Tucker Up: Honeymoon Adventure: Day 1

The Tuckers take Kauai:

Hawaii, Kauai to be specific, was an easy decision for Chris and me because neither of us had ever been. We chose Kauai because of the laid back atmosphere and it is the most natural island. We wanted to go somewhere new. We love the snow more than the sun, but in June…you can’t be too picky. We booked the honeymoon in April and never looked back.

Let’s see...for starters, we stayed at the Marriott Resort Kauai. B-E-A-utiful. Very different from the Texas landscape! Everything was so green and the flowers were so vibrant. It was breathtaking. The air was not too humid and the temperature was always just right.

After the wedding, we got to the hotel and devoured the crackers and cheese my Aunt Darless had packed us. Yes, she is one of "those ladies" who think of things like that! Who else would have thought to pack us snacks because the fact of the matter is, after your wedding, you are STARVING! It was delicious! She also packed us wine, which we were not in the mood to drink, so we packed it in our suitcase to enjoy in Kauai.

About to board the plane...oh wait...it was delayed.

We got to the airport at 6:30a.m. Now between Chris and me, I am the organized one. We check in (yes, I might have had to rearrange our bags because mine was too heavy…oops!) and get in the security line. We realize the ticket lady never gave us boarding passes. Back to the ticket counter we go. We retrieve our boarding passes, go get back in the security line, and Chris thinks I left his license at the ticket counter. He starts panicking and I tell him that I gave it back to him and remember him seeing him put it in his wallet. I learned: never tell a man at 6:40 in the morning something where you are right and he is wrong. He starts frantically walking back to the ticket counter, gets half way there, and realizes it is in his wallet, just not in his normal spot. Gosh, I hate being right. Ha!

Anywho, we got all checked in. We got some breakfast, talked about how great our wedding was, and just relaxed. The time was approaching to board the plane and nothing was happening. First they came on the loud speaker saying it was "maintenance" problems delaying us and it would be about a five minute wait; then they said ten, then they said another forty-five. There were a lot of grumpy passenger, but Chris and I were calm , cool, and collected. We were just happy to be married, honestly. When we finally got to Phoenix (we were supposed to have a two hour layover) we started sprinting to catch our connecting flight. At the end of the terminal we saw they were holding the plane for us! Yay! We got to ride a buggy to the gate instead of having to run!

Garden at the Marriott

Nothing exciting with the plane ride except bland airplane food and lame movies. We got to Hawaii and all our bags made it! It is so refreshing there! Has anyone been there?! It just has a sense of relaxation. We get to the hotel and it is gorgeous! The plants and flowers are so vibrant! We were there early so we checked in and went to grab something to eat Dukes. It was delicious. Seriously, delicious...we ate there four times! I got a pulled-pork sandwich and Chris got fish and chips. The pork was the best I have ever had and the fish actually tasted fresh! Not like catfish! We had Hula Pie for dessert. Oh. My. GOSH! To die for! Especially since we had only had airplane food all day!

After we ate we were able to check into our room. It was a "garden view" room, but you could clearly see the whole ocean, pool, and garden! Yay for paying for a “garden view” and getting an ocean view! We relaxed, showered, and I crashed at 5:30p.m. Kauai time (10:30pm Texas time). I was exhausted!

Pathway to beach. Seperates Dukes from the resort.

One of many Hula Pies.

View from our room.

Ocean view. Ignore the roof...beggars can't be choosers.

Official Day 1:

We woke up the next morning sooo early...5:00a.m. (10:00a.m. Texas time). We sat on our balcony and had coffee and cereal. We had gone to the "ABC" Store (grocery store thingy) the day before and got some snacks and cereal. At about 8:00a.m. we went and got towels to reserve spots at the pool (you have to get out there early if you want a spot to lay!). We then went and had breakfast at Kukui’s in the resort. We read review about how expensive it was, but hey! we were on our honeymoon! Once again, so delicious! The restaurant was right by the pool, but you could see the ocean too. It was perfect. We literally laid by the pool all day. We sat next to this great couple who had triplets; 6 year old boys. They were super nice and fun to talk to.

Early morning coffee.

Then we decided to go to the beach (the pool is literally 25 yards from the beach, so you just leave your stuff at the pool and walk to the beach) and let me just say the waves in Kauai are SO different than in Texas. Chris and I meander out there about 10 yards to "ride" a wave in. Ride we sure did! Those waves took my bathing suit off! THEN, the rip-tide (the pull of the ocean after the wave breaks) is super strong so it sucks you back out there! So here is Sarah with no bathing suit on being taken out by a "line-backer" wave and then sucked back out! After Chris and I died laughing for about five (treacherous!) waves, and discovered that we had sand where the sun don't shine, we decided the beach wasn't our cup of tea.

The first thing that said "Mr and Mrs!"

We walked to Dukes (which is by the pool and the beach) and ordered nachos to-go, gathered our stuff at the pool, then headed to the room to shower and get ready for the luau.