My Hawaii "Adventure":
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive June 2008:
My Hawaii "Adventure":
I just got home this evening.
My Hawaii "Adventure":
Monday, May 26:
I start with today because this day led me to almost staying home. We were enjoying a nice family day. We decided on grilling steaks and making garlic mashed potatoes for dinner. Addison was helping me in the kitchen by peeling the potatoes. He was using a knife (as I always do) and had the potatoes almost done. I am sure you know where this is leading....he cut himself. It was VERY bad. He sliced from one side of the tip of his finger all the way through the nail on the other side. John took him to the hospital while I tried to compose myself. I met them at the hospital. He had to have stitches and we were informed that the tip of his finger may not be saved. We were to follow up with a booster shot and check-up at our pediatrician the next day.
Tuesday, May 27:
I took Addison to the pediatrician. He insisted that we needed to see a hand surgeon immediately. He made an appointment for that afternoon. John took him and the surgeon said nothing more could be done. We needed to wait and see if the finger would heal. At this point, the tip was completely white and there was a concern that it was dead skin.
I had a hard time going ahead with our vacation. John's parents were insistent that they could handle it all. Addison told me to go that he would be fine.
Wednesday, May 28: We left for the airport at 4:00 AM. I had not gone to bed and slept very little the night before (constantly checking in on Addison). I had hoped that exhaustion would mean that I could sleep the entire 12+ hour flight(s). No such luck. I felt wired. We arrived mid afternoon Hawaiian time. The hotel is beyond description. The gardens are lush and there are various pools (both fresh water and salt water) on the property. There is also a beach area, where you can swim in the ocean. Our view out the balcony was of the ocean. We explored the area and got ready for our welcome dinner. The company spared no expense. There were unlimited drinks and food. The buffet had lamb, steak, chicken, pork, just everything you could think of. We were entertained by Hawaiian music and little Hawaiian girls dancing. It was a great evening. We crashed around 9:00 PM Kauai time (would have been 3:00 AM our time).
Thursday, May 29:
This morning, John woke up early and took a walk on the beach. He practically tripped over a sea lion. He came running back to the room and I went back with him to photograph the sea lion. It was so cool to be right near one.
Breakfast every day was in a restaurant called Tidepools. It was a full blown buffet. Everything was delicious. I especially appreciated the Kona coffee. Today, we were scheduled to go tubing. That was a fun excursion. We went through an old sugarcane plantation. We had to wear minor headlamps because we went through some dark tunnels. It was a blast. I dropped my camera in the water right before we reached the end. I am hoping the film can still be developed. I took an old 35 mm camera on the excursion, so I am not worried if I ruined the camera. We went back to the hotel and hung out in the pools for the afternoon. One of the pools snakes through a large area of the property. When you go one way, you are going with the current. When you go back, you are going against it. There were several mini waterfalls along the way. We had a lot of fun hanging out in that pool area. Dinner this evening was on the beach. They had musical entertainment and carnival games. I went with a few women I met and I won every game. They gave us tattoos that were supposed to last 3 weeks. Mine is almost gone but the kids got a kick out of knowing that mommy got a temporary tattoo. LOL. The food was just as wonderful/plentiful as the night before. We did not get dessert (either night) because there was just too much food. We crashed again at 9:00 PM.
Addison informed us that his finger had started to turn pink. That was a great sign that it was healing and he might not lose the tip of his finger.
To be continued.....
LOL, a real life mini series on Mom's View.. LOL Can't wait for the next update...
Ouch on Addison's finger...
Poor Addison, OUCH!
I am so living vicariously thru you right now!! My dh's and my dream is to go to Hawaii one day! Of course dh wants the kids to tag along and I don't! LOL
looking forward to the next update...
Ooohhh!! I want to be there now...
Poor Addison!  I'm glad that his finger seems to be healing, and I'm really glad you still got to go!
Yes, definitely an "adventure"! I hope Addison's finger fully recovers. I'm with Bellajoe. Some day I'll make it to Hawaii. 
Sounds so romantic and fun! And a lazy river! (the pool with the current) I love those things! Did they have tubes for you to lay on and drift around it?
Can't wait to hear more! I'm counting the years till I end up in Hawaii! LOL!
And isn't that how it usually happens? Right before we take a much anticipated trip, something happens to make us question our decision?
What a great kid for not trying to make you stay because of it. What a trooper! Hope the healing continues.
Friday, May 30:
Today we went on a snorkel sail onboard a catamaran. We enjoyed the scenic tour and saw the area where Tattoo yelled "The plane, the plane" on Fantasy Island. The snorkeling cannot compare to other places we have been but it was fun. We only saw turtles and a few fish. The turtles swam right next to John.
We went back to the hotel and went swimming again.
Dinner tonight was our choice of 5 restaurants. We chose Plantation Gardens. The food was incredible. We were allowed to order as much as we wished. It still blows me away how everything was covered by the company. We had an appetizer that had pork, lamb, duck, and tuna in each one. They were like won tons but were either sweet or spicy. They were good whatever they were. We also had a steak that you didn't even need a knife to cut through. Tonight was the first night that we ordered dessert. It was....odd. The chocolate cake tasted like bakers chocolate. It seems that all the chocolate desserts offered were bitter chocolate.
Checked in on the kids, Addison's finger seems to be healing. Jessica has a bad cold.
Saturday, May 31:
Today was our "free day", which meant we hadn't scheduled anything. We collected our spending allowance from the hospitality desk and rented a car. At breakfast, another couple said they would like to go with us. We headed out to tour the island. We drove up the Waimea Canyon and took some breathtaking pictures. We went to the Spouting Horn (a geyser) and stopped at several craft shows. We went to a shopping plaza and got our souvenirs taken care of. It was a fun relaxing day. We returned to the hotel with enough time to prepare for tonight's event--The Great Gatsby Evening at Kilohana Estate. We visited an old plantation on 35 acres. They had horse and carriage rides and lawn games (croquet, badminton, and bocci ball). The employees were all dressed in 20's attire and there was 12 piece revue (musical entertainment). They had a huge tent set up with tables for dinner. There were 300 people from GM in attendance. We had another delicious dinner.
Sunday, June 1:
Jessica's dance recital was today. I wish I had not missed it. She still had a cold but said she had a great time. Her grandparents and brother watched her second performance and they went out for ice cream afterwards. She was thrilled with the roses we sent her.
Today we were scheduled to go on a hike up the canyon. Earlier in the week, a couple showed us pictures of the hike. It was a steep climb and had a few ledges that looked frightening. I am not a fan of heights. John decided to go ahead without me. He had a great time but a few people got sick on the hike. I relaxed at the hotel and read a book. It was my first day to really enjoy the hotels beauty. Tonight's dinner was a Luau. We watched amazing dancers and fire performances. Once again, the food and drinks were plentiful. We saw a roasted pig but they never actually cut into it. I wonder if it was just a prop. All the desserts tonight were made with pineapple. I had a pineapple upside down cake and a macadamia tart that had a fruity glaze. Yum!
Monday, June 2:
We did not fly out until 10:30 PM. We had to check out of the hotel at noon. We collected our allowance from the hospitality desk and went to hang out on the beach. John had fun jumping the waves. He nearly got hit by surfers several times. He finally decided he had enough and we headed to the pools. We showered in the hospitality room and hung out there for awhile. We left for the airport at 6:00 PM because we wanted to change our seats. We were the first in line, so we were able to make the changes. Once we finished, one of the couples we met arrived and we all went to dinner together. I slept on both flights home.
End of my adventure
This is where we had the Great Gatsby dinner:
http://www.theweddingcarriage.com/historical.htm
Tubing:
http://www.kauaibackcountry.com/tubing.html
Snorkel/picnic sail:
http://www.hawaiiwebdesign.com/kauai_captandy.htm
Wow, sounds like a perfect vacation. I'm glad you had a fun time and everything went fine with the kids
WOW!! Ditto Annie. That does sound like the perfect vacation and to think it was all paid for. What a great company. Please keep us posted on Addison's finger. You'll be in my prayers.
Tonight's dinner was sausage, peppers & onions. I am happy to report that Addison cut the peppers (along side me). I do not want him living in fear of knives. He was/is fine and did a good job.
His finger is looking very good today. He went swimming and it cleaned it up really well. Today was the first day that he was allowed to get it wet.
It sounds like an AMAZING trip, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure!! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and that Addison's finger is doing better!
Yvonne, I was just thinking you were going soon and I look and you're back already. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Good for you. And best of all it was free
Sorry about Addison's finger and am glad that it is getting better.
It sounds like a WONDERFUL trip!! I'm so glad you went and everything went well. This time last year I was leaving for Hawaii. I wish I was on my way now...
We removed the last of Addison's stitches earlier today. I was quite concerned because there was a large groove/gap all the way around his finger. Tonight Addison peeled it back and then completely removed the top layer. Underneath was a pink (healing) finger tip. Basically, the top part of his finger did die off but it has started to fill in with new skin. He has complete sensation so he did not destroy nerve endings. It is looking MUCH better now.
It sounds like Hawaii was great!!! Someday I'll get there.
I'm glad Addison's finger is healing well. I got the tip of my pointer finger shut in a door when I was 2yo. My mom said you could actually see the bone! (I don't remember it at all! lol) Anyway, it was hanging on by a little piece of skin so the doc sewed it back on, telling my parents he wasn't making any promises. It healed--scared, but healed. If it gets really cold it hurts and tingles, but otherwise I have no problems with it. It is a bit misshapen and the nail looks weird, but hey, at least it's there. Remember though, this was back in 1973 and they've come a LONG way since then! lol It sounds like Addison's is going to be just fine.
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