I hear it is customary to give a gift to your husband on the wedding day.  I wanted to do something nice for Matt and thought how about a mini get-away to Kauai.  It was perfect- he has never been there before and I love it there!  Plus, my sister said after her wedding, if there was one thing she could re-do it would be to go away after the wedding for a few days to escape all the chaos and aftermath.  I took her advice and secretly planned the ultimate mini moon!  (By the way, we call it a “mini moon” because this was just a getaway before the real honeymoon to Europe!)

I was so close to keeping it a surprise.  I could see the finish line.  But, it just so happened, when we went to pick up the easel from my old boss, she was chit chatting and asking if we were going anywhere else besides Kauai.  Matt’s ears propped up and was like, “Kauai?!?!”  All I could do was shake my head and wave my fists in the air as steam came outta my nose and fire through my mouth!  My surprise went out the window!  But I suppose it was still a surprise, just an early surprise and he was excited none-the-less, so I was happy!  A semi-success :)

FAST FORWARD

After the wedding, we visited the beautiful island of Kauai for 3 nights and 4 days!  Our trip included some great adventures, gorgeous sightseeing, delicious food and many new memories as we step foot into the next chapter of our lives.

We went on a sunset dinner cruise, which was enjoyable despite the fact that I wasted my steak and shrimp dinner due to seasickness.  Instead, I was fed soda crackers!

Sunset Dinner Cruise w/ Capt. Andy

Soda Crackers for the Sick Girl

The next day included a 7 hour cruise along the Na Pali Coast and snorkeling at Lehua Rock, off of Ni’ihau.  Luckily, I didn’t get sick on this trip.  Lesson learned – do not go in the cabin!  This was probably our favorite activity as we got to swim with a monk seal!  That reminds me, I still need to develop my underwater camera photos.

Na Pali Coast

We played tourist and visited Waimea Canyon, Kilauea Lighthouse and Koloa Rum Company for some free rum tasting!

This Lighthouse has a fake Light!

The food is delectable and our favorite was Merriman’s and Hamura Saimin.

There are still so many things we didn’t get to do or see.  We will definitely be back soon.  Until then, we bid farewell to our neighbor island, Kauai!

PS – my awesome husband bought me a new camera as my wedding gift!  Now, if only I could learn how to use it (without having to read the instruction manual!)

Fidgeting with my wedding gift!