Our Hawaiian Adventure Begins

We made it! We actually made it to Hawaii. After 3+ years of planning and a forced 2020 cancellation due to COVID, we FINALLY made it to Hawaii.

We got up bright and early in the morning to load up the car, drive to the car lot, shuttle to the airport, check in for our flight from Sea-Tac to Kona, and (eventually) whoosh up in the air. 

Dropping off the car

Excited travelers

On the train to our gate at SeaTac

Our flight left an hour later than planned, but that was small potatoes after waiting this long for the trip. Fortunately, the flight was uneventful and very smooth. Easy peasy. 

Ready for takeoff!

Are we there yet??

Conor relaxing with a movie

See ya later, Puget Sound!

There are no words...

Upon arrival in Kona, we were hit with a wall of heat and humidity. Neither was a surprise, but still got our attention. 

Hello, Hawaii!

Threatening clouds ahead of us upon our arrival.
Blue skies to the right and left, however!

After getting our luggage, we looked for a taxi to take us to the hotel. No taxis could be found. We considered getting a Lyft, but the app warned us that cars were few and far between (what the what??). Eventually, we opted for looping back around to Plan A and waiting for a taxi. After a generous half hour, we finally got one. Our drive to the hotel took about a half hour but we didn't care. We were in AC and on our way to putting our feet up.

We got checked into our hotel room and I offered to walk a block away to the McDonalds (gasp!) that we saw to pick up a quick (and late) dinner while Eric called cab companies to try to find a taxi for the next morning. I walked up to the door and found it was a drive-through only thanks to COVID precautions. On to Plan B. When we checked in, the gal at the hotel said there were a few restaurants very close that we could go to, so I continued to hoof it down the street. I came upon a Thai restaurant that offered take-out. Perfect! And (bonus) it was next to a Starbucks (mental note taken for the following morning!)

We gobbled up our dinners, played a few rounds of Marvel Fluxx, and were grateful to be settled for the night. The kids decided they wanted to do a little night swimming, so I offered to sit poolside and read while they cooled off and splashed around a bit. The pool was lined on one side with plumeria trees that smelled Heavenly. The breeze swirled the bloom's fragrance in a delicate way and surrounded me in the best way possible.

Happy nighttime swimmers

Plumeria galore!

When we got back to the room, it was time for bed (Eric was already sound asleep with his Kindle still in his hand). We had another early start and hectic day ahead of us. 

Sleepy Eric