So many photos I know, but it’s been almost a month already since our trip and we’re fully entrenched back in Brooklyn life. Looking at these photos now make our time in Hawaii seem like a dream. Isn’t that a funny thing?
In many ways this Hawaii trip brought us full circle. We brought the girls to the hotel where we got married in Kahala and had afternoon tea service much like we did the day before the wedding. That hotel lobby is as grand as ever and this might have been the best tea service I’ve had any where yet.
It’s pretty surreal bringing the kids back to where you got married. Much like showing them where you grew up, which is what Mark’s mom did on her birthday – we all drove to her childhood home. On one of our visits to Hawaii one year, the owners of the house were kind enough to let us inside. We try to imagine what her childhood was like, in that house, growing up in Hawaii, and we love hearing stories about the past when we visit with her childhood and college friends who still live on the island. Like many places these days, Oahu is more populated, the traffic is heavier and the weather seems to be shifting ever so slightly, but noticeably. We can even see the difference from the last time we were here 13 years ago. But despite the uncomfortable heat and humidity this time around, it took nothing away from the wonderful time that we had. The girls had the best time, and they are lucky kids indeed.
I went back and read some of the early entries when I first started writing on this blog. We had just started the business, Miss C was a baby and money was very, very tight. We didn’t travel much back then. Most of our travel still revolves around family visits, but we make most of the travel time that we have. I remember making a commitment after we had some financial breathing room to travel more. Buy experiences, not things.
One of my favorite memories from our trip is the evening an old family friend took us to a secret spot at sundown to see Wedge Tailed Sheerwaters fly back to their nesting place to take care of their babies. It was too cloudy that evening for a picturesque sunset, but the clouds added to the atmosphere at Black Rock. As the light grew faint, the birds started flying back, their wings spread out in impressive fashion, and they started swirling all around us. That was an experience that only a local could show you; that is an experience that is worth more than anything you can buy.
beautiful photos.
what camera/lense did you use? pictures are amazing.
Thanks Unha. I rotated between my canon 5D Mark ii, fuji x100t and iphone.
I love Hawaii so much…I have a million beautiful memories that live there. I haven’t been there in six years; I wonder if I’d notice the weather difference. Lovely thoughts, and lovely photos. =]
Lovely. We plan one big trip a year. This year is Disneyworld. Still debating if next year should be Hawaii or New York. But now I am leaning more towards the Big Island.
i don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
I love that- experiences, not things.
Your photographs are just beautiful and your words fill in so nicely around the edges of them.
Oh my gosh, these are so breathtaking. My Hawaii book would love to have some of these pictures! Hint! Really, I hardly took any.
A new design! I know you are feeling some ebb and flow… we are all there sometimes. But a new design is always a good thing! Keep on keepin’ on… you are a light to some of us in ways you couldn’t even imagine.
Yes, I did! It feels nice around here.
Aloha Jenna, so happy to see your family had a great time here in the islands where I live, it’s always nice to see others perspective and appreciation for something that is normal for myself. The summer heat this year was a record breaker and the humidity was from
Several tropical storms one after the other….the blessing was that despite them turning into hurricanes; none hit our islands directly
The trades have returned sporadically but it is very different than normal….btw I’ve done the kabala tea ! Try the Moana hotel next time…the Victorian style hotel and veranda makes for a lovely time…