Kauai, Hawaii- What a Great Trip!

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Kauai, Hawaii-- I even like saying it!! Dr. T had a conference in Hawaii a few weeks ago, so while he worked, I played and played. We had a great time.

I was smitten the minute we landed on the island. The people are friendly and helpful. We stayed at the on Sheraton Poipu Beach. The drive there was even beautiful.

The Sheraton has a full calendar of things to do throughout the day- most are free. I took advantage of a morning yoga class on the beach. Other classes included hula lessons, lei making, surfing lessons, ukelele lessons, and much more! The two things we didn't have time for were surfing lessons for Dr. T and Ukelele lessons for me. There is always next time!

The first day's reception didn't start until the evening so we had the whole day to explore by ourselves. We went up to the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon. We had a great day. Our first stop was the quaint town of Hanapepe. I fell in love with this little town. We ended up going back again for their art night street fair that they have every Friday night. Highlights of Hanapepe. 

It is known for its Swinging Bridge: I could just picture my kids when they were little having a blast on this bridge!!

We did come back on Friday night to Hanapepe, and I want to share with you here about their Art Night. There are several art galleries in this little town. Each Friday night, they host a street fair. The galleries are open, and there are all kinds of vendors- food and other crafts. We had a good time walking around. 

I loved this Starry Night painted surfboard in one of the gallery windows. 

There are chickens and roosters all over the island- I mean everywhere. More than Key West for sure!!

 My favorite thing about Hanapepe is that The Westernmost Bookstore, Talk Story, is at the end of the main street!! Oh My Goodness- I loved it! They sell new, used, and collector's books plus vinyls! What more do you want? Well- of course, they have a cat named Celeste who runs the place!!

My happy place!!

You can follow Celeste on Instagram. 

We loved this little town both times!!

We ate a quick lunch at the Kauai Beer Company, and we were off to find Waimea Canyon. 

The first part of our drive in the canyon was beautiful. 

The higher in elevation we got, the more clouds we saw. When we got up to this
beautiful spot to look off over into the ocean, it was cloudy and raining. We decided then that a helicopter ride would be wonderful!

Dr. T had meetings the next morning so I went out on a hike with some friends. Don't ever decline a hike, especially on Kauai! What started off as a plain hike, ended up with this view:

My hiking buddies!

That evening we went to a Luau at Smith's. It is a beautiful place. So much better than a hotel Luau!

I put this picture on Facebook, and a friend of Dr. T's asked why he had a rooster in his pocket! Roosters are everywhere!

It's a beautiful place.

Getting the pig out of the imu. 

We also went on a Sunset Dinner Cruise- Holo Holo Charters at Port Allen. This Cruise was wonderful! Our captain said we went on a perfect day. He was able to take us in caves that in the 5 years he's worked there, he's only been able to go in about 10 times. We were lucky!!

Since Weamia Canyon was so cloudy, we decided to take a helicopter tour to see the island. It did not disappoint. We learned that a helicopter is really the only way to see a good part of the island. We used Sunshine Helicopters. It was an amazing experience!!

Napali Coast

Napali Coast

Inside the volcano crater.

We took so many pictures- it's hard to decide which ones to show.

We had a late-night flight to return home so we spent the day driving to the North Shore of Kauai. It is quite different from the southern part where we stayed- much lusher and more crowded. 

We had heard not to miss the lighthouse near Hanalei. It is a national park and a bird reserve. It was beautiful.

We had heard not to miss the lighthouse near Hanalei. It is a national park and a bird reserve. It was beautiful.

All the white specks in the trees are birds. 

Make sure you have the sound on for this. These are how the birds that were down in these bushes sounded. I loved it!!

Another thing fun about the North Shore is all of the one-lane bridges that have to be crossed. 

Traffic was backed up at times.

Very cozy, and added to the charm of the island for sure.

Very cozy, and added to the charm of the island for sure.

 

I never travel anywhere with Dr. T that I don't think about my kids! Of course, I want to go back and take them and their spouse/boyfriend with us!! This trip made me think of our trip to Maui that my parents treated us to when my kids were little. One highlight was seeing these signs. 

My kids and nephews call my mother, Nene. They all about died in 1996 when they saw this sign in Maui telling them not to feed the Nenes. It has been a family memory/story ever since.

It's funny to remember that I took that picture of my mother and kids with a regular camera. Probably just a disposable waterproof camera. I didn't know until I got them developed how they would turn out. There were no retakes to get the perfect shot, plus, these kids were never still- and we are missing a boy. There is no telling where my other nephew is in this shot.

When I saw this sign, I had to take a picture of it and send it to all the kids, my sister, and my mother. They got a big kick out of it, and our group text was full of memories of this trip!!

I ate delicious fish for almost every meal. These are some good place we ate:

One night we ate Italian. The fish here was fresh and delicious. La Spezia

Koloa Old Town is a fun area. We ate at Garden Island Grille one night and listened to live music.

Dukes has a fantastic salad bar and a great view!!

Mariachis had great seafood chimichangas!! 

Here are some outfits I took. I had a few people ask about some of them.

This jumper is at a great price here.

This dress was perfect for the luau. It can be found here. This is a great shot because it includes a chicken. It is fun to see them running through parking lots and all around!!

The back on this is open and a little too revealing for the 55-year-old, but I made do!! It can be found here.

I bought all of my outfits online, and I feel fortunate that they all fit. 

I can't express the beauty of this island, but the people are just as beautiful as their lovely home. Everyone we met was warm and friendly and made our trip so special!! I'm ready to go back!!

As always, thanks for reading. If you like what I post, please share using one of the buttons at the top of this post for Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

Peak of the Week -8-14-19-

I'm home from a great trip and back into my routine for a week- we leave again soon!! I need a routine. I flounder when I don't have a schedule. My morning run and walk with Scout was just what I needed!!

It's the Peak of the Week- never Hump Day!! Here are things piquing my interest this week!!

Fab Fit Fun- Go here for $10 off!!
Have you tried Fab Fit Fun? I took the plunge this summer, and I loved my first box! The great thing is that every product is full size!! I got some good stuff! Here are just a few things--

Box is beautiful!

I've been wanting to try these!

Full Size

Do You Feel In Charge Of Your Life?-- I receive Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper every Sunday morning in my email. I love to read what she has to say!! A week ago she shared a conversation she had with a friend who was scared to make some changes at work!

Singing Donkey- I think I've written before about my love of donkeys. It is a life goal to someday have a donkey- named Mr. Darcey. If I move back to Texas, I will have one in the pasture in front of the house!! They are fascinating creatures!! I love this singing donkey story!!!

We sure missed this little Pup while we were gone!!

How To Live Your Life- Have I told you that I do surveys for the NYT? I received an email one day asking if I wanted to read articles for them and then take surveys- Of course, I did!!
 This article doesn't have anything to do with that- just thought I'd share!!
 This article from the NYT asking people to give advice about life- it is definitely worth the read!!!

A Women's Greatest Enemy- Lack of Time For Herself-- I can so relate to this article. Some women make sure that they take time for themselves. The one area that I made sure I made time for myself while raising my kids was my running. They knew it was what I did, and my whole family supported it. Sometimes I ran early sometimes I met a friend to run at 9:00 at night, but we still ran! This article really made me think about history and what we may have missed out on by women not having time to indulge their creativity! Interesting thoughts in this one!!!

What I Wore-Fanny Packs- Fashion Friday

Please go here so you can see all the picture and ads in this post.

If you wait around long enough fashion recycles itself, and what you have kept over the years comes back in style again. My mother always says, "If you wore it the first time around, you are too old to wear it the second time around."

However, I believe that there is one accessory that is different and doesn't apply to my mother's rule---

Enter- the fanny pack.

If you have ever run with me, you know that I always run with a fanny pack. Some of you (who shall remain nameless) have made fun of me for it!! But, I'm getting the last laugh!! The fanny pack is back. From high-end retailers to Amazon, you can find a fanny pack to fit your lifestyle and be "stylin" while you do it. 

I actually have a great fanny pack that I've had for years. I've run with many different fanny packs over the years, but this is one that has remained in great shape and is a great size! Thank you, Ralph Lauren!!!

This has been the best pack!! I can't even begin to tell you how long I've had it. Maybe 15 years. I just couldn't ever bring myself to get rid of it. I'm so glad I kept it!! I use it now most of the time when I go out running!!

My love of fanny packs may be traced back to my late husband! He always wore a fanny pack on trips- especially ski trips. The great thing about R is he absolutely didn't care what people thought of him. So if someone thought he looked silly wearing one, that was their problem- not his. Plus, the kids always knew if they needed something, their dad would surely have it in that fanny pack!!!

His brown fanny pack- and always on ski trips his container of peppermint schnapps!!

His black fanny pack on a trip to Mexico!!

Wow! These pictures sure make me miss him!!

My daughter recently purchased a designer fanny pack-- now, most commonly called belt bags! I asked if I could use her beautiful belt bag for this post. (As per my kids' request, I cannot talk about them on this blog without their permission).

Here it is! 

This one can be found here. Awww- to be young and single!!!

My beautiful daughter! This is how many women are wearing these bags this second time around!!

Just for fun, I'm adding another picture my daughter sent. She's quite into Gucci right now... She likes my shadow pictures that I take when I'm out running and post on my Instagram account, so she sends me her "shadow pictures" quite often.

She bought the Gucci loafer in black several years ago. They have been her favorite shoes. She recently bought them in red!! What a statement piece!!

In addition to her beautiful belt bag, I'm sharing some of my favorites from designer to easily affordable!!

I'll start with my favorite by Burberry! There is just something about the Burberry plaid that I can't get enough of. I always see what Burberry has when I'm looking to buy!! They are one of my favorite brands!! I have to admit, this one is tempting me!!

I love that is one is like a small purse.

So cute!!!

And the rest!!

This is one of my favorites because it has a Chanel look to it, but I bought it at Amazon. It has been on every trip I've taken this year!!!

** As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases**

Click on ads to shop my favorites.

I've ended mostly carrying it as a cross-body purse, but the fact that I can wear it as a belt bag adds to its appeal!!

Here it is sitting on the table at Sardis where we ate right after seeing To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway!! 

I carried it all over Orlando!!

I love this one because of the vintage look it has. I also love the gold chain! It can be purchased here.

From Saks.

I also bought this belt bag at Amazon. I like it because it's nylon. I haven't used it as much as I have the other one from Amazon. 

Here are a few of my other Amazon favorites!!

I love that this one is waterproof!!

Clear and Stadium approved for the world we live in today!! It would be great to just have this one on hand. You never know when you will need one!!

Another designer look. I love this one. The gold chain for cross-body wear makes it a must!!

I love the vintage look of this one!! Makes me feel like I've stepped into the '70s!!

And- As always, thanks so much for following! I have gained so many followers over the summer, and I'm so appreciative! If you like what I'm posting, please share my account with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!! I'd really appreciate it!