Inspirational Living: Lessons Learned

After one week on the island of Kaua'i we are getting quite settled and into some routines.  Our condo is great and has everything we need.  The resort and beach property is magnificent.  Like any new experience, there are a few lessons we are learning in our first week which have resulted in certain rules that we are trying to adhere to while here on Kaua'i. 

• There are really only three types of footwear needed here.  All the other shoes are just a waste of space in the suitcase.  The Keen water shoes double as dress shoes for fine dining.

• The 9:00am fish feeding is the only thing that one needs to be on time for in Hawaii.  If your five minutes late you may not get your cup of fish food.  Obviously, this is a popular activity for all the kids.  It is where they meet in the morning, discuss their plans, and decide who is going to do what.  If Will misses it, his day just doesn't seem to go well.  Sort of like some people and the water cooler at work I guess.

• Always be water-ready, so never change out of your swim suite during the day.

• No alarm clocks.  We wake up when we wake up.

• There are two drinks that have become part of the daily routine.  A traditional margarita with plenty of salt and extra lime and fruit smoothies.  The margarita goes nicely with food prep on the grill.  The winning smoothie recipe:  blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, a banana, non-fat plain yogurt, a bit of honey and ice.  Mmmm good and good for you.

• Plenty of sunscreen and keep the aloe in the refrigerator.   Despite putting on spf 50 several times a day, it is still easy to get burned here--the sun is so intense.  It always feels good at the end of the day to lather up in some really cold aloe gel.

• A walk in the buggy along the beach puts Ella to sleep faster than anything else...must be that sea breeze and the thunderous noise of the ocean waves.  Good for us; we are forced to take a walk every afternoon.

These are our rules and we try to live by them every day.