Today we are headed “home” to Hawaii.
I love the islands. Oh, God, how I love Hawaii!
It's a very special place to me and Mr. C.
It has been the site of more than one
proposal for me. It’s where the “reset” button
for my life was pushed. I have found
peace here, with my toes in the water, communing
with nature, consulting with the sea turtles, receiving comfort and counsel from the ageless, timeless wisdom of
the flowing tides of the ocean.
I fell in love with the islands many years ago. From my very first visit, I have felt there is something special here; how the islands welcomed me then, and then welcomed me back, time and again; the soft warm sand beneath my toes begging me to forget the pressures and schedules of home and work; the soft warm trade winds waiting to embrace me, gently caressing my skin and willing me to relax and just “be”; the soft warm hospitality of the Hawaiian people, their love and celebration of family and family values ~ and their willingness to take you into their hearts and treat you as a member of that family.
I love the beautiful waterfalls that are the remote reward for those who brave the many paths and hiking trails to seek them out.
I love the diversity of each island;
from the greenest green of the mountains
To the bluest blue of the Pacific on it's shores.
All of it ~ I love it all ~
And the islands hold special remembrances for us personally,
too.
Here is where we celebrate several anniversaries. The anniversary of Mr. C’s invitation to be
his travel partner. (The answer was, “I
would do that in a heart-beat!”)
The anniversary of his invitation (proposal) to be his wife and life partner (The answer was, “Yes-yes-yes!!!”)
The anniversary of his invitation (proposal) to be his wife and life partner (The answer was, “Yes-yes-yes!!!”)
And the anniversary
of our wedding celebration, our wedding vows, given just down the beach from our
place on the beach.
(The answer was, “I do!
Yes, I most certainly do!”)
So it is fitting that we welcome in the New Year here, in this place so special to us, complete with
fireworks on the beach.
I love
Hawaii. No matter where we travel, no
matter what our destination, nothing compares to here. Our Hawaii home.
this brought tears to my eyes, such a beautiful story & you were so kind to let me share it. It will be your second anniversary soon and many happy years ahead of you. You've been such a special force in my life i'll love you always for that!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd now you've brought tears to MY eyes! You're very special to us both. And that I've been a "special force" in your life. I like that allot!
DeleteJust a gorgeous memorable affair....As a spectator and guest I will most definately never forget it!
ReplyDeleteWe feel the same way ~ having everyone together for an entire week of playing, laughing, walking & talking, exploring the island, playing in the sand and the water, sitting by the pool ~ and of course eating! Truly something special to have our family and friends-who-are-family all together for such a week. We are indeed blessed to have people like you & R in our lives!
DeleteI don't know how to comment other than anonymous, but it is Deon McCracken from Waiora and Mary Chapmans friend and yes you are a special and beautiful lady and I love following your travels and that you care so deeply about friends and you let us travel the world with you...It is wonderful and special and you both deserve each other, we can all see and feel the love.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to hear from you, D! And of course I remember you! Such lovely remarks, thank you so much. This is exactly what I hoped for when I started Passport Envy ~ that the people I care about (from the many and varied chapters of my life) would get to come along and share in the adventure. Thank you for the words of encouragement, I am happy to hear that I have enriched your life in some small way ~ And yes, I am blessed beyond measure with my Mr. C! Stay tuned for our "island life" adventures!
DeleteThanks for sharing this with all of us! Gorgeous pictures and beautifully expressed!
ReplyDeleteOf all the places in the world you travel this article really speaks about your love for your home and your world there!
Your wedding picture is so dramatic! Your photographer really captured the beauty of the evening!
Happy Anniversary and I hope you have many, many more in your beloved paradise on earth!
Thank you, my dear KS! Beautiful pictures are easy to come by here in Paradise! You have called it by that name from the very beginning, as I recall, and aptly so. It's been a blessing to have you & J be a part of our love story and our lives. Can't imagine doing this without you!
DeleteIt was tough to pick just one wedding picture out of thousands, but I love the dramatic night-time setting that Kam captured (For those of you who are considering a Hawaii wedding, I recommend Kam Photography very highly!!) Of all nights, as I'm sure you remember, there was not a real "sunset" that night for sunset pictures. The near-night time shots were spur-of-the-moment, and even Kam was impressed with how they turned out!
And, yes, it does feel like home here to me. The only thing I love more than the sun and the water is my Mr. C! Thanks for the anniversary wishes ~ we are looking forward to another 50 years together!
We are seriously thinking of purchasing a home in Hawaii. We would love to hear your thoughts on the different islands and why you chose the one you live on. Did you purchase a single family residence or a condo? After moving to the Pacific Northwest we have decided that we need a warm climate getaway in the winter.
ReplyDeleteSherrie CummingJanuary 6, 2015 at 7:43 PM
DeleteI agree, the constant warm (not-too-hot-and-never-ever-cold) climate here in the Hawaiian Islands is part of the allure.
Collectively, we have spent allot of time on the islands. We love Maui, and vacationed there more than anywhere else. I know that island inside and out.
However, property values was by far the biggest factor when it came to purchasing. You simply get more bang for the buck on the Big Island or Oahu. How much time have you spent on Maui? Or Oahu? People generally think Waikiki when they think of Oahu, but......there's so much more to the island than just that one strip of beach!
The short answer is, we ended up purchasing a condo at the Beach Villas on the west shore in Ko Olina, in lieu of a single family residence, for several reasons. The long answer is actually "blog worthy", so I will post by tomorrow, complete with some pix of this lovely place.
And I salute your warm climate get-a-way dreams!!! Let's stay in touch on this ~
Looking forward to your next post. We have been to 3 of the islands but it has been many years. We got so tied up in Real Estate we seldom took vacations other than going to the Pacific Northwest to see our grandchildren. Now it is time for us! The grandkids are grown & have their own lives with not a lot of time for us. Now it is our time to travel and enjoy life. We have moved to Oregon so we do get to see them but we are ready to travel!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Carol! We all have that chapter in our lives where we just put our heads down and concentrated on working hard to raise our families. Then comes retirement! And it's glorious, I'm not gonna' lie!!! I agree with your sentiment, it is definitely your time to travel and enjoy life. Mr. C and I discuss this "window" of time allot ~ this brief chapter where we are still fit and able to do the things that we want to do, to see the things that we want to see, go the places that we want to go. Old age is inevitable, and we know that a health issue can change our life in one beat of the heart. We lost his precious only brother last year, my age, to cancer. We never know how long we have, we are only guaranteed this one day, today, to live the best life we can!
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