Let's Get this Show on the Road Pt Deux

I know, I know. I owe Part 2 to our San Diego trip. I promise, I have every intention of being more prompt in updating photos (and maybe even providing some commentary); but it's a battle finding TIME. Seriously. Even on those days I'm able to work from home, 6p.m. rolls around and I have no idea where my day went. uugh.

But here I am at midnight - with the Hubby and the Little One tucked into bed- determined to finish what I started. And hopefully, there won't be a Part Trois. [insert snickering here]

So without further ado, here's the rest of our San Diego trip:

En route to Coronado. Fortunately, we invited Lexie's BFF, Dumbo, to keep her company. Check out their conversation:



The beach was a hit, specifically the sand. I think you'd agree she's fairly intrigued, no?



Lexie says- "Enough pictures... can I go back to playing in the sand now, please!"



Fabulous view of Coronado Bridge en route to Downtown San Diego



aaah, memories. Four years ago, this was the site of The Proposal. Unfortunately, we have no pictures from that days; so we decided to take a few new ones.




Bidding "Adieu" to San Diego, as we walk along the esplanade



Dinner + Sunset on the Carlsbad Beach = Beautiful End to a Fun Weekend!

Let's Get this Show on the Road Pt. 1

(Warning: Picture-heavy post ahead; so I'm creating a Part Deux to follow shortly)

Yup, Lexie took her first road trip last week to celebrate the 4th of July. The three of us went to San Diego for some fun in the sun, fireworks and a meet and greet with the animals.

For such a tiny person, she sure had alot of stuff that she needed in order to travel right (aka no crying). Besides sharing a full-sized suitcase with each other, I packed a bag just for her toys, and another bag solely for her toiletries. She had three sets of clothes for the four days, three nights that we were there. No, it wasn't for vanity; but for practicality. For anyone who's been around babies knows, a baby can blast through her clothes very quickly after an "explosive" diaper. (Sorry if you're reading this while having breakfast)

Anyway, back to the drive down, Lexie alternated between sleeping, pooping, and being restless- which necessitated frequent stops along the way.

Are we there yet?



Conserving energy



Being entertained by her BFF, Dumbo (note part of his ears in the second photo)




I look more excited to be here than her:



Taking in the sights:





Fireworks as seen from our hotel veranda:

Maui Babymoon V.2.0

I’m now finally catching my breath – enough so, that at least, I can write a recap of Babymoon v2.0- before Baby actually comes! Haha!

Prior to making any solid travel plans, we had to obtain clearance from Dr. P . We weren't worried about the airlines not allowing me to fly, as they typically allow pregnant women to fly up through eight months. Moreover, Steve and I didn’t want to take any chances on even mildly adventurous activities – if there was even a smidgen of possibility that it could hurt Baby Girl.

Dr. P gave his approval on everything except the obvious- e.g. no scuba diving, no horseback riding, no biking down Haleakala Volcano, no driving to elevations beyond 8,000 sq ft above sea level.

So off we went to imbibe some Aloha spirit.

In a nutshell, Maui was fabulous. It was a lot more developed than Kauai and the Big Island, but less so than Oahu. A happy medium, we like to say.

I had a bit of trouble packing for this trip because, gosh darnit, NOTHING FIT RIGHT! Most of my maternity clothes are primarily for work, and thus, not “beach-appropriate.” Oh, and did I mention that I needed to find a swimsuit – long after all the Summer sales have come & gone? Yes, Motherhood Maternity and Mimi were still selling their oh-so-glamorous suits; but I wasn’t about to fork over $35-$80 for something I wasn’t going to be wearing for much longer.
So, thank you to WalMart for their Everyday Low Prices! I scored two exercise/swim shorts and swimsuit for under $10 each in the one remaining clearance rack. Score!

Okay, so back to the actual trip, we stayed in a one bedroom condo at the ResortQuest Kaanapaalli Villas. We've never stayed in a vacation condo/timeshare before, so we didn't know what to expect other than what we read on Trip Advisor. We did know, however, that we wanted to be able to store/cook food to cut down on dining expenses.

A short detour to Walmart fixed that.

The condo itself was a bit dated , but had a nice modern kitchen and a 180 degree view to-die-for. Couldn’t beat the location. Every morning, we awoke to views of Kaanapali Beach, and the nearby islands of Molokai and Lanai. GORGEOUS!

To Steve's relief, we couldn't do all Top 10 Must Do's because of our pregnancy. For those of you who aren't familiar with our respective travel styles, Steve is all about relaxation, kicking back, and soaking up the surroundings; whereas, I constantly like to plan an agenda of things to do and places to see. Obviously, at seven months pregnant, I couldn't sustain that level of energy. So for this vacation, we did alot of lounging, enjoying the scenery, driving, snorkeling, and tasting Maui's fine cuisine.

Island of Lanai:

Black Rock in the background:

Old Lahaina Town:

Enjoying our surroundings:

One thing that Steve and I really enjoyed was the beautiful coral all around the island. We weren't overly impressed with the coral and aquatic life in Kauai when we went in May. However, Maui's sea life was teeming with little and not-so-little critters and gorgeous coral. The beach right outside our condo was very swimmable, so Steve and I rented snorkels from Boss Frog for 5 days. I kid you not when I say you could wade a couple of feet, stick your face in the water, and see tons of fish. Swim a few yards away, and you're right above a vibrant coral garden.

Snorkeling around the island (e.g. Molokini, Turtle Town):

Dinner Cruise on the Maui Princess -sailing along the southwest side of Maui:

The Road to Hana:

As usual, we took so many photos- too many to post. But here's a slideshow of some more of our favorite memories:
For even more photos, check out this link: