Less than a month before our wedding, Scott and I went to Maui to celebrate his Uncle Tom and Aunt Lori’s 25th wedding anniversary (July 2017).  I titled this blog “Part 1” because we will be returning to Maui for the wedding of our friends, Vince and Morgan, in March of 2018.  Maui seems like a pretty great place to celebrate love, but it’s also a great place to have some adventures.  Hopefully, “Part 2” will be full of totally different experiences on this incredible island!

This time, we stayed at a condo at the Maui Schooner Resort which is in Kihei.  The beaches here are lovely and it’s a quieter part of the island.  I definitely recommend it for people who like to stay out of the super touristy parts of the island.  However, the rest of our family were staying at the Marriott Ocean Beach Club in Lahaina which is heart and center of tourist activity.  Although these two resorts were a short distance apart, the traffic on HI-30 made for about an hour drive in between.  Luckily, this highway is incredibly scenic and makes for pretty great ocean viewing.

For our first full day in Maui, we enjoyed the very family friendly pool at the Marriott and then swam in the ocean.  It was hilarious to watch the waves force us all to take a tumble at some point.  There was quite a bit of coral in the surf and eventually, I sliced my foot open and ended my ocean fun for the day (this seems to happen to me a lot).  I took the opportunity to go snuggle my brand new, baby niece Alice and get ready for our first ever Luau.

The luau was at the neighboring Hyatt resort.  We watched several performances which portrayed the history of island cultures (not just Hawaiian) and they saved the best for last: the fire dance, of course.  The food was incredible and we ate too much, but the drinks were basically sugar bombs with no real alcohol in them.

The next day was my favorite day from this short trip.  We took a Trilogy Snorkeling tour to Molokini Crater.  They played Pirate and Moana music while we sailed away from the marina eating cinnamon rolls and drinking coffee.  We took about an hour long catamaran ride and arrived at the Molokini Crater where there was incredible marine life and crystal clear waters to explore.  They also offered professional photography and and snuba diving.  On our way back to the main island, we took another stop to see massive sea turtles and eat a delicious BBQ chicken lunch.  I got a little sea sick, but it was totally worth it.  At the very end of the day, the captains turned off the engines and we did some true sailing back to the marina.  The crew made this so fun and you can tell they really loved their jobs (I mean, who wouldn’t?).

After an exhausting day, we stopped at a fruit stand and went back to the condo.  The mango and pineapple were out of this world!  I also finally got to stick a straw in a coconut!

The next day, we did a little shopping at some of the markets and craft fairs in Kihei.  I was on a mission to buy my bridesmaids all gifts and was able to find plumeria earrings for all of them.  You can definitely find a lot of Larimar, pearl, mother of pearl and opal in jewelry stands throughout Hawaii.  We ended our shopping experience at a restaurant called Three’s Bar and Grill which had AWESOME food and drinks and a fun, tropical sport’s bar type of atmosphere.  That night, we got dressed up and went to Tom and Lori’s anniversary celebration in Napili Bay.  Scott took a bunch of family photos and we had an incredible special menu at Sea House Restaurant for a night of celebrating.

On our final full day in Maui, we did The Road to Hana.  We took our rented Jeep, Tahoe, and Old-Van-With-No-AC and drove them ALL day over winding roads and past incredible scenery.  There are tons of hikes and adventures along this old road and views that take your breath away.  Although any of these stops are said to be fun and exciting, we were heading for The Pools of Ohe’o (Seven Sacred Pools) in Haleakala National Park.  You can no longer swim in The Pools, but it is still a sight worth seeing.  There are cliffs, jungle hikes, waterfalls and sapphire blue oceans.  There are also lots of fun places to eat on The Road to Hana.  We stopped at a taco truck at the entrance to another park and it was DELICIOUS!  They also had any kind of fruit smoothie you could ever want.

Until next time, Maui!

Last year Scott’s youngest sister Raynie graduated from Middle School and in celebration, we took her to New York City.  Scott had been once before, but Raynie and I were first-timers.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan (https://newyork.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel.html) which was an incredibly convenient and central location.  As it was our first time, we wanted to do everything!  I think we did a pretty fantastic job of experiencing the city and seeing the sights using the following New-York-City-Newbie Itinerary:

1. Central Park:  I know this one sounds cliché, but it really is top of everyone’s list for a reason!  Central Park is massive and incredible.  We visited it several times during our trip.  I later found out that this was Scott’s original choice of places to propose, and I can definitely see why.  Our first visit to Central Park took us ALL day.  We began at the Southern most end of the park and walked the entire length of it, ending on the Northern side where we decided to get pizza in Harlem.  Although Harlem is not usually recommended as a tourist neighborhood, the pizza we had was worth the adventure.

   

   The next time we visited Central Park, we decided to check out the zoo that is in the park.  We got to sea the sea lions at feeding time and it made our day.Each time we visited Central Park, Raynie and I would try to become acquainted with the resident turtles.  There is a larger number of animals in Central Park than one would expect in such an urban setting.  It’s like an isolated little world.

2. See A Broadway Show: While in New York, we got to see two Broadway shows.  One of my life-long dreams was to see Phantom of the Opera.  I never saw it in another city when I had the opportunity because I wanted to see it on Broadway in its original theater.  Although it was hard to hear the dialog and Raynie and Scott were a little lost, I LOVED IT.  When you know a show by heart, you don’t need clear dialog.  However, if I’m being honest, the better experience was seeing Something Rotten.  I had never heard of this show and it was amazing: good music, great comedy and expert production.  We had so much fun!
3. Carnegie Deli: It’s breaking my heart to write this, but Carnegie Deli closed four months after our visit.  However, you can still order their food to be shipped nationwide (http://carnegiedeli.com), also there was a restaurant competitor across the street (whom sold the same sandwiches and cheesecake, but didn’t have the notoriety of Carnegie) which might be worth a try.  We went to Carnegie Deli late at night after experiencing Broadway and it was incredible!  Their hot pastrami sandwiches and strawberry cheesecake can’t be beat.
4. Brunch in The Upper West Side:  I was lucky enough to have an old friend living in New York for an internship while we were visiting.  We wanted to see her and we wanted to do brunch, so we asked her for a recommendation.  We ended up going to Jacob’s Pickles in The Upper West Side (http://jacobspickles.com) and it was awesome!  Super creative drinks and delicious southern style food.
5. The 9/11 Memorial: If it’s your first time in New York City, I would not miss this attraction.  You can feel how New York City has been shaped by the horrific events of 9/11 as you’re walking the streets, but you really understand it when you see these exhibits.  The monuments outside are one thing, but the museum itself really takes you back to that day.  We all left feeling awe-inspired, melancholy and full of thoughts and questions.
6. The Museums:  The museums throughout New York City are incredible!  During our time here we visited a few of them (including the 9/11 Memorial Museum), but we spent the most time in the American Museum of Natural History.  There was something about the fossils of ancient creatures that kept us enthralled for hours.
7. SHOPPING!: Raynie and I love to shop when we get together and New York might be an expensive city, but it is also a city of bargains!  We shopped on 5th Avenue and in Times Square and can’t wait to go back.
8. Times Square at Night:  Times Square is a chaotic place.  It definitely feels hectic and urban and isn’t a place in which we wanted to spend a ton of time.  That being said, it is a place everyone should see if they’re in New York.  It’s captivating and you never run out of new characters to look at.  Some of the street performers have been doing the same thing for generations and have a “classic” act while others are constantly changing and updating to shock the public.  
9. Walk The High Line: The High Line is a repurposed rail road that has been turned into a park.  You get incredible views of the city, run into plenty of interesting New Yorkers and get to stretch your legs in a beautiful setting.  We never would have done this if my friend, Katie, hadn’t recommended it and I’m so glad she did.  One of the coolest things we did during this trip.

   

   

10. The Empire State Building:  This might seem like another “duh”, but don’t miss this!  The inside of the building feels like it’s frozen in time and is a relic of a glamorous era.  The view from the observation deck is simply the best view of the city you can get: 360 degrees of unobstructed Manhattan.
11. The Statue of Liberty: Confession:  We didn’t even get off of the boat when we took a ride out to the The Statue of Liberty, but we didn’t need to.  The view from the tour boats is as good as it gets and we were getting exhausted with crowds.  In person she is more impressive than we could have thought.  Her power isn’t in her size, but in her presence and it is a formidable one.  Plus, the boats give you a new perspective on the New York City skyline.
12. Make a Pit-Stop at a Pret A Manger: We first discovered Prets when we were in London and were ecstatic to find them all over New York City.  If you want delicious, organic coffee and a plethora of healthy lunch and breakfast choices, this is your spot.  Walking the streets of Manhattan is exhausting and we found ourselves grabbing quick bites at Pret throughout our time here.
13. Sip Cocktails at a Rooftop Bar: We only got to do this one during the daylight hours since Raynie was only 14, but we definitely got to see the draw for rooftop bars in the city.  Our next trip will be full of glamorous night caps at these stunning locations.
14. Explore the Streets:  Finally, just see the city!  Whether you see the city by foot or take a bus tour, explore as much as you can.  The architecture, people and artwork are amazing (and have been seen in so many movies) and there’s never a shortage of sights.  We happened to walk and ride a bus tour during our visit and each method gives a different perspective.

As promised, this post chronicles the second half of our Alaskan adventure.  After disembarking from our cruise ship one last time, we traveled by bus and train throughout the vast and wild landscapes of Alaska.  We visited Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali State Park and were humbled by the wildlife and picturesque landscapes to be found here.

Most of the transportation in Alaska has to be done by air.  We were told that the majority of Alaskan citizens get their pilot’s license as Washingtonians get there driver’s license: at age 16.  Regardless of where we went, we saw tiny airports and water ways crowded with personal aircrafts.

We, however, took our first long trip on a passenger train through historical mining and Native lands.  We were served meals and cocktails as we peered through a glass dome ceiling at the landscapes beyond.

Scott was able to get some great shots through the glass walls of the train.

Eventually, we needed a better view, so we took to the caboose and felt the invigorating speed of the train and the terrain whooshing by.

In addition to the breathtaking wilderness, we were also awestruck by some man-made marvels throughout this stretch of countryside.

Our next excursion was a bus tour through Denali State Park which was my favorite part of the inland portion of this trip (even though I was car sick on the bus).  We caught glances of moose, caribou, fire weed (a purple wild flower that grows rampant throughout Alaska), ground squirrels, and ptarmigan (Alaska’s state bird).

After trekking through the state park, we had a guided river boat tour which took us through a sled dog training camp and a reenacted Native American village.  We watched sled dogs howl with excitement as they go to pull their trainer on an ATV, saw Natives in their traditional homes and garb, and even saw a few more caribou.  We also tasted some of the BEST smoked salmon dip we’ve ever had.  We are still kicking ourselves for not buying a case of the salmon that was in it.

One of the coolest parts of this trip was experiencing the extended daylight hours that Alaskans experience during the summer months.  We would be out sitting by a fire or drinking beers in lawn chairs until 4AM and have ABSOLUTELY no idea.  This is how we spent our final night of the trip, drinking on a patio watching a river flow by with a “LOVE ALASKA” sign in the background, and then proceeded to have one of the worst flights of our life back to Seattle the next day (hungover flights are something I would not recommend).

Next time we visit “The Last Frontier”, which we will definitely do again in this lifetime, we will be hunting for those Northern Lights.

-Lexi