Aloha...Third time's a charm!

Isn't that view breathtaking!  We think so.  Wait though.  I'm way ahead of myself.  I need to go back a few weeks.

This has truly been a wonderful year where trips are concerned.  In May, The Big Guy Lowe and I were able to go to Maui for a week and a half and we had a wonderful time!  In August, we were able to go to Oahu with our family and grandparents and stay for a week in Kailua!  AMAZING!  With both of these trips happily under our belts, you'd think we'd be satisfied.  That makes sense, doesn't it?

Well, truth be told, it just let us know how much we loved being over there.  The amazing water, the beautiful sand, snorkeling and playing on the beach, eating the fresh fruit, the virgin mango-coladas! 

SO GOOD!!!

With these wonderful memories bringing smiles to our faces, we knew we wanted to go back.  When?  We weren't sure, but we knew we wanted to go back.  The extended side of the Lowe family had been talking about heading back over and that sounded like fun.  We had learned from previous experiences that we would want to be in our own accomodations--while still close to everyone, and close to the ocean!  We all started looking at possibilities.  I guess it was during all of that looking that The Big Guy Lowe came across a great deal.  A deal that just couldn't be passed up...if possible.  A resort on Maui, just north of our favorite beach was offering their condos at 50% off during a specific time.  In addition to that, flights were reasonable and rental cars were too.  We talked with Grammy HB to see if she would be able/willing to watch our boys if we were to go away.  She said yes...and that was it!  Reservations were made, plans created and within just a few short weeks we found ourselves once again, sitting at Mama's Fish House on the north coast of Maui enjoying the stunning view and food.  Ahhhhh.  Now we're caught up!

This trip was going to be shorter than the previous trips, but we were excited!  I will say, leaving home for the second week in December is a purely CRAZY time to go on vacation, but it was still fun!  We stayed at the Honua Kai Resort on North Kaanapali Beach in West Maui.  Everything was decorated for Christmas! 

 How fun, and a little odd, was that?

This picture doesn't do the resort justice, but it shows some of the red and green lights for Christmas.  Our room was on the top floor, just to the left of the center tower. 

These are the beautiful grounds during the day.

 

Walking out toward the pools and ocean.  Such a beautiful day! 

Looking back from the beach.

Such a beautiful beach...even though the water isn't as user friendly as it looks!

We had a great trip, even if it did come with a few hiccups!  A few of those being sharp coral on an unfamiliar beach--ouch(!) and a day of torrential rain! 

To make up for the "sharp" beach, we headed back to Kaanapali Beach that we love.  Nothing like enjoying a cabana on a perfect Hawaiian beach!  Sigh....

And that day of rain came at a perfect time.  We had a lot of sun the day before and the chance to explore Kihei was welcomed.  Nice roads, eh? 

 

Rain in Hawaii might sound like a bummer of a day, but it was one of our best! ;)

Another high point of the trip was having dinner with a recently returned missionary and his family that just happened to be vacationing the same time we were.  The Horton family was wonderful!

Unfortunately we didn't bring our camera that night, but this is Elder Horton when he said goodbye before his transfer.

Overall, The Big Guy Lowe and I love spending time together.

 We have been greatly blessed this year and are thankful for all the experiences our little family has had.  We're currently looking into our next trip to the Islands...  :)  Mahalo