Jesse Coulter

This year started out wonderful with the birth of Walt and Whitney and ended horribly with the passing of my Dad. Sorry to be a downer, but it's the truth. 2017 will be a tough year as my family and I experience a year of firsts without my Dad but we're strong and will get through it together. I pray 2017 is a year of spiritual growth, memorable experiences, and lots of love.

Here's a positive recap of 2016:

Every year my sister, sis-in-law and mom take a girls trip to celebrate my mother's birthday. It's a great time to get away, relax and connect just us girls. This year we decided to visit Boerne, TX, which is only 2 hours from Austin and 20 min. north of San Antonio. Boerne is located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and was founded by German immigrants over 150 years ago. It's a great place for a family vacation, couples weekend and girls trip.

A few weeks ago Alex and I traveled to Houston to celebrate my 30th birthday! We were both raised in Texas, but neither of us have spent time in Houston. I've explored every large city in Texas except Houston, which is odd considering it's the 4th largest city in America and largest in Texas. I was suprised the drive was less than 3 hours from Austin, and there are two Bucees along the way..winning! 

Alex and I took a trip to Maui, Hawaii this past July to celebrate the wedding of Alex's brother, Andrew, and his new wife Sarah. We took an entire week off, and my mom and sis were kind enough to watch Turner for us.  I was 8 weeks pregnant at the time, and had just confirmed I was having twins before we left. It was a trip of a lifetime, but I don't think I'll ever go back to Hawaii. It was beautiful, but I have a lot more beachy places on my bucket list (Greece, Australia, Fiji, Brazil, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos, and more)!

I thought a fun way of telling you about my trip would be to answer some questions, so here it goes!

Where did you stay?

• We stayed in a condo at the Ridge at Kapalua. The Kapalua area is absolutely stunning. Best part of the condo is they have a free shuttle that takes you to beaches and restaurants in the area, which is GREAT if you have kids. Beaches in the area are DT Fleming Beach, Onelea Bay & Kapalua Bay.

What were your favorite activities?

• Surfing - we took lessons at the Goofy Foot Surf School and had a blast. It was very affordable and the lesson was 3 hours. I have surfed before so it was great to get back on the board again, but it was Alex's first time and he was able to get up on the board every time! 

• Driving the Road to Hana - this is an absolute must if you visit Maui. We drove about half of the road which took about 8 hours (round trip), but what we saw was extremely gorgeous.

Can you recommend a restaurant?

• Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - I give this restaurant 5 Stars! Make a reservation or get there early because the line starts wrapping around the building before they open!

• Gazebo Restaurant - located in Lahaina, this tiny restaurant has a stunning view of the beach (perfect for photo ops), and the BEST macadamia nut pancakes. Get in line early as well, because this is a very popular restaurant on the island.

• Flatbread Company - on our way back to Kapalua after traveling the Road to Hana, we stopped for an early dinner in Paia. The vibe of the restaurant was very friendly, and the pizza was soooo good!
  

Favorite memory?

• Alex and I drove south on the island to discover a few beaches. We rented a boogie board and visited Makena Beach, which is one of Maui's largest beaches. We rented a boogie board, and took it out for some fun. Well...let's just say the waves were INSANE. Alex and I had a blast getting pumeled by them, although it was really dangerous. At one point I tried to ride along with one wave, and the wave literally threw me around like a ragdoll underwater. I was bruised and sore the next day. Sand was in places I didn't know you could get sand. Then the lifeguard got on his speaker, and made an announcement about how dangerous the waves were at that time and people should not ride the waves if you don't have experience. I am 100% sure he was talking to me.

• My brother-in-law's wedding was held outside at the Ritz-Carlton, and it was absolutely stunning. The reception was on the lawn overlooking DT Fleming beach, and the decor was exquisite. The lobster dinner was the BEST, and my favorite part of the night was the traditional luau. Too bad I couldn't enjoy the open bar.

We stepped on the beach for the first time and saw this...a huge sea turtle! What a way to start the trip.

Surfing was an absolute blast, even pregnant!

The beautiful backdrop to Andrew & Sara's Wedding at the Ritz Carlton.

Laughing our butts off watching the men do a traditional Hawaiian dance at the rehearsal dinner.

The beach right below our condo

Exploring the many waterfalls along the Road to Hana

Our absolute favorite waterfall we discovered on the Road to Hana. We had to do some trekking to get here, but it was worth it! The water was so refreshing.

View from our bedroom window

Loved cruising in the jeep

Snorkeling was not my favorite. My ears and head would hurt, and I got super claustrophobic/anxious when I was underwater.

Alex's #1 request for the trip was that we rented a jeep w/a removable top. Request met!

About to jump off...unfortunately I couldn't be a dare devil since I was pregnant.

An awesome beach hidden away that we randomly stumbled upon. That's the greatest part about Hawaii, you can run in to something beautiful with every turn.

I have so many more photos, but I won't overload them on you. I would love to take another kid-less vacation this year for my 30th birthday, but I don't see that happening with the new babies and our budget. Maybe we can take a weekend trip somewhere local? I absolutely love adventuring and seeing the world with Alex, and it's extremely important for us to have time away from the kids to reconnect.