Friday favorites: Hawaii Five-OMG!

thanks to the magic of scheduled posting, when this little slice of life hits the interwebs, i will be on a plane to Hawaii! it’s not a secret i’ve been keeping from you guys intentionally, it has just been an insane couple of months, during which i’ve quit one job, started another, lost a beloved doggie, launched my Wine Shop At Home business, bachelorette-fêted and married off a dear friend, met Biz Markie and started running again. whew!

not only is this a much needed vacation over Miss Girl’s spring break, it’s a really big deal: Spy is turning 50! back last autumn when we started talking about how to celebrate his half-century, my idea was to throw him a big Hawaii Five-0 themed luau. not one to enjoy being the center of attention, he countered “Let’s just go to Hawaii, instead.” i think my response was something like “Okay, Moneybags.” but the next thing i knew, it was booked. and he is beyond excited. and so am i. (that glass above was part of a pre-trip Christmas gift i gave us to keep the excitement going.)

so. remember last year’s spring break in France? and how i did all that planning and wrote all those posts about it and then thoroughly documented the trip? yeah. well i feel completely guilty for having been too busy to do any really advanced prep other than order some summer clothes for Miss Girl (and face the fact that i am too fat right not to fit into my summer clothes, thus the running!). i feel like everyone has given us recommendations for things to see and places to eat — mostly on Maui, which will be our third stop after Oahu and Kauai. but i haven’t really bothered to keep track of much of it. it’s so unlike me not to have a list!

luckily, in the past week or so, i’ve focused a (very) little and scanned some of the options sent by our personal vacation planner (!!) provided by the Westin Maui and finally have the beginnings of a list of things i’m excited about seeing and doing while we are there this week! obviously, i also plan to eat some amazing sushi and drink a few fruity cocktails along the way. here are a few of the other (super-touristy) activities i’m really looking forward to . . . keep an eye out here for poolside updates! aloha, y’all!

1. whale watching

(photo: Maui Tours)

the Westin’s documents included a blurb about this awesome excursion. they say the season is December through April, so fingers crossed we aren’t too late to spot a few humpbacks!

2. Atlantis submarine tour

 (photo: Lahaina Tours)

so, i feel about depths pretty much the same way i feel about heights: no way, no how, no thank you, ma’am. just writing this, i’m getting a little itchy about getting trapped underwater, but this does look seriously cool. tons of marine life and a sunken ship . . . i think i can pop a Xanax and put on my big girl pants for this tour.

3. glass bottom boat tour

 (photo: Lahaina Tours)

this seems like a perfect alternative to actually going under the water, as far as i’m concerned. we’ll see what the fam says. luckily, Miss Girl will have just turned 6, making the age cut-off basically hours before we arrive in Maui, and i think she’ll absolutely love seeing all the reefs and fishies.

4. Polynesian Cultural Center

 (photo: Family Vacation Hub)

i love that this one spot includes cultural activities from across Polynesia. there are 7 authentic villages with interactive activities at each. the guy who recommended it also says they have the most authentic luau of all the probably bajillions of tourist luaus around. we definitely plan on making an afternoon of exploring, then staying for the feast and show.

5. Pearl Harbor

 (photo: GrayLine)

my Pop was stationed at Pearl Harbor the day of the Japanese attack in 1941. thankfully, he went on to marry my Granny and father my mom a few years later. regardless of the personal connection, i couldn’t go all the way to Hawaii and not see the memorial to this incredible piece of American history.