the shops, walk on the beach, play on the deck, etc.
I cooked most of our meals and it was great fun – I was very adventurous with my cooking (and told my family to go with the flow!) and tried to make the most of the tropical fruit and fish there. I made things like mahi mahi with grape heirloom tomatoes, a red pear and brie salad, fish tacos with pineapple, scallops in a garlic sauce with mangos, kiwis, and pineapple, and things like that. I had fun exploring a bit and making do with basic ingredients. Bobby says he likes Hawaiian Rachel Ray Dodge. haha
The fruit there is to die for. Bobby bought a variety the first day and I put them on our patio ripening to perfection. For my dietary needs, we did some shopping at Whole Foods the first day for a few key ingredients and then at the regular market the rest of the time. I was pretty sick the first day or two from traveling and having to eat whatever we could find after my plane snacks ran out (can’t bring much on the plane these days other than pb&j and cheese and crackers; they suspect you’ll hide something dangerous in your tuna or ice pack). By the second day after lunch I was doing fine again and kept doing well the rest of the time. We did eat out a few times to enjoy the local cuisine and I just had to be careful about what I ordered and was fine.
Our last night there, we went to a luau. When Bobby and I went to Maui 6 years ago, we went to one that quite frankly wasn’t too great. This time we asked around and found one that was supposed to be very good. It was smaller and more intimate and the service and food was amazing. We felt at home and welcomed so warmly. We made friends with everyone at our table….which included a hilarious group of 4 women in a book club who now travel together (and claim they still do read books sometimes) and a couple there to do photography for a wedding. By the time the show started, Lizzy had made friends with everyone and went around sitting on people’s laps. We got pictures taken and she even smiled! The photographer at our table also offered to take a few family photos of us by the ocean and said she will email them to us for free – so nice! There were several activities before dinner and Lizzy got to make a bookmark, a flower for her hair, see a man open a coconut and make coconut milk, and drink fun fruity drinks.
During the stage show the kids were all invited up on stage for a hula dance and Lizzy thought that was fantastic. She just watched all the other kids mostly and laughed and clapped her hands. At the end, they all went back to sit down but she stayed in the middle of the stage and didn’t know which way to go. She couldn’t see me at the edge of the stage because of all the lights or hear me because of all the music. She pulled up her dress like she sometimes does when she is a little bit nervous, accidentally showing her cute Hello Kitty undies to the crowd, and everyone laughed. She smiled for a second but then started to cry. Luckily, she finally heard me beckoning from the side and found her way to me. It was darling and the whole crowd loved it – everyone knew she was little and confused not trying to put on a show. Once she found me she was okay again and wanted to go back to dance on stage some more.
While we were there, I had fun running in Maui. I would be up so early that it was still nice and cool before breakfast. I wouldn’t go for long because I did A LOT of hills. It was quite fun. The first day I went was a Saturday and there were so many runners out that I really thought there might be a marathon going on! But no, people were just out running by the sea. Another morning I went to the ocean early and did some body (boogie) boarding. I hadn’t done that since I was younger and had forgotten how much fun it could be. I love the water and the waves…plus the warm water made it perfect. I wasn’t great at it but had fun and didn’t care how I looked or who saw me.
I saw a lot of people surfing and paddling around on different kinds of kayaks and surfboards and was so drawn to it all. So, I did something I never thought I would do: I went surfing! I took a 2-hour lesson and had the best time. We went out in small groups with our instructors. Ours was a good teacher and kind of just forced us to get out there right away and try without any big fanfare. Before I knew it, he was pushing me into a wave and yelling “paddddlle!” and suddenly I felt like I was being shot from a canon on my board. I heard him yelling “stand up” so I did! I caught my very first wave and stayed up for quite some time. I realized then that the only thing he hadn’t taught us was how to get down OFF our boards once we were up! Mostly people just fall off when they are first learning, but I finally had to jump off of mine and tumble awkwardly into the water. After that first run I was hooked. I caught every wave I tried for and had a few great runs. My last one was probably the best, and luckily Bobby and Lizzy came to pick me up right at the end and were able to get some photos and wave to me. I still can’t believe I did that! It seems like it was a dream. Boy, was it fun! I don’t know if I would ever do it again, but I definitely liked it a lot. The hardest part (and most grueling part) was paddling back out each time though – I was definitely the slowest at that. I sure am sore after that lesson! And in the weirdest places like my forearms and between my thumbs and first fingers and in my ribs. Thankfully I didn’t sustain any injuries – just sore muscles but a very happy heart after spending an exhilarating few hours flying on top of the water.
Lizzy did great on the plane both ways. Each time we played for a while, then read for a while, then had snacks, but by the last few hours it was time for a movie. That was really nice. She watched and rested, which also allowed me to rest a bit too and read my book. When we got home, she wanted to go back on the plane to Hawaii again. She learned to do the Shaka sign (“hang loose” with the thumb and pinky) and said “Alooooha” and “Mahalo” (thank you) to people.
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