ALOHA -- hello, goodbye, and the force that holds everything together
We won the bid on a trip to Hawaii at a charity auction back in February 2020. Last week, we finally got to go. It felt surreal to be on an airplane, then surreal to be in a tropical jungle, then surreal to be snorkeling with sea turtles. It was the first time we took a big vacation with only 2 kids. From the moment we got our required negative COVID test results to the moment we arrived back home safely, I felt blessed -- lucky to be able to step away from the hustle and bustle of life, or the boredom of our daily routine and space. It was beautiful and relaxing and magical. And we appreciated it all. We said "aloha" (hello) to the nearly perfect weather. We said "aloha" (goodbye) to stress and to do lists. We said "aloha" (I love you or I care about you) to each other, even when 24/7 living tempted us to be cranky-ish. Here are some of our favorite moments: On our first day, Lizzie couldn't stop yelling "ocean!" whenever it came in...