Luau, and sunsets

Monday night we attended a luau at our resort, and we had a blast!  The experience was made all the more special because of the people who were seated near us at our table.  By the time the evening was over, we had eight new friends:  four couples from various places in the U.S.  We enjoyed their company and conversation so much and have continued to connect with them.

Here are a couple of photos from the luau, including one from the stage where Karen and I participated in a group hula dancing lesson!

Our friend, Marean, arrived on Tuesday, and so our Sisters family was all here!  We went for a brief beach walk with Marean in the afternoon, and then we all enjoyed a magnificent sunset later that night.  Here are those pics:

First day here

Our two flights to get to Maui were smooth, easy, and uneventful with the exception of a welcomed gift from an Alaska Airlines rep: a free bump up to business class for our long six-hour flight from Portland to Maui.  I knew the night before they had several seats in that section still available which I could have purchased for $99 each, but I was hoping maybe we could use some miles to get that upgrade.  I checked in at a counter once we got to Portland, and when I told him we were celebrating our 20-year anniversary and I’d love to surprise my spouse with an upgrade, he made it happen in a matter of minutes.  When I asked what it was going to cost me, he said “A high five.”  I enthusiastically gave him just that, and we enjoyed much more leg room and free drinks for the long flight!

The image below shows the weather we left in Portland and what we arrived at once we reached our resort.

We soaked our toes in that water and walked the beach a bit while our room was getting ready.  Our friends, Pat and Carol, arrived later in the day, and we then spent the evening with them.

Finally, here is the view from our balcony of our room:

Until tomorrow....

To Maui we fly

This Sunday, September 16, Karen and I fly to Maui for a week's vacation to celebrate our 20th anniversary.  Wow!  It's a trip that has been months in the planning, in part because our dear friends, Pat and Carol, were also scheduled to be in Maui around this same time and decided to adjust their schedules so they could be there with us.  And since the four of us planned the trip, the fifth member of our Sisters family, Marean, decided to come as well.  It will be an extraordinary trip shared with dear friends.

It seems the perfect location to celebrate our anniversary as well as Karen's retirement, so Maui, here we come.  We are staying at one of our time shares in Maui in Lahaina:  The Royal Lahaina Resort.  Check it out:  https://www.royallahaina.com

I will be posting photos and memories to this blog site rather than Facebook or Instagram or even Twitter, so we invite you to check it every now and then and follow our special vacation.