Happy #thinkingoutloud Thursday! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. Hi! Hello! I’m here! I’m here. Phew. I almost completely blanked on the fact that today is Thursday (<– side effect of being on vacation – forgetting what day of the week it is). Instead, I only 90% blanked, meaning I remembered at the last minute and had to start this post at 10:30pm on Wednesday night. But I haven’t missed a ToL post in over 177 weeks, and I’d like to keep that streak going.
2. That being said, things will be going back to normal right quick because today marks our final day here in Hawaii. We’re hoping to spend the day out at Iao Valley, and then we’re catching a red eye out tonight and flying in at around noon tomorrow. I’m not happy about it. I’m not sad about it. I’m just kind of… I dunno. Grateful for it, I guess? Being in Hawaii is so, so, so, so great, but being home is pretty great as well. I don’t want to go all Sappy Spoons on you guys, but I feel like a huge part of happiness depends on being able to see the good in the moment you’re currently in, even it it’s not necessarily your idea of a “perfect” one. It’s not constantly telling yourself you’ll be happy in the future “when X happens,” and it’s not constantly living in the past reminiscing about “the good old days.” It’s being in the here and now and making a conscious effort to make the most of the cards that are currently in your hands. I dunno… I just felt like I needed to say that 🙂
3. But enough of the sap! Let’s talk happenings since we last spoke. First, a snorkelling trip to Molokini crater and Turtle Town…
It was so much fun! We took a tour out there with the Pacific Whale Foundation, and I definitely recommend going with them if you’re ever in the area and thinking about a snorkelling (or whale watching) tour because not only are they a great bunch of people, but they’re a non-profit organization and 100% of the profits go to supporting ocean research, education and conservation programs… which is pretty freaking epic.
Anyways! the trip itself was awesome. All of the snorkelling I’ve done has been right off the shore, so getting dropped off in the middle of the ocean was definitely an experience. AND! we got to see what we went out there to see – plenty of green sea turtles!!!
4. I even brought one home with me 😉
What can I say? You guys know I’m just a big kid at heart, and this guy totally reminds me of the baby turtle from Finding Nemo… which is why I named him Squirt.
5. So after the snorkelling trip, it took about 3 hours for me to stop feeling like I was still on the boat. I’m not really one to get seasick, but after almost 5 hours on the ocean, my head was definitely rocking whenever I closed my eyes. Them shaky sea legs…
6. And then it was luau time!
I’m probably not the best person to ask about a luau since one of the biggest parts of it (the buffet) is mostly lost on me (I need to do a food/WIAW update for you guys soon!!), but the show itself was really nice. We went to the Drums of the Pacific at the Hyatt on Kaanapali, and yeah… it was a good time.
7. Time! Let’s talk about it. It feels SO weird to be so far behind everyone else. At 5:30am here, when I’m usually waking up and checking the computer for messages, e-mails, social media, etc., it’s already 9:30 back home, and 11:30 on the east coast… meaning I kind of miss out on the prime time to connect with people. And then by the time I settle in for the evening, it’s already the middle of the night for everyone else, soooooo I miss that window as well. I’m not so much looking forward to dealing with the jet lag when I get back 😬
8. Speaking of which, I’m thinking I should probably get some sleep. I’m not so great at sleeping on planes, so tomorrow (today) is probably going to end up being a solid 30-hour day. See you back at home!!
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Your pictures are incredible and they bring back so many memories! I miss Maui. I hated the food at the luau we went to but the experience was really cool and I’m glad we did it. Enjoy your last day!
Luau food is definitely a little tricky for us picky eaters 😆 And HI is kind of tough for me in general because I can’t stand fish and it seems like that’s the main thing they offer at most restaurants. Thank goodness for the fruit.
Yay for being happy where you are! That seems like such a simplification, but ultimately, it’s a pretty great thing to get to a place where you’re content with yourself and your life – and it’s certainly not easy to get there. Sounds like you had an incredible vacation. Have a safe trip home and good luck switching times zones again 🙂
underwater photos are the best! looks like you are having a great time in hawaii but yeah the time difference thing can be a real drag. when i was in amsterdam it was like a 7 hour time difference so trying to talk to my husband when he was back home was a challenge to say the least.. good luck with your flight hope the jet lag doesnt kick your butt!
Glad you had an amazing vacation. I always find blogging when I’m on vacation in a different time zone tricky. Everything seems so off and weird.
Point number 2 is exactly how I looked at things when I was leaving Hawaii. Although I was there for 9 months and thought I would be there forever. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sad. I just was. And yes, the time difference thing is weird. You’re 6 hours behind the east coast which makes it hard to connect. Glad you had an awesome vacation. Aloha!
9 months? Wow that’s pretty crazy. As much as I love visiting HI, I’m honestly not sure I could live there. Being on vacation is nice, but I have a feeling that going through day to day life puts things in a little bit of a different light. And it’s just so isolated from everything else.
First of all, all of your pictures of Hawaii are making me SO EXCITED for my trip! I leave two weeks from today – craziness.
And second, your #2 (ha… I’m immature) point in the blog was something I really needed to hear today. I always struggle with living in the moment and being grateful for what I have NOW and it’s been so much worse lately. It’s really been affecting me in an awful way because I’m so worried about the future or how I’m going to afford that or if a new job is what I need to make me happy or maybe a new location or, or, or … You get what I mean. So that was a great reminder for me this morning. 🙂
I’m glad you found it helpful, Jessie! I’ve been making a conscious effort to live in the moment for years now, and even so it doesn’t make me immune to those kind of thoughts about the future and past. I actually think they’re kind of unavoidable, but it’s good to be able to counter them when they come up. And omigosh! Have the BEST time in HI! You’re going to love it 😀
I love seeing Hawaii through your eyes. It’s beautiful although I can’t wait for you to get home as well so I can pester you more.
In unrelated news, I took today and tomorrow off work (hooray) and I’m hoping to make some strawberry banana bread. Cross those fingers for me.
Given recent events, I’m going to go ahead and assume that the banana bread didn’t happen, and that it’s actually going to be ME pestering you nowadays 😉
You are 100% right, although the bananas are still waiting to be put to use. 🙂
SQUIRT!! Oh my goodness I cant wait for Finding Dory to come out. I absolutely loved Finding Nemo, and I know that Finding Dory has some more turtle fun in it 🙂
Have a safe flight back! Can’t wait to see the eats from this trip. I’m hoping there was Dole Whip? 😉
Omg we didn’t have any Dole Whip! I completely forgot about it 😥 I guess that just means I have to go back 😉
Have a safe flight! Looks like such an incredible vacation 🙂
ahhhh this makes me even more nostalgic for Maui — i was there this week last month and totally missing it! we did the Old Lahaina Luau and i enjoyed it but felt the same, the buffet was sort of lost on me as i’m so picky and not a foodie! but Maui is just HEAVEN and my boyf and i talk about spending a month or two there at some point when i’m done with grad school. 🙂 glad you had a great trip!
A month or two in Maui would be heaven! The next time I’m there, I definitely want to rent out a condo instead of staying at one of the resorts. The extra perks are kind of nice, but I’d kill for a kitchen! The food there is crazy expensive.
These pictures are beautiful! This looks like suck a fantastic vacation. I’ve never been to Maui, but you’re definitely making me want to go!! Have a safe trip home.
Hope you enjoyed your vacation! Looks like true paradise! Safe travels Amanda!
Wow I cant get over how pretty those snorkeling pictures are! What kind of underwater camera do you have?
Enjoy your last day! I love what you said about not thinking back on the good old days and not waiting for X to happen in the future…im guilty of doing this quite often!
I think we all are to some extent! I’m definitely not immune to those thoughts, but it’s good to be aware of when they’re happening and do something to counter them. And I actually just use my GoPro for the pics!
I totally understand your feelings about returning home…I’m the same way. As much as I love vacations, I also love home and where I am in life. Not a bad problem to have though! Your pictures are STUNNING.
He absolutely looks like Squirt! Ever since Nemo, whenever anyone says sea turtles, I think of Crush and Squirt. Good luck traveling back. The last time I went to Hawaii, I lived in Boston and the struggle was real getting back on Eastern time.
Oh man! THat’s definitely a big time zone jump — basically like going to Europe! I crashed hard in the middle of the day and ended up not being able to fall asleep until way late. I figure I need about a week to get back to normal. Eeesh.
Your snorkeling photos look so fun! The time zone thing is weird out here on the West Coast. Even when I wake up early it feels like the east coast is well into their day. Safe travels back!
I know what you mean! I’m in Mountain Standard, and even that feels a little too far behind EST… which is probably why i subconsciously operate on an EST time zone 😆
AHhhh I love Maui! I feel like Ive taken identical photos the last few times I’ve gone there, hah! Iao needle is so cool, make sure you hop the fence to go exploring, there’s some really cool rivers and views in that park!
We actually didn’t end up going to Iao 🙁 Which I guess just means it gets moved to the top of the list for next time 😉
Wow—it looks like you had an awesome trip! Thanks for sharing pictures.
This is something I needed to hear this morning. Waiting for the next big thing is not way to live!
I am also now dying to go back to Hawaii :-)))))))))) Thanks so much for hosting.
It looks like such a fun trip! And those sea turtles!!
I’m glad you guys had such a good time!
Oh man! You are making me want to go back to Hawaii so badly. It is truly my happy place 🙂 I haven’t don the Molokini snorkeling yet! Maybe next trip 🙂
Tbh, I actually preferred the place we visited first (Turtle Town) to Molokini. Molokini was pretty nice, but sooooo crowded and I ended up getting kicked in the head a couple of times 😆
I couldn’t agree more with you on being grateful in the moment. This is something I’m trying to do every day. Not easy! Have a safe trip home.
Definitely not an easy thing, and something that I think takes a good amount of conscious effort and practice. Heck, I’ve been trying to do it for years and I still catch myself in funks.
Your pictures are gorgeous! I remember one of my favorite things about Hawaii was snorkeling and seeing the turtles up close – just so very neat! Hope you have a safe trip back!
Looks like such an amazing trip!! We are planning a trip to Hawaii in September and I can’t wait! I have a hard time sleeping on planes too but usually on a red eye I can’t fight it. Safe travels home!
Eeee! You’re going to love it! Which of the islands are you going to?
Changing time zones is something I struggle with a lot. I feel like it’s so weird being behind everyone else. Honestly I like being on the East Coast time zone the best myself. It sounds and looks like your vacation has been amazing,
I honestly feel like I’m subconsciously operating under EST. I wake up a little too early and go to sleep a little too early for my current time zone, so if things were 2 hours ahead, I’d probably be more normal 😆
I think it is totally valid for you to feel a bit in limbo with returning home–you have some amazing projects to come, and you are both excited about them as well as probably a bit nervous. Hawaii is amazing, but home is HOME. There is nothing wrong with a bittersweet note in there! Safe travels.
Wow! Have you got an underwater camera for those turtle shots?
Made a note of checking out pacificwhale.org.
But, will be in touch before we book anything!
Sounds like you had a fab time! AND no.2, yes I’m with you there. Live in the NOW. 😀
I actually just used my GoPro in it’s little waterproof case, but a lot of tour companies that you book with let you rent out a camera for the trip and then give you a little memory card with all the photos/videos you took afterwards. Oh! And one thing I’ll say before you book your trip, is that if you’re really interested in the whales, the best time to visit is between December and March — that’s when they’re all out there to have their babies and breed, so there are TONNES of them. And then they all leave to go back to Alaska, so most tour companies don’t even offer whale tours after April 15th.
I think it’s awesome to be grateful in moments of transition, which are usually full of thoughts about past or future. The trip looks amazing! I unfortunately am one to get seasick though so being on that boat is something I’ll never get to do happily. Just another reason I’m not a great traveler!
Aww I hear that – even I started feeling a little woozy after a while, which is why it was actually a pleasure to jump in a cold ocean 😆 They do have ice packs, ginger ale, and meds for people who get a little sick though!
Your trip looks amazing! I’ve never been to Hawaii but it’s definitely on the bucket list. Glad you’re not spending your last day of vacation being sad that it’s over. You’re so right about living in the moment and making the most of your current situation. I’ll admit that I often think “it’ll be great when…” but today can be great too it I make the most of it!
THere’s definitely nothing wrong with making goals and working towards achieving them, but I feel like too many people write off the present moment as being garbage just because they wren’t necessarily where they want to be, when there’s a lot of good that can be found there too!
When I’m in HI, I always think about how far away I am from everyone!
The only time I’ve ever been seasick was in Kauia. I do not recommend it.
I hope your trip back goes smoothly! You might just come back to some snow. 🙁
No snow! {thankfully} But it HAS been super windy and cold since we got back. Which is kind of like the weather we had in HI on our last two days there, so it doesn’t feel so bad leaving it behind 😆
I’m ready for you to come home so we can catch up! but I am glad you had a great time. Looks so pretty!
Squirt is super nice turtle! I love vacation (and who don`t?) but I also love that feeling when you come back home after. Something warm inside.
Not sappy at all. In fact, I’ve been practicing the art of finding the silver linings and happiness in a phase of life that’s not exactly happy-happy-joy-joy a lot lately. It’s the best and only right thing to do. I can’t keep my mind from reminiscening and wishing myself away to somewhere also but overall I feel quite blessed.
Your pictures are so beautiful and make me wish I wasn’t scared of snorkeling/deep waters. Because beyond the sea seems to be a stunning place.
Safe travels home for you and the family tomorrow!
I’ve had my fair share of phases like that as well, and one of the things I find helps a lot is remembering that they ARE just temporary phases, and that better times will come. Sending you tonnes of positive vibes and love, lady <3 xo
Looks like a pretty good vacation! I would love to swim with turtles sometime. Oh the ever growing travel bucket list!
Time difference is such a weird thing! I have friends in 5 different time zones and I am constantly counting with my fingers what time everyone is in right now.
It’s tough! Especially overseas. I have no idea what I’d do without the world clock on my phone 😆