A few weeks ago, the husb, and V, and I all hopped a plane to Kauai. We (I) never really wanted to return to the mainland. And for good reason! We’ve done the Hawaii thing twice before, but both visits were on Maui island. And Maui is great. Baller, even. But when you do Kauai? Time stops. The people there move at a different pace! I don’t know if it was my Diet Coke-filled veins, but it took me at least 24 hours to chill. And once I did, a family vacation happened. I shared a bit on Instagram (#ProperOnTheRoad to keep up with our travels!), and wanted to share our week spent in Kauai here on the blog! 

The first thing you should know about Kauai is that it is the rainiest place on the earth. Seriously. Wikipedia it. I don’t mind the rain because EVERYTHING is overly green and intensely lush! 

Hibiscus are everywhere and come in every color under the sun. I filled the pool at our rental house with them because I could. Because it’s Kauai and you can do whatever you want. 

We rented a big ol’ house filled with our family (siblings, spouses, children, and grandchildren!). If you want to be the favorite aunt, the key is to bring the floaties. My floatie game was strong as I pulled out a giant swan, the giant gator, and a big pretzel! 

But the swan deserves her own little spiel about the fun she provides to children and adults in the water. 

I was most excited about the local farmer’s markets. So much produce! So much color! And I tried to track down the maker of this sign. And maybe I tried to buy the coconut stand. Because pink…

Can I tell you about the fried apple with lumpia wrapper? It’s like an apple banana spring roll. And it’s fried. So it covers all my major food groups. It was a game changer, and I’m working on creating a recipe to share here! Because the people in the mainland NEED that fried apple with lumpia wrapper. 

We stayed on the north shore, but took a day drive down to the south shore to check out The Spouting Horn. During large swells, the water travels through a lava tube and spouts out a large hole in the rock. It was like a Hawaiian Old Faithful. Very cool.  

While the north shore is green and lush, the south shore is sunny, and covered in lava rock. Very black and blue and hawaiian awesome. 

And would ya just look at those two? I would love to say that a photo-op with Vita is a rare occasion, but that girl loves the camera.

And apparently she picks every flower in her path. She was running around plucking from the bushes like a mad woman. 

Annnnnnnnnnnd the beaches. SO many beaches. So much ocean. (So much sand. GRRRR. But we can deal.) We spent a good chunk of most of our days at the beach. Can you blame us?! One day, we were visiting Ke’e beach and happened to see some sea turtles out a bit near the reef. So we snorkeled out to join them. After we found them, it was a little spooky to be out so far from the shore, so we didn’t last long before returning! 

“You can have everything you ever want, Vita. Because you’re perfect.”

Cousin time at the beach! These two are one year apart which made for some interesting (LOUD) interactions between the two. They even had a screaming match just for fun. Really. They weren’t fighting. They were giggle screaming. Can’t take ’em anywhere. 

On our last day, we decided to check out some shops on the south shore and grab a bite in Kukui’ula village at Tortilla Republic. I have no words. The tacos. The pancakes!!!! My happiness is entirely dependent on the food I devour. And that did not disappoint. 

Always happy to spot some color! These chairs down in Lihue were practically calling to me! We actually helped a friend propose to his girlfriend while we were there. We planned the whole thing and it was a big secret leading up to our trip! It basically involved me limping with crutches and hiding in a rusty, old, bug-filled canoe with stagnant water, hiding so I could take some photos of them getting all engaged and happy. Like one does for a friend.  

We had such a blast and spent not near enough time in Kauai and are looking forward to returning soon! Have you ever been to Kauai? We’d love to hear some of your favorite spots to hit up for round 2!

Keep up with all sorts of adventures with Proper on Instagram by following the hashtag #properontheroad! Maybe we’re coming to a city near you… ? And check out our recap of our visit to Maui right here!

photography \\ Lexy Ward