Kauai!

My favorite week of the year is my time away with Mike exploring somewhere wonderful. This year we decided to go to Kauai and it did not disappoint. We loved every single second of our time there together taking in all the beauty that gorgeous place. 

Our intent when we arrived was to spend at least a few days just hanging around relaxing, but the weather didn't cooperate and in all honesty, we couldn't make ourselves just sit around, so we spent day one hiking the muddy trail of Waimea Canyon which was incredible, nothing like what I thought we would see in Hawaii. Lots of the hike was through forest, but when we got to the canyon opening, it took my breath away. Love that Mike introduced me to adventure. I was so happy I had my Keens...they saved me!

A cool bug that landed on Mike's shirt.

After our serious hike, we decided to go off the beaten bath to the gorgeous Polihale Beach. We were almost the only ones there are enjoyed the sunshine, sand, and waves. It was the perfect way to end our day!

When we left our hotel the next morning, this awesome rainbow greeted us. Such a happy sight!

We headed to the North side of the island the next day. It was positively gorgeous! If we were to pick a place to stay on beauty alone, it would for sure be the north side at Hanalei Bay...just incredible!

We decided to splurge and eat breakfast at the St. Regis, and boy oh boy was it posh. The hotel, the view, the food was all divine. And...it was super fun to meet up with Duckworth's and enjoy the rest of our vacation with them. They are so awesome and made our trip double the fun.

We took part of the Napali Coast Hike. One day it would be fun to do the whole thing, but we loved the first couple of miles.

We wanted to be able to snorkel at the famous Ka'e beach, but it was a bit chilly and over cast, so it wasn't quite the experience we were hoping for. We did play in the water for a bit before we packed up and searched for the sun.

Hooray! We found the sunshine at Anini beach. The boys loved snorkeling and finding fish and Jolene and I loved warming up.

After the snorkeling, we decided we had to see Queen's Bath. In the summer, the waters are calm and you can swim in the individual pools, but in the winter the sea is high and the black rocks and light water made it one of our favorite excursions. We spent a long time just being amazed by mother nature...she even gave us a little rainbow.

After our hikes, we ate at a quaint and quiet spot and talked the night away. Pretty sure that is what a perfect day looks like!

On day three, we decided to kayak the Wailua River and hike up to Secret Falls. Just the coolest in every way! 

Proof of how tough I am.

How he feels about all the pictures.

That night we ate another yummy dinner and then walked along Marriott's beach and sat in our own little cove and chatted the night away. It was wonderful!! 

The next day was Sunday and we attended a beautiful, local ward where we were welcomed like friends. We then took an incredible hike up Sleeping Giant and spent the day enjoying the beauty of God's creations. So blessed in every way to experience it all!

On Day 4 we took a helicopter ride and explored the entire island. It was SO incredible...I think we smiled the entire time. 

After the helicopter ride, we were seriously craving some beach and snorkel time, and we found a great spot at Polihale. The water was super clear and we saw hundreds and hundreds of fish. So Much Fun!!

Grabbed a local favorite, the Puka Dog for lunch. Yum!!

A sea lion stopped right by us to lay in the sun. Pretty cool!

After the sun disappeared, we took a crazy road that said "keep out" all the way to Spouting Horn. I kept imagining a farmer coming out with a gun and shooting our tires, but we made it safe and sound.

Then we waited for a bit, talking, laughing, and wading until we caught one Hawaiian sunset. It was totally worth it!

After the sunset, we had one last dinner with the Duckworth's before they had to leave. They were awesome traveling companions!

On our very last day in Kauai, we spent the morning on a super cool hike to Ho'opi Falls. It ends at a small waterfall with a swimming hole and rope swing. It was the perfect way to end all of our adventures. 

We stopped for some fresh mango, which we should have been eating the entire trip...it was so good!!

We ended the day at our hotel for the first afternoon ever..gorgeous spot though, and said good bye to those crazy chickens who wander around like squirrels everywhere in Kauai. We ate a delicious dinner then headed for our red eye where Mike surprised me with FIRST CLASS upgrades, so we slept on a flat bed the whole way home. I am the luckiest!