This past March was Mine and Marshall’s 10 Anniversary. It is still hard to believe that we both were able to put with each other that long, and yet here we are, not killing each other!
I have said it many times to my friends and family members (probably way too much) that my 30’s have been the best time of my life. A major contributor to why my 30’s have been so great is because of Marshall. I met him in my late 20’s (Oh really Bryon?! We couldn’t do the math, thanks for letting us all know!) and he has changed my world for the better.
I now live in Hawaii and own a business with him. We are married and have a very busy but enjoyable life together with great friends and fun times together. My twin brother will actually be moving here with his kids at the end of the month, so he will be a welcome addition to our lives here!
This year our anniversary felt monumental, so to celebrate the fact that we each put up with each other for over a decade, Marshall planned a trip the the big island of Hawaii. It may not seem like we went very far to most people. Anyone who lives here will tell you that each island is a different world all together. Interisland travel can be an escape to a new world, so we escaped to the Big Island of Hawaii. Kailua-Kona to be exact (Not to be confused with Kailua Town on Oahu where our winery exists.)
He had planned it several weeks in advance and kept it very secretive. Our friends all knew about it but never said a thing (Should i feel betrayed? Nah!) I was very surprised when he told me where we would be going because I have never been to the Big Island. He booked a lovely AirBnb on the West side in Kona blocks away from the main strip, Ali’i Drive. He even booked the car rental without me knowing and made reservations for our official anniversary diner at the Four Seasons Hualalai! (He used to work there, so it was kind of a big deal I guess.)
Traveling in the islands right now is kind of weird. We had to take a Covid test in order to even travel to any of the other islands, which we were perfectly fine with doing. Anyone traveling in to the islands must take the same test. With our own AirBnB room that we rent out, we get a lot of travelers from all over the world. It is actually really nice to know that they all had to have a negative Covid test in order to even get on the island. A small inconvenience, but it really helps to relax the nerves knowing we and everyone who else who is traveling is negative.
The entire process of taking the test and getting through the airport was very easy. We arrived and got on our way. We first made a small detour to a Target because we realized we forgot alot of stuff (Like my sunglasses and a hat.)
The first night we went to dinner at a place called Huggo’s on Kahakai Road. We were actually the first customers to show up right when it opened at 4pm, so we were able to get the best seat in the place for an amazing sunset. The staff was great and the cocktail were flowing. They even gave us a free cake with sparklers! Real Sparklers! We also went to a small bar afterwards, but only for a drink. We went home and passed out for the night.
The next day we drove all the way over to Hilo. It was a beautiful drive, but nothing exciting really happened. We ate at a shitty restaurant, then drove all the way back to Kona early because we had to get ready for our big dinner at the Four Seasons (What what!!!) As you can see from the pictures, it was quite incredible. I am not sure why I didn’t take pictures of the dinner we had, but the desserts look great! Just like the night before, The Four Seasons gave us an anniversary cake. Yes, it was delicious. Yes, it is the cake of your dreams. Yes, we were kind of drunk…
The next day was our last full day on Hawaii, so we drove all the way over to Volcano National Park. A very long 3 hour drive one way. We did not get to see any actual lava, but we did see the caldera and smoke coming out of everywhere. We were even greeted by a Pheasant!
We then proceeded to the Volcano Winery and had a lovely chat with the lady there (and now it is was an official work trip, so… WRITE OFF!) Afterwards we drove back to Kona and had our final dinner at a nice restaurant and went to bed.
The next day we made it back to our island and back to our lives. It was a great and much needed trip for us both. Since then the winery has been so busy and both of us are constantly working all the time. We will not be taking any trips anytime soon!
We have been visiting many great restaurants around the island so I will be posting about those and some posts about our live music events at the winery and the food Marshall and I are creating!
As always, be brave!! You never know what will happen next.
The House Husband 