Just in the nick of time

Each year, at Mikes work, they do a big rewards trip for all the sales guys. They usually invite other employees to go and this year Mike was invited. We've been so excited to go, then this dang virus started spreading. Luckily we went just in the nick of time. Had it been scheduled a week later they would have had to cancel the trip. While we were in Hawai having the time of our lives we watched face book and got messages from friends about how things were unfolding at home. No toilet paper or lysol products to be found. Grocery store lines, etc. It was pretty crazy. Even so, we had a REALLY great time.

We flew in Thursday night. The almost 7hr flight was way better than I thought. We got in, got our rental van and where about 20 min outside the airport when I realized I left my phone in the seat pocket on the airplane! Ugh. We turned around and went back. I had to wait in the ticket line again. They called up to the gate and a lady had it up there, but they were short on employees so she couldn't bring it to me. I had to go back through security (luckily the line wasn't too long) and back to the gate to get it, all while my poor tired husband and kids sat in the car. It may have taken me a good 45 min before I finally got it. 

FRIDAY morning we got up and hit the pool. Wow- the pool or should I say "pools" were awesome. We could have spent our whole trip swimming. There were about 5 different pools all connected by small water slides.

This is the main lower area the kids played in the most.

This pool is higher up and starts the chain of slides leading to other pools. You can hardly see it,  but there is a slide straight ahead where those chairs are lined up.

Slide down

and come out here.

From this pool, take these stairs, slide down

and come out here. Catch the slide at the other end of this pool

and you land here, 

There was also one long, fast tube slide that I liked, but felt very claustrophobic in. Another small slide that had this rushing rapid at the top that sucked you up and then pushed you down. 

And a rope swing.

We played at the resort most the day then walked over an outdoor mall and had a hamburger dinner.

Cheeseburger Grill and Tap Room

We browsed the shops, stopped at the "ABC" store for snacks to keep int he room, bought ice cream 

and then walked along the beach boardwalk to the neighboring beach, where a friend from home (Chase and Cassidy Broadhead) were staying their last night. We visited with them for a bit, saw some Dolphins jumping out in the ocean and then went back and went to bed.

SATURDAY morning we did the beach right out from our resort. The sand is fun to play in, the waves were ok for boogie boarding and we just played most the day.

Then we went back to clean up and get ready for the Merit social and dinner.

SUNDAY we got up and went to sacrament meeting. It was fun being in Hawaii with work, because it seemed like here we were in this far away place, yet there were a few familiar faces everywhere we went.

We stopped and did a load of  laundry after church, ate at the Keihei Cafe to taste their  banana, macadamia nut pancakes someone recommended

and then went to Ho'okipa beach to see some turtles 

(All those big rocks behind them are actually turtles) 

and look in the tide pools.

The kids wanted to get room service so bad, so that night we got room service pizza for dinner and watched TV. The food was eh, but the lounging was ridiculously nice.

MONDAY morning Mike had a meeting, the kids stayed in the room and I took a spin class. Holy cow, I've never done a spin class before. The teacher was older than me, by probably 10 yrs, but way more fit and way cooler. It was so fun. They peddled those bikes right to the beat of the music and their arms were doing all sorts of cool, choreographed movements. An experience for sure. Afterwards, I took the kids to the pool while we waited for Mike to finish Meetings.

We checked out the play room

and played the big checkers  board

and documented the naked statues throughout the lobby.

 we ate at Fred's Mexican that night

TUESDAY we did the beach again. The beach was right outside the resort. It's so nice when you can just walk there and don't have to track sand into your vehicle. We snorkeled a bit and saw a turtle and some really cool fish.

Here is a view from down below the resort, by the beach, looking up at the resort

We ate at the Monkey Pod that night. 

Walking back to the resort.

Night swimming. Hardly anyone at the pool.

WEDNESDAY- Happy Birthday to Ivan

I made him eat his cereal out on the porch so I didn't have to hear him chew.

Mike had meetings again this morning.

We walked over and got an ice cream. 

We took a long walk along the boardwalk.

We played in the game room again  and swam for an hour and then Mike joined us for lunch at Fred's Mexican again. After lunch we drove over to a plantation and walked around. 

.

Then drove over and hiked up towards the needle

After that we drove over to Lahaina for some Hula Pie to celebrates Ivan's birthday.

and if pie wasn't enough we then stopped in for ice cream and sat in this little spot right on the ocean and watched the whales. Another fun day.

THURSDAY, our last day, we finally ordered drinks by the pool, something we had wanted to do from day one, but hadn't yet. So simple, but so fun

Swam for our last swim

and prepared to leave.

Here is our resort from the front

We noticed they always had two pretty ladies by the front door handing out leis to the new comers checking in. We figured we got in too late the night we arrived and didn't get ours. So about the 2nd to last day, Emery was saying she wanted one. Mike took her over and explained we didn't get ours. Then in one of his meetings, Fred mentioned some areas they had cut back costs this year, like not getting leis, because they're $8 a piece. Oops! haha, I wonder what those ladies thought of us.

Just some pictures from different angles of the resort

When I look at the pictures I took I realize I am no photographer. 

These pictures don't do the scenery justice!

For our last lunch in Hawaii we split up. I had to have the butternut squash ravioli again and Ivan had to have another hamburger. 

Mike, Ivan and Emery went to the hamburger place we went to the first night. 

Jack, Kate and I ate at the Monkey Pod.

Emery put a flower in her hair

We stopped at Target for airplane snacks

and that was it for Hawaii.

It was an Awesome trip thank you to Fred Lampopolous. The world is a beautiful place and we felt so lucky to spend a week in this part of it. If the trip would have been one week later they would have had to cancel it. We made it just in the nick of time.