Thought of the day
Happy 2025!!
As Kyle and Hayden are getting older, Mrs. Shife and I thought creating memories was more important than presents so we went on a trip over the holiday break.
As Kyle and Hayden are getting older, Mrs. Shife and I thought creating memories was more important than presents so we went on a trip over the holiday break.
We definitely made the right call as we spent almost a week in a tropical paradise called Kauai.
My AI friend describes the island as such: Kauai is a stunning Hawaiian island known as the "Garden Isle" due to its lush, verdant landscapes and extraordinary natural beauty. As the oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai is characterized by its dramatic and diverse terrain, including emerald valleys, sharp mountain spires and jagged cliffs.
My AI friend describes the island as such: Kauai is a stunning Hawaiian island known as the "Garden Isle" due to its lush, verdant landscapes and extraordinary natural beauty. As the oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai is characterized by its dramatic and diverse terrain, including emerald valleys, sharp mountain spires and jagged cliffs.
It is an amazing and wonderful place and I feel so grateful that I got to spend some time there with my favorite people.
The Shifes give it 10/10.
Kyle and Hayden's first day at the beach. We were all a little shocked at how warm the water was.
The view from our room wasn't too shabby.
Family selfie.
Kyle and Hayden under the moonlight at the beach.
The sun set a little after 6 pm but the moon gave them enough light to keep going.
The sun set a little after 6 pm but the moon gave them enough light to keep going.
More beach time at a place called Shipwrecks Beach.
During the trip, my spirit animal was a lobster. This was after 90 minutes on the beach after the first day. I wore a long-sleeved swimshirt the rest of the time because being burnt didn't feel great.
A picture of the kiddos at the Grand Hyatt Resort where we had dinner one night.
It has about 50 acres of lush gardens and they are pretty epic.
It has about 50 acres of lush gardens and they are pretty epic.
Aloha from the Grand Hyatt Resort again.
We went on a boat tour along the Napali Coast.
Beautiful, but it turns out almost 6 hours on the boat might be a little too much.
Sorry to admit to my former Navy shipmates that I am no longer (sea) worthy.
Beautiful, but it turns out almost 6 hours on the boat might be a little too much.
Sorry to admit to my former Navy shipmates that I am no longer (sea) worthy.
A picture of Hayden snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean. Mrs. Shife and Kyle are out there somewhere. We saw sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and a few different types of birds on our water adventure.
Sunset selfie with my favorite lady, Mrs. Shife.
Boogie boarding at Brennecke Beach. This was, by far, Kyle and Hayden's favorite beach and their favorite activity. It's a small beautiful space with strong, short waves. They had a blast.
Sunset at Brennecke Beach.
Kyle getting ready to attack the waves at Brennecke Beach.
After you pinch yourself, realizing that you are in Hawaii, one of the other things you notice is the incredible amount of wild chickens. This takes the free range to another level. They are everywhere on Kauai and are said to outnumber the humans 6-to-1. Their population got a boost after hurricanes destroyed chicken coops and many got released into the wild.
I enjoyed my time on the beach. We are looking forward to returning to Kauai someday.
Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by and I will talk to you soon.
I will persevere.
I will keep moving forward.
I will be the stream.
Unfortunately, my wife had a medical conference a handful of years ago at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai and I had to spend an entire week roaming around seeing what there was to see and trying not to spill my poke bowls and being overrun by chickens. Such hardships we have to deal with for the love of wives!
ReplyDeleteYou poor man!! I hope you have fully recovered, Ed. What was your favorite part of the island?
DeleteBesides the poke, which by the way the best of the best was from a food truck along the main road in Hanalei on the north side, I would say my hikes through the interior to find smaller and off the beaten path waterfalls was my second favorite. Third on that list was the time I spent talking with the locals. One used fronds to weave trinkets to sell to tourists and another was a professional bum who slept out on the beach every night in a hammock that he put up after the police did their rounds to look for him. If I recall correctly, he said he had been doing that for 15 years now. It made me kind of jealous.
DeleteOMG............that looks absolutely AMAZING!!!! I'm so jealous! We were supposed to stay at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai for a work thing in February 2021, but we all know what killed that! My son and DIL have traveled all over the world and say that Kauai was the best place they've ever been. My husband and I went to Maui in 2016 and your pictures (and the chickens) remind me a lot of it. Did you think snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean was scary? I did, but we also had to paddle kayaks to get out there and I found it to be the most terrifying thing I've ever done. Then again, I'm not much of a risk taker.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a great trip with the family. You guys will talk about that for the rest of your lives. Happy New Year!
What a wonderful holiday in the tropical paradise of Kauai! One word for next time -- sunscreen! But I bet you figured that out for yourself, LOL.
ReplyDeleteBeen to Maui in November. They were wearing jackets over there. I'm standing there in a t-shirt and shorts.
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a great way to spend the holiday!! You have a very attractive family, Mr. Shife, and you captured some wonderful selfies. The scenery isn't too shabby, either! Thanks for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great holiday. I have never been to Kauai but did live on Maui for a time and the islands truly are a paradise..
ReplyDeleteAnd memories as a gift will last a lifetime!
Ohhh
ReplyDeleteHow fun!
I went to Hawaii two years ago and it was AWESOME. Love, love LOVE the islands and I would have spent the whole day at the beach but the people I was with dragged me around to go... shopping! Ugh.
And the kids are tweens now? Whoa. Time flies.
XOXO
That is so cool!!!! Foregoing gifts for an epic vacation is a great idea and something you will talk about forever.
ReplyDeleteGood job planning a memorable adventure.
ReplyDeleteMemories surely were made.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful photos with happy and beautiful faces! I agree that making memories is much more important than things. I've never been to Kauai, only Oahu, Hawai'i and Maui. I've never had sealegs and get motion sick so that wouldn't have been a pleasant ride for me. Lobster, ouch! It's so easy to burn for those of us in the PacNW--we aren't used to that kind of tropical sun.
ReplyDeleteYou and Mrs S are exactly right. Memories are more important than presents. Did the kids have any clue? Or were they dumbfounded Christmas morning?
ReplyDeleteI've never been there but it sure looks like you guys had a good time. Sorry to see you got burnt.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had an amazing trip. And at least your son was wearing a Hawaiian shirt (I have many, which may be as close to Hawaii as I'll ever get--that or in an airplane as once coming back from Asia, we flew over the islands).
ReplyDeleteThat all looks amazing. I am glad you are creating memories. Material gifts last for about a month. Those memories are forever.
ReplyDelete