Saturday, March 22, 2008

Rob's Closing Thoughts


We have an hour left until we board the plane and I wanted to write and say that I've had a great time in Hawaii. From getting a convertible Mustang to getting a pimp room at the hotel(who knew we'd just have to open the door and walk out to the sea?). And then there's Amy and her books... she prepared in advance for this trip like a mad dope fiend. It paid off! She was able to steer us successfully through 7 days on Maui with a day on Lana'i crammed in the middle. Barely any conversations needed about where to eat, she already knew the places that Nicole, Gianna, Rachel, or someone who writes for the "Unofficial Guide to Maui" said were the best places. No need to take a guess and try some place that might have been 2nd rate, not with Amy around. Thanks Amy, it's a good thing you are an event planner ;)


And then there's Trey, he won't understand for years just how lucky he is to have been in Hawaii for 7 days. His biggest concerns were eating at McDonald's and what we were going to have for breakfast the next morning. My favorite Trey moment was when we were standing in the lava tube at the black sand beach. I'm standing with him watching the waves pound on the rocks at the entrance to the tube. The sound is amazing. He's throwing rocks into the water, sometimes just past another kid who keeps walking in front of him. I stop him and say "listen to the sound the water makes when it comes in and then goes back out. You know what that sound is?" He stands for a second then replies, "Hey dad, what are we having for breakfast tomorrow?" All you can do is laugh, and then I try to tell him the sound is from tumbling rocks, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere. I'm anxious to hear what he shares with everyone when he gets home because that's when we'll really know what he learned and was most excited about.


Best Amy moment : Seeing the hours of planning come to fruition when we made it to the little green treehouse we had both read about and heard about from several different places. And the best part was that it was just another point to why Amy planning out our things makes for the best experiences for all of us. From the hotel upgrade(because she asked) - to the great advice to drive up Haleakala the morning after we arrived - to Mama's Fish House in Paia after a long day on the road to Hana. She's a planner, and I'm not. It's a good compliment to my last minute procrastination style in most everything I do. Even knowing what things to see while on Lana'i and where to eat(Blue Ginger Cafe) while we were there! Just that you were able to find a 4wheel drive adventure that you knew I would enjoy and that you and Trey were willing to join in on! Thanks again for a great trip!


And finally, my favorite moment all to myself. I love to geocache, it's just fun because it gets me away from everyone else. The point is to become invisible so that others don't even notice what you are doing. This island(and Lana'i) had the most unbelievable caches that I've ever seen. It should have been obvious knowing that I was going to be in this environment, but seriously the views from the caches were the best on the islands. And there wasn't another person around - just me. (I didn't even miss WOW) :)


So, to all the friends and family that have been reading and following our trip. We are sad to see it end, but it is time to come back home. Trey and Amy - Mahalo for a really great trip!


Aloha, Rob

Lana'i Bay View



In an earlier post I showed a panoramic view of Sweetheart Rock and the bay. This is a movie shot of it so that you can see what it really looked like. Just one word...amazing. I think I heard Amy say that alot. Except she says, "A...mazing" with a great dramatic pause for effect.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Slain Queen Cave


We came here so Rob could find a Geocache back in the darkness and really cold water. The nice part was the water was clear, but it was SO COLD! After this, we walked to the black sand beach. There was a cool lava tube that you could walk through like a cave and watch the surf pound the rocks. It was a cool sound too!

Saturday we will be packing up and heading back toward Dallas. We look forward to seeing ya'll soon!

Video of the surf on the road to Hana

The Best Banana Bread on the Planet


We were excited to find this little green treehouse on our drive from Kahului to Kanapaali Thursday afternoon. This treehouse is featured in magazines, travel books, and TV shows. They are all right when they say the Banana bread, toasted coconut, and dried mango are the best on the planet. The locals from this tiny village have all started selling things along the small road to capitalize on the publicity the treehouse has brought in.

SweetHeart Rock on Lana'i


This was the first thing we went to see on Lana'i. The views were really amazing from here.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

I made it myself

Amy participated in a lei making session this afternoon. Here is the finished product. She did really well. Trey made shell bracelets while she was doing this. Afterward, Trey and I walked on the lava rocks and searched the tide pools for Hermit Crabs. We found alot and Trey even held one today. I'm uploading a bunch of pictures to www.flickr.com but don't know how to get you the link yet. it shows to be 20% uploaded right now. MrVardeman is the account name, so maybe that will help you search and find them? I'll have more info by the time all of you readers wake up in the morning. See you later, it's time to head to Fred's for $2 TACO Tuesday!!!

Trey and Dad coming back after catching some big waves.

Isn't he the cutest sufer ever!!
Getting ready for the lessons

Surfing Lessons

We just got back from surfing lessons for Rob and Trey. They had so much fun. It took a little bit of convincing and bribing to get Trey out in the water, but once he was out he got the hang of it. He got up 3 times and only fell off once. Rob fell everytime, but loved it. :) He may even go back in a couple of days. So to celebrate, Trey got McDonalds for lunch.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Having a blast in the ocean!
Dinner Sunday night with a great view and whale watching.
Trey and Rob posing by our ride.

Relaxing Day...

We've had a nice and relaxing day today since we were out the whole day yesterday. Rob and Trey were at the beach for most of the morning and had so much fun. We went to Kehei for lunch and Rob ended up signing him and Trey up for surfing lessons in the morning. Rob is really excited, but Trey wrote us a note in the car on the way back that said "I do not want to go srfng" Hopefully he's a little more excited about it in the morning. We went to the beach again when we got back. While we were at dinner (before the food even got there) Trey fell asleep...we had to wake him up to leave. He was so tired from all the swimming. Here are some more pics from yesterday and today. We should have some good pictures tomorrow from the surfing lessons!

Sunday, March 16, 2008



Amazing!
Sunrise at Haleakala. It was SO cold and windy! But totally worth it!

Saturday, March 15, 2008


Our first Maui sunset.

Trey having some fun at dinner.
The view from our room.


Trey and Mom on the plane from Dallas. Trey had to make a crazy face!

Trey was sleepy while waiting for our bags at LAX.

Maui

We left Dallas last night and headed to LA. We stayed the night there and left this morning for Maui. We arrived here about 12:30 pm local time. We are so excited to be here! Our room at the Wailea Marriott is amazing and has an awesome ocean view. We only have to walk a few feet out our back door and we are at the ocean. Right now a Luau is going on right outside of our back door. We are getting ready for bed because we have an early morning tomorrow. Trey woke up this morning about 6:00 am singing. I'm scared about what time he will wake up this morning. :) Enjoy the pics!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Vacation Time!!

Okay, so it's been since our last vacation in July that I have posted. And I didn't even finish that one. :)
The Vardeman Family is leaving for Maui on Friday evening and hopefully we can get some updates on here during our trip.