Just Maui'd, Kaycie and Brad Tie the Knot, October, 2011

Long before Kaycie and Brad were engaged, in fact before they had even met, Kaycie had longed for a wedding in Maui. We were very excited when they announced their engagement, but not at all surprised to hear that it would be a Maui wedding. The girl knows what she wants!

So once the date was selected we started planning for our trip. Kaycie and Brad found a beautiful
5 bedroom house they rented in Napili (north of Lahaina on the west side of Maui) through Hawaiian Beach Rentals. We would be staying for 5 days at the house along with Brad's parents Glenda and Garen, his sister and hubby and little girls, Kim, Brandon, Olivia & Natalie, Kaycie's mom and stepdad Lori and Andy, and of course Kaycie and Brad and his 3 year old TJ. The house was perfect with lots of room to entertain, get away if needed, swim, explore, watch the giant sea turtles, and it was the perfect location for the wedding ceremony, but more about that later.

Everyone seemed to arrive at a different time. Brad's family arrived a few days before and Brad and Kaycie arrived on Thursday, October 20th along with her mom and stepdad. They were all staying in hotels until the house was ready Friday the 21st at 4:00pm. We arrived on Friday October 21st.

When we landed on Maui we got our rental car and started out toward Lahaina where we were to meet Brad and Kaycie. They were at the Banyan Tree Park under the banyan tree hanging out with the kids while others were shopping and sightseeing. We got there about the time others did and decided to go have a bite to eat. Although it was 1:30 pm for us it was 4:30 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast early on our 5 hr flight. We decided to go to Aloha Mixed Plate which we all had heard was excellent food and great prices. It was less than a mile from where we were so we all headed up there. They were very busy so we reserved a table and waited in the outdoor bar area and around the front of the restaurant. While we were waiting Brad and Kaycie heard the house was available so they decided to go with the kids and get settled in and we would all join them when we were done eating. Food was excellent, great portions and prices.

We left the restaurant and headed for the house. It was in a beautiful neighborhood, in a development with other houses on the waterfront, in a gated area. When we got there Kaycie showed us to our room which was downstairs and included a queen bed and its own bathroom. The downstairs had its own living room, big screen TV, bar area and two additional bedrooms for Brad's family. I took a walk outside and down to the beach area which included a beautiful pool and a rocky cove full of huge sea turtles. There was a cliff area to climb and look down on the pools of water. Although I didn't do it several people snorkeled in the cove and got close up views of the fish and the turtles.

A few of us went swimming in the pool and found the water warm and relaxing. Back at the house we walked around the yard and the Brad and Kaycie selected what they thought would be a great area for the ceremony. That evening for dinner we had barbequed steaks, salad, chips and veggies for dinner. We were tired from a full day so we went to bed by 10pm.

Saturday we got up about 8:30 and I went down to the pool for an early morning swim. It was refreshing and not too warm out. Once I returned and freshened up Kaycie asked if Doug and I would go to Costco and get things for the after wedding party. We also were to pick up the leis that had been ordered as well as a cake. Glenda decided to come along so we could stop and pick up things to decorate the yard for the ceremony. She had an idea in mind and although I couldn't see it in my mind I tried to help her select the items. On our way back Doug asked us to drop him off in Old Lahaina because he wanted to pick up something for Kaycie. Glenda and I had a couple more things to pick up at Safeway so we did that while Doug was shopping.

Once we got back home I went back to the pool, relaxed for awhile before dinner. Doug had some work to do so he stayed at the house. Glenda started with the decorations for the yard. She had found several bamboo sticks on the patio so she put those up and draped the netting that she had purchased. Before dinner while it was still light they had a short rehearsal time, making sure everyone knew their role and when and where they needed to stand, or start walking.

Dinner that night was lasagna, french bread and salads. More guests were arriving including Kaycie's grandparents, great aunts and uncles, friends etc. All in all I believe there were 23 people that evening for dinner and who were planning to be there the next day for the wedding ceremony. After dinner several of us started putting the kabobs together for the next night after the wedding.

Sunday morning after an early morning swim I helped Glenda get the yard decorated. She had picked some big leaves and ferns from the woody area around the house. We put some of the flowers we had bought the day before and made beautiful arrangements. We hung the flower arrangements on each of the bamboo stakes that were draped with the netting. Her vision turned out beautiful and made the setting so much more festive.

Around 10 am Kaycie's mom Lori who is a hairdresser started fixing everyone's hair. Cassie (Kaycie's maid of honor) did my makeup which was much appreciated. The photographer came at 3pm as well as the wedding planner, the musicians and the minister. They met with Brad first to get an idea of the ceremony plans. Then the photographer started to take pictures of Kaycie getting ready. She was relaxed, yet excited. Brad had written her a note that she chose not to read before the ceremony, afraid she might cry and mess up her makeup. He also had bought her a beautiful pearl necklace to wear. Andy and Doug had given her a pair of pearl earrings earlier, and Doug had bought her a beautiful gold necklace with a gold and tanzanite flip flop pendant to wear later. Andy gave her a gold and diamond bracelet.

Finally, at 4pm guests had arrived and everything was ready. Brad went to the top of the hill and stood with the minister who was wearing traditional Hawaiian wedding attire. The musician started playing music and Cassie started up the hill with TJ who was carrying a pillow that had the rings tied on it. They were followed shortly by Olivia and Natalie, holding half coconut shells with rose petals they were tossing out. They are 3 & 5 and were so precious. At one point they started running up the hill. The minister blew the conch shell which was the signal for Kaycie and her dads to start up the hill. She looked so beautiful! Once they reached the top of the hill the minister asked "who gives this woman?" and Andy and Doug both responded with "we do".

Doug and Andy each walked the girls down the hill and came to the balcony to watch the rest of the ceremony with the rest of the guests. Cassie stayed with TJ and the minister performed the ceremony and included TJ in some of the vows. Soon they were married and announced husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony. Unfortunately Scott, Kaycie's brother was unable to attend however he was able to watch via Skype.

After the ceremony the newlyweds went with the photographer down to the beach to take sunset pictures. Before they left Kaycie surprised Brad by taking the outer layer of her dress skirt off which revealed a beautiful short cocktail dress.

While they were at the beach the rest of us got the food out and ready for the party. We had chicken and beef kabobs, salad, rice and vegetables. Once they returned the BBQ was started and dinner was served soon after. The evening was fun and festive and everyone had a good time, including the little kids.

Monday morning we got up and Doug had worked to do so I went down to the pool. Others had decided to go to the beach at one of the public spots so we stayed back. Later Doug and I went down to old Lahaina and walked through the shops and had lunch at Lahaina Prime Rib and Fish Company, which had a view of the water. That evening we stayed at the house with Glenda and Garen and the kids while the adult kids went out for the evening. Andy and Lori went out to dinner with her folks.

Tuesday Doug and I drove over to Paia and started on the "Road to Hana" although we didn't intend to go the whole way. We drove as far as the botanical gardens and turned back. On the way we stopped at a fruit stand and bought some banana bread and some coconut candy to take back to the house. We stopped at Mama's Fish House and had a wonderful lunch. We got back to the house about 2:30 and Doug, Kaycie, Lori and I drove to Kaanapali and went to Whalers Village, an outdoor shopping mall. That night we had burgers grilled on the BBQ.

Wednesday morning Doug and I went to The Gazebo for breakfast. It is about a mile up the road, in a condo complex, but is very popular. There was a long line and we waited about 40 minutes, but once we got in we had a great breakfast. I had a spinach omelet and Doug had a traditional sausage and egg breakfast. It was very good and worth the wait. When we got back to the house we packed to leave the house. We had 2 more days but we were moving to Kehei. Brad's family was flying out that day and taking TJ with them. Kaycie and Brad were sure he would have a problem leaving, but he did great and didn't cry.

Since there was no one staying after us at the house we were told we could check out at anytime. Doug wanted to go back to Old Lahaina so I stayed and went to the pool for one last time. Kaycie and Brad met up with their friends for awhile and about 4:30 pm we all started heading for Kihei. Kaycie, Brad , Lori and Andy were staying at the World Mark timeshares, and we had rented a room at the Maui Sunseeker. Once we got there we were disappointed with the quality of the room, although it was clean. Since we were not planning on spending much time there we decided to make the best of it. That evening we went over to the World Mark and had a BBQ dinner with Brad, Kaycie, Lori and Andy. We left by 9:30 because we had an early morning planned.

In the morning Lori, Andy and I got up early and went to Haleakala to watch the sunrise. I set my alarm for 3:30 am and headed over to pick them up. Doug elected to stay back at our room and get some work done. We made it to the mountaintop about half hour before sunrise. There were lots of people there, in fact on the way up we stopped at a coffee stand and met up with Andy's brother Adam and his fiancée Erin. We didn't know they were going up so it was quite a surprise. Sunrise was gorgeous and worth the early morning and the ride up.

I dropped off Lori and Andy about 8:30 and headed back to our room. After a quick snooze about 11:30 am or so Doug and I headed over to their timeshare. Doug stayed in their room and worked and I headed for the pool with Lori and Kaycie. We needed to leave at 3:30 to go back up to Lahaina to a Luau for which we had tickets.

We got back to our place and got ready to go. The others picked us up and we headed to the Old Lahaina Luau. First we stopped at the Aloha Mixed Plate which was right next door to meet up with Josh and Erin (Kaycie and Brad's friends) one more time before they left. The Luau was so much fun with a mixture of great Hawaiian food including the roasted pig, traditional music and entertainment. We all had fun and since it was our last evening it was a great way to celebrate. We got back to our place about 10:30, and said our goodbyes since we were leaving early morning. They were staying for several more days.

In the morning we headed to the airport about 8:30 am for our 11:00 am flight. We needed to turn in the car first but we had plenty of time. That evening we got to SeaTac about 7:30 pm. It was hard to go home but we had a business trip to Las Vegas in the morning, so vacation time was not over yet!

Oahu Hawaii, September 2004

I had been to Hawaii in 1979 with a friend for 4 days, which was just long enough to get a taste for it and want to go back. Doug had also been in a prior life, and wanted to go again so we decided to go to Oahu. Although I would love to go to Maui sometime, the excitement of going to Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Waikiki, etc was one of the draws for going to Oahu. Oh, and the fact that we had purchased a time share elsewhere, and we had exchange points to use which was the deciding factor. We scheduled the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We were to arrive on Sunday and leave on Monday 8 days later. Hawaii is beautiful, and though we were concerned about going in September we need not have worried. It is different than our adventures in Mexico in that it is not hot like Mexico, but is comfortable with a constant breeze to keep you cool. The Hilton property is beautiful with several buildings, pools, restaurants and shops. Some people hold their convention parties there because of the beauty of the grounds and area around it.We did notice right away that things are much more expensive there than in Mexico. Our first night we decided to eat at a little bar and grill right on our property. With a hamburger each, a beer and a soda, and an order of fries to share, which by the way we had a coupon for, our bill was $40! Not much better when we went to town. We were used to having these $5-$10 meals in Mexico, so this was quite different. We did a walking tour and our guide was dressed in traditional garb. He took us to several historic locations and was very informative along the way. When the tour was over we stayed in Waikiki and walked around the area. We rented a car and went up to Diamond Head, stopped at Halona Blow Hole and Hanauma Bay where we went snorkeling. Now, that was an adventure! After almost drowning I finally got the hang of it. Walking with the fins was another story! I finally resorted to carrying my fins to the water, sitting down in the water and putting them on. Then I just had to figure out how to stand up. Once I felt more comfortable and figured out how to use the mask, I enjoyed swimming out to the coral and looking at the beautiful fish. That truly was fun to see. One day we set aside for Pearl Harbor. We spent several hours at the site which includes a museum, and a boat ride out to the Arizona which is forever entombed in the bottom of the sea. It was poignant and humbling to see the memorial and read the stories of those who died that day protecting our country. We took a ride on the Pali Highway and visit the Nuuanu Rainforest which was so different than the outer sides of the island. We climbed high up the mountain then down the other side. We also went up to Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of the island and had lunch at the beautiful resort. Earlier I had read a book about WW2 and knew that my great uncle John Riffel had died and was buried at Punch Bowl National Cemetery in Honolulu. He was my Father’s mother’s brother. He was a merchant marine and was on a civilian ship when he was captured on Wake Island . He actually died of dysentery while being held hostage. We took some time to go to the cemetery and I was able to find his gravesite. Riffel, John H, b. 02/22/1900, d. 12/20/1942, CIV, Plot: Q 365, bur. 06/16/1949. Punchbowl is a beautiful cemetery on a hill that overlooks the town of Honolulu. We went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and learned all we wanted to know about this wonderful tasting fruit. The tour included a train ride out to the fields where the pineapples grow. One evening we went to a Luau. Our tickets included pick up from the hotel and it took over 2 ½ hrs to get to the location because we were going during rush hour. 95% of all the cars in Hawaii are on the island of Oahu. The luau was fun, with lots of great food and entertainment. One mistake was that they had the tables set up on the sand and in the evening the “no see ums” come out and by the next morning my legs were covered with bites which shortly turned into very large, red blotches that looked like bruises and stayed with me for a couple weeks. Note for next time – remember the bug spray!

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