We've made it!

After an awesome flight, we made it to Maui at about 4:00 local time. Since Hawaii is 4 hours behind our normal time zone, Clark & I were already yawning as we got off the plane!

My biggest stipulation for planning this Hawaii flight was that we had to go in First Class (we saved our airline points!) and we had to have bulkhead seats so that Rusty could get up, move around, & I wouldn't worry about him bumping anyone in front of us.

We REALLY lucked out on this flight (and on the flight home as well it turns out) because this was a new plane and had lay-flat seats! Talk about awesome!!! The first time we went to Hawaii with Audrey & Chuck many,many years ago, we sat in Coach and the ride home (which is always an overnight flight) was just hell. Nobody could get comfortable, nobody slept very well, and it was something I will never do again. Either First Class, or no Hawaii!

The second time we took Audrey & Chuck (when I was big, fat, & pregnant with Rusty), we were up front and it made a world of difference in our comfort level. Then, add these awesome seats, & we were in a whole 'nother level of nirvana!!!

Before we left, Rusty & I made this paper chain that you see in the picture. Each loop represents 1/2 hour. I knew an 8+ hour flight would be a LONG flight for a munchkin, & he really has no grasp of what eight hours is. So as we flew, every 1/2 hour, we took of one link.

He was very excited after his nap that he got to remove three links at one time! And it really kept the "Are we there yet?" questions to a minimum because he could just look at his links and see that it wasn't time to arrive just yet!

For meals, we had a choice of ravioli or "short ribs". By the time the flight attendant reached our seats, all that was left were short ribs, which Rusty wasn't happy about. But once the meal came, he was thrilled. Mashed potatoes, meat that was more like pot roast than ribs (which Rusty LOVES), rolls...all of Rusty's favorites! I gave him my mashed potatoes as well & he was completely stuffed after his meal.
After lunch, it was time for a nap. Rusty pushed the magic button & his seat reclined to a nearly flat bed. WHAT a deal!
Clark dug his hot fudge-strawberry-whipped cream sundae. This picture reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Jerry is up front indulging in his sundaes while Elaine is in the back all smooshed.
When we arrived at the hotel, there was a slight hitch. Turns out the "Marriott Wailea" we thought we were going to was closed & has changed to the current hotel we're in. Which has NO beach (it's on a cliff!) and teeny pools.

We called around to see if we could change hotels to another Marriott on the island, but no luck.

The good: We were already upgraded to an oceanfront suite.

The not-so-good: We'll have to walk a bit to find a suitable beach for playing.

But that's all OK! We're going to make lemonade with our lemons...Right now, Rusty is taking pictures with my camera, Clark is munching on the fruit plate the brought last night, & I'm typing as I listen to the waves crash on the cliffs, birds greet the sun with their chirps...it's 6:45am afterall!

I'll update often since internet is a per-day charge. Aloha!