And so Jay and I are now husband and wife. This post is a bit delayed, as we have been husband and wife for over three months now. But what a fantastic two weeks we had in Hawaii for our wedding. The first week we spent on Oahu with our families. We rented two homes right on Lanikai Beach in Kailua - one was for my family and a few doors down was the house for Jay's family and us as well. The second week of our trip, we spent on Maui for our honeymoon.
And now . . .
THE HAWAII WEDDING/HONEYMOON TOP TEN
1. Sunrises. Our houses in Kailua were situated perfectly for the sunrise. Not only was the sunrise in front of our homes but the rising sun would be framed by two small islands out in the water. I have definitely seen some nice sunrises before but what made these ones so special was the ease in which we could view them - we would be rolling out of bed at 6:55 am and would be out on the beach in time to see the 6:57 am sunrise - and then it was time to start the day. I will always remember those first few minutes of each morning when we would run out to check out the sunrise and see various family members spread out along the beach or yard, in their own space and thought, taking it in too.
2. Surfing. Jay and I planned a few group activities during the week with the families. One such activity was surfing. Attendees - me and Jay, my mom, Jay's dad, Dave, Calvin, Michael, and Rick. I wouldn't say that I loved surfing but what made it memorable was the performances of the participants. My mom having the inenviable position of going first only to ride the very first wave like a pro, making us all quite nervous that the little, old lady would outperform us all. Fortunately, everyone ended up catching multiple waves. Another memorable attendee was Jay's dad, whose form the instructors were repeatedly trying to correct because he was doing it all wrong yet who continued to surf in the entirely incorrect form, but miracuously was able to ride out every wave in his awkward yet graceful and well-balanced positioning. And finally, Rick, Ali's boyfriend, who was the last to be able to catch a wave, who we all grew to worry would never catch a wave as he was still not able to get up while the rest of us were catching our fourth and fifth waves, until he finally got it and how excited he was and and how delighted it made us all feel with the realization that we had all succeeded. I am not sure I will ever surf again but I will remember this lesson for a long time.
3. Kayaking. We rented a couple double kayaks for family week since we were right on the beach and could go out as we pleased. We did a group trip out to one of the small islands and that was fun, and a special shout-out to my dad who stand-up paddle boarded all the way there and back, which was pretty far, and not the calmest conditions. My favorite kayak moment, however, was when Jay and I took a quick spin out a couple days after we were there, the day before our wedding. We were going to go all the way out to the island but realized we were short on time, so we just stopped in the middle of the water and drifted for a few minutes. It was one of the first times we had been alone since we got there and it was nice to have those few moments to just be us and to look back at the beach and the houses and talk about how perfect it was all going and how happy we were that that was the case.
4. The Girls' Drive to Turtle Bay. On wedding night, Jay and I stayed in a cottage at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, where the restaurant we would be having our wedding dinner was located. It made sense for me to get dressed up there so I didn't have to sit in my dress for an hour plus in the car. So my mom, Tara, Ali, and Elodie came along with me. I really enjoyed the drive with all of them. While Elodie didn't contribute much since she was sleeping, it was nice to have some quality time with my favorite ladies.
5. The Road to Hana and Banana Bread. Flash forward to our honeymoon week in Maui. On the fourth day of our honeymoon, Jay and I took the road to Hana - a famous, winding road through rainforest leading to a small town called Hana. It takes a few hours each way. There are many stops you make along the way to see nice views, waterfalls, etc. Jay really liked the actual drive, winding around the turns, driving over the rocky, dirt roads in our Jeep wrangler. There are little food stands along the way that locals set up to sell simple food items to tourists like us. One thing that everyone sells is banana bread. The Road to Hana and banana bread go together. I really like when a random food item goes together with a particular place/event. Needless to say, we partook in a couple banana breads, as well as a coconut pineapple bread for some variety. Yummy. And thus, I will always think of Hana when I eat banana bread.
6. Whale Watching. What is a Lindsey and Jay vacation top ten without at least one animal? A ton of humpback whales spend their winters in the the waters that surround Hawaii. I have seen them before from the shore when I visited Kauai in previous years but wow, Maui just has a ton of them. As soon as we hit the coast on the ride to our first hotel on Maui, you could spot them just about every time you took a quick glance out to the sea. How much I appreciate the human eye's ability to catch the tiniest of movements in vast stillness. But the most memorable whale spotting was when Jay and I were staying at the hotel in Hana and we wandered over to the shore to watch the whales after we had seen them from a distance. Once we got to the shore's edge, they seemed to disappear and so we decided to head back in until when we were walking back, I took a quick look back and saw what looked like a shark's fin very close to the shore's edge. It turned out it was two whales that couldn't be more than thirty yards off the shore. We didn't see any fin flaps or breaches but, of course, they were in water that was too shallow for any of that funny business. Anyway, seeing whales so close to the shore was a new experience for me and whales are just such impressive creatures. It was a memorable few moments.
7. Pineapple Upside Down Cake. When Jay and I were staying on the west side of Maui, we went to dinner at Pineapple Grill, a very good restaurant known for its pineapple upside down cake. So when it came time to order dessert, that of course was my choice. After my second bite, I calmly said to Jay, "This is the best thing I have ever eaten." It was true. A dense cake topped with coconut ice cream and sitting in a puddle of sweet yumminess. And a shout-out goes out to all the good food we had and the enjoyment I had in letting myself eat what I wanted for those two weeks. I decided on this trip that honestly, if I could have any sort of special power, it would be to eat whatever I want without it affecting my weight - how I love food.
8. Our families together. Jay and I both love our families immensely so to be able to spend a week with each of them was tremendous, let alone both of them combined. We loved every moment of it. We loved to watch members of each family get to know each other and to make memories together. It was truly exactly how we wanted it to go. In fact, it was so perfect that Jay and I had a hard time leaving our families in Oahu to start our honeymoon in Maui. For a little while in Maui, we were really sad that we were no longer with them and even more sad to realize that this coming together of our families would probably never happen again, at least exactly like it was. How can this wonderful trip we were able to take with our families not always remain the best trip of our lives?
9. Our wedding. And of course, the reason we were all here, Jay and I had a perfect wedding ceremony. Our photographer picked a great beach with strong waves and a landscape of sand and rock that provided both nice scenery and a beautiful silhouette as the sun set. During the ceremony, I had Jay in front of me, all of my families members' faces to my left, and waves crashing into the rock to my right. The most beautiful things for me to look at while we wed. And of course, it was not just the ceremony but what it meant. I got to marry Jay. I feel so very blessed to have Jay as my husband. He is a real sweetheart. He has such a big heart and treats me so well. He is so funny, and really cute, and has a great smile that is perfect for a dentist. And he just has so much incredible goodness. He has made me a better person and will continue to make me better as we grow up together. I love you Jay!
10. Our new addition. Finally, while I went back and forth many times about whether to include this, because I realize that it is definitely in the TMI category, but honestly, if I didn't include it, it wouldn't be the true top ten. Hawaii was also where we began the start of the rest of our new family.
And now . . .
THE HAWAII WEDDING/HONEYMOON TOP TEN
1. Sunrises. Our houses in Kailua were situated perfectly for the sunrise. Not only was the sunrise in front of our homes but the rising sun would be framed by two small islands out in the water. I have definitely seen some nice sunrises before but what made these ones so special was the ease in which we could view them - we would be rolling out of bed at 6:55 am and would be out on the beach in time to see the 6:57 am sunrise - and then it was time to start the day. I will always remember those first few minutes of each morning when we would run out to check out the sunrise and see various family members spread out along the beach or yard, in their own space and thought, taking it in too.
2. Surfing. Jay and I planned a few group activities during the week with the families. One such activity was surfing. Attendees - me and Jay, my mom, Jay's dad, Dave, Calvin, Michael, and Rick. I wouldn't say that I loved surfing but what made it memorable was the performances of the participants. My mom having the inenviable position of going first only to ride the very first wave like a pro, making us all quite nervous that the little, old lady would outperform us all. Fortunately, everyone ended up catching multiple waves. Another memorable attendee was Jay's dad, whose form the instructors were repeatedly trying to correct because he was doing it all wrong yet who continued to surf in the entirely incorrect form, but miracuously was able to ride out every wave in his awkward yet graceful and well-balanced positioning. And finally, Rick, Ali's boyfriend, who was the last to be able to catch a wave, who we all grew to worry would never catch a wave as he was still not able to get up while the rest of us were catching our fourth and fifth waves, until he finally got it and how excited he was and and how delighted it made us all feel with the realization that we had all succeeded. I am not sure I will ever surf again but I will remember this lesson for a long time.
3. Kayaking. We rented a couple double kayaks for family week since we were right on the beach and could go out as we pleased. We did a group trip out to one of the small islands and that was fun, and a special shout-out to my dad who stand-up paddle boarded all the way there and back, which was pretty far, and not the calmest conditions. My favorite kayak moment, however, was when Jay and I took a quick spin out a couple days after we were there, the day before our wedding. We were going to go all the way out to the island but realized we were short on time, so we just stopped in the middle of the water and drifted for a few minutes. It was one of the first times we had been alone since we got there and it was nice to have those few moments to just be us and to look back at the beach and the houses and talk about how perfect it was all going and how happy we were that that was the case.
4. The Girls' Drive to Turtle Bay. On wedding night, Jay and I stayed in a cottage at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, where the restaurant we would be having our wedding dinner was located. It made sense for me to get dressed up there so I didn't have to sit in my dress for an hour plus in the car. So my mom, Tara, Ali, and Elodie came along with me. I really enjoyed the drive with all of them. While Elodie didn't contribute much since she was sleeping, it was nice to have some quality time with my favorite ladies.
5. The Road to Hana and Banana Bread. Flash forward to our honeymoon week in Maui. On the fourth day of our honeymoon, Jay and I took the road to Hana - a famous, winding road through rainforest leading to a small town called Hana. It takes a few hours each way. There are many stops you make along the way to see nice views, waterfalls, etc. Jay really liked the actual drive, winding around the turns, driving over the rocky, dirt roads in our Jeep wrangler. There are little food stands along the way that locals set up to sell simple food items to tourists like us. One thing that everyone sells is banana bread. The Road to Hana and banana bread go together. I really like when a random food item goes together with a particular place/event. Needless to say, we partook in a couple banana breads, as well as a coconut pineapple bread for some variety. Yummy. And thus, I will always think of Hana when I eat banana bread.
6. Whale Watching. What is a Lindsey and Jay vacation top ten without at least one animal? A ton of humpback whales spend their winters in the the waters that surround Hawaii. I have seen them before from the shore when I visited Kauai in previous years but wow, Maui just has a ton of them. As soon as we hit the coast on the ride to our first hotel on Maui, you could spot them just about every time you took a quick glance out to the sea. How much I appreciate the human eye's ability to catch the tiniest of movements in vast stillness. But the most memorable whale spotting was when Jay and I were staying at the hotel in Hana and we wandered over to the shore to watch the whales after we had seen them from a distance. Once we got to the shore's edge, they seemed to disappear and so we decided to head back in until when we were walking back, I took a quick look back and saw what looked like a shark's fin very close to the shore's edge. It turned out it was two whales that couldn't be more than thirty yards off the shore. We didn't see any fin flaps or breaches but, of course, they were in water that was too shallow for any of that funny business. Anyway, seeing whales so close to the shore was a new experience for me and whales are just such impressive creatures. It was a memorable few moments.
7. Pineapple Upside Down Cake. When Jay and I were staying on the west side of Maui, we went to dinner at Pineapple Grill, a very good restaurant known for its pineapple upside down cake. So when it came time to order dessert, that of course was my choice. After my second bite, I calmly said to Jay, "This is the best thing I have ever eaten." It was true. A dense cake topped with coconut ice cream and sitting in a puddle of sweet yumminess. And a shout-out goes out to all the good food we had and the enjoyment I had in letting myself eat what I wanted for those two weeks. I decided on this trip that honestly, if I could have any sort of special power, it would be to eat whatever I want without it affecting my weight - how I love food.
8. Our families together. Jay and I both love our families immensely so to be able to spend a week with each of them was tremendous, let alone both of them combined. We loved every moment of it. We loved to watch members of each family get to know each other and to make memories together. It was truly exactly how we wanted it to go. In fact, it was so perfect that Jay and I had a hard time leaving our families in Oahu to start our honeymoon in Maui. For a little while in Maui, we were really sad that we were no longer with them and even more sad to realize that this coming together of our families would probably never happen again, at least exactly like it was. How can this wonderful trip we were able to take with our families not always remain the best trip of our lives?
9. Our wedding. And of course, the reason we were all here, Jay and I had a perfect wedding ceremony. Our photographer picked a great beach with strong waves and a landscape of sand and rock that provided both nice scenery and a beautiful silhouette as the sun set. During the ceremony, I had Jay in front of me, all of my families members' faces to my left, and waves crashing into the rock to my right. The most beautiful things for me to look at while we wed. And of course, it was not just the ceremony but what it meant. I got to marry Jay. I feel so very blessed to have Jay as my husband. He is a real sweetheart. He has such a big heart and treats me so well. He is so funny, and really cute, and has a great smile that is perfect for a dentist. And he just has so much incredible goodness. He has made me a better person and will continue to make me better as we grow up together. I love you Jay!
10. Our new addition. Finally, while I went back and forth many times about whether to include this, because I realize that it is definitely in the TMI category, but honestly, if I didn't include it, it wouldn't be the true top ten. Hawaii was also where we began the start of the rest of our new family.
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