Outlook Reminder - 2013 Adventure

Hi, everyone.  :)  During an off day at work the other week I decided to browse old blog posts - all the way back to our honeymoon.  Oh, how fun it was!  I laughed, I remembered, I wondered why I'd been so "not in the mood" to post lately.  I could tell by the way I had been writing about two years ago that I was fully into it - thinking long and hard about how to be witty, how to showcase the photos, etc.  And then I sort of trailed off.  Forgot the story I wanted to tell.  So I made myself an Microsoft Outlook calendar reminder to post on Fridays.  Isn't that dorky?  Forced creativity at it's best.  I even snoozed it an hour so I could think about it first.

So now I'm back - with a new story.  A new adventure always puts me in the mood to document and share with the world.  So 2013's first adventure (one of many) and my segue (that's a funny looking word) back into blogging will be HAWAII.  Yep.  Hawaii.  I know, I know - everyone goes there.  That's what I thought, too - until we decided we wouldn't just do Hawaii, we would backpack Hawaii.  Here's where so many of you groan and say "Why?  Why would you ruin a beach vacation like that!?"

We'd been considering New Zealand for a trip, but realized that we were short a few thousand dollars and didn't have the 3 to 4 weeks of vacation that you really need to explore the country as it should be explored.  So a new plan developed - one that included sheer cliffs, flora like we'd never seen before, a little bit of danger, and the opportunity to relax on the beach and eat like royalty at the end of it all.  The Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai.  Yes!

We did our research, and then just up and bought tickets - considering the timing (April) it's become my 31st birthday present to myself (which also means I get to buy a new swim suit to adequately prepare for said birthday - sneaky, I know).  We knew we would have to train to look and feel good for this adventure, and April gave us plenty of time.  And somehow we managed, without knowing it, to book in the shoulder season by literally days - meaning flights, lodging and other things are less expensive.  We snagged an awesome private condo for the days we aren't backpacking and have some adventures planned that include words like helicopter.  :)

So here it is.  My segue.  And my goal - to post once a week in preparation for our trip about what's going on in life, new adventures planned, and how Drew plans to get over wrist surgery in time to backpack (I suggested a waterproof cast - he says he'll be out of it by then).

Stay tuned, and in the meantime drool over this shot of the Na Pali coast.  We'll be backpacking this!

(Photo courtesy Doug Porter)