This year was a great year for reading (mostly thanks to BookTok on TikTok). I went hard in the romance category (cartoon covers or bust), but managed to also get some historical fiction, dystopian, a classic, mythology, and a memoir in there. I surpassed my reading goal of 24 books ending the year having read 33 books. I also consistently rated each book I read this year, which was new for me. I even have a new favorite book EVER after this year. Previously it was Looking For Alaska. Keep reading to find out what it is now!
Baker’s birth was such a whirlwind, so I wanted to share it here for preservation sake. I could not have had a better experience bringing our chunky little man into the world!
As I’m writing this, I’m less than 2 months away from my due date with our first baby (a boy!). It is also right around one year since we started trying to get pregnant. While we were obviously successful in the end, it was not easy, so I wanted to share a little in case anyone else is in a similar situation.
Our original plan for this morning was to go to the top of Haleakala (Maui’s highest peak). It’s supposed to be the most stunning views higher than the clouds. However, you need to get tickets in advance and they sold out before we could get them the day they were available. Instead, we packed up our things in preparation to head home tomorrow.
On today’s agenda was a snorkel cruise on the Four Winds II. We did the morning Molokini crater tour and the boat crew told us we were mart to do the morning tour because the conditions are so much better in the morning.
The tour started with a breakfast of muffins, fruit, and juice and a safety briefing. The boat was definitely crowded with people. I found a spot outside on the back of the boat that didn’t have as many people on it. It also helped keep any sea sickness at bay being out in the open air.
I’ve never been huge on SCUBA or snorkeling, so I was a little nervous. Then I quickly realized I had more experience in the water than 99% of the people on the tour with us. This was made abundantly clear when we arrived at the crater and everyone started getting into the water. There were people walking around on the boat (forward) with their fins on after being told explicitly not to. More people than you would think took multiple flotation device options into the water to keep them afloat. It was a hot mess, but probably the most entertaining part of the cruise!
The crew told Jared and me we could hop in line and get in the water, but we told them, “We can go snorkeling any time in Florida. Watching all these people struggle to even just get in the water is way more entertaining.”
Eventually when just about everyone was in the water, we hopped in with just masks and snorkels – far less equipment than most people had! As soon as I got in the water I was so comfortable! I don’t know if it was because the water was so clear or because there were so many people swimming around us, but I had such a blast snorkeling around. There wasn’t too much to see, but there were lots of one type of black fish swimming around. The water was deep, but not too deep to see the bottom. I even stayed in the water when Jared got out to take a break, which I normally never would have done!
The boat also had a water slide and an area where you could jump off into the water. I did the slide one, but it was definitely for smaller people. I jumped off the side a few times, which was really fun.
There was also a photographer swimming around taking professional photos for everyone, so we got to do a fun little photoshoot. The photo package was pricey, but I love the pictures we got from it!
After a while, they served a hot lunch on the boat. We got pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and soda. The cruise also included fresh baked cookies and an open bar.
On our way back, the crew (a group of guys who were 20 years old at most) had fishing lines going out from the back of the boat. They caught a wahoo, so of course I had to show them the 72 lbs. wahoo Dad caught last summer. They were very impressed!
The ride back was much rougher than the ride in, so we were very glad to have taken the morning tour.
We got drinks at the hotel bar when we got back. While there, we asked the bartender where we could go for a good dinner since we hadn’t really loved any of the food we’d eaten in Hawaii so far. We didn’t know if there were great places we were just missing. She said the food in Hawaii just isn’t that great. We couldn’t believe it! After talking to her for a little bit, we found out she lived in Bradenton for a few years – what a small world!
She did tell us there were food trucks in a lot nearby, so we headed there for dinner. The food was ok, but it was so crowded it took about an hour to get our food after ordering. Definitely not ideal, but it’s all part of the experience!
2021 was a big year full of ups and downs for everyone. I started the year with a list of goals and now it’s time to check in and see what I accomplished before setting my goals for the upcoming year.
My goal this year was to read 24 books (2 a month) and I ended up reading 30 books! This year brought the most diverse genre selections yet. I definitely branched out of my typical realistic fiction/chick lit comfort zone. This year’s reads included mythology, fantasy, romance, classics, and historical fiction to name a few.
Today we tackled the Road to Hana – or, rather, we let our tour guide tackle it for us. The Road to Hana is a 64.4-mile stretch on Hawaiian highways leading to the little, relatively untouched, town of Hana. The tour picked us up from our hotel at 6:45 in the morning and dropped us back off around 7:30 at night.
It’s hard to believe, but today we flew to our last island of the trip – Maui! We’ve heard that it’s one of the most beautiful islands so we were excited to experience it for ourselves!
Today was our only full day in Kauai. We had the morning to relax at our beautiful hotel and then a sunset dinner cruise on the Na Pali coast in the afternoon.
teachtantravel.com 