Sentence a Day in December (2024): The Month We Went to Hawaii!

 Hmm.. I guess that title sounds a little deceiving; we didn't spend the month in Hawaii. Our plans were to spend 5 days on Maui and 5 Days on the Big Island so with travel days were gone for nearly 2 weeks. It was wonderful but exhausting! The weather was beautiful and it didn't hurt that we left snow and single digit temperatures behind. 

1. So thankful that the diorama base Ian made for our village survived storage in our basement so well. Woke to some ice on the lake and decided to stay inside; I packed away all the fall decor and put up our Christmas village then, after dinner, drove Alec back to college. 5,173 steps.

a much needed healthy lunch after 3 days of Thanksgiving food and leftovers

2. So thankful for some great home workouts that make me feel strong. My leg and back were still hurting so I skipped the gym for a home workout then helped Evan with some schoolwork before we went out and ran some errands. 5,145 steps. 

3. Grateful for a wonderful chat with my hair dresser. Another freezing morning and another workout at home before I got the woodstove going and helped Evan with his schoolwork. I went mid-morning for a trim and spent my afternoon by the woodstove working on a new puzzle, reading my book, and blogging. 6,911 steps.

4. Thankful for a lovey and delicious lunch out with my mother in law.  Went to the gym, quick schooling with Evan, then we went to Target, and out to lunch with my mother in law. Worked on the laundry, keeping the woodstove going and making a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad all afternoon. 9,165 steps. 

5. So grateful we didn't lose power! I woke to snow and our power blinked a few times, squeezed in my workout between outages and Evan and I decided to work on school in the basement near the woodstove. I spent my afternoon working on our Hawaii trip itinerary, working on a new puzzle, and reading my book. 5,224 steps.

6. Grateful my husband decided to bring takeout home and I didn't have to cook dinner. Gym, cleaned the whole upstairs while Evan was at his last class, and then I read my book while Evan had his friend over (I loved listening to Evan, Ian, and Evan's friend all playing Mario Kart together!).

7. I was grateful that I already had a sympathy card in my stash of cards. I spent all morning cleaning the basement and the afternoon reading my book and working on my puzzle. 5,728 steps

8. Grateful I was able to resist the sweets Ben brought home from work over the weekend! Woke early and went grocery shopping, prepped food for the week and talked to Alec for a bit, researched things to do on the Big Island and then spent my afternoon baking bread and working on my puzzle. 5,602 steps. 

9. Thankful the rain held off until the afternoon so we could squeeze in a hike! Gym, school with Evan, packed my bags for Hawaii (Ian and Evan did too), then ran a few errands and went hiking. 15,484 steps.

10 days in a carry-on? Who am I? (my toiletries will go in one of the boys' checked bags)

Alec's wedding cake final

10. So thankful we realized the 2 suitcases the boys were going to share would have resulted in oversize baggage fees upwards of $400 BEFORE we left; that was worth our time rearranging suitcases & clothing! Rainy day so after school with Evan I cleaned another few rooms in the house and settled down to read my book and work on my puzzle. 5,140 steps. 

Repacked my bags to make sure we have leftover room for souvenirs! 

11. So very thankful that I was able to cook dinner without our power going out as many streets near us were without! A very rainy day that started with a great gym workout, school with Evan, and a run to get gas and toiletries for the men at Target. 8,179 steps

This outfit only lasted 2 hours since I was so soaked by the time we got home that I just changed into sweats. 

12. So grateful for the one on one time with Alec while driving home hearing all about this last week of finals (in great detail!).  A quick workout at home before heading to pick Alec up for his long winter break then a quiet afternoon reading and blogging. 7,071 steps. 

13. Grateful to end my day playing a fun game of Tri- Ominos with sons and mother in law! Gym, spent the morning helping Alec fill out the FAFSA, read my book, worked on the blog. 8,452 steps. 

salad with apple and tofu nuggets-- YUM!

14. Thankful tor a lovely chat with my mom today; they're settling in well to their new home. A lazy day of reading with a quick grocery run to pick up just a few things to last the next couple of days.  4,077 steps. 

15. So thankful I had nothing planned for the day since I ended up spending most of it in bed. My mother in law did stop by after lunch to drop off Christmas gifts for us all.  

16. So grateful to already be feeling back to normal in time for our trip! A snowy/rainy day but Evan and I headed out to the bank and the library anyway. (I completely forgot to take any photos!) 6,273 steps. 

17. Grateful for such an incredibly warm day in mid-December; I didn't even need a coat!  Evan and I walked the river trail (while Ian was at work and Alec went to meet up with a bunch of his high school friends for lunch) then Ian, Alec, and I played Tri-ominoes with my mother in law and then ended our night in Hartford at the Holiday Inn. 15,746 steps. 

18. So thankful that our travel day (though so long!) was pretty darn smooth. We woke up at 2:45 am EST and landed in Maui, Hawaii at would have been nearly 8 pm EST and still managed to stay up an additional 4 hours to try and get ourselves acclimated to local time. 5,105 steps

19. So thankful for such clear skies at the top of Mount Haleakala. We started our morning by walking to the bakery for some fresh cinnamon buns, a quick grocery shop, then we packed lunches to head into the national park. We checked out the summit section of Haleakala national park and finished our night with dinner at Moose McGillycuddy's and some shave ice. 18,347 steps. 

chicken teriyaki with veggies, rice, and crushed macadamia nuts

Mai Tai shave ice

20. So thankful we made it all the way to the national park and back without any real problems! We drove the road to Hana today-- it was such a looong day but we did pack a lot in. 13,951 steps.

inside a lava tube

Banyan tree

red sand beach

black sand beach

21. So thankful for calm seas and a great day after our disastrous snorkel tour in the Caribbean.  Snorkel tour day with Blue Water Rafting in Maui. 13,193 steps (or there abouts; my step counter reset itself while I was snorkeling but I know I was just under 5,000 at the time).

we saw so many whales too!

22. So thankful for a relaxing last day in Maui. We toured the botanical gardens and went to lunch on the south shore. 12,159 steps. 

23. So thankful for another easy, uneventful travel day. We flew from Maui to the Big Island and checked into our next rental before picking up groceries at Wal-Mart. 8,032 steps. 

Leaving Maui

Seeing the Big Island of Hawaii

24. So thankful for a beautiful day in another national park. We went to Volcanoes National park and actually saw some lava flowing. 19,376 steps. 

25. So grateful that we not only got to see the green sand beach but that there was a seal on it too! 19,221 steps.

26. I was so grateful for a more relaxing vacation day today. We toured a local coffee farm, went to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park then hit the beach and the pool near our rental for the afternoon. 11,545 steps. 

we started our day with fresh malasadas 

Greenwell Farms

our tour guide was fabulous!

Swimming in Keauhou Bay

27. So thankful my poor husband doesn't mind driving as we once again headed over to Hilo on the other side of the island to see some waterfalls, state parks, and botanical gardens. 11,574 steps.

rainbow falls

Can you see the slight colors IN the waterfall?

Akaka Falls

We stumbled upon this botanical garden by accident but we just loved it!

Our dinner view; we ate at Sunset Kai Lanai 

I got the seafood medley; crab cake, mahi mahi, and shrimp with rice and kabab veggies

28. So thankful we had zero troubles on our trip home. We went to breakfast at Papa Konas then headed to the airport by 11 am for some long/overnight flights. 5,417 steps. 

our breakfast views!

Island style French toast

These two played chess while waiting to head to the airport

Kona's airport is open air

29. So thankful for a hot shower after nearly 24 hours in airports/airplanes and for my own bed again! We arrived home around noon and spent our afternoon resting, unpacking, opening mail, watering plants, etc. 7,444 steps. 

30. So thankful that 15+ hours of sleep last night kept any jet lag at bay! When we got home at noon yesterday I elected to stay up until 5:30 and then slept through until 8:30 this morning so I had zero effects from jet lag today which was good because I did more laundry, groceries, meal prep, paid bills, packed away our Christmas village (the only decor I had out), opened gifts with my mother in law, etc. 10,040 steps. 

31. So grateful today for the help of the whole family to clean the house in one morning! After getting the whole house cleaned I headed out shopping for birthday gifts (we have a few in early Jan.). 7,106 steps. 

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