One thing about my job/workplace that I love is how close I've become with the people I work with. I think it's natural, because these are the people that I spend most of my time with...and thank goodness we all get along, otherwise life would be horrible. Jane started talking about possibly having a destination wedding in Hawaii, and I thought it sounded romantic and was supportive from the start. Her big worry was that nobody would be able to come if it was far away. I told her that if she gave people (me) enough notice to plan and save, people (I) would go. A few months later, Nikki and I were boarding a plane, destination: Maui!
Get ready for photo overload!!
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| At the SLC airport with our leis that my new coworker Amanda got us...so awesome! |
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| Customary selfie in the SFO airport, waiting for our connection to Maui! |
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| Dinner at Kimo's...I had the Opakapaka and Nikki had the Mahi Mahi |
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| Love taking pictures of the reflection from my glasses...sunset in Lahaina |
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| Trying out my new Chacos |
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| View from Grandma's condo in Kihei |
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| 3am bike/equipment fitting for our sunrise bike journey down Haleakala |
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| Shuttle ride up to the sunrise |
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| 40* and windy at the summit...almost sunrise! |
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| Listened to a native Hawaiian lady chant in a blessing with the sunrise |
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| Only one of a few pictures I took...sometimes it's best to just enjoy an event, rather than watching it through/in a little screen |
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| Beautiful |
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| "It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times." |
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| Not too shabby for a 1:30am wakeup call... |
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| "To those who can dream, there is no such place as FAR AWAY." |
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| 22+ miles...here we come! |
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| Mud-splashed face... |
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| Arrived at the wedding site just a few hours after making it down the volcano! |
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| I can stare at palm trees all day long. |
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| Instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles, we had these cute little sticks with bells to ring! |
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| Love the "Just Maui'd" sign! |
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| Love these two! Congrats Jin and Jane! |
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| Beautiful wedding, perfect location, gorgeous weather, kickin' music (and yes, I was the MC) = friends forever |
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| Molokini crater in the distance... |
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| Seriously? This picture isn't doctored up at all...this is what we saw all wedding long! |
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| Cute place settings for dinner |
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| The Group |
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| First dance to Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" |
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| Heading out on Sunday night to Molokai for 3 days |
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| On the ferry to Molokai |
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| Sunrise from our sail boat on Molokai |
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| Collecting plumerias at the Plumeria Farm |
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| So pretty! |
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| Making our own leis |
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| Post-a-Nut...decorate a coconut for free and then ship it anywhere...just pay for the shipping! |
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| Crafternoon...Hawaiian style |
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| Halawa Valley, Molokai...so beautiful and where they filmed part of Jurassic Park |
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| Halawa Valley |
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| Our living quarters on Molokai |
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| Part of our stay included spending about 30 minutes/day helping to work on the boat... |
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| ...so we sanded and got to work! |
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| We hiked down the tallest sea cliffs in the world to the Leper Colony in Kalaupapa... |
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| Over 1,600 feet tall... |
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| ...through a tropical rainforest... |
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| ...with 26 switchbacks and TONS of stairs...and so yes, my hips were done by the end of it! |
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| But we did it!! And made it down first... |
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| Our lovely tour bus of the Leper Colony and peninsula |
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| Isn't it just gorg? |
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| Norman, our awesome tour guide! |
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| Another view of the cliffs from the harbor |
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| You can't tell, but I have 2 blisters on each foot arch, am bleeding from a few places, and am covered in mud...worth it! |
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| Cute little church that Father Damien built in Kalaupapa...complete with an Irish pastor...who said Aloha in his cute Irish accent... |
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| Another place where Jurassic Park was filmed...and I was scared that the dinosaurs were coming... |
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| Can't beat this view |
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| Finished! "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." |
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| Twin Falls on the Hana Highway |
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| I do believe it's breakfast time! Fresh pineapple and coconut water! |
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| Had to stop for the rainbow eucalyptus trees on the Hana Highway |
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| Found a blowhole on the Hana Highway |
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| Caves at the black sand beach |
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| Black sand beach on the Hana Highway |
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| Black sand beach...and you can see how messed up my feet are after the hike... |
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| Ululani's shave ice...yes please! |
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| We might have ended up off-roading around the backside of Haleakala for almost 3 hours...along the cliffs...on a 1 way road...surrounded by roaming cattle... |
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| Lava flows on the southernmost part of Maui...so awesome! |
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| Breakfast consisted of mango, guava, and pineapple...yum! |
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| After our first dive in Molokini |
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| Loving Molokini! |
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| Underwater selfie! |
