RADIO SILENCE

This was happening.

A couple of weeks ago, feeling the stress of the house sale, we cashed in our timeshare and booked two tickets on Alaska Airlines direct to Kona. The flight is just under five hours, so it's easier to get there than it is to drive down to LA for the weekend. I really love landing in Kona because you disembark the plan onto the runway. It's so old-school! But first, before we boarded the plane we got a text message from our Realtor letting us know that all loan docs were approved and that we were set to close on the house that day. Upon landing we had another text letting us know that the deal was closed and the house was sold. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun to log into our bank account to see the proceeds from the sale.

Before moving on with details of the trip, I want to give a shout-out to the fine folks at Alaska Airlines for rescuing my iPad. The battery had died in flight so I put it in the seat back and forgot to get it when we de-planed. While we were picking up our convertible at Hertz I got a call on my phone letting me know that I'd left it and that someone would meet me to give it back. Crisis averted! Thanks Alaska!

We stayed down in Keauhou at the Kona Coast Resort. The location had a pretty view of the ocean from the pool, and it was relatively close to Kailua-Kona, but otherwise it wasn't very special - just your standard timeshare condo. It wasn't a big deal to us though since the trip was a use-it-or-lose-it last minute decision. I just wish the bed had been more comfortable for me (I slept on the couch most nights).

We hit up a couple of our favorite Kohala Coast beaches (Kua Bay, Beach 69, Mauna Kea Beach), got an ocean-side couples massage at the Fairmont Orchid (where we honeymooned), and went shopping (and eating) at Tommy Bahama. Strangely, that might have been the best meal of the trip. I know, right?

Over the coures of the trip we decided that it'd be easy to get used to more frequent quick jaunts to The Big Island, provided we stay up that way (instead of down south). I'm picturing the next time we go staying at one of the resorts since with four nights we didn't really cook for ourselves, and only made breakfast twice. Mauna Kea certainly has the better beach but I really, really, really love the grounds of the Fairmont. We'll see. It'll probably be awhile until we go back to the Big Island since our next Hawaii trip is Hanalei with my sister and her family next summer.

I got sunburned like crazy! Probably the worst burn I've had in quite some time. It's so bad that I had blisters on my chest and now they're scabs. Pretty, no?

Anyhow ...

You can expect some additional radio silence in terms of what we're up to in turning the rental condo into our home as life is crazy busy right now. We did buy a new bed and it was delivered today and I adore it, but I don't have time to even make the bed, let alone take good pics and wrote about it.

This weekend we're going to a wedding, then next week I'm on a work trip, then a couple of weeks later we're in Ohio to see Jenny graduate from nursing school. I leave from Cleveland straight to Ireland for a work trip, and the day after I get back we're going to another wedding. The next weekend we're going camping. Yikes. Before you know it, Spring will be gone and it'll be full Summer. I think as we get older time is just going faster. Before you know it, I'll be 40.