Waikoloa Village, HI - Day 4
Tuesday, April 6
We’re thrilled to have Andi’s mom, Janie, traveling with us with us in Hawaii. Like many people, we’ve missed out on spending holidays, birthdays and regular nothing-planned weekends together this past year due to the pandemic. Keeping our distance has been hard on all of us, especially Tory and Aden. Now that Janie is vaccinated for COVID-19 and spending time with us in Hawaii the next few weeks, Andi and I thought each of the kids might enjoy some one-on-one time reconnecting with Grandma. So, that’s what our plans are for today.
After breakfast and school, the five of us loaded into our rental SUV and drove about 30 minutes south of Waikoloa Village to the town of Kona. From there, we drove up the slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanoes into the scenic, tropical Kona Cloud Forest. Andi, Tory, Aden and I hiked through this lush, rainforest last week and loved how quiet and different it felt from busy Kona. We decided to take Janie on part of the same hike since it was close to the painting class Janie and Tory were scheduled to participate in later today.
The forest was misty and magical-feeling last week when we visited. Today, the sun shined brightly giving the forest floor an entirely different feel. I was worried the un-even path would give Janie’s knees trouble, but she kept pace with our group without a problem! It helps that Tory and Aden take lots of breaks while hiking so there’s plenty of chances to catch your breath.
We set a timer for 40 minutes, as that was all the time we had to hike this morning before the painting class, and walked as far as we could into the jungle. Janie loved seeing all the different trees and ferns growing.
After our cloud forest hike, we drove about 15 minutes to the small artist town of Holualoa. The class was being held on the outdoor lanai of the artist’s home, overlooking her beautiful flower garden. There, she’d teach Janie and Tory how to paint some of the orchid varieties grown in Hawaii.
Meanwhile, Andi and I got to have a one-on-one date with Aden. What a special treat it was to dote on one child for the afternoon! Aden decided he wanted to eat “crunchy chicken” with Mom & Dad, so Andi drove us to a restaurant called Willie’s Hot Chicken in Kona. The three of us sat outside and ate fried chicken and French fries. Aden loved it.
A few hours later, we returned to Holualoa to pick up Janie and Tory. They were both smiling from ear-to-ear and had a great time painting orchids, drinking tea and eating cheese & crackers on the lanai.
It was a full day of spending quality time. Back at our condo in Waikoloa Village, Janie encouraged Andi and I to go out to dinner together while she stayed back with the kids. I can’t remember the last time Andi and I have been out on a real date together — it’s been over a year, at least! We couldn’t turn down the offer, so Andi and I showered and headed out for the evening.
Together, we spent some time walking on the beach near Puako, then treated ourselves to a nice sunset dinner at the Mauna Lani Beach Club. We had way too much fun drinking wine and listening to cover songs performed by a fantastic Hawaiian singer.
Hearts are full tonight after another fun day in Hawaii.
