A week in paradise. My Kaua'i, Hawaii recap!

When you touch down on the runway and your eyes meet the acquaintance of this ...

... It is official.  You, my friend, are in paradise. 

Everyone warned me that once I went to Hawaii, I'd never want to come back to "the mainland".  It should come as no surprise, but all of you Hawaii veterans knew exactly what you were talking about.  Kaua'i was breathtaking and I almost shed a tear when I had to leave. There are some things in life you can't fully appreciate until you experience them yourself and Hawaii is one of them.

I hate to brag (no I don't), but Hawaii is a pretty epic blogger meet-up as far as I'm concerned.  You may wonder how this trip even transpired and so I'll tell you. A few months ago Raven asked if I'd be interested in going to Hawaii with her and her family to serve as a "helping hands" with the boys.  Was this a trick question?  Obviously I said yes.

I've known Raven over a year, we talk and/or text every day and we even FaceTime, so I knew she wasn't a 50-year-old man with a big ole beer gut.  However, I also watch enough Dateline to know you just never really know.  I told all my friends I wanted Keith Morrison to cover my Dateline special should I go missing abroad and I gave explicit instructions to only to use the hottest pictures of me on air.  I know.  This really isn't a joking matter. In all seriousness, I had no real qualms about meeting Raven and company. I knew it was going to be a fabulous time and if she tried to off me, at least I'd spend my last moments in paradise.  Not a bad way to go out.

So Raven and the boys (i.e. her hubs and 2 rascals) picked me up from the airport (they arrived the night before me) and we were off to our resort.

The second I got to the room, I stepped on our patio and was completely disappointed with the view.

Disgusting view, isn't it?

I freshened up since I had just spent the last 9 hours traveling and then Raven, her boys and I walked the 20 steps to the beach and toasted our first drink together. Cheers-ies.  It was like we had known each other for years.

We made my nephew and Gunner FaceTime, and the first words out of Gunner's mouth were, "Hi, do you want to be my friend?"  Life is so simple at 4. Take me back. 

Clearly Reese is a little confused as to what is going on.

After frolicking on the beach for a bit, we headed to Happy Hour by the pool for my first Mai Tai.  I don't typically like pineapples, but the pineapples in Hawaii are unlike anything I've ever tasted before. 

Yum-o times 10.

At this point I was loving life (because I still had one) and couldn't believe I had six more days of this tropical paradise to enjoy.  We walked to Duke's for dinner, a restaurant/bar literally next door to our hotel and where we went every. single. night.  In fact, towards the end of the vacay they started yelling out "Texas is here!" when I walked in.  Excuse me miss, but you may come here too much ...

After dinner and once the boys went to bed, Raven and I decided to lay in lawn chairs on the beach to girl talk and enjoy the waves crashing into the shore. It wasn't long before a local rolled up on us asking for cigarettes.  We told him we didn't have any, but he decided to pull up a seat right next to us anyway.  Sir, were you invited?  I didn't think so.  He then proceeds to tell us that we aka "Mainland Americans" have ruined Hawaii by bringing Aids, heart disease, cancer, chickens and mosquitoes to the islands.

Other than this freak, all the Hawaiians we met were nothing but kind.  He actually was pretty entertaining, but we had to ditch him and go to bed because Raven had to get up at the break of dawn to go whale watching with her husband, Rob.  I watched the boys the day they had their whale excursion and we kept ourselves busy at the pool and the beach.  Here they are during their time with me.  I kept them alive, which was Raven and Rob's only request.

See?  They just loved Aunt Lindsey.

Now, for the main event. You can pretty much sum up our trip with the following activities then wash, rinse, repeat.

Room service delivered us breakfast on the lawn in the morning.  Is this not the life?

Breakfast was followed by hours of pool time:

Rob (Raven's Hubs), Colt and Rob's nephew Greg. Rob's nephew and his wife were in Kaua'i too, but at a different resort.

view from a hot tub

cabana!

After we had enough time by the pool, we'd walk/lay on this beach before getting ready .  Kalapaki Beach is easy on the eyes, wouldn't you agree?

Wake-up Raven.

After washing off our pool stench, we'd get ready for the evening and watch the sun come down before dinner at Duke's:

Oh and I forgot to mention these bevies were consumed:

Over the course of 7 days, OK?  Don't judge us. 

My favorite thing about Raven other than meeting for the first time and feeling like we'd known eachother forever?  We were always on the same page.  

For instance, one of us would say, "Hmm ... a Mai Tai sounds good.  Should we order one?" 

Um, duh.   

Or, "I know we just ordered won tons, but maybe we should split a burger, too."  

DONE.  

She and I gorged ourselves all week and I would not have had it any other way.  Any time my drink was empty, there she was to fill me up (or yell at me to hurry up and finish it).  I'd like to tell you we scaled mountains and jumped off waterfalls, but do you really see her and I doing that?  We had the best time just talking and lounging around soaking in the beauty of Kaua'i.  I couldn't have asked for a better first-time Hawaii experience.

Now for Rob and the kids ... y'all want the dirt, right?

Obviously those boys are precious. Just look at their faces.  But in real life they are so well behaved and are the sweetest little cuddle bugs ever.  Comedians too.  Funniest thing Gunner said all trip?  While watching Lion King one day, Pumba burped really loud and Gunner yells out, "Hey!  Lindsey can burp like that!"  *Hangs head in shame*. Oh my embarrassing.  I've really, really got to stop that disgusting habit. Sorry, Mom. And thanks for calling me out Gunz.  

  If you read Raven's blog, you know she likes to make Rob look like a mister tough guy. Let me tell you, he loves her and those boys more than anything and the entire trip all he wanted was to make sure her and I were having the time of our lives.  Raven, be nice to him because you got a good one.  

I could post a million more pictures, but I think I've rambled long enough.

Who is coming here with us next?