Aloha!

Jeff, Ethan, and I recently took a family vacation to the big island of Hawaii. We stayed in the Waikaloa Village in a condo at The Fairway Villa's and boy oh boy did we have a great time.

We were lucky to have 80 degree weather almost every day on our trip and sunny skies. We pretty much let Ethan determine our schedule of events which included visits to the beach in the morning to build sand castles, followed by lunch, a nap, and afternoon time out by the pool. We mostly stayed on the Kona side of the island but did a trip over near Hilo one day to visit the Botanical Gardens where we had to find our way out of a maze. We were all a little sad when we had to fly back home but hope to go back next year.

Here are a few photos from our trip. Enjoy!

 (A-Bay Beach near our condo)

 (Building sand castles at A-Bay)

 (Ethan loved the sand and making pools)

 (Returning from sea with a bucket full of water)

 (Botanical Garden Maze)

 (More Botanical Garden Maze)

 (Ethan and I in the rain forest)

 (Our home away from home at the Fairway Villas)

(View from our balcony at the Fairway Villas E-21)

Aloha from Hawaii!

We made it back safely from our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. It was definitely an adventure to be had but I guess that traveling with a two year old that is somewhat expected. We left on a Saturday and surprisingly Ethan was fantastic on the plane ride over. We were a little nervous about this and packed accordingly but ended up not bringing out any of the toys we had purchased prior. He slept almost the entire five plus hours over there and when we arrived we knew something was amiss. He ended up coming down with a viral flu so we spent three days of our six days cooped up in our hotel room. We even had to venture twice to the E.R. because his temperature was up to 107 degrees which was extremely frightening. While we were frantically trying to get him there he was excited that we got to ride in the security golf cart to our car and go underground the hotel through the staff areas. After an x-ray and some blood work they found out it was a viral infection so we had to wait it out. Luckily on the fourth day things were finally looking up and the fever had passed so we were able to enjoy the last three days of our vacation.


The hotel that we stayed at, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, was amazing, especially the expanse of the property. On the first day that Ethan was back to normal we spent several hours swimming in the salt water lagoon at the resort. He really enjoyed it once we got his SpongeBob water wings on him. Jeff and I were able to take turns and go snorkeling and we saw a ton of eels and a turtle which was very cool. That evening we drove to Kona and went to our favorite spot “Bubba Gumps”. In case you ever get to go there you have to order the Shrimp Dippin’ Broth. Yummy!

The second good day Ethan, Jeff, and I got to swim with the dolphins at the resort we were staying. This was a highlight of the trip and I recommend this for anyone visiting this resort. That evening we walked to the Queen’s Shops and we got to watch a local Hula Dance company perform that Ethan enjoyed.

The third good day we ventured to one of our favorite beaches at the Mana Lani Resort. Ethan help build sandcastles on the shore while Jeff and I took turns snorkeling. This is a great beach to go to for snorkeling and for little kids since it is very protected. After snorkeling we headed back to get ready to go to a luau at the resort. The luau was a bit of a disappointment since the MC was very much Love Boat meets Don Ho esque. I would say to skip this one if you visit the resort.

Other than the sick incident we had a great time and if you ask Ethan the highlight of the trip would be the tram at the resort. Since the hotel property is so huge they have trams and boats to take you to the different areas of the property and Ethan absolutely LOVED the tram.

We are glad to be home however I could of used another week there in the sun and sand.

Here are some pictures from our travels, enjoy!

(Hotel Swimming Pool)

(Another swimming pool)

(Palace Tower Lobby)

(Ethan and Jeff walking near the Ocean Tower)

(Ethan on the tram, his favorite thing to do there)

(Buddah point at the hotel)

Vacations Galore...

I have been really busy the past couple of weeks at work so I have not had a chance to update my blog so my appologies.

The next few months are looking to be busier and busier for the Kalles family. We have enrolled Ethan in swimming lessons and he has been having a great time. Unfortunately last weekend they had to move us into the cool pool though and he was freezing after only 20 minutes. The next couple of weeks should be better but he loves to splash and kick.

Later this month my dad and I are headed to Bend, Oregon for a four day ski trip. It will be a trip away from Jeff and Ethan but I am sure we will have a fun time skiing if the snow is good. We are staying at the Sun River Resort and will be bringing our tennis rackets as well just in case the snow conditions are not that great but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

During the month of March Jeff is traveling for about two and a half weeks for work so I will be single mom during that time. I know that Jeff doesn't like to be away from home that long but I am sure that the time will fly by for him since he will be at his companies East Coast tradeshow.

Then in April, the Kalles family is heading to the Big Island of Hawaii to stay at the Disneyland of the tropics, the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I cannot wait for this vacation since we will have seven days of fun in the sun and it will be Ethan's first trip to Hawaii which I am sure he will love. He also gets to go to his first Luau so hopefully he will enjoy it.

That's about it for now. As usual, I will try to update more regularily going forward. :)

Back from Vacation...

(Picture taken by Kiko - 2009)

Jeff and I returned from our vacation to Maui, HI yesterday evening and boy did we have a fantastic time. It was definitely the best retreat his company has had so far.

We arrived on Tuesday the 15th at around noon after a not so fun plane ride from two hours of turbulance out of Seattle. Once that was over with it was a smooth flight and we landed in the beautiful weather of Maui. Once we landed we had lunch and headed over to our houses that Jeff's company had rented for the week. The houses sat on the beach at Kihei and each had their own swimming pool. We were in the house with the nicer of the pools and we took advantage of this completely. We were in the pool for mulitple hours every day relaxing. We ended up going to dinner that night at the Aloha Mixed Plate which I highly recommend if you are in Maui. Really good local food with a ton of options and the prices are great as well.

On Wednesday most of the group we were with went golfing so Jeff and I hung out at the house all day. We did venture out to breakfast at the Kihei Cafe that also boasts a great menu with local flare. The rest of the time was hanging out in the pool until the personal chef that they had hired showed up, Mauro. This guy was a fantastic cook and made such great meals. I wish that I could of brought him back with us since the food was so yummy.

On Thursday it was surfing day with our instructor Kiva Rivers and unfortunately I woke up with a shoulder that was greatly in pain. I did force myself to go out a few times and was able to catch some waves which was fantastic. I will be sure to post pictures later when I have some time to actually download the pictures.
In the afternoon we got hot stone massages in Lahaina and it was exactly what I needed. After the spa we went to dinner at our favorite chain restaurant Bubba Gump.

On Friday it was another golf day so Jeff and I decided to head to the beach to go snorkeling. We saw quite a few fish and went to a great swimming beach. The rest of the time we spent at the pool until it was time to go to the Luau. I highly recommend The Feast at Le Le if you are in the mood for a luau in Maui.

On Saturday it was more snorkeling at the same beach we went to on Friday and more relaxing by the pool. Then on Sunday we flew back home and got home late last night.

It was a fantastic trip but of course we missed Ethan greatly and we very happy to see him when we got home. I think maybe a trip back to Hawaii with Jeff, Ethan, and me will be in our future possibly early next year.

Bon Voyage!

Aloha!


Jeff and I will be heading to the land of the sun and surf on Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday for a week. Since this is a corporate retreat trip with Jeff's work, Ethan unfortunately gets to stay home but will have a great time hanging out with Grandma Mary. With the weather changing here the sun and warm weather will be greatly enjoyed by all going. I look forward to Mai Tai’s, beaches, hopefully surfing, and snorkeling. I’ll be sure to post pictures from our vacation when we return.

© Hawaii 2008