maui was...

really beautiful! kial and i had a really great time.
the camp was a little ghetto (not so clean, dead mice in the kitchen, one working shower for the girls), but by the end of the day the only things i cared about were getting a shower and into my bed to sleep. we arrived in maui at night just as a storm did. we had pouring rain and gusting winds on and off for our first day. but in between the rain bursts we saw so many rainbows. the air was warm so we were still able to enjoy ourselves while it rained.

the less than perfect weather didn't stop the kids from wanting to jump into the water. unfortunately the 1st time kial got in she was promptly (literally moments after she sat down) stung by a jellyfish on the inside of her upper arm. luckily we had carolyn (one of teachers) who was all prepared for this possibility. she doused kial with vinegar and dosed her with benedryl. it still really hurt but kial was thankfully able to participate in the days activities.sweet girl that kial is, she felt bad for the jellyfish because it lost some tentacles since they were stuck to her arm. we found out later that when it's windy jellyfish are more likely to get blown in near the shore.

thankfully this did not stop kial from jumping back into the water later that day and having the time of her life.

kial's arm looks much better now than it does in the last picture above, but she will most likely have scars on her arms for a few years...though kial's hoping they never go away (yeah, she's only 13).

we had fun at the beaches and kial had fun in the water. she loved snorkeling and swimming and just hanging out in the waves with her friends. i liked the beach. i did try snorkeling for about 2 seconds and that was enough for me.
we had a lot of fun out of the water as well. the maui ocean center was fun, especially the shark tank. we went to the top of haleakala to see the sunrise, but a cloud settled on us right before it was time. we still had fun listening to nanette in the visitor center tell us about the hawaiian culture. later that day we visited paia, a beautiful little hawaiian town, where the girls had shaved ice and i had gelatto (sourcream...don't crinkle your nose it was amazing). we shopped, ate great food (gail did a wonderful job with the menus), had a few squabbles and worked them out, swam for hours EVERYDAY, laid in the sun, talked, laughed, saw sea turtles, octopus and many fish in their natural habitat and in general had a FABULOUS time.

i would LOVE to go again with jas and the girls! there was just so much more i would have enjoyed exploring! but next time i want a hotel room!