Maui IV - Saying Goodbye Wasn't Easy

After snorkeling in the morning and lazying about back at the house, it was time to say goodbye to Dacia, Ingrid, Angela and Mia. It wasn't easy for any of us, especially me.

A lei is a common symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor, or greeting. Traditionally, when you are given a lei, it should never be tossed away casually. To throw one away represents throwing away the love of the giver. Instead, it should be returned to the place they were gathered and if that isn't possible, they should be returned to the earth by hanging in a tree, burying, or burning. For travelers, it is customary to toss their lei into the ocean and if it returns to shore, this means a safe return to Hawaii.

I think we'll be back. ;)

See you soon, dear friends!

Maui III - We DID Venture Out

We actually did venture away from the house to visit different areas of the island.

"And where would that be?", Jeremy asks.We wandered into Paia and did a little shopping before dinner. There was one shop the girls and I ventured into called Simmer Surf. As I'm waiting for the others to come out of the fitting room, who walks into the shop but... Owen Wilson. I had that deer-caught-in-headlights expression, not realizing that I was staring and wondering "Is that him?", and I tried to act cool, pretending to admire some clothes on a rack but, unfortunately, I think he noticed because he casually walked out the back door. Sorry, Owen. I told the boys but they didn't seem to believe me. Ingrid did confirm for me though that Owen owns a place on the island, so......We all enjoyed a lovely dinner across the road at this little dive. Had some delicious Mahi Mahi and yummy cocktails before saying goodbye to Doc who had to get back to Chicago where her patients were awaiting her return..........but not before I got a photo with her. :)The next few days were spent enjoying the sights, like....


The Road to Hana.It was a lovely, windy drive around the island.......that took us to the Garden of Eden, a beautiful botanical garden where we saw lots of pretty plants and flowers as well as.....


.....peacocks....... that Dacia tried to befriend.There were many ducks with their chicks wandering on the road. We had to be careful not to squash them.Thankfully, Dacia and Angela coaxed them away from the cars or it would have been duck parfait for everyone! Thanks, ladies!I spotted a cockatoo who, I swear, was waving at us. Ok... he might have been scratching.Arriving in Hana, we were greeted by this sweet horse. He definitely wasn't shy. Though it was a very lonnng drive, it was a beautiful day with lots of memories. The next day, we visited Lahaina Beach where we did a little shopping and Dacia met an interesting character.We then enjoyed dinner at Lahaina Grill. All I can say is "fabulous!" Uncle Gary and Aunt Jeannie recommended this restaurant and I'm so glad they did. Not only was the food and wine delicious but the service was impeccable.
We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Jurg Munch.

We had a great day in Lahaina.

OH... BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE. PLEASE STAND BY! :)

Maui II - Sunnin', Cocktailin', Relaxin'

After finding our way through this magnificent house,...

...we made our way to the pool..... ....and did alot of this....And after a long day, we did some of this.....

We cooked quite a few meals - thanks, ladies!!We killed a few coconuts - thanks, Jeremy.

..... which were then blended into QUITE a few cocktails - thanks, Pete.Doc thought they were very yummy....We celebrated Jeremy's birthday....

.... and made him Bond, that's Jeremy Bond, for a day.

And enjoyed yet another beautiful sunset.

Maui I - The Surprise

Little did I know that the business trip I was accompanying Pete on was instead a surprise trip that included 6 of my dearest friends from Chicago! Boy, was I completely surprised!

Pete, how DID you pull this off?

The explanation in [what was called] The Great Room.From left to right - Ingrid, Cat, Tracey (Doc), Me, Pete, Angela, Dacia, Mia and Louis (knelt in front). The sunset is so perfect, it looks like something from Paramount Studios.And look who else showed up! Jeremy, I'm not sure that glass is big enough.Now, that's more like it!

A nice way to end my first night.