Brrrr....

We woke up to outside temps hovering around 6 degrees this morning!!   Add the windshield and we are well below 0.  Brrrrr....too cold for me!!!  Especially having  just returned from Hawaii where we enjoyed balmy 80 degree days for one week straight.  Such a contrast from our regular January weather.  To ease the transition a bit I'm using some pictures from the trip as my screensaver.   This way I can at  least  look at warmth while I sit in my office wearing my  flannel pants, a thermal shirt, a sweatshirt, extra thick wool socks and slippers!

I wanted to share a few of the Hawaii pictures with my blog friends..just in case you could use a little warmth right about now!  But first, a little more about our trip.

This is a trip my husband goes on just about every year.  It is sponsored by a company who does business with my husbands' employer.   The trip is always to a tropical destination..usually Hawaii or Mexico.  The past two years I've been unable to go with him as I was either pregnant or home with a brand new baby.  This year I was finally able to join him!  I was pretty nervous to leave the kids annd I'll admit I was a little teary-eyed heading to the airport.  Even though they were staying with my parents in Nebraska and I knew they were going to be spoiled rotten for one week straight...I still found it hard to leave.   The tears dried up pretty fast though once I was basking in the warm Hawaiin sun!

We stayed at the Kea Lani Hotel in Wailea, Maui...where we did little else other than lay on the beach or by the pool reading and sipping on tropical drinks complete with the colorful little umbrellas!   Our hosts took us on a whale watching/snorkeling excursion which proved to be a surprise highlight for me.  See, typically I don't do so well on boats...especially on the ocean.  The constant motion typically turns my tummy upside down and leaves me floored on the deck until my feet are back on solid ground.  This time I went armed with Bodine , a non-drousy motion sickness pill, which kept me going strong through the entire boat ride.  I was even able to dive in the water for a little snorkeling action!!

On our last day on the island my husband and I rented a car and did a little "off the beaten path" tour of the island.  This is something we try to do everytime we go on vacation.  As much as we enjoy the resorts and commercial areas, we really like to find the hidden treasures as recommended by the locals.  So...we headed up island in Maui and found some gorgeous views as well as a great shopping area.  Afterall, no trip is complete without a bit of shopping, right?!

Here are a few pictures from our trip.  I was too nervous to travel with my 5d and I wanted to pack light so I took my 30d along with two lenses (85mm/1.8 and 35mm/1.4).  I'm happy with my lens choices although I wished I had packed the 70-200mm/2.8 for the whale watching expedition.  Oh-well...it would have been one heavy lens to cart around the rest of the trip!!

Mahalo and stay warm, my friends!

You know it will be a good trip when your coffee arrives looking like this!

If you're ever in Maui I would highly recommend this restaurant!!  The views were spectacular!!

People must have thought I was crazy, but I couldn't resist taking pictures of the food. 

 

Comments

[kathy p]

stunning! i can't wait to return!

[melissa deakin]

oh my goodness...these photos
are incredible.
what a fabulous trip.
i love that you took photos
of the food.
thanks for the warmth...i need it here too!

[Shelley]

The food looks yummy. My parents took our family to Hawaii a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. Lots of photographic fun. Your images are beautiful as always. I'm in South Carolina so I can't complain to much about the cold although we do have a cold front this week, we'll only be in the 40's. Keep warm.

[Shelley]

The food looks yummy. My parents took our family to Hawaii a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. Lots of photographic fun. Your images are beatiful as always. I'm in South Carolina so I can't complain too much about the cold although we do have a cold front this week, we'll only be in the 40's. Keep warm.

[Julie]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip, welcome back!

[Alissa]

i loved maui... your pictures totally just brought back the most amazing week spent there over two years ago... sniff sniff... MUST. GO. BACK!

[amanda(peawithme)]

Wow! What gorgeous photos! TFS!

[paolo Liloc]

Jamie-

your photos are incredible....

[frederique]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........These are so perfect!!! Glad you had such a greavtrip. Love the one with the boats (and restaurant's name)

[eLiZaBeTh]

looks just gorgeous..what a great vacation I am so glad you were able to go.. I am curious..what does your husband do?

[Jamie Schultz]

Thank you all for the comments!! I love hearing from you guys...my blog friends! Elizabeth...my dh works for a furniture company. A dangerous job when you're married to someone as furniture obsessed as me. Ha!

Thanks again all!!

[Holly Brimhall]

Jamie, you're making me want to go back and this tims ACTUALLY take some pictures. I LOVE MAUI! Love your pictures and glad that you had a chance to get away and relax!

[Melissa Mullinax]

WOW!!! I love them all!!

[Michelle Davies]

what fantastic photos! the color is simply gorgeous! now i really want hubby to take me to hawaii...thanks for sharing.

[Sue Thomas]

Loving all these photos, Jamie!!!!

[michele]

jamie, these shots are astounding!!! were you able to actually meter or were you trusting your in-camera meter? i'd love to know the specs on some of these! great job ... and glad to have you back in sub-zero temps! lol

[Alissa]

Oh My Goodness...you have the best eye! Amazing shots. I just love your photographs and am always so inspired by you!!! We just took a trip to FL and had the best time...but my pictures don't compare! :) I hadn't checked in on you in a while, but it was great catching up! Have a great weekend!