Aloha

This Valentines Day we celebrated in style. Granted it was a week prior but ultimately was a very romantic relaxing get away in Maui!

I must begin by saying NONE of this would have been possible if it weren't for Curtis' work. They planned practically our whole trip and wanted to show Curtis, and the other employees, just how 'grateful they were for the hard work they did this last year.' And WOW they did such a fantastic way of showing gratitude! Curtis' worked so hard this year and I am so proud of the desire he has to not only achieve his goals but completely excel them. We were so blessed with the work that came his way and I am so blessed to have married such a man!

We were joined by 5 other couples, including the CEO of the company, the fellow employees and their wives came from all over the place even Australia. (we were supposed to have a couple from the Singapore office but for some reason didn't make it.)

So a big giant THANK YOU goes out to Curtis' work because this has definitely been a vacation to remember. And not to forget our wonderful parents who watched over our sweet little O and Black Jack while we were away because we definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without you. We missed Oli so much but it was such a relief to know that he was having more fun back home with his Mimmi and Poppa & Umma and Poppa.

This was one of the trinkets we brought home for Oli, isn't it adorable?! He can't decide if it is a car or a 'choochoo'

We left super early Tuesday morning and made it to our hotel around 1 pm. perfect time to do some whale watching from our balcony and take a walk down the beach at sunset, ahhh breathtaking.

We stayed at the Four Seasons and they did not disappoint one bit. Every member of the staff was over the top hospitable. We are pretty sure this hotel does not know how to say no and will accommodate whatever request.

Isn't our room beautiful! The top is the view from our balcony, the bottom left are the treats we had upon arrival and the next photo is Curtis, well just being Curtis.

Later that night we met the rest of the crew for cocktails (before I had never met anyone for cocktails) and then dinner, that was delicious... Pretty much all the food we had while we were there was delicious.

breathtaking

We got a few of these sun glasses on the beach shot

Tuesday:

Snorkeling! The water was a bit chilly but we got through it. The crew on the boat were so friendly it definitely helped kick in the relaxing atmosphere. Right from the start we saw a school of dolphins (sorry no pictures) and that was just the start.

Can you believe how close the whales were to our boat! As much as I was tempted I didn't want to crop the man's head completely out of the photo because I wanted to give it some perspective. There was a baby a momma and an escort that just kept showing off. we were probably here for a good amount of time enjoying their performance.

That night we met with everyone again. They had these beautiful plaques made for each of the employees and presented them then they presented the wives with these beautiful necklaces, you can't pull surprises like that on a pregnant woman I almost started to cry and that would have been embarrassing!

I know it doesn't look like it, but Curtis is having a good time I promise!

Wednesday:

The group was doing an activity together which was a tour around Maui to the lavender farm, a winery (yeah not so thrilled about that one) and a couple of other nostalgic destinations.

Because of all the walking and windy roads I got a free pass to stay back and enjoy a massage at the hotel. Curtis, on the other hand, was not so lucky. I say lucky because 110 minutes in an ocean side hut with Rupa as my masseuse, I was pretty much mush by the time she was done. (By the way Rupa is probably one of the most interesting people I have ever met, she has lived in like 6 different countries and traveled pretty much everywhere she has a lot of stories)

Afterwards this is pretty much all I did....

Thursday:

We had just enough time to snatch some breakfast to go before our cab arrived to take us to airport for our HELICOPTER TOUR!

This was incredible but I can definitely see how people can get airsick from it because you feel everything.

Stunning...

Our pilot spent a good amount of time doing whale watching from the air. It was so neat to see the whales from above it was interesting because Curtis and I thought the whales would constantly go up and down in the ocean going from depths to the surface. From the air it looked as if the whales would just float in the shallows of the water and just relax. It was just so neat to see.

Afterwards we just soaked up the rays down on the beach

MMMMMM, delicious!! My mouth is watering just looking at this.

Then it was time to hula!

Unfortunately the rain had rolled in and our luau was brought in doors but it was still enchanting.

I'm too lazy to try to find the pictures now but there was this fascinating fire dancer who did a wonderful job not burning down the building

Saturday:

The weather was a little more wet this day but didn't stop us from playing in the sands of the beach but it did stop my silly husband from even touching the water. Seriously, he wouldn't even allow a toe in the waves. He is backing up in this picture. He claimed it was because he didn't want to be salty on the flight home even though we would still be showering and such, silly Curtis.

Here I am 20 weeks. It was a bit awkward to be in a swimming suit, just hoping people thought I was for sure just pregnant and not just had a chubby tummy.

Our last lava flow right before the cab came to gather us, completely naive about what a disaster the airport was going to be. Including a 12 hour layover and not being allowed to leave the airport and sleeping/trying to sleep on the the benches. Not a fun night for anyone but I wont let that spoil this incredible experience!