Three years ago we packed up and lived on the Big Island for two months. I blogged a little in the beginning about why we were going, how the getting there went, some family history, and then the ups and the downs. I had two more blog posts highlighting some of our very favorite things from our time there but up until now they have been left as drafts. I got busy and distracted and just recently came across them again.
I'm not a writer by any means, I just think of blogging as a public journal of sorts. Thinking about past trips and looking at pictures makes me happy and maybe it will make some other people happy too. I was a scrapbooker, then moved to photo books after having kids. Since most of us have had to put off traveling forever longer than usual, I figured now is a great time to reminisce a bit and give myself a chance to dream of going back. It might feel a little disjointed but I think I'll feel happy to have this out in the world!
At this point I'm really impressed with ourselves that we managed to make the entire trip happen with, full of life and always full of emotions 3 year old Wyatt, and smiley but also teething 6 month old Ava. I'm tired just thinking of how we packed for the beach each day and had to clean the sand off afterwards. (Wait, maybe I'm just tired because now we have a sweet 11 month old teething baby Liam too...) At the time, though, we got into a pretty good rhythm and they were rinse-off-the-sand experts by the end. In my experience, traveling has ALWAYS been worth it.
FYI- If you ever find yourself on the Big Island, I have a document saved with recommendations of adventures, sights and food and am happy to forward it to you, though I'm sure some tips will get outdated as time marches on.
Swimming with wild dolphins
If I were to choose one specific memory that stands out as an ultimate Hawaii experience, this would be it. We went snorkeling with my brother Paul and sister-in-law Allyson at Two Step which is a place recommended for a beautiful variety of fish. We noticed pretty quickly that there were a bunch of people farther out and then saw it was because there were dolphins. We swam our way over and there were DOZENS of them. Swirling down below and then swimming up in front of us and occasionally jumping out of the water. We were in awe. I have no pictures but I'm not sure it would have captured the experience quite how I would want it to anyway.
Snorkeling at Captain Cook
This area can only be reached by hiking or boat. We hiked down the two miles with quite the sweaty hike back up later. Our friend Lesley was 7 months pregnant and the incline of that path was no joke. The colors of the fish were incredible. The variety was amazing. We loved the fish that danced with each other, the flat fish that blended into the rocks, the giant sea turtle slowly gliding by. It was the best snorkeling we've seen.
Kalapana's Wednesday Night Market
Live music, dancing, international food and drink...the scent of less legal things in the air...and all the people with big personalities. All reasons to make the long drive over to the other side of the island. We paired it with a rainy trip to the volcano which, though it was mellow when we were there, just so happened to start exploding a week or two later.
The happy hours
Most places, are extremely kid friendly, with crayons, paper and an only somewhat overpriced kids menu. Children are even welcome in the bar area as long as you are not sitting AT the bar. Therefore, happy hour is the thing to do. The mai tais are generally $5 cheaper than normal and the views are outstanding. Wyatt would color or play play dough, Ava would snack on puffs and we would relax and stare at the water. Our favorites were the Royal Kona where the bar sits right on the water and the Kona Inn where there is a huge lawn where kids can run around. Everyone is happy!
Sunsets
Kona can have a bit of a haze to it so the sky is not always a brilliant blue. This is mostly "vog" from what the volcano has been spewing. However, when the sunsets are good, they are breathtaking. Walking across the street before putting the kids to bed become a calming ritual and the regulars at the apartments there came to expect to enjoy a chat with Wyatt and help him get better at shaka. 
