I Found Paradise Again

I'm not exactly sure how this predicament transpired, but the first traces- at least according to my mind- take us back to Phoenix, AZ 2012. Anneli and Kady were poolside chatting and I was a couple seats away eavesdropping. And if my ears didn't fail me, I did believe I gathered bits and pieces of a plan to go to Hawaii together. Now mind you, I was a self-invited guest on this Arizona trip where my boys and I tagged along on their Utah football game chase. So having the first-timer jitters already out of my system, I piped up when I had heard enough to assume they were either dreaming of or planning a trip. To Hawaii of all places. 
That's what I remember as the beginning and it materialized into this: Kauai 2013, baby. With the Nielsen's, Peterson's, and Hansen's. And quite a few grandmas, including our own Grandma AJ, and a grandpa and a couple brothers and sisters.
Anyways, so here we are. And you know the thing about Hawai? It doesn't disappoint.
Our crew- the Josh Hansen crew- got here late Friday night. As a side note, I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I really feel like we're starting to rock the flight. The 6 hour flight, mind you. So after a successful plane ride, we headed up to the North Shore. We've never stayed in Princeville and decided it was high time. And let me tell you, when the rain subsides and the sun is shining, it's nothing short of magical beauty. Like the vibrant green mountains contrasting against the dreamy blue sky literally injects a feeling of magic straight to the veins.

So that's what we were dealing with Saturday. And we handled it like champs.  We had a local breakfast, followed by uninhibited exploring that led us to a lagoon where the kids pranced around in their rolled up pajama bottoms doing their best to not get completely soaked while still taking advantage of the adventure at hand.
And that's when and where we learned Rule #1 of a Hawaiian vacation:

never leave home without a swimsuit, preferably on.

You never know when opportunity is going to strike and  you would hate to miss out due to being unprepared.

But we weren't unprepared for 9:30 am Hawaiian shave ice. Because when you're up and at 'em at 5 am ish, it's high time for something sweet by the time 9:30 rolls around.

And then there is an obvious requirement of hanging for hours at a time at the pool.

And if your name is Porter, you must also have homeboy, Kai (Elemental Kai to be exact) at your side.

We took the beautiful, short hike down to Queen's Bath. It was our second venture down. Our first time was in Febraury 2012 after my literally most conservative friend told me it was a must see. So Yosh and I hiked down with the two big boys. I instantly felt on edge and wasn't are if I was site-seeing or preparing to commit suicide. The waves were that big and that strong and that unpredictable. I kind of hated it. And I was thoroughly confused by the recommendation. After a little of reading, we found out we went at the wrong time of the year, the dangerous time of the year. This time, coming in May, we were in a safer season so we ventured down not only with the bog boys but with the babies also. And not only did we romp around in the rocks, we decided to go down to the bath and get in. All seemed fine and well until one biggish wave came and sent my here rate spiking. The way in comes into the pool so unpredictably and with such force is enough to make you jump up and grab your babies and run for your life.
And no I'm not exaggerating. I haven't felt that kind of adrenaline rush in a long time. And I don't think I've ever felt it in regards to protecting my kids like that. And I'll tell you what, I didn't like it. One bit. As in, I've absolutely sworn that place off. I got my second dose of bad vibes from that place and I'm done. I'm not taking my chances anymore. Even if it is just me being crazy.
So, so long, Queen's Bath.

Our night ended with a couple of photos during the Golden Hour of sunlight. 

And it was in those moments, where the sun was hitting my kids at just the right angle, highlighting their youth and their innocence, that I felt the strongest sense of emotion.
Thankful I get to be a mom-- their mom, thankful I get to be making these memories with them, thankful I get to be spending a week in paradise with them.
It's gonna be a good week.