Maui Vacation 2014 Day 2

This was the one day of our vacation that we really didn't do much.

This picture was actually taken at La Perouse Bay
Read on to hear more!

We did go down to the beach and the pool. (This was the day the boys got severely sunburned).

Basically, I was trying to get Ellie Jo on a good nap schedule, since the previous day had been mostly traveling, and being that we were in a new time zone, it was my top priority. Bryce and Robert really wanted to get to the beach. I did, too, but I knew I needed to stay back to try to get Ellie down. So, they went down, and Robert's mom and I got her ready to go. It took longer than we planned, and the boys called to tell me that it was getting really windy (trade winds) and they didn't know that the baby would like it. I knew how windy it was, but decided to take the risk to show her the ocean (in lighter hours), and let her play in the sand.

Sadly, that meant the guys were out in the sun for 3 hours with no sunscreen. (However, I did advise Robert before he left to use some!)

The beach was AMAZING, but it was definitely windy!

Beach comber?

GORGEOUS views!

Sailboat in the surf

(This is from Instagram) Baby playing in the
sand with Grandma & Daddy!

Panoramic

 We had to pack it up and head to the pool pretty quickly, about an hour or so was all we could do down at the beach, because the surf really got a bit crazy. (Tradewinds roll in around 1:00, so if you're not out before then, you're going to get sand-blasted!)

Daddy & Ellie Jo in the pool by the waterfall!

She loved the little baby float that Grandma
found for her at the condo!

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Daddy liked pulling baby around!

She did want out a few times

She eventually figured out how to blow bubbles
in the water and was content to stay in her
floating toy!

Looking at the condos from the pool

Palm tree - one of my favorite sights!

Auntie even joined in on the fun!

Baby learned how to chill

Daddy & Auntie encouraged her "chilling" haha

She also liked to move around a bit

Bubbles again!

Me: "Ellie, what are you doing?"
Ellie: "Mommy, me wim! Me wim!" AKA -
"swim"

There was this convenient shave ice food truck
right on the sidewalk outside of the condo!
This was definitely an addition that was not there
in 2010 the last time we were there!

The guys, sharing shave ice with the tiki man
outside the pool

Robert and me sharing shave ice with the tiki
man outside the pool

Compilation via Instagram

Bryce & me chillin' poolside (another Instagram
photo)

After the pool and our shave ice, we relaxed in the condo until it was nearly sunset. Then, we got in the car and drove about 15-20 minutes south of Kihei (where we were staying), past Wailea and Makenna Beach. We ended up at La Perouse Bay! It was an amazing spot to see the sunset!

Sunset from La Perouse Bay

I LOVED how the water filled in the lava rocks
and it looked like milk & Oreo cookies!

That view!

No matter how beautiful the Pacific Northwest
is, it simply does not compare to Maui!

Just water for miles and miles!

Robert's parents enjoying the sunset with us!

I adjusted my angle so I wasn't facing the sunset

Daddy & Ellie walking along the
sand/ lava rock beach

Daddy & Auntie showing
Ellie the lava rocks

But seriously! Can't this be a mural on my
bedroom wall?!

This was about 15 minutes before the sunset

ahhhh this was soooo comforting!

The clouds in the distance are not rain clouds!
That was such a breath of fresh air for me!

Those waves!

This is looking south as far as I could with
that lens.

Those rocks were such a barrier! Look at how
the waves broke all around them!

I couldn't stop snapping pictures. I was
addicted to this beach!

Close-up of southern waves

Sunset through the posts (looking North)

Captivating

Robert taking a lava walk - haha!

Look at that hottie out there! Carrying my camera
bag and everything, lol!

West side of Haleakala!

Beautiful!

Clouds over Haleakala

South side of Haleakala

Me, walking out towards the big lava rocks

Auntie & Ellie Jo checking out the area

I sat there for what seemed like hours. I couldn't
get enough of the views!

Magazine cover?

That sunset!

The way the rocks are formed, it looks like a crab!

Sun star!

Sinking sun

Auntie showing Ellie
how to sit on the big rock
like a big girl

Love both of their expressions!

It's almost gone...

I wish I could have frozen time for this shot

...and this one...

...and this one, lol!

Saw a few waves pick up on our way out

The last bubble of light from the sun

I loved how the waves broke around here!

ahhh it was sooo warm still!

And the sun sinks!

Bidding goodbye to the beach

It was so quiet!

I wish I could have soaked this in for days!
oh wait.... :)

The waves got a little stronger before we left

Stronger and beautiful

I loved this so much!

Afterglow

It was so gorgeous!

This reminded me of
The Lion King

Absolutely the best place to see the sunset!

One last walk close to the water

Clouds over Haleakala, just looking east
from La Perouse Bay

I was glad I got this last one in!

La Perouse Memorial

Haleakala from the road

The only picture from the moving vehicle
that turned out somewhat decent! That's Lanai
in the distance!

Our second day in paradise was nothing short of incredible. Although we laid low, it was the best idea for that day. More to follow.....

Maui Vacation 2014 Day 1

I know, I know - we're Maui junkies. It's no secret! We absolutely love Maui! It's our favorite place to go on vacation, and this time we got to share the trip with tons of people we love!

The last time we were in Maui was back in 2010 for our honeymoon.

Here we are just outside Twin Falls, at a stop along Hana
Highway in 2010!

 However, we were in Honolulu in 2011 for a vacation with Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Ken & Aunt Judy!

Here we are in King's Village in 2011!

Our trip to Maui this time was with Robert's parents, his sister, our BFF Bryce, Uncle Brian, Auntie Sloane, Alisha & T2!

Our family picture at the Last Lava Flow
Maui, 2014

 Without further ado, let me start by what was going on the morning of September 21st, when we left for paradise.

Everyone met at our house in the wee hours of the morning. We left Ellie Jo asleep for as long as we possibly could. Uncle Brian, Auntie Sloane, Alisha & T2 arrive first, and then the Andersons' shuttle service (AKA, 15-passenger van) arrived to take us all to the airport. We were all getting loaded up, and there was a misunderstanding about Ellie's stroller. I explained that we needed to have it, and that I wouldn't be able to carry her everywhere. We were able to collapse it and sit it between Jeff & Erin up front - amazing! (PS - Jeff is really an incredible luggage packer-upper! He made everything AND everyone fit!)

Robert's parents and sister arrived next, and we all got situated while Ellie fussed and cried in her carseat after being loaded up. I couldn't blame her. I wanted to fuss and cry. I think we all did!

We got to the airport, quickly disembarked and went our separate ways. Everyone else was leaving a couple hours ahead of us. We were flying Hawaiian with Bryce (best deal around, bar none).

Bryce and Robert hauled all of our bags while I raced through the airport with a crying baby in her carseat in her stroller to the Hawaiian airlines counter (seriously, the last one in Sea-Tac).

We checked our one gigantic suitcase (for all 4 of us), and went to security. It took forever. We learned about yogurt being a "gelatinous" substance, and only allowed for babies. We learned that some people who don't have small children and do airport security do not understand how much food you have to bring for a kid traveling over 10 hours. (We were told that we had "quite enough." Robert and Bryce laughed.)

Once we were through security, we had plenty of time to get settled at the gate, use the restroom a few times, and Bryce and I got breakfast. Elizabeth did pretty good, but she got a little restless while we waited to board. Unfortunately, the airline wouldn't let us bring her carseat on board (she was a "lap infant"), even though there was an empty seat and plenty of room  Sigh.

Once we landed, we only had to wait a couple minutes for the minivan to pick us up! Robert's parents and sister had made a trip to Costco while they waited for our plane to get in. Loading up was interesting, to say the least! But we got it all to fit. We went to Ruby Tuesday's for food, then to the condo to unload.

Once we got unloaded, we wanted to check out the beach, of course! It's only a 4-5 minute walk from the condo. I purposed to put my toes in that sand every single day. There is just nothing quite like that feeling in the entire world!

Here's the baby, ready for the beach!

Amazing sunset!

Mommy and Daddy on the beach at sunset

Tiki torches outside our condo!

Oohhh palm trees!

I'm not one for selfies...but that flower is adorable!

Outside the pool at the condo

Tiki torches along the pool gate

That night, we all did a cook-out together at the condo, and had salmon and chicken from the grill! Delicious! (There was other stuff, too - those were just the higlights!)

Anyway, we were all pretty tired, and just happy to be in paradise!

More to come about day 2 tomorrow...

Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter

Several weeks ago, I made a new creation in my kitchen.

And it was divine! 

Some of my friends asked if they could just eat it with a spoon out of my jars! Haha!

Anyway, I was cruising Pinterest one afternoon (I know; you're shocked), and came across this amazing recipe. My recipe is not identical. Credit where it's due; I did nearly everything she did in this recipe, but I did change it a bit to make it my own. Please make sure you read my recipe thoroughly to see the differences.

Here's what you need:

7lbs. very ripe pears - peeled, cored & chopped
1/2 cup water
zest & juice of 1 lemon (I used the entire lemon skin for the zest)
4 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp.)
2 whole vanilla beans, sliced and scraped
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (original recipe calls for 1 tsp.)
3/4 tsp. cardamom
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
juice of 1 orange (I also added a little orange zest)




Here's what to do:

Combine the pears, water, lemon zest and juice in a big saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes, or until pears are very soft. I prefer to use a wooden spoon, as opposed to plastic or metal.

Transfer mixture to a food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy.

In a different saucepan, combine pear puree, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, everything you scraped from the vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. NOTE: I put the sugar, orange zest & juice, vanilla, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together in a saucepan at the beginning, while the pears were boiling, because I really wanted to let those flavors marry. Bonus - your house smells amazing if you do this early on! (You can also add the vanilla beans whole, after you've scraped them; just make sure you take them out before you transfer to jars.) Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it shape to a spoon and liquid does not separate.

Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids.

Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. It's helpful to use a canning funnel. Remove air bubbles and adjust head-space, if needed, but adding more butter. Wipe rim. Center the lid on jar and screw band down until resistance is med, then increase to fingertip tight.

These jars need to be processed for at least 10 minutes, if you're canning them. If you're using the Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter within 2 weeks, you can refrigerate it. 

A few days after I made this recipe, I made pumpkin pancakes and covered them with the Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter. DELICIOUS.

Footnote: Caradmom is my new favorite spice. It's better than any Christmas potpourri you can make or purchase!