The Munce Family: Greta turns 10...in Hawaii!

Aloha! We pulled off a Hawaiian adventure and it was so magical.

We found an anesthesia conference on Kawaii and the double bonus was that it was over Greta's 10th birthday, we couldn't make plans fast enough.

The kids traveled like champs and the daunting eight hour flight really wasn't that bad. We were greeted with sunshine and an island breeze, we found our car and the most Hawaiian radio station we cold find for the drive and made our way to the resort. Upon our arrival, we received leis and took in the most incredible views. We cleaned up and explored the resort and hung in there through an early dinner before falling fast asleep around 9pm.

We woke up early the following morning, especially Greta who was bursting at the seems with excitement...it was her 10th birthday. Our plans simply included a cabana at the poool, it was a great day. I did sneak her away for a little shopping session and Starbucks treat. We had dinner reservations at the fancy hotel restaurant where they surprised us with the 'princess table' surrounded by koi ponds. It was a table fit for the birthday girl, we all felt so special. We loved celebrating Greta, we shared stories and memories about here, she beamed. I love Greta, I don't have enough words to describe her, she is a joy to have in our life.

The next day was spent at the pool followed by Puka Dog hot dogs and a failed hiking adventure. We had hoped to hike to a waterfall pool, but the hike took us to the top of the waterfall rather than the base, so that didn't pan out as expected. It was a wet and muddy hike, and fun for all on the way out, but the way back was met with tired, hungry, cold, and wet kids (and parents). We did find a place to let the kids get in and swim in the stream, and I attempted to join them but wiped out and was convinced I caused permanent shoulder damage, I may have overreacted slightly ;). Looking back, it was fun, it was an adventure we were not prepared for, but it was all part of the experience, and I closed my rings!

Tuesday was another pool day, we were very low key, We found a happy hour spot near our hotel room and spent nearly an hour there watching the waves and taking selfies, the kids hated that part, especially Sully who couldn't get his hair to fall just right so he kept messing up the photo, we have a tween on our hands and we all laughed hysterically about it.

We went on a tubing excursion on Wednesday through the backcountry tunnels, headlamps and all. We all had so much fun, there were about 15 others on the tour and it was impossible to stay with each other because we were at the mercy of the water, needless to say, I got separated from the kids almost immediately. The other people helped parent our kids, by the end, our kids were everyone's kids. It was a really fun experience all around. We came back for another happy hour in our spot followed by dinner and a late night swim for the kids. Another great day.

Thursday was spent snorkeling, we all learned the basic skills and went out in a bay where we explored and swam and were really in awe of the whole experience. We saw a giant sea turtle and so many other fish, Piper's favorite was a Chrstmastree Fish. Unfortunately I swallowed a whole bunch of water and never really recovered until I was back on solid ground. We were pretty low key at the pool for the rest of the day.

Friday was our return day, and was and unexpected great day. We checked out and drove into Waimea Canyon. We found a few overlooks, but the kids were hangry and we didn't really know how much time we had, so we pushed it and found the Kokee State Park Lodge. There was a small gift shop and a restaurant and bar...jackpot. We ate traditional Hawaiian food and the kids found a kid who was there with his mom who was working that day. The lodge workers took our kids under their wings and let them feed chickens and explore the surroundings while Dave and I recapped the trip. It was such a highlight for me. We finally made or way to the airport and no one was ready to come home. We will absolutely be back.

Mahalo Hawaii!