I didn't fully appreciate it until I was back home.

Although I was super excited about our vacation, I didn't fully realize just how exquisite it was until we were back home to the cool, gray, wet Northwest. We did have a great time, even with a sick kid, a visit to the ER, and antibiotics. We stayed in a little one room cabin up in the hills ( it was cheap), and it was the perfect space for Melkamu to gallop around. We were about 20 minutes or so from the beach, and took day adventures to different areas. Daniel and I took turns snorkeling and swimming, while Melkamu played in the sand and surf. We learned that there is no lounging on the beach, relaxing and reading a book, when you have a toddler. But, it wasn't until I got home and it was cold and rainy that it hit me, I just got to spend a week in Hawaii with sunshine and 80 degree weather! We are lucky for sure, and still have lots of airline awards to use up in the future.