Aloha found on Maui

Ho'okipa Maui

A return trip to the islands of aloha, sandwiched precariously between Japan and the US mainland, was not just another chance to dip our winter toes into the sand, but a vacation that was spiritual on many levels.  Beth and I lived on Oahu for a year in 2003, and in the years since, I have come and gone for windows of time chasing cycling vacationers around the Big Island.  Even though our time spent in Hawai'i really doesn't add up to much of a tan, this place is sooo special to both of us.  We really fell in love here, specifically in the Halawa Valley where I pulled a simple ring from my board shorts that found it's way on to Beth's ring finger.  We met so many kind people over the years, from Jocelyn and Richard at Erdman to Walter on Moloka'i and most recently, Joy and Ed on Maui.  As I pull various memories from our time in Hawai'i, the common thread that surfaces is the simplicity of life here under the sun and the open connection to the land and water.  Simplicity is an offering that is more and more difficult to find among our era of blogs and smart phones and of course life in a city, so with that said, these short 8 days on Maui gave our family the time to slow down.  Our family now includes G, who is nearly 6 months old.  Life with Grace is amazing, although challenging as Beth and I try and find balance.  Whether it's the world's freshest air, the cleansing rain, rich fruit, leeward and winward coasts, a green house, we are pretty psyched right now standing in the middle of the pacific.