my maui family (part 5: cheryl and the browns)

yep, she's just that cool.  (and yes, i swiped this off her fb page :)

my hawaiian friend, cheryl, is amazing.  and it's because of her my trip was amazing.

cheryl is the most open, easy going, easy to love, full of life girl who has taught me more than just how to play the uke ;)  to know cheryl, is to know maui.  to know maui, is to know cheryl.  

i so wish she would be here with me.  she is so passionate and in love with her home of hawaii and i could feel it just in our daily phone calls.  her life here has shaped her into one of the most beautiful people i know.  it's crazy too how well she knows this place.  while driving i had her on the phone and without much of a word from me she would talk through what i was seeing.  She would tell me when and where the best places to stop and soak it all in and who to stop and give a hug to.  

i love this girl for a hundred reasons.  

paul, kim, lauren, aiden

my favorite part, hands down, of the experience was the brown family.
they are what i hope to be.
gracious, fun, inviting, kind, active, hopeful, love filled and just plain lovely.
they not only opened their home to me but made me feel like i was family.  their story is amazing and the more time i spent with them the more inspired i became.
just some of the things we did:

• ET night with all the neighborhood kids and a few adults (brought back memories of the 80's;)
• delicious brunch at one of their favorite places right on the beach.  (i'll have to go back and find what the place was called and what i got because i'm still craving it!)

• 

• paul is the Xterra rep for Maui and invited me on the Xterra run which is the coolest trail run.  it runs on the west side of the island next to the ritz carlton resort.  be ready for some crazy inclines but also have fun running through the brush and being smacked with incredible views.  paul, of course, was super patient with my slowness and made the experience a memorable one. 

• kim invited me to her hotel, Napili Kai, (beautiful!) where i sunbathed, snorkeled and joined her for delicious food overlooking the beach.  agh-i was so incredibly spoiled by them!!  this woman is a strong, capable, woman who is not only super successful with her career, overcome some hard health conditions but an incredible mother who is adored by her kids and husband.  seriously, amazing.
• hanging out with cute lauren and working on art projects into the evening.

thanks brown family and cheryl for creating a most incredible experience in maui!

from suit to sweats (maui part 3: makena beach&haleakala volcano)

Makenna Beach

the waves were actually pretty big (believe me.  not the pic ;)
i was terrified to get in by myself because the current was crazy strong and if it took me out no one would even know.  luckily i met these cute girls with big personalities from colorado and i joined them for the afternoon.  we would jump the waves and on occasion be knocked over rolling our way around.    the tide would pull away and try grabbing us with it.  more than once or twice my bottoms were down around my knees and had to be quick on the grab.

Haleakalā


this volcano stands over 10,000 ft and is the perfect place to watch the sunset.  i know everyone goes in the morning but you have to be up at the butt crack of dawn, push past the huge crowds (oh and there is no parking with all those people!) and then freeze your tail off (literally, you will freeze off any skin that touches the air.  instead, if you go to watch the sunset, you have a place to park, small crowd, get to enjoy the delightful drive up past the beautiful little homes, and watch the sunset over the ocean.

on the drive up. rainbows everywhere cause it's maui ;)

it was ah-mazing.  the coolest place of my trip.  i was above the clouds and in the heavens looking at the beautiful world i live in, counting my blessings as i heard little but the sound of the wind rushing past my ears.

once again, another drive with crazy twists and turns.  it didn't help either that the view was out of this world and all i wanted to do was pull over every 10 seconds to take pictures (that didn't do it justice!)

be warned:  layer it up.  it is freakin' cold.  so cold in fact that my phone kept shutting down.

at the top overlooking the crater

not much parking.  next to the look out point but you can hike all around.

this is a moment i want to relive after i die.

high tide with a side of chills (maui part 2: jaws beach)

i love maui.  i love the color.  i love the relaxed atmosphere.  it's like fiji except clean!

Jaws Beach

this is a must while visiting maui.  especially in the evening during high tide.  it was on my way home coming from hana.

ginormous huge waves that gave me the chills and stomach flip flop.  sunset over the water.  google chat with shawn.

  

watching the sunset.

maui anyone? (maui part 1: hana hwy)

how often times do i not do something because i will be alone doing it?
seriously, how often?

...um...let me think....
yeah, it's happened  several times in my life.

like in
going to a movie
going to a football game
going to a dance class

it's empowering though when i stop that thinking and i start doing regardless.

that's what maui was.
never been but always wanted to go.

i had a super cheap ticket (thanks TOFW;)
a free place to stay with an absolutely amazing family (thanks cheryl and brown family)
but i didn't have anyone to go with.  the trip was so last minute (like 2 or 3 days before) that i didn't have time to talk someone into coming.  (thanks ash & trav for trying ;)

so, i was going to spend the next 7 days on my own doing it all...solo.
and what an experience!  i learned heaps about myself and made some great friends who made my trip priceless.


i arrived in maui around 11pm.  a guy from a small rental company picked me up, took me to a deserted parking lot (total sketch) in front of a starbuck's where i picked up a beat up toyota rav.  the breaks were so worn out that if i ever had to stop quickly, i had better luck downshifting than hitting on the breaks.  but the car just fit with the hawaiian feel...total low key, chill.  as tourists were zipping around me in there hot sports cars and cool jeeps, i felt more like a local :)

and so my adventure began...

i fell in love with this little thing.  she became my hawaiian companion.

the road to hana
one of the more dangerous highways full of shared lanes, bridges, twists and turns.  it didn't help the safety cause that it was pouring rain for half of it.

http://susanreep.com/blog/tag/road-to-hana/

*since both hands were on the wheel i borrowed a pic of what the drive looked like.  crazy windy, right?  they were often times only one lane shared between the two directions though!

a canopy of green

waterfalls were everywhere

the road to hana was beautiful and exhausting.  next time i'd make it a two day affair and spend the night in hana.

hey YOU

you came into this world as YOU.
not as your sister.  not as your friend jill or nicole or tonya.
not as your husband of 30 years.
not as your mother.
you came as YOU.
and
you will leave as YOU.

now don't get me wrong, the similarities and ties we build in relationships are priceless and important.  but think of how much stronger those relationships would be if you were the finest you imagined.

so, what will YOU have to show at the end of your life?
will you know how to change a tire?
will you know how to enjoy being with you?
will you know how to make yourself smile?
will you know what you want?
           ...will you know how to get there?

will you be happy with you?