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This past weekend Cijay and I took a quick one night trip to Maui to attend two of our best friends (Cherie and Mike) wedding! This was our first time away from Mia, so it was a little bittersweet. We missed her so much, but at the same time, it was pretty nice to have some time to ourselves. This was also my first time to Maui and although we didn’t have anytime to go around and explore the island, we still got a glimpse of the beautiful island from where we were staying and at the wedding venue.
First let’s talk about our first experience of being away from our little girl. It’s so strange how I can have so many moments throughout the day where Mia will be driving me crazy and all I will be thinking is “ugh I just wish I had a moment to myself”, but when that moment actually came and I got to spend time away from her, all I could think was “ugh I miss my baby so much, I wish she was here!”. Am I the only mom that has these crazy mixed emotions or am I just crazy?? I’m happy that our first time away from Mia was just for one night because I think it was the perfect short amount of time for both Mia and us to test out being away from each other. My parents watched her while we were away and they said she did amazing! Even though Mia loves my parents a ton, I was still expecting a little sadness on Mia’s end, but NOPE, she had the time of her life and was a perfect angel. I’m starting to think my parents just bribed her with ice cream the whole time, haha. Thank god we finally live near our families, because it’s the only reason trips like this are even possible!
We stayed at the Andaz Maui in Wailea because that is where the wedding party was staying and we wanted to be near all of our friends to spend as much time with them as we could. I can’t say enough amazing things about this resort! Right away when arriving on the property we were blown away, from the grand hallway entrance to the genuine hospitality of the staff. The property its self is beautiful and the beach it sits on is equally amazing, but to me, it’s the staff that makes an experience truly great and every person in this staff was genuine, helpful, and friendly, all the way from the bell boy to the bartenders.
Since this was such a quick trip we didn’t have a chance to explore the island, which is a bummer because this was my first time to Maui. We had a little bit of time to look around the resort and then the rest of the time was spent at the wedding with our friends! Okay, fine, I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t bummed about not exploring, I was bummed about not being able to go to the Target (insert crying face here). Since we already live on one of the most beautiful Hawaiian islands and we’re lucky enough to see beautiful beaches everyday, I didn’t feel the urge to go to the beaches. I love where we live but it’s still exciting to travel to places that have some of the familiar stores and businesses we love and miss. Also, for those of you who have only traveled to Oahu or Maui and have never been to Kauai, you may not know how small it is here in Kauai, so let me just tell you, Kauai is no where near as developed as the other islands! While it can be a little frustrating at times, the fact that Kauai is the least developed out of all the islands is actually what I love the most about it. Okay, sorry, back to the main topic, our trip to Maui….
The beautiful entrance to the Andaz Maui
The day we arrived, we grabbed some quick lunch and then immediately got ready for the wedding. I must say, it felt pretty fun to get dressed up in fancy clothes and do my hair and makeup! There are very few opportunities to get dressed up here in Kauai, so I truly enjoy getting fancy now once in a while! The wedding venue was at The Haiku Mill, and since they do not allow any outside vehicles on property to keep the land preserved, all of the wedding guests took a shuttle together from the hotel to the venue.
Some of you may have seen the Haiku Mill venue on Pinterest before, but as cliche as this sounds, pictures don’t do this venue justice. It literally looks like you stepped in to a real life fairytale! Vines and lush tropical gardens cover this historic stone sugar mill, giving it the perfect blend of beautiful Hawaii and the old world elegance of Europe.
The bride, Cherie, is one of my best friends from Vegas. I met her in 2012 while working together at Encore Beach Club and it was friendship at first sight, haha. We have been through so many life experiences together, everything from engagements, weddings, and motherhood, so I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of another big journey in her life. Cherie and Mike are both truly genuine, loving people and I’m so happy they found each other and get to live their happily ever after together.
There is something about being at wedding that just fills you with joy. The abundance of love in the air, the elegant dresses and suits, the great food, and dancing the night away with all of your closest friends!
This seat was reserved for our friend Stacey (Cherie’s best friend) who passed away last year.
This might have been my favorite part! Their announcement that they are expecting another baby!
This was literally the cutest Father Daughter dance!
I actually got Cijay to dance!!
Even though this was a short trip, it was jam packed with so much fun and love! The next day we were definitely ready to get back to our baby girl though. Who knows, maybe next time we’ll be brave enough to leave her for two nights!
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