Tony and I never get to get away--I think our track record is a long weekend in Florida for our 10th wedding anniversary and weekends in Chicago and Las Vegas to see friends and attend a wedding (with the same friends). So when Tony's semi-regular science conference on the Big Island was rescheduled (back in March 2020--from March 2021 to March 2023), we decided that I would go, too! And that meant...Gammy coming to visit and watching the kids for a week!
>
But first, dinner at MPH, so we could hear Sebastian's piano teacher Doug play live. He was really good!
And then Aloha! We were there...on our favorite island!
Our room did not have an ocean view, but the mountain was beautiful at sunrise and sunset...
Tony was, in fact, there for work, but me? I knew that I should take advantage of "local attractions." I started with a tour of Kona Brewing, which was walkable from our hotel. It was very interesting and it lots of fun tasting the different beers. I was part of a hilarious group of tourists, so that made it even more enjoyable!
I might have purchased a few souvenirs. 😉
When I think of after-school activities, soccer and theater come to mind. From the beach behind our hotel, we watched high school kids launch outrigger boats every afternoon!
Did I mention that I had stayed at our hotel before--a little over 20 years ago. It was fun exploring and I found the museum where Beth toured our family around back in the early '90s. In 4th grade, she knew the Hawaiian monarchy backward and forward. Such a cool memory!
This meeting is a great opportunity for Tony to catch up with colleagues old and new. Here he is with his former boss Mark who was there mostly for the fun!
And his other former boss Blanche!
And Tony's former Duke lab member DarÃo!
We
might have snuck out for some A+ sushi and sake. (Don't tell anyone...)
Another gorgeous sunrise! We enjoyed breakfast out on our balcony every morning. The hotel had its own
Menehune Coffee shop, so cappuccinos and coconut scones were our morning treats.
And the hotel shave ice, which was AMAZING!!
Poke bowl time!
We were scheduled to go ziplining one day, but there was a storm, so we visited a local Hawaiian monarchy palace instead. The history is so important!
Then...when in Hawaii, one must have tropical beverages!
And then throw up a shaka before walking to dinner!
We couldn't resist a restaurant called Sushi Sam!
A highlight of the trip was visiting the seahorse farm! They ethically raise and sell thousands of seahorses there, so on the tour, you get to see them in all ages and stages. They're beautiful!
They're also very social...and will hook onto you like coral!!
Afterward, I relaxed with a warm spam musubi from the hotel ABC store out on the balcony. [Exhale...]
Tony's conference threw a poke dinner for everyone. It was delicious and I got to meet even more of his colleagues, like Ciro (just like Tony's dad) who lives in North Carolina.
And then we went out for ice cream! (Like my tropical humidity hair??)
On Friday morning, we thought it would be "fun" to go for a jog and find the
local synagogue. It was mostly uphill!
Even with my GPS, we could not find it. It was probably for safety--not uncommon for Jewish organizations to lay low with signage, etc. But we did find this gate and an unpaved road nearby. We may never know how to get there!
On the upside, the view from the top of the hill was gorgeous--you could see the ocean below.
When we visited the Big Island back in 2018, we fell in love with the
conveyer belt sushi restaurant we went to. The kids thought it was the coolest. Of course, we had to go back! Due to COVID, the sushi no longer circulates around the restaurant; instead, you order using a touchscreen and then only your food comes out by train!
Oishii!
Then we made our way up the lush mountain...
to
Heavenly Hawaiian coffee farm!
The whole property is lush and beautiful!
We took a class on how to roast your own coffee beans--it was SO interesting and smelled amazing!
We can't remember the name of our instructor, but he was incredibly knowledgable and funny. He kept popping coffee beans like candy. Yikes!
Here are our personal roasts!
That night, we drove over to the community where we stayed with my parents and Beth
five years earlier. The hotel there has a beautiful oceanfront restaurant where we celebrated my parents' 45th wedding anniversary, so we definitely had to return!
We timed it perfectly with the sun setting...
We ate countless yummy things including this crab salad...
Cheers!
I think we'll stay here all evening...
The next day the weather was ideal for
ziplining...yeah! Together with our awesome guides Kyrah and Paisley, we got to fly through macadamia nut forests and savor being in nature for the morning. It was lovely!
And the perfect way to celebrate after? Hawaiian tacos and cold green tea at
Gill's Lanai. Yummm...
Our beautiful drive back to the hotel...
And then, sadly, we had to return home. It was the best week! Aloha for now, Hawaii!! 💮
P.S. While waiting for our flight to take off, we got Wordle in two while describing our vacation. Haha!
P.P.S. The kids had a wonderful week with Gammy--we heard such sweet stories about what she put in their lunches while we were gone. Tony and I were extremely impressed by how the four of them stayed right on track with school (buses!), homework, sports practices and games, you name it. We're so grateful to Gammy!
P.P.P.S. Once we were home, everyone was happy to have us back, including Blossom. Ha!
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