Spring Break in Hawaii: Our Day at Black Rock

We couldn't leave Maui without giving the kids the opportunity to jump off Black Rock.  We took the resort shuttle down to the Westin's sister property and spent the afternoon daring each other to jump off the rock.

Eric took the dare...

as well as Tanner...

Austin...

and Steve.

I was surprised McKenna didn't take the dare.  She is usually the one that shows her brothers how it's done.  She wanted to stay and build a sand castle with me instead.  After what happened to my suit body-surfing there was no way I was jumping off the rock!

We had an enjoyable afternoon reading, snorkeling and playing tackle football.

Cathy and her Kindle

Austin

McKenna 

Spring Break in Hawaii: The Difference between a "Trip" and a "Vacation"

Trip:  a fun time with the whole family where the focus is on providing experiences for the kids to grow and the family to build relationships.  A trip usually includes me doing some cleaning and cooking for everyone and maybe even a little laundry.  No one takes pictures of these menial tasks, but I promise they happen and that is why I am not in many of the pictures for this trip.

Vacation:  I don't have to spend time in the kitchen, picking up after anyone, or providing non-stop entertainment for a crowd.   

This was definitely a TRIP.  As much time as I could spend outdoors lounging in the sun I did.  Armed with a good book and a beach chair, I tried to soak up as many rays as possible.  Northwest winters are always hard to endure and I need these getaways to recharge my batteries.  

Vacation:  Keri gets jewelry.  

Trip:  McKenna gets jewelry.  

I blame it all on my Grandma Metta.  She and I loved to look at jewelry together.  Every time she would go on a little trip she would add a piece to her jewelry collection.  We would organize her jewelry and sit and talk about the memories of each piece.  I even remember being on trips with her and helping her pick out pieces.  Well, I have continued the tradition and I guess now have passed it on to my daughter. 

McKenna had heard my story of picking my pearl on Maui a few years ago and has seen me wear it often.  She wanted to use her Hawaii money to do the same.  One night Eric took McKenna and I to the Pearl Factory where McKenna was able to pick an oyster and keep the pearl it contained.  She had picked out a necklace and setting for her pearl that reminded her of her Maui experience - an angelfish - but the pearl was too large for the cage so they gifted her another oyster.  I ended up with the "too large" pearl on a pendant ;)  I think they knew exactly what they were doing at that shop, don't you?  Eric knew too, how it would play out.  He is a good sport, but that is why he is calling this "trip" my VACATION.

Spring Break in Hawaii: While the Boys Are Away...

...the Girls Play!

Kris, McKenna, Cathy and I put the top down and took the Mustang for a spin around the island the day the boys went on their scuba trip.  This was a great way to see the island and all it had to offer.

Kris, our beautiful tour guide and experienced driver.

Cathy, the navigator

McKenna and Keri along for the ride.

We had a good time shopping.  Kris shared some of her favorite shops with us where we found a screaming deal on a zebra swim suit for McKenna.  We enjoyed taking in the latest fashion and art at the trendy shops of the Wailea Shopping Village and then enjoyed lunch and conversation on the balcony at Tommy Bahamas.  

Just a few of the shops at the shoppping village.

Tommy Bahamas in the Wailea Shopping Village

Following lunch we wandered around the posh Four Seasons resort before our drive back up the coast to meet the boys for dinner.

The Four Seasons at Wailea, Maui

It was a beautiful day and so much fun to be out with just the girls doing girl stuff.

Spring Break in Hawaii: McKenna's Adventure

McKenna struggled to find the perfect experience to have while on the islands.  She and Mom had decided to try para-sailing, however on Maui the whale season is still in effect in April and state law does not allow the para-sail boats to operate during the whale migration.  Given McKenna had become a little fish with her snorkel gear she and Aunt Cathy decided a guided snorkel trip would be a grand adventure.  They chose the  Mahana Nai'a Snorkeling Tour. 

Cathy and McKenna boarded the Mahana Nai'a (a  58 foot twin hulled catamaran measuring 25 foot wide, whose name means "twin dolphins" in the Hawaiian language) from Maalaea Harbor and spent time snorkeling at both Molokini, the extinct volcano just off the coast of Maui, and Turtle Town (actually there were so many boats hanging around Turtle Town, their boat stopped just shy of it at a place the guides called the Turtle Ghetto).  McKenna said the few turtles they saw were not very impressive.  She had seen better ones just off the shore from our resort.  

An experience they did get and hadn't counted on made up for the disappointment of missing Turtle Town.  While traveling back from Molokini, their dive boat encountered a pod of whales that exhibited some spectacular tail slaps and breaches (jumps out of the water) right next to their boat.

We had seen whales all week long from the shore and from our balcony (it was especially fun to watch them while listening to General Conference on Sunday morning), but being this close to them was truly amazing.

Spring Break in Hawaii: Scuba Diving

Austin and Carson decided time under the water would be more exciting than on top of it.  The two of them headed to the Maui Dreams Dive Shop with Grandpa Sork and went on a two tank SCUBA discovery dive. Their shore dive was off Wailea beach.  Carson said the gear was almost more than he could carry and it took him ten minutes to find a set of fins that would fit him properly. Unfortunately, no camera accompanied them on their trip :(

The boys were a bit anxious when they had to learn how to clear water from their masks and to find a lost regulator (you actually have to take the breather out of your mouth and throw it behind you, then find it again), but they passed with flying colors.  On the dive they could hear the migrating whales under the water as the were diving.  The coolest thing they saw was a huge puffer fish.  They also enjoyed looking at all the different types of coral and sea urchins.  

Eric spent several days with Steve finishing their SCUBA dive certification course they had started together in Vancouver.  They dove on four occasions, spending most of their time performing a series of underwater skills such as taking off their masks, hovering, compass navigation and rescue techniques.  They were both a bit frustrated and disappointed when, after the first day of lessons, they were told their dive boat was going to be unable to leave port the next day and they would have to finish their last two classes diving from the shore. 

On day two, they dove at McKenna Point and Eric’s disappointment was a bit relieved when he and the instructor were able to observe several White Tipped Reef Sharks sheltering in caves off the rocky point.  In addition they saw a multitude of turtles and a rare baby frog fish.  When it was all said and done, both Eric and Steve received their certification and Eric is already chomping at the bit to plan another trip where he can go diving again.

Spring Break in Hawaii: Surfing in Keihi

Each of the kids had an opportunity to chose their own adventure while on the island.  Tanner went the surf lesson route. He and his Uncle Steve showed up early one morning in the town of Keihi to take a lesson from Maui Beach Boys.  Their surf school consisted of a lone van at the local beach park surrounded by a dozen surfers and two dozen students.  After donning a rash guard, Tanner, Steve and their instructor spent twenty minutes surfing the park grass.  They looked quite competent jumping up onto their boards as an imaginary wave was breaking.

It turns out surfing grass is much easier and less taxing than trying to surf waves for two hours.  The first hour was spent getting a feel for the board, learning balance…and falling off.  Tanner eventually got the hang of it and was able to ride waves into shore without falling.  He said it was one of the most tiring things he has done (then we reminded him of Mount Adams and he had to change that statement), but he loved it despite the surfer’s rash tattooed on his legs.

While Tanner was busy learning to surf the rest of the family rode the waves a little closer to shore on body boards.  I decided I wouldn't do that again until I had a swimsuit that fit a little better.  I guess some of the weight I lost did make a difference in how the suit fit :0!  (Note to self: buy a new suit before the next vacation.)

Before we left for our vacation, Austin wanted a haircut.  I just couldn't make it happen with everything else going on so he left without getting one.   All we heard about was how he was going to have a funny tan line for prom when we got back home and he got it cut.  A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Aunt Cathy for finding a salon and taking Austin to get his hair cut before we spent too much more time in the sun.  We were all glad we didn't have to listen to it anymore.  Doesn't he look good!  He couldn't mess it up with body surfing...

Spring Break In Hawaii: Maui Snorkeling

Maui was in one word – Relaxing.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the water was so warm.  It was the first time the kids had every really spent much time swimming in the ocean.

The view from our room.

Good times happen here!

We stayed at the Westin Villas, located just north of well-known Black Rock on the Kanapali Beach side of the island.  Our family of six was a bit cramped in the one bedroom villa, but with an added roll-a-bed for Austin, Tanner and Carson sharing the pullout bed and McKenna with a make-shift bed using a combination of the living room lounger and a few kitchen chairs, we just made it.  The room included a full kitchen that we put to good use making all of our own breakfasts and a few lunches and dinners as well.

McKenna getting snorkel instructions from Gpa and Dad.

Carson and McKenna - the hardest part of snorkeling was getting in and out of the surf.

Carson learning to back into the water with his fins on.

Tanner gives two humbs up for snorkeling the reef off the resort shore.

Thank goodness for snorkel gear.  The gear we rented worked great and got quite the workout.  The kids spent much of their vacation with mask and snorkels attached to their faces.  They all loved it, though Tanner seemed to experience a strange jaw pain if he spent too much time doing it.  The Hotel had a great reef right off shore to explore, though our favorite place to snorkel was at a sea life preserve just to the north where we saw several huge turtles and a snowflake eel.

It was a beautiful hike to the nature preserve.

Back row (L to R):  Gpa Sork, Eric, Austin Tanner Cathy and Steve
Front row (L to R):  McKenna, Carson and Keri

There was a sign right next to this one that said, "Watch for Falling Coconuts".
We thought that was pretty funny, until we saw and heard one drop.

Austin, Gpa Sork and McKenna at Honolua Bay

Time to get the gear on! - Tanner

Austin, snorkeled up and ready to dive in.