Last Monday, a surprise snowstorm (in the middle of a super mild winter) made for this picture out of our living room widow:
And Clara went outside and had fun doing this:
Fast forward about a week, and our view looks more like this:
And Clara’s sporting a different kind of outfit:
Yup, true to our anniversary resolution, we snuck off to Maui, Hawaii to celebrate finishing our book, our impending five year anniversary (in July), turning 30 (I will in March and John already checked that box in November), and any other celebration-worthy excuse that we could think of (Clara’s first four syllable words: escalator, helicopter, and anemone!). It’s actually the first time we’ve flown somewhere on a real vacation since our honeymoon to Alaska back in 2007, and it’s the first time we have ever announced that we’re taking a week off from blogging in the entire 4.5 years since we started this whole shebang.
We know – gasp!
We do plan to post a pic or a quick note here or there throughout the week about our little island adventures (and a few things that we wrote up to share before we left, like some small kitchen progress). And we lined up a pretty sweet giveaway (valued at nearly $500!) for you guys, which will go up sometime tomorrow (Monday) – although not necessarily at 10 or 2 (we’re 5 hours behind our normal schedule here in HI). But our main goal is to relax, unplug, show Clara a great time, and just generally seize the week that we’re here.
So we’ll return to our regularly scheduled home improvement programming next Monday and will just be popping in every once in a while until then (so please forgive us if we’re not actively answering comments). We can’t wait to come back refreshed, inspired, and ready to tackle everything from the cork floors in the kitchen to the three untouched bathrooms, the walk-out deck we want to build, our big carport-to-garage conversion, the crown molding and wainscoting we’re planning to add, a complete sunroom makeover, a total playroom makeover, and all of the other major projects mentioned at the bottom of this post that we chatter endlessly about when we lay in bed at night (yes, even here in Maui).
Oh and since Clara’s here with us we’ll have to share all the how-she-traveled and how-she-adjusted-to-the-time-difference details soon (maybe next week on Young House Life). Due to quarantine regulations, we couldn’t bring Burger, which is why he’s at home snuggled up to our house sitters (we have some friends and family members who are taking turns moving in to hang with him the whole time we’re gone). You know we call him and talk through the phone at least twice a day though, right? Heck, maybe he can somehow inspire our house guests to lay some cork flooring while they’re there (he’s a pretty persuasive chihuahua). Here’s hoping!
To any Maui natives or fellow vacationers: you better say hi if you see us out doing the whole dorky tourist thing! Just look for the girl whose legs are so pasty white that they actually look blue and there I’ll be.
And yes, my skirt is twisted about three inches too far to the right. I can’t be the only one who fights skirt-spin, can I?
Meghan says
Good for you! I love Hawaii and Maui sounds awesome this time of year. I know others have said this, but Mama’s Fish House is amazing! We also enjoyed Flatbread Co Pizza in Paia and there is an great (and very unassuming) bakery in Makawao. Have a blast!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Meghan!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
We were just there last week! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the warmth and sunshine!
Alan says
We will be there in a few weeks…enjoy!!! Im looking forward to creeping’ back into your archives this week! :)
Tara says
YAY!!! I can’t believe it’s been 4.5 years of straight blogging – you TOTALLY deserve this break and I’m so excited for you guys to come home refreshed wi lots of great pics, stories, and ideas:) enjoy your vacation!!
Pao says
Good for you! You guys deserve it!!
Vanessa says
Wow! Have a great week! Your pictures look so nice!! Enjoy your time off – you will be missed but I cannot wait for you to get back to share with us. You deserve to relax and just enjoy your time away.
Stephanie B. says
You couldn’t be more deserving! I’m in grad school right now studying counseling and if there’s one thing we talk about…it’s self-care. So glad to hear you all are taking a week off and enjoying the gift of family! HAVE FUN!
Adriane says
Aw! Mainly, I’m so proud of you guys!!! A much-deserved vacation. Only a very small piece of me is totally jealous and having travel fever :) I’m sure you’ll have tons of fun and take a million pictures.
Sara S. says
I’m a UVA-er currently living on Oahu, so it’s fun to read your blog and see that you guys are so close by! I’m going to Maui in a few weeks, so you’ll have to post some good recommendations after your trip. Have fun!!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! What a lucky gal to live in Oahu!
xo,
s
Mandi says
Love Maui-used to live there :( Don’t try Mama’s Fish house unless you want to sell your first born to cover the cost and the food isn’t that good. We took our two kids and paid over $30 just for them to have grilled cheese sandwhiches that came out burnt. Our food wasn’t any better and I spent almost $12 for a glass of wine. I could have bought a box of wine for that price! Paia is a fun, querky little town though. My fav is Kihei and Wailea. Anyways…enough about me. Have fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips everyone! We’re loving all the suggestions!
xo,
s
Janice says
Enjoy the vacation! Its a good time of year to go, right about when being cold because not just old hat but annoying to boot. I’d imagine that its quieter too, since most people don’t vacation in February as much.
Meg@ Green Motherhood says
Yay! Is it totally nuts that I got a little choked up reading this? I’m beyond thrilled that you are taking time for your family (and sanity!) I dream of the day we can whisk off to Hawaii with babe in tow, can’t wait to hear all about it!
Enjoy,enjoy,enjoy!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Meg, that’s so sweet! Smooch.
xo,
s
Heather says
Yayy!! Im so happy for you guys! We were in napili bay 6 months ago for our honeymoon (we married in oahu) and loved it! My bday is in Nov like John and my husband’s is in March like Sherry! (pisces & sag) we too plan to return in march 2013 for my husbands 30th! Soak it all up and try to disconnect from it all! I hope you brought along a grandma so you can go snorkeling without Clara, honolua bay was awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
No way, that’s so funny that we’re the same sign/b-day months and you’ll be here for your hubby’s 30th! Have fun!
xo,
s
Luann says
enjoy.
{“Hawaii Five-0” what?!}
Kristie says
My husband and I got stationed in Hawaii a couple of months ago. We love it here! It’s quite a change from the mainland, that’s for sure. Enjoy your vacation!
Emily says
I glad you are taking a break, have a wonderful time!!
Stacy says
I’m super jealous – have a blast!
Pamela @ Pink Hammers & Sippy Cups says
So jealous!! I hope you have an amazing time and enjoy your well deserved week off! Try not to think about home reno’s too much ;)
Megan @ Two Live Colorfully says
Have fun you guys!!! Can’t wait to hear about the fun ya’ll will surely have!
Brandan WH says
So excited that you all are getting a chance to take a breather. I got engaged in Maui, so it will always have a soft spot in my heart! Can’t wait to hear how travelling was with Clara as I suspect that next time I get a chance to go, husband and kids will be in tow! Safe travels!
Laura says
Dang, Clara, I can’t even say “anemone.”
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, my mom taught her. It’s adorable. She got her sea life stickers and Clara’s favorites are the anemone ones!
xo,
s
Tara says
Enjoy your time in HI and soak in that warm sunshine!
Jenny says
Yay, I’m so excited for your sweet family! You all deserve a relaxing vacay. We were stationed on Oahu (sweet hubby is in the Army) for two years, and we miss it like crazy. Our little man even asked for Hawaii for his birthday, poor guy misses the beaches so much. Burger wouldn’t have dug the crazy flights and such, our poor puppy Kiki (yep, our poor dog was named after Waikiki Beach ha) had to make the trip several times, and she says to tell him he didn’t miss much :) Enjoy your time soaking up the wonderful Hawaiian sun and aloha!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s good to hear. We miss the little guy but are so glad he’s not stressed out and frazzled from the flights. Apparently he’s just chilling and snuggling up to our friends/family members at home and doesn’t even seem to miss us that much. Stinker! Haha.
xo,
s
Kim says
WAHOO!!! Good for you Petersiks! Everyone has definitely said it before – you SO SO SO deserve this and take full advantage. You know we’ll be here waiting for the beautiful pics when you get back :)
Ali says
Good for you for taking a break! Enjoy Maui. :)
Jennifer says
Serioulsy! I live in Maui!!!! and would love to say hi!
my blog is pedigomaui.blogspot.com to check out that I’m real.
Send me an email. I have dreamed that you could give me ideas for my small condo. Ha! I love your blog and decorating style.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jennifer! Here’s hoping we bump into you while we’re here!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
If you can have a meetup at a restaurant. I won’t likely run into you as I
am a resident & don’t do touristy things all the time. It would be an honor just you see you for 10 mins. But I know you’re on vacation but I’ll never get a chance to meet you.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jennifer! We’re just running on Clara-time while we’re here. No scheduling anything or pre-arranging stuff, just heading to the beach and the pool and out for food depending on how Clara’s doing and stopping back at our place for naps and meltdowns. Haha. So sorry we can’t arrange any formal meet up! Who knows if we’ll bump into you when we’re doing something off the beaten path though! We do love to explore…
xo,
s
Lisa L. says
So I live in Richmond as well and the husband and I just flew back from Maui on Saturday — how funny! Everyone is leaving tips and since we literally just flew back I have to leave our favorite as well. Wai’anapanapa Park on the road to Hana. It’s a must. Absolutely breath taking views, waves crashing against lava rocks, blowhole, black sand beach, easy little hikes. AMAZING!
And if you do the Road to Hana you CAN take a rental car the entire way around contrary to what people say. We had an Altima and zero problems.
ENJOY!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the tips Lisa!
xo,
s
Kait says
I spent a semester in Hawaii while in college. Get some Aloha juice from the convenience store if you see it. Its in a can. Its so yummy.
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, sounds good!
xo,
s
Jen A says
GOOD FOR YOU! WHEEE!!!! I don’t want to hear a peep out of you guys until you’re back.
Congrats on wrapping up the book. What a huge accomplishment.
Kimberly says
Oh so happy for you 3! I was beginning to worry about you working so hard that even reading your posts was making me tired! We can miss the “p” word for a week or two ;). Paint – that is!
Relax and I hope you have a blast!
Diana says
Yay! Enjoy your Maui vacation! If you need anything, let us know. My daughter is living in Maui (near the airport), working as an occupational therapist this year!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re so sweet! So far we’re loving it and just exploring and showing Clara a good time!
xo,
s
Tanja says
While I will miss starting my day with your posts, you guys deserve a vacation.
Have an amazing time in Maui. Try Kihei Cafe – we love it there. When we vacation in Maui, we try to limit ourselves to going there every other day but don’t always succeed. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, sounds awesome Tanja!
xo,
s
Ann Marie says
Woo Hoo! Have a fabulous relaxing vacation. I can’t imagine working almost 24/7 like you guys do! Maybe make a yearly “unplug” a habit? Best wishes for perfect weather, and some cool Hawaiian thrift store shopping!
Erika @ thelindenlife says
Thats wonderful! Enjoy a much deserved vacation. As I was reading this post I was shocked that the snow had melted that quickly… but perhaps I was being a bit naive! Now that I think of it… palm trees likely don’t co-exist in places that get snow. Or maybe, once in a while. Anyways – enjoy everything that Hawaii has to offer!!
Robin O says
Yay!! Is it weird that I’m proud of you guys for NOT blogging for awhile? You guys have totally earned a much needed vacation. Bravo for actually taking one. Enjoy the time off!!
mp says
Have a great time!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Skirt spin is the worse! And it’s even more pronounced when you have a computer bag on your shoulder hitting you right on the hip as you walk through an airport twisting your skirt with every step so that you arrive at your gate with it almost on completely backwards. Wouldn’t know anything about that…
Enjoy your week off!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nice!
xo,
s
Cindy W. says
Wow! I am so happy for you guys!! (and envious for me! haha)
Have a wonderful time and stop worrying about us. We love ya — we’ll be here later. xo
P.S. Finally started on our gallery wall today! Dude, get on that already!
Jenny says
Have an AMAZING time! My husband and I just got back from being there a few days ago! We LOVED it!! One of my favorite things that we did was to see the sea turtles crawl on shore at sunset at the north shore near Pa’ai. Head over to Hookipa beach around 6:30 and you will see a gathering of a few people. Not a lot of people know about it (we found out about it from our family who lives there – it’s really not a touristy spot which makes it so much cooler!), so it’s not super crowded. The sea turtles just crawl out of the water!! After you watch the turtles for a bit, head into Pa’ai for dinner. The pizza place is to die for!! Have a great time!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds amazing! Clara would love seeing the turtles!
xo,
s
kristin says
OOOOOH I love Maui! We actually got married on January 31 (in Portland, no less) just so we could escape to Hawaii in early February! It’s like stepping into the world of color in the Wizard of Oz. Bubba Gump in Lahaina is great (especially with kids), and we love getting Hula Pie at Kimo’s after the sun goes down….oh man I want to get on a plane SO BAD now! :) ENJOY!
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, Hula Pie sounds magical.
xo,
s
Laura Laiche says
This is slightly important– I nominated you for the Best DIY Blog and the Best Home Design Blog on Apartment Therapy. You may want to post a link because they are taking votes now and hopefully ya’ll will win.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much, you’re too kind! We actually won last year (insane!!!) so we’re not eligeable. But thanks for the sweet nomination!
xo,
s
Sarah Ross says
I totally fight skirt spin too! It’s a formidable adversary! But who cares?! You’re on VACATION….wear it backwards if you want! Now, stop being all responsible and answering comments and GO HAVE FUN!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, formidable adversary = hilarious.
xo,
s
Paige says
Have fun! Hubby and I have been to Maui twice in the last two years. Cool Cat Cafe has great burgers and fries. Big Beach is super fun for great sand and waves. The Coffee Store has good coffee and fresh pastries. Cilantro and Pizza Paridiso are both good affordable places to eat. Enjoy the sun, the beaches and snorkeling! Oh, and in my opinion, Black Rock is overrated. There are much better places to snorkel.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Paige!
xo,
s
Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says
YAY for the well deserved vacation! Five years of marriage (and turning 30) is definitely worth celebrating with a trip to Hawaii. I’ve never been out that way but it’s definitely on my list.
Aloha!
Joy says
Oh goodness hooray for you! I know you will have a fabulous time. I am so disappointed I didn’t get to go to the garden home show in Portland.. (I live right over the bridge from there) but it just didn’t work out) I was just thinking that I am so tired of the rain I need to go to Arizona for a couple of weeks :)
Marjorie says
I hope you are enjoying our little island.
Aloha,
Marjorie
YoungHouseLove says
Loving it! Aloha!
xo,
s
Karen F says
Wooo hooo! Good for you! So happy for you – you have a lot to celebrate – relax and enjoy your vacation!!
Meghan says
Good for you guys! Enjoy your vacation!
Pip says
Have a wonderful holiday Youngsters! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures!
Susan says
Lucky you! Enjoy your time I Maui. I have one recomendation. The very best place to eat in Maui is Mama!s Fish House. A little spendy, but well worth it.