The Clock is Ticking

There's nothing like the upcoming birth of your first child to motivate you to check a few things off your to-do list.  One of the first things Chris and I did after the doctor confirmed my pregnancy was book plane tickets to Hawaii.  Chris always wanted to visit Hawaii, and I'm always eager for a vacation.  We spent a lovely week on the island of Kauai with our friends Benji and Kynndra.

I tried not to let my emerging baby bump stop me from enjoying the beach, a choppy boat ride, and a long, rainy hike through the Alakai Swamp, even if it meant the only place to use the restroom was the middle of a boardwalk surrounded by soggy marsh.   While hiking, Benji thought it was funny to hide in the thick foliage along the trail so that he could scare me when I passed by.  In the end, the joke was on him because I unknowingly stopped for an emergency bathroom break right in front of one of his hiding spots.  That was the last time Benji tried to scare me.      

Chris @ Hanalei Bay

Haena Beach.

Alakai Swamp/

Poipu Beach.

NaPali Coast Boat Rid.

Poipu Sunrise.

Quuen's Pond.

Swamp, swamp, swamp.

We rented a beautiful little guest house on a mountainside and a four-wheel-drive jeep.  We flew over the island in a helicopter, where Chris I had front row seats.  We swam in the clear ocean, drove through mud puddles, and explored the mountains and valleys.  Chris and I had dinner with a former school mate of mine.  It really was a lovely vacation.

Muddy jeep, muddy Kim. 

Wailua Falls. 

Helicopter Ride.

Waimea Canyon.

Kalalau Valley.

In the mountains at Kokee State Park.

Burger stop.

Our last day on the island was a roller coaster ride.   In the morning, we visited a church near our guest house and enjoyed potluck under huge trees.  Chris and I drove over a long stretch of deep potholes disguised as a road to explore one final beach.  We even arrived at the airport in time to stop for dinner at a nearby restaurant.  

Toward the end of our meal, Chris realized he left a an envelope of cash at the guest house, which was about 20 minutes from the airport.  We had a little over an hour until our flight left, and we still had to return our rented jeep.  To Chris, this meant he had just enough time to drive to the guest house, grab the cash, drive back to the airport, return the rental car, dash through security, and board the plane.  So, in a matter of minutes, the last hour of our vacation became the most stressful hour of the whole trip.  While Chris drove to the guesthouse, I checked our bags and printed our boarding passes, which easier said than done when one passenger is absent and unable to present his driver's license himself.  Then I waited, and waited, and waited.  I had a some slow minutes to think about our honeymoon seven years earlier, when Chris left me at the airport to return to our cabin and retrieve our forgotten camera.  Chris didn't make it back to the airport on time, and I flew home from my honeymoon solo.  

As I was waiting for Chris again seven years later, Benji called from the terminal and advised that boarding had started.  I continued to wait.  Finally, Chris came running around the corner.  We zipped through security and one final agricultural check (Praise God!) and made it to the terminal just in time to board the plane.  Chris and I were going home together this time, and with at least five minutes to spare.

The expected arrival of a baby also prompted Chris and I to begin preparing a nursery.  This, I believe, was expected.  What was not expected was how painting a nursery led to conversations about new carpet, which led to the eventual demolition of our kitchen.

Day one of the renovation.

Remodeling the kitchen is something Chris and I intended to do since we purchased our house, but it took preparing a nursery to actually make it happen.  Ironically, all nursery progress has ceased because the nursery is now serving as storage and a makeshift kitchen.  Better now than never.