goodbye maui

Spending time as a couple is good.  We are so busy with our lives: Tod's business, the kids, keeping up a household, etc... It's easy to lose sight of how this all started.  It's easy to instead focus on the daily -- who needs new shoes? what sounds good for dinner? will you PLEEEEASE buy that extension cord tomorrow?  

But this all started because Tod was the funniest, smartest, most dedicated, and hottest guy and I wanted to marry him.  Four years later the feeling was mutual and we were married.

Tod has his own pace.

Our bike ride from a 10,000 foot volcano to sea level.  We started biking at sunrise and it was freezing.  The bike company gave us these space suits which looked funny but saved us.

Space suit and motorcycle helmet - check.  I went to breakfast like this. My favorite part -- local cyclists racing to the top of the crater and laughing at the site of us.  We rode through eucalyptus forests, sugar cane fields and lavender farms. 

Life gets crazy at home; we're usually tag-teaming.  He'll get home from work and I'm out the door for scouts or book club.  The next morning he gets home from the gym and I'm leaving with the kids for school.  This trip was eight days of no one but us.  Talking and eating and Tod jumping off cliffs while I continued to eat...and talk.

The last night in Hawaii -- we found this hammock and rocked for a couple hours.  We talked about where we were 10 years ago and where we hope to be in the next 10.  When we got up we were both a little sick and couldn't walk.  We'd also chosen the hammock next to the only smoking section on the beach.  One of my favorite memories of the trip.

Hotel lobby views

When we landed, Tod had a lady ready for us with leis.  Very thoughtful.

Last night -- Hawaiian luau at sunset

Beautiful Hana -- path to Venus Pool.  We were sure we were in the wrong spot but turned the corner and there it was.

During these eight days I saw Tod as a guy again.  Not just a dad or a provider or the guy who leaves his shoes out or another mouth to feed, but the guy that I used to spy on in the library in college.  I worked Friday night shifts and he always studied Friday nights...I watched him make copies, I watched him work with tutors, and I loved that he was in the library on Friday nights. 

Our rental jeep got a flat tire in the middle of the week.  Instead of trading it for a new one Tod pulled over and changed it in 20 minutes.  I recalled always wanting to marry a tough guy...one who could give me a piggy back with ease (this was actually a requirement), one who was good with kids but could knock someone out too and one who could change a tire at any given moment.  I got exactly what I wanted.

I also got the guy who can fall asleep anywhere -- driving in his car on the freeway, in the middle of a noisy room, or here at the airport waiting for his flight back to real life.

Thank you Hawaii -- you reminded us that we really like each other and gave us a break from our kids, jobs, and sink full of dishes.

Aloha.