It really is the most beautiful place on earth.

Or at least the most beautiful place I have ever been to.  If you like that whole resort, ocean, sunshine, crashing waves, and well manicured vegetation thing, Hawaii is the place for you!  We didn’t get to see much of it since this was a very short trip, but what we did see was amazing. 

When we woke up in the morning we looked outside to see the ocean with its black volcanic rock lining the coast and in the distance across the ocean the other side of Maui and 2 other smaller islands (Ben can fill in the names here).  When the sun hit them just right they looked like they had bright red flowers growing all over them.  We saw sea turtles frolicking during our daily stroll along the beach and all kinds of fun coral, baby crabs, and urchins tucked in among the volcanic rock. 

At night, we sat at the infinity pool at the resort where there was nothing obstructing our view to watch the sunset.  We often caught the very beginning or very end but nonetheless the view was spectacular.  The night of the wedding welcome dinner we watched the sunset over the ocean and the moon rise over a large mountain in the background (Haleakala volcano).  It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen…the moon rise!  Here in IL there aren’t any mountains, or hills even, so watching the moon slowly rise up over a volcano was pretty darn cool.

For those that don’t know, we were in Maui for the wedding of 2 of our very good friends.  Their wedding was absolutely  beautiful.  They will comment on the wind but in the end, everyone could see, hear, and share in the moment of their wedding.  I was lucky to see a lot of the day-of activities since I was the official videographer of the day.  Two of my favorite moments were when the bride realized she hadn’t seen herself and went to look in the mirror…her words were something like “Damn, they did a good job, I look alright.”  I may have even seen a little water in her eyes, but I’m not sure   My other favorite part was when the groom saw her for the first time-his words were “holy shit!”  He then continued to admire her for a couple minutes…then they both announced…”That’s all we got.”  If you know them…it was hysterical.

I promised the bride I wouldn’t cry and I did pretty well.  Although, I have to admit when she walked down the aisle, with her parents on each side, and looked at the groom I may have gotten a little teary.  The thing that gets me about them is that they totally understand each other.  They may make fun of the eccentric things the other one does but in the end, they get it and are there for each other.  Plus, the gravity of two of your good friends getting married…in Hawaii…gets to a girl like me…I can’t help it.

We rocked the night out with a very fun Hawaiian DJ and finished the night off chillin in the resort hot tub and pool with our college friends and the bride and groom.  The boys even serenaded us with one of their favorite songs…if you knew the song you would know it’s not as romantic as it sounds.

With my first trip to Hawaii under my belt I know that I can’t wait to go back in November for our honeymoon!

I would post a picture of the bride and groom here but I don’t want to steal their thunder…instead I will post some of my favorite pics from the trip: