Hawaii

So I decided that I needed to go somewhere for my big birthday this year (at the end of April)- I know it's hard to believe, but I actually turned 40.  I just don't feel that old - I'm still shocked when I'm at the gym and the machine wants my age and I have to punch in that 4 first.  I'm not sure I'll ever feel old.  The way it goes in our house, if there is something I want for my birthday then I take initiative and go for it.  Craig has many amazing qualities but gift giving is not one.  He did support my desire to do something memorable and for that I'm appreciate (especially since he travels so much for work that when he's in the US he doesn't have much motivation to get on a plane for fun).  I decided I wanted to do something adventurous - show that I still got it at 40.  I looked up amazing hikes and settled on Napali Coast in Kauai.  Craig has never been to Hawaii and I haven't been since I was about 11 so this was a fun adventure for us.  We hired a babysitter for the kids and headed off.

 We started on Oahu and did the typical tourist stuff - Pearl Harbor, the temple, BYU Hawaii, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

 We were constantly amazed at the beauty around us.  Hawaii truly is an incredibly beautiful place.

 We headed to Kauai to do some hiking.  The Napali Coast is on the north side of Kauai and is an area of the island that is not traversable by car.  I hiked 2 miles up the coast and then two miles inland to a waterfall then back out 2 miles and then another 2 1/2 miles further up the coast.  About 11 miles all together.  The die hards hike the whole 11 miles along the coast, spend the night camping and then hike back the next day.  I'm not that die hard - no camping for me.  It was a pretty tough hike but truly spectacular.