Aloha!

Jeff and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a little time in Hawaii. Every year Jeff has a sales conference in Hawaii and this year the stars aligned which allowed me to join him once his work obligations were over. It was a week full of firsts (for me) and it all went by way too fast. Flying by myself was different. I've certainly done it before, but it has been a long time since I haven't had kids, extra bags, stuffed animals, snacks (well, I had some snacks but they were just for me). I got to sit quietly, read a book, listen to music and enjoy the "me time". It was great to see Jeff when I arrived since he had already been in Hawaii for a week. We started off our vacation on Kauai, which was amazing!

Following the advice of our friends, we booked a helicopter tour. This was my first "first" - I hadn't ever been in a helicopter before. We decided that we needed to go big...so we chose to take the helicopter without any doors and it was breathtaking. The only way to see most of the island of Kauai is from the air and we were not disappointed. I won't post all 135 pictures that I took (you're welcome!) but I will post a couple of the best. The pictures don't do the beauty justice. It was simply amazing!

(The yellow pouches are our life preservers...very stylish!)

Jeff and I stayed at the St. Regis resort in Princeville, but drove all over the island. We sat by the beach, drove around with the top down, ate great food, and enjoyed the warm Hawaiian weather! Two other "firsts" for me...snorkeling (thought I was going to die but finally relaxed and swam with a turtle) and eating authentic Hawaiian shave ice (Jo-Jo's on Kauai was delish and Matsumoto's on the North Shore).

This was the incredible view from our room at the St. Regis.

We left Kauai and flew over to Oahu to meet up with our friends, Matt and Alisha Hammond. It was so fun to be able to spend the rest of the week with them. There was a lot of time in the sun, a lot of reading, tons of talking and laughing. We spent some time at the North Shore and that included a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Yes, I am a little red, but I didn't care. I just wanted to come back to Portland a little darker then I left which wasn't hard to do!

One of many gorgeous sunsets in Hawaii.

We decided to spend one evening in Waikiki...another first for me.

It was fun to go there once, but once was enough. Too busy!

It was a much needed vacation. The guy in the picture below is my best friend. We got married 14 years ago not knowing how wonderful our life would be. Whenever we get the chance to spend some time as "Jeff and Cia" it is priceless.

So until next time...I'll be dreaming about this time!