Aloha Kakahiaka, Lovecat! It’s Hump Day! Yay!

Here is what my weekend looked like. WARNING: Picture Heavy. My weekend started on Thursday, since I had a mini-vacation planned for four days with my Mama-in-Law in town from Detroit.

{ Thursday’s sunset lightshow. }

Thursday

Sunset chasing with Husby and MIL.

{ Maui’s south shore from the sky. }

{ Safety first, kiddies. }

{ Happy Travelers! }

{ My lunch crepe from Cafe de Amis in Pa‘ia, Maui – brie, avocado and apple crepe with local greens salad. }

{ An OOTD shot. As Husby called it: “[a] poseur, posing.” }

{ Dharma center (LOST) in Pa‘ia, Maui… Buddhist prayer temple thingy (?). }

{ Rainbow State of Mind. }

{ Our house! }

{ AMAZING bnb find on http://www.airbnb.com! }

{ Our four post bed in our AirBnB in Makawao. }

{ Always, always, always over packed. }

{ Pukalani Superette. Where we spied Dave Kalama in the parking lot. Google him. Big deal in Hawaii! }

{ Junkies. }

Friday

• Flight to Maui
• Lunch, touring and shopping in Pa‘ia
• AirBnB check-in in Makawao and some OOTD hammin’
• Always over packed, always late and always over-dressed.
• Went to Pukalani to find the Superette to buy some snacks for the BnB (we listen to Maui radio and wanted to go… such dorks), and spied one of the Godfathers of big wave tow surfing, Dave Kalama. (Google him. He’s a big deal in the surfing world… and in Hawaii.)
• Hanging out and chilling at our BNB after dinner.

{ Hale‘akala sunrise fail. }

{ Once the clouds cleared, gorgeous views from Hale‘akala’s slopes. }

{ Breakfast after failed sunrise trip under coffee trees in Kula, Maui. }

{ Iao Needle in Iao Valley. }

{ Iao Valley. The sacred river. }

{ Sharon and Elisha of Eli*Sharon, the adorable fashion blog, and my besties. }

{ Mystical Mountains in West Maui. }

{ Caught gramming. J/K. Husby with his gear, trying to catch sunset, Napili, Maui. }

{ Hammin during sunset chasing in Napili, West Maui. }

{ Hammin’ Part Deux during sunset chasing in Napili, West Maui. }

{ Sunset over Moloka‘i as seen from Napili. }

Saturday

• 4AM wake up call for trying to catch sunrise from Hale‘akala, Maui’s large volcano, measuring at 10,000 feet above sea level (3,048m)
• Sunrise fail. The summit was all socked in with clouds. We saw nothing. (Here is what Hale‘akala really looks like when you can at least see something. EPIC.)
• After getting lost, a satisfying breakfast in Kula under coffee trees, serenaded by a local musician singing Hawaiian folk tunes on his acoustic and slide guitars. Epic.
• Naps.
• Road trip out to Iao Valley, hoping to get some good photos, but the valley was also wreathed in clouds and raining hard. The sacred area was still gorgeous, even in the mist and downpour.
• Quick snack and coffee to warm up at Whole Foods where we ran into my bestie boo, Sharon and her hubby Eli(sha) by chance! Talk about good fortune! And yes, I can’t believe they dress this AMAZE for running errands, either!
• Road trippin’ out to the west side of West Maui volcano to photograph mountains, sunset chase and catch dindin with Eli*Sharon.
• Hammin for OOTD pics with Shar and Eli, while Husby and Mama got bored and waited in the car. LOL. Pictures to come from this “sesh” later.

{ Husby’s rare selfie. Isn’t he so handsome?

{ Doing makeup for brunch. }

{ Mother’s Day brunch dessert at Market Fresh Bistro in Makawao, Maui, }

{ Streetside waterfalls in the rain-soaked afternoon on Hana Highway AKA Road to Hana. }

{ Gushing waterfall 4 of about 20 along the Road to Hana. Dangerous, but beautiful. }

{ Black sands Hana Bay. }

{ Me and my Mama hammin’. }

{ The Poseur, asked to pose. }

{ Dreams of Flying, on the black sands of Hana Bay Beach. }

Sunday

• Mother’s Day Brunch at Market Fresh Bistro, complete with apple banana (Hawaiian banana) Nutella fritters for dessert. YUM.
• Road trip on the hair-raising, winding and sometimes harrowing, Road to Hana (also seen here from our trip to Maui last year)
• Lots of waterfalls gushing from rocks and rivers and swollen streams on the hair-pin Road to Hana… I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you some of these waterfalls terrified me–all the water and power? OMG.
• Saw and felt the softest, pillowy black sand at Hana Bay Beach.
• Dinner at Hana Ranch Restaurant… nothing to speak of.
• Terrifying drive back to Makawao in the dark on the Road to Hana, which I did all on my own, no switching. *Pats self on back*
• Chilling at home and then passing the heck out at 9PM.

{ Hale‘akala sunrise reloaded… also epic fail. }

{ Maui’s farmlands as seen from Hale‘akala. }

{ As Husby put it, Maui, showing off. }

{ Kula and West Maui mountains. }

{ Facebook, Instagram and email junkies. }

{ Our lovely view from our seat on the plane ride home. }

{ Home… and welcome by the second worst traffic in the country. }

Monday

• 3:45AM Wake up call to try to re-attempt another sunrise from Hale‘akala, given the clear and warm weather forecasts in Makawao and Kula.
• Stuck behind a string of slow-driving idiot tourists all in Mustangs… we reached the summit, only for it to be wrapped in wet, super cold clouds, AGAIN!
• Total fail.
• Stuck behind slow-driving idiotic tourists who stopped in the middle of the road–with traffic behind them and bikers streaming past going down-mountain–to take a phone-pic of a rainbow. PULL OVER TO THE SIDE on the sanctioned shoulder, dummies! Don’t cause accidents, you morons! (I am so sorry to report, but they were my people: Asians! GOD, MUST YOU PERPETUATE THE STEREOTYPE?! Piss me off.)
• Milquetoast breakfast a Kula Lodge Restaurant where there were literally two vegan options, Rice and Papaya. I had the pancakes and immediately regretted it. They were nice and fluffy and tasty, but I don’t eat dairy or eggs… total bad idea. My Mamasita reported that her french toast was so so. Not a recommendation, if you’re a vegan, or expect a gourmet experience.
• BNB check out.
• Airport to return car and fly back to O‘ahu. – Least interesting view from our window. We were stuck next to the engine and wing. We could see nothing from the plane.
• Stuck in Honolulu traffic (second worst in the nation!) to pick up Bear from the kennel.
• Dinner and then immediately went to bed, super exhausted!

Now I’m home, back to reality and already making a wish list for our next trip to Maui! I wish we could go SOON! We’re so lucky to have all these amazing places to see so close by! Thanks, Husby, for the amazing birthday/mother’s day getaway. Best present ever. <3

More detail of our trip later!

{ What did YOU do for Mother’s Day weekend? Do you have any vacation plans lined up for spring or summer? DO TELL! }

Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx

*All photos by me except for photos 2 (Maui from the sky), 6 (my OOTD in hat), 11 (Bed), 14 (MIL and me on phones), 23, 24 (MIL and me on beach), 26 (husby selfie), 27 (me putting on makeup), 29 & 30 (waterfalls), 32 & 33 (at Hana Bay with MIL and me posing), 40 (traffic)

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