Merry Christmas!

Christmas was a different event this year. 

Instead of snow, we had rainbows...

Instead of participating in our family holidays, we had skype and our cell phones

Instead of multiple holiday parties, we had to make our own party by the pool! 

We definitely missed our family and friends back at home during this holiday season.

In an attempt to make new holiday memories, we went canoeing in search of whales.

 

Glenn and Kristine

 

We ended up seeing a multitude of turtles with a few whales. The turtles were so curious they would come right up to our boat. If they had nudged us at all, we would have fallen in. As it was, I (Trisha) got so excited when a whale breached that I was pointing it out to Kurt and promptly tipped us over!! Before I even realized my mistake, we were in the water. Tricky little suckers!!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

You didn't think that Santa makes it to all those places in one night did you?  Santa came to our house a bit early this year. He looked an awful lot like the postman this year. 

The Rainbow Connection

The moon can be a hard thing to photograph, but this is the view of it setting over West Maui this morning from our lanai.

The rainbows were so vivid and huge this morning that you couldn't fit them into one picture!

This is our attempt at getting into the Christmas spirit.  It's kinda hard when you're surrounded by palm trees and 80 degree temperatures.

Rainbows and Golf

Went golfing today at Pukalani Country Club.  I guess we all know what actually lies at the end of a rainbow.  (Sorry the picture isn't that good, it was taken on the ipod.)

Goodbye again

With one last walk on the beach, Harv and Deb put on their long pants and sweatshirts to go back home. 

Thanks for a great time

Whale Watching and a Luau

For those of you who have been following our blog for a while now you might think we're starting to recycle pictures....but we're not!  The whales that we got to see back in May in Alaska have finally followed us to Hawaii.  Who wouldn't want to spend the winter in Maui?

Even though Trisha and I have been in Maui for several months we had not yet been to a luau.  We decided to help Harv and Deb have a real Hawaiian (tourist) experience on their last night here.

Actual photo-graphical evidence of Harvey wearing a necklace.

 

The pig ready to be taken out of the pit.

 

I'm not sure I could do what this guy is doing (especially just wearing a loincloth). 

Golfing

Today was a golf day.  Great view of the ocean from here!

Nice!

Right down the middle!

(P.S. Neither of these shots were down the middle)

From Snorklin' to Surfin'

Today we went to West Maui to start off the day by snorkeling next to Black Rock in Kaanapali.

 

 

Mmmm....Salty.

After snorkeling (and a bathroom break) came a stop at the Nakalele blow hole.

The surf was really up at D.T. Fleming Beach.  This is a picture of Kurt riding a wave on his boogie board and Harv getting ready for another salty treat.

The road to Hana

We started out early this morning to do the long, yet spectacular road to Hana. The surf was up and the surfers were out at Ho'okipa. 

The road to Hana is notoriously rainy (hence the jungle we go there for), but today it was sunny, warm, and beautiful.

  

We of course had to stop for the world's best banana bread at the halfway mark.

Kurt and Uncle Harv went crawling in a lava tube.

We had lunch at Hana's red sand beach.  We were glad there was only one topless girl!! (sorry guys, not pictured here)

 

The beach in Nahiku

The seven sacred pools (the water was a bit cooler so we didn't go swimming today)

 An 1862 church near Kaupo

The backside (dry side) of Haleakala is drastically different than Hana (only about 10 miles down the road)

Welcome to Maui

 Uncle Harv and Aunt Deb flew out to Hawaii to visit us for a week. The first day they had to explore Maui by themselves because Kurt and I had to work. (So, I don't have any pics of their first day)

We took them to Kurt's favorite beach- Big Beach

The view of West Maui

A beautiful sunset along the Wailea Beach walk.

We've extended!

We have decided to stay in Hawaii for 3 more months! We just couldn't bear the thought of going back to the mainland weather in December. So... we are here through February!

La Perouse Bay

Yesterday we went on a hike in the lava fields at La Perouse Bay.  You can see the path of the lava flow down the side of the mountain.

Along the ocean, the white coral is interspersed with the black lava.

It was insanely windy. The gusts are usually 50mph. So... I am jumping to show you how the wind is blowing me while I am up in the air. (the only problem is... I am a white girl who has very pathetic jumping capabilities. Yes, if you look close, my feet are off the ground)

Kurt was of course trying to skip rocks into the raging sea.

Fruit Ninja

What do two night shift nurses do if they can't sleep? Play Fruit Ninja!!! :)

Yes, I have the high score (much to Kurt's dismay) and I spend WAY less time playing it than Kurt 

Today we went on a hike in Kapalua. It started out warm, windy and sunny. Within 10 minutes of this first picture it started raining and got quite cold! (low 70's) 

Now, I know that you all received snow at home today, but we are getting soft here!! We don't know what we would do if we were still in Alaska. :)

Beautiful Skies

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you 

and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the 

covenant between me and the earth."

Genesis 9:12-13