Owen and I are back from the the most beautiful place that I've ever been too. We had such a great time it was hard to come back. If it was not for Charlie and Artu we might have stayed out there!
Day One - We started out with a 9.5 hour flight from Chicago to Honolulu. Since we were traveling during the day it was hard to take a nap to pass the time. Luckily once we got to Honolulu our flight to Kauai was only about 25 minutes. When we stepped off the plane in Lihue we knew that the whole day of traveling was worth it. We saw colors everywhere! It was such a difference from the snow at home. Bright blue ocean, green palm trees, green grass, and a rainbow of flowers. Absolute paradise!
We got to the resort and checked in with the hospitality desk provided by Owen's company. We immediately went to our room and changed into flip-flops and went down to the Welcome Reception that Novell provided. Since we hadn't really eaten all day we devoured God-only-knows how many sandwiches and chips. After a couple hours it was back to the room to get some well needed rest.
Day Two - Unfortunately, our bodies were still on Chicago time. We both woke up around 4am but couldn't fall back asleep so around 6am we decided to get up to watch the sun rise. You can't beat watching the sun rise while listening to the sound of the ocean. It was so peaceful.
This is the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Kauai
Looking out from the lobby to the ocean
Owen's company sure knows how to treat their employees. They provided breakfast every morning which was extremely good. The eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and fresh juices were awesome every morning. Owen will agree that I ate more bacon in 5 days than I probably have eaten in the whole time that I've known him. It was
so yummy!
Day Three - Novell offered different "adventures" for everyone so Owen and I choose the ATV tour. It was a guided tour through the old sugar cane fields and jungle. It was a lot of fun! Even though it was a guided tour we got to go as fast as we could.. Once we got used to the ATV's they didn't go quick enough for us. Once we came back we had to shower off all of the dust and bug juice before we hit the pool. After relaxing for a bit we got ready for a cocktail hour that Owen's boss had planned for his division. Once that was over we went out to dinner with two other couples to a local seafood restaurant. After that it was back to the hotel for some after dinner drinks with Owen's company.
Just a taste of the tour. More pictures to come...
Day Four - Owen went golfing with some of his bosses in the morning while I slept in a little then went to the pool. Owen shot an 82 but I'll let him tell you all of the details. I don't think I can do justice to the birdies, eagles and whatever other fowl happens in golf.
Comment by Owen - Owen here, and yes you read correct, an 82. Now that is a legit 82, no mulligans, winter rules, etc. And that is with a 4 putt and a triple bogey. It's not often I'm on fire but I picked the right time as I beat my old Director, my VP and one of our CTO's. This could be a career killer by beating my bosses but man it felt great! I love this game!!!Poipu Bay Golf Course
That night was the big Awards Gala at the resort. Again, Novel knows how to do it right. Luckily we had great weather the entire trip (80s and sunny every day) without a drop of rain. The gala was outside and was wonderful. There were junior hula girls that welcomed everyone and also performed later after dinner. The dinner was buffet style and there was more food than I can remember. There was tons of salads, meat of every kind, pretty much anything you could think of. The best for me was the fresh shrimp and crab legs. I tried my first and last mussel - yuck! After the gala everyone headed down to the club/bar on premise. Needless to say, the drinks were flowin' and everyone had a great time!
Looking down from the lobby at the Gala
Hula girls
After we came in and received our lei's from the hula girls
Day Five - This was our last full day in Hawaii. We decided to get up early and climb up to the top of a local cliff to see the sun rise. I use the word climb very loosely as there's been a path cut out from so many other people doing the exact same thing. People also go up there for cliff diving but we decided to pass on that - we're not crazy! The sun rise was just as beautiful as we expected it to be. No matter what the scenery is in Kauai, it is gorgeous!
After the meal that we ate at the Awards Gala the night before, Owen and I decided to go for a walk to the local shopping area. I was a little over a mile away but it felt so good to walk. We did a little shopping then it was back to the resort to get some more sun by the pool. We took it easy the rest of the night just taking in as much as we could knowing that we'd be going home soon.
Back of the hotel lobby
Day Six - Vacation is over. Luckily our flight wasn't until the afternoon so we had time for one last awesome breakfast. Our flight from Kauai to Honolulu was a little rough since the winds were kind of strong. Some of Owen's friends were on another flight which missed the runway due to wind gusts. Our flight from Honolulu to Chicago was much better than going out. We had a pretty decent tail wind so the flight was only about 7.5 hours. We were able to sleep for a little bit since we were traveling over night and got back to Chicago at 5am. We were very happy to see that my car was not covered in snow since we drove to the airport.
We were happy to come back to see Charlie and Artu but since we knew they were well taken care of while we were gone I wouldn't have minded staying out there for a while longer. Thanks to all of our family that helped with both of kids. It made our vacation truly enjoyable knowing that we didn't have to worry about our little ones!
The Phoencian Golf Course
