A Penny for My Thoughts: Aloha 2024

Three days after Christmas Abe and I left all the stresses of Christmas and family drama behind and we flew to the Big Island of Hawaii. This was a reward trip with Abe's work because he worked so hard and did so well. We stayed at the Waikoloa Hilton for six glorious and adventurous days and nights. It was SO, SO, SO good and much needed.

And we're off! Abe couldn't wait until we got there to don his "island wear". But actually, it was nice to always be able to spot him in the airport:)

The balcony of our room faced the ocean and the sounds, the smells, the tropical breeze-- it just took our breath away. We were downright giddy! Is this even real?

And when we awoke the next morning, the view was even better!

After a long day of travel, a morning walk along the beach was just what our bodies needed.

One of the poolside shops sold Dole Pineapple Whips. Oh yes, please! EVERY SINGLE DAY!

We did not want to pay to swim with the dolphins, but it was fun to watch other people do it. Also, we could see the dolphin area from our balcony as well.

Abe loved to just go float in the pool morning and night.

Are you kidding me?

Oh, and I must say-- there are two things on this blog post I will indulge in without shame or apology.

1. I will gush excessively. It was our vacation and we loved it and it makes me happy to think about how much I loved it.

2. There will be an unseemly number of selfies of Abe and I. If you know Abe and his picture taking habits, you need no other explanation.

If you choose to continue reading, you have been warned.

There's even a screenshot of a BeReal selfie

On the first full day we met together with the rest of the company for a meeting. It was short and sweet and nice to hear the recognitions and get to know a it about each one. I am so proud of Abe and how hard he has worked and well he has done.

We loved getting to go with the bosses to a few concerts at Usana last summer. Mike commented how great Abe is to go to a concert with!

Are we over the top Hawaiian tourists? Why, yes-- thank you for noticing.

The Waikoloa Hilton Luau. There was a beautiful rainbow!!

A little rain shower, but the staff was prepared with ponchos. Hard to complain about a little sprinkle when you're in paradise.

The second full day we joined a few others for an illegal hike. Did we know it was illegal. Yeah... yeah, we did. But you know "Island Betsy"-- She lacks judgement. She can't be held accountable for her actions.

We never did find/reach our destination, but it was a grand adventure.

Watching the sunsets was a highlight of each day.

The colors were so vibrant

We went to Kona church building that (right next to the temple) we had been to several times with Abe's parents when they had a timeshare condo there for several years. Such happy memories with them.

The temple was closed for renovations (sadness), but it was so good to walk around the grounds.

And it's a good thing we decided to walk around when we did, because we crossed paths with a couple (and their kiddos) that we crossed paths with in a round about way many years ago. It's a little convoluted what the connection is, but thanks to social media sort of keeping us in touch, we all recognized each other and enjoyed a happy little reunion and catch up.

We drove by one of the condos we had stayed in with Abe's parents when our three oldest kids were very little.

One of the most memorable moments of the week was driving up Mauna Kea on New Years Eve to watch the sunset. We were up above the clouds and it was COLD!