Hawaii 2017

For the MarketStar Achievers Club this year we went back to Hawaii to the Grand Wailea. It was fun to be back there again, but without a baby as the third wheel. Having been there before, we hoped to spend some quality time hanging on the beach when there were no work duties to attend to.

We went in a day early with the Connors, the Koos's, and the Witts to get things set up and prep for the rest of the group. That day we picked out Hawaiian shirts for people, counted out money, and lined up the final details for our group meals. That fist night we went to dinner with our friends at Mamma's Fish House. It was incredible. perhaps the best dining experience we've ever had. The food was amazing, our waiter was hilarious, and it was good to be with friends. If I were to go back to Maui, I'd eat there twice.

While we were there, Bridger happened to be working on a Flat Stanley project for school. It was fun to take Stanley around the island and share in our adventure.

We spent most of Day 2 with Shaun and Alicia Koos. We ate shave ice, went on a bike ride and hung out at the beech. It was a great day.

 The next day we spent more time hanging out at the beach. We went with a few of our friends to try our luck at surfing. It was fun, but very tiring. I wish we would have got a good picture of it, but it's difficult when you're in the water the entire time. That night we went to dinner with a larger group of a few MarketStar leaders and the clients that came to Hawaii with us. We ate at Morimoto and had seafood and sushi. It was pretty good, but did not live up to the hype.

The next day was very interesting. We had hired a speaker from Franklin Covey to speak to our group. Just before breakfast we learned that my boss, Todd, had fallen while running and was in the hospital. After the speech Cass and I went to the hospital with the Koos's and the Kenny's. Todd looked pretty rough and was really loopy. He ended up needing to stay in the hospital for the next 2 days and missed most of the group activities we had planned. It was horrible.

While we were away from the resort, Cass and I went to Lahina to eat and walk around. It was ok, but I don't think I'd make a special trip out there.We came back to pick out Maui Jim' sunglasses and Olukai sandals.

That night we had our big group dinner. We had picked out Hawaiian shirts for everyone and ate on the beach. The decision had been made to save money on entertainment, so after I and Paul Stout said a few things everyone hung out and spent the evening talking.

  

The next morning we got up around 2 am to drive to the top of Haleakala for the sun rise. We did this last year but brought Marshall with us so Cass did not get to join us. As we drove to the tour guides shop Cass started to feel sick. By the time we got there she looked like she was dying. I felt awful. This was the main thing we were excited for and she was going to miss it. I ended up having Stanley as my date for the morning and Cass went back to bed. The sunrise was amazing. It is so cool. Then we biked down the mountain to the ocean. It is a really cool experience that I would do again tomorrow... If Cassidy came with me.

 

 The rest of that day we hung out at the beach and ate as much good food as we could get our hands on. We left for home the next morning. It is so much fun to go on these trips and spend time together without our kids. We are so grateful for our friends and family who help out so we can fulfill this pleasant work obligation. This particular week Landon and Mary stayed at our house with our boys. Hopefully they were good for them!