Back from Hawaii

Hey all! Having some posting issues, so things are a bit out of sequence. I've figured out the problem, and it shouldn't happen again ... fingers crossed! 

Aloha! We're back and wow - what an amazing vacation. I never thought that Hawaii would exceed my expectations, but did it ever. I've selected a few pictures I thought you'd enjoy, but I have to say they don't, and I'm not sure that any I have seen, do the island of Kauai justice.

We took a beautiful and very well organized catamaran cruise with Holo Holo Charters while we were there, touring the Na Pali coast and snorkeling with the sea turtles. We also saw some gorgeous humpback whales and dolphins, and caught a beautiful sunrise.

We also took a fixed wing airplane ride with Wings Over Kauai. Our pilot was experienced and knowledgeable and kept us well at ease while he showed us the 70% of the island that can not be seen on foot or by boat. I even got to play co-pilot!

We certainly didn't spend as much time there as we should have, let alone wanted to. There is so much more to see of Kauai, and we will definitely be back at some point. Til' then however, we have a vault overflowing with memories and photos, photos I am currently pulling the best of for a photo book.

There are a few things that really came in handy on our trip: 

Most all of the photos you see here were taken with my Canon PowerShot camera. I also took nearly all of my Peru photos with this little camera! It's a powerhouse - super easy to frame a great photo - and it's lightweight and easy to pack and carry. If you're looking for a small camera that's perfect for travel, look no further. I'm super happy with mine!

This all natural and reef/ocean friendly sunscreen was a life saver. I mean that quite literally. I come from a long-line of skin cancer survivors and sadly, lost my maternal grandfather to skin cancer that spread onward. Protect yourself daily with sunscreen even if you're not as fair as I am, I beg of you! 

I packed this gorgeous straw tote in my luggage to carry towels, sunscreen, my camera, and the various gifts and souvenirs we bought while we were there and on our planned excursions. It was perfect! Super stylish and there was plenty of room. 

Speaking of souvenirs, and things we brought back: we took a tour of the Kauai coffee plantation where they farm more coffee than any other state in the country. We tried a variety of delicious coffee and coffee products, including their coffee flavored ice cream (of course). If you're a coffee drinker, or know someone who is, I HIGHLY recommend their coffee, which you can buy from them directly via Amazon.

There were few things I've seen in my life as beautiful than the island of Kauai. But I will say that having spent time snorkeling and scuba diving in the oceans around Kauai and Oahu, I have a sincere appreciation for our oceans. I never make political statements here, nor do I offer up advice that I don't follow myself. I've never been the greatest about recycling (I mean, I do my best) or thinking about what my small, daily, seemingly minuscule habits are doing to the big global picture. We flew JetBlue on the way home from LAX, and they provide free WiFi powered by Amazon, where you earn JetBlue points when you buy things in flight. It was the perfect time for me to lock in some purchases that I hope will help me be better to the planet and our oceans:

I bought this water bottle. Single use plastics are something that we have to stop using, and I've been terrible about it. But I'm dedicating myself to this small daily change. Instead of cases of water in single use water bottles, I'm using a Brita Filter and this metal canteen.

Stainless steel straws with cleaners. Nearly every place we ate or drank in Hawaii used paper straws. In fact, the only place with a plastic straw was the Lihue airport. I use metal straws at home, but I bought some for the office, as well as gifts that I'll attach to the little gifts we brought back with post cards of the ocean. I'm gently asking all of my friends, including you, to make small changes. I'm telling you - if you ever get the chance to swim with a sea turtle, you'll quit plastic straws. 

There's so much more we can do, but one step at a time, right? I found this National Geographic article to be very informative, so if you have some time and interest - check that out! Now, I'm off to play catch up on all the things I missed while I was away (the pitfall of a vacation). I hope you enjoy the photos, and find some usefulness in the Amazon links.