Happy Birthday Karen

Today is my birthday, so I’ll be writing the blog, while Dorothy takes a break.

This is my 55th birthday, 9th trip to Hawaii, and 25 years since my first vacation here. Guess you could say that I really love it here!

The day started early, watching the sunrise, and opening birthday gifts. We made it to Lahaina for the 9:15 ferry ride to the island of Lanai. It was amazing to see all the locals from Lanai get off the ferry with their ginormous coolers and bags, heading out for shopping on Maui. And the people going to Lanai had everything from golf clubs to a lawn mower. Yup, one guy was pushing a lawn mower!

After a 45 minute ride, where we saw humpback whales in the distance, we got off the ferry in Manale Bay and then walked 10 minutes to Hulopoe Bay. What a beautiful beach. It was basically empty when we arrived at 10:00 AM, with less than 20 people on the beach. The water had a very long strong undertow, and it quickly knocked me on my butt. So we enjoyed a few hours relaxing on the beach. We even saw some spinner dolphins playing off-shore.

We caught the 2:00 PM ferry back to Maui, to avoid the rough waters on the later departures. When we got back to Lahaina, we headed to Baby Beach, for a short swim in the shallow and calm water there. And then off to Darren and Allison’s place for a short visit.

Dinner was at Aloha Mixed Plate. Right on the ocean in Lahaina. Love the location , the food, the whole vibe. Afterwards we went to Whalers Village in Kaanapali for a little shopping. Got to see the locals performing Christmas songs at the mall. The Hawaiian 12-days-of-Christmas is quickly becoming my favorite version.

We picked up birthday cake on our way back to the condo. Dorothy had ordered the most stunning cake, which was totally chocolate, and decorated exquisitely. Yummy!!!

Thanks to Dorothy and Paula for a fun day on Maui and Lanai, and to everyone for all the nice birthday gifts and wishes!

And now, my words of wisdom, on my 55th birthday are …

1. Start early. (In everything. Start traveling when you’re young. Take it all in, and see the world.)

2. Enjoy the pudding.