An Ocean Wedding

While in Maui, we would celebrate our 10th anniversary.  A pretty big milestone, you know.  We got married on 6-5-04, a very easy date to remember.  What I couldn't anticipate was the surprise that would await me.

After enjoying a nice morning at the pool, Greg told me he had booked a massage for me around 1:00pm.  As soon as my massage concluded, the masseuse greeted me with a card that explained we were having a vow renewal on the beach and there would be a dress waiting for me.

Girls getting ready.

Greg had arranged for an oceanside wedding, a photographer to take family photos (which we've been wanting to do for awhile), and a back-up minister.  The best surprise is that he and Megan had been conspiring for months to do this...and she got her minister license so that she could perform the ceremony! In 2004, she walked down the aisle with me and in 2014 she would be the minister.  Hysterical!

These are just a few of my favorite pictures.  What a wonderful surprise!

Afterwars, we were famished.  The sunset vow renewal meant that it was after 8pm and it was time to eat! Greg had made reservations at the italian restaurant at the Four Seasons.  On our walk over to the hotel, we popped in at the Maui film festival and Meg got to be up close with Emma Roberts.  May have been the highlight of her trip! Since it was getting close to our reservation time, we headed over to the Four Seasons for what may be one amazing meal.  We even tried a new drink - an Italian Shandy, which was a Perioni with Lemoncello...Mmmm!

Fun Around Maui

We arrived safely on our little 8-seater plane.  Holy crap, I had never been in a puddle hopper before and was surprised over how low we flew.  I could see the water VERY WELL.  I had to be brave and hold Bridget's hand, who sat across from me and not let her know that I was freaking out as well.  But our pilots were fantastic and got us there just fine.  Phew!

Maui is stunning.  I was not prepared for all the natural beauty.  While the Big Island is a bit barren and full of lava rock, Maui is lush with foliage and greenery.  Every day was a calm 80-85 degree day with sun and a clear sky.  A tropical paradise.

We checked into our hotel and I would soon realize that the Fairmont chain would compete for my love and affection with Kimpton.  The Fairmont Kea Lani was amazing from every single vantage point.  Just look at this.

Top left: view from lobby. Top right: view from our room.
Bottom left: great action shot of B enjoying the pool. Bottom right: Me & pumpkin sporting our beautiful leis.

For our first night in Maui, Greg had booked us for the Old Lahani Luau.  What a treat! There were several kid-friendly activities for Bridget, learning to dance for me, and other little activities to enjoy before dinner.  We even were greeted with mai tais to drink when we arrived!

One of our first sightseeing activities during the day was our trip to the Maui Plantation Farm.  The best part was sampling fresh pineapple in the fields and learning about the 3 different types of sweetness.  Even better was receiving 4 large pineapples to take back to CLE!

Sunset ocean cruise would have to rank toward the top on this trip.  Beautiful views of Maui from the ocean, a great little ukulele performer, and talking to the captain made this excursion so much fun!

Not everyone was happy about the boat ride!

And now I would have to get ready for the biggest surprise of the entire trip!