Happy New Year, friends! I hope this first Friday of the year finds you well. This first week of 2018 has me reminiscing about all of the amazing things last year brought my way. I’m so grateful for another year of being able to do what I love and working with the most amazing couples and families. I feel so very blessed. Thank you all so much for sharing a bit of your lives with me and allowing me to be apart of your memories. I cherish each and every moment. One of my resolutions for this year is to share a bit of myself with you in return which isn’t something I’m the best at doing. (I must admit blogging is often a struggle for me.) So in my first attempt to keep this resolution alive in January I wanted to share a bit of our family vacation to Kauai, one of my favorite memories of 2017.

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and nicknamed “the garden isle”. If you follow any travel blogs or Instagram accounts, I can almost guarantee you’ve seen Kauai featured for it’s beaches, hiking, waterfalls, rainbows, etc. What’s not to like??!! To me, it is the most beautiful place on earth. Our week there felt like magic. Check out some of the highlights…

Our first Hawaiian sunrise.  This is not an ordinary “snowball”. Hawaiian shave ice is ridiculously delicious. We ate it every. single. day. Sometimes twice a day. First of all they were massive (photographed are smalls, the boys usually got the BIG KAHUNA) Flavored with local ingredients such as guava, pineapple, coconut, passion fruit,  lychee, and mango. So yummy and refreshing! BEACHES, BEACHES and more BEACHES!!! Wailua Falls Kauai Juice Co. was another favorite.  Everything in Kauai is so VIBRANT. The people, the food, the flowers, the art. It all just makes my heart smile. We kayaked and hiked to Secret Falls which was gorgeous. (Sadly, I only had my iPhone this day. Next trip I’m investing in a GoPro for sure!)Kauai’s Hindu Monastery  The churches in Kauai were so unique and beautiful. Liam’s very first taste of COFFEE! Surprisingly, he liked it! He was drinking it black like Mom and Dad by the end of the day. LOL “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific” Allerton Garden and McBryde Garden were so beautiful and we were lucky enough to end up with a private tour with the best guide! (Lots of Hollywood movies have been filmed here. You might recognize the trees from the original Jurassic Park.) Spouting Horn: According to Hawaiian folklore, a giant lizard once protected this area of the island. One day, a young man named Liko challenged the lizard, which threatened visitors to the area who came to fish. During the battle, Liko thrust a sharp stick into the lizard’s mouth. Liko then jumped into the ocean, luring the lizard in the water. Liko then swam through a small lava tube in the rocks leading to the surface. The lizard followed Liko and got stuck in the lava tube, or blowhole. Today, you can hear the lizard’s roar every time the Spouting Horn Blowhole blasts into the air. Sailing the Napali Coast with Captain Andy’s. This was one of our favorite days. We sailed the coast and snorkeled. We saw tons of cool fish, dolphins, sea turtles and a hammerhead shark. (Thankfully the shark came AFTER the snorkeling.)  Wild chickens are everywhere in Kauai. Special THANK YOU to Amy Cullen Photography for doing a family photo swap during our trip. I’ll cherish these photos forever. <3  p.s. Anyone thinking of eloping in Hawaii????!!! The island really is a wedding photographer’s dream! Take me with you and I will 100% work for shave ice!!! ;D I can’t wait to go back!!!!

Happy New Year, friends! I hope this first Friday of the year finds you well. This first week of 2018 has me reminiscing about all of the amazing things last year brought my way. I’m so grateful for another year of being able to do what I love and working with the most amazing couples and families. I feel so very blessed. Thank you all so much for sharing a bit of your lives with me and allowing me to be apart of your memories. I cherish each and every moment. One of my resolutions for this year is to share a bit of myself with you in return which isn’t something I’m the best at doing. (I must admit blogging is often a struggle for me.) So in my first attempt to keep this resolution alive in January I wanted to share a bit of our family vacation to Kauai, one of my favorite memories of 2017.

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and nicknamed “the garden isle”. If you follow any travel blogs or Instagram accounts, I can almost guarantee you’ve seen Kauai featured for it’s beaches, hiking, waterfalls, rainbows, etc. What’s not to like??!! To me, it is the most beautiful place on earth. Our week there felt like magic. Check out some of the highlights…

Our first Hawaiian sunrise.  This is not an ordinary “snowball”. Hawaiian shave ice is ridiculously delicious. We ate it every. single. day. Sometimes twice a day. First of all they were massive (photographed are smalls, the boys usually got the BIG KAHUNA) Flavored with local ingredients such as guava, pineapple, coconut, passion fruit,  lychee, and mango. So yummy and refreshing! BEACHES, BEACHES and more BEACHES!!! Wailua Falls Kauai Juice Co. was another favorite.  Everything in Kauai is so VIBRANT. The people, the food, the flowers, the art. It all just makes my heart smile. We kayaked and hiked to Secret Falls which was gorgeous. (Sadly, I only had my iPhone this day. Next trip I’m investing in a GoPro for sure!)Kauai’s Hindu Monastery  The churches in Kauai were so unique and beautiful. Liam’s very first taste of COFFEE! Surprisingly, he liked it! He was drinking it black like Mom and Dad by the end of the day. LOL “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific” Allerton Garden and McBryde Garden were so beautiful and we were lucky enough to end up with a private tour with the best guide! (Lots of Hollywood movies have been filmed here. You might recognize the trees from the original Jurassic Park.) Spouting Horn: According to Hawaiian folklore, a giant lizard once protected this area of the island. One day, a young man named Liko challenged the lizard, which threatened visitors to the area who came to fish. During the battle, Liko thrust a sharp stick into the lizard’s mouth. Liko then jumped into the ocean, luring the lizard in the water. Liko then swam through a small lava tube in the rocks leading to the surface. The lizard followed Liko and got stuck in the lava tube, or blowhole. Today, you can hear the lizard’s roar every time the Spouting Horn Blowhole blasts into the air. Sailing the Napali Coast with Captain Andy’s. This was one of our favorite days. We sailed the coast and snorkeled. We saw tons of cool fish, dolphins, sea turtles and a hammerhead shark. (Thankfully the shark came AFTER the snorkeling.)  Wild chickens are everywhere in Kauai. Special THANK YOU to Amy Cullen Photography for doing a family photo swap during our trip. I’ll cherish these photos forever. <3  p.s. Anyone thinking of eloping in Hawaii????!!! The island really is a wedding photographer’s dream! Take me with you and I will 100% work for shave ice!!! ;D I can’t wait to go back!!!!