Aloha.

We are back from our trip to Maui. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. The condo we rented was perfect for us...CLEAN, nice pool, pretty view of the ocean, and not too fancy that we couldn't drink Budweiser from cans pool-side.

We went Whale Watching and saw many pairs of moms and their babies. Brian and I enjoyed it way more than the kids.

We all tried snorkeling. The waves were pretty strong a couple of days. Perfect for playing in the waves, not so great for snorkeling. The snorkel mask made me feel claustrophobic. Brian had a close encounter with a sea turtle. The turtle swam up to him and got about three feet away. Brian had an underwater camera and was able to take some pictures, but he's worried his finger was over the lens.

We found a fun park with lots of low-branched trees. The kids (and I) thoroughly enjoyed climbing. I of course had to recite, "Hi! I'm Billy. I've been climbing trees all my life, but not trees near overhead lines. Because if you touch one of those lines, or your weight makes a branch touch a line...." For those of you who grew up in KC, you'll know what I'm talking about.

All in all, it was a great family vacation. I really enjoyed the laid back feel of Maui. We all thought it was fun how the locals would flash you the HANG LOOSE sign when you did something nice, like let them merge, etc. I definitely want to go back.

Maloha.