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!