Hawaii!!

One reason I get to blog again is I am currently on my first real vacation in a year and a half. I finally took more than one day off of work and flew to Hawaii for a family vacation! It's a miracle... Though I stress far more than I should, work is still getting done and I'm stepping away from the blackberry.

After many visits to Maui and Kauai, this is my first visit to "The Big Island" of Hawaii. We are staying in Kona during the week of the famous Ironman Triathlon. There are athletes everywhere!! The Ironman is a race that consists of swimming 2.4 miles in the wavy ocean, then biking 112 miles on windy lava, and if that's not enough, after that little bike ride, run a marathon! The competition is clearly fierce as I watch the most fit people I've ever seen running, biking, and swimming this week to prepare for the competition this Saturday. It's been fun to see so many people and hopefully we'll get to watch a little of the race. On the main highway, there are signs to watch out for bikers as they keep themselves ready for the 112 miles later this week...

Yesterday, we drove to the top of the volcano that erupted back in 2008. It's still active today as you can see below. There is no lava flowing currently but the steam/smoke is still coming up in several places. We hiked from one rim of the crater, down into the crater, across the crater, and up the other rim. It was a surreal experience watching the landscape change so much as we changed elevation and proximity to the crater's mouth.

The highlight of my hiking experience was around mile 5. We passed a couple wearing Mackinac Island t-shirts so naturally, I asked if they were from Michigan. They were not... They were actually from Wisconsin. This was not the highlight of the hike. The departing comment of the husband, as we were walking away, left me feeling particularly fit. After 5 miles of hiking, Mr. Mackinac asked ME if I was here "to compete in the Ironman". No.. No sir.. Never in one million years could I successfully complete even ONE leg of the triathlon. However, THANK YOU for asking. I'm flattered. Boot camp must be paying off...

Other than hiking volcanoes and training for our own triathlon of eating, drinking, and playing cards, we've been spending time shopping, cooking, and snorkeling. The views are great and the sea turtles are EVERYWHERE. It's fabulous. I can't thank God enough for being so inspired to make a little dollop of land here in the middle of the Pacific with such wonders. We're definitely enjoying ourselves.