Ben and I spent our seven night honeymoon in paradise! There were only a few requirements for the trip. We wanted to take it right away; it had to be tropical; and it had to be pretty easy-going. We love a backroads adventure trek but after months of planning you weren’t going to find us anywhere near a frame backpack or hostel!
Having never been to Hawaii myself at all, I was excited when Ben mentioned Kauai, an island he’d never visited. Our decision was vindicated when friends and family exclaimed in delight and enthusiastically offered their suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and outdoor activities.
The most-recommended thing-to-do on the entire island was a hike along the Napali Coast, the northwestern tip of the island. There are many trails and caves in that area, but universally we were told: drive to the end of the road (it almost loops the island completely, but not quite), park the car, and start hiking toward the hidden beach. This turns out to be the first portion of the Kalalau Trail hike, known as the the Hanakapi`ai Trail.
It is indeed a gorgeous trail! Lush greenery, breathtaking views of turquoise seas and white sand coast. The well-kept but difficult trail leads up and down through Jurassic-looking hills, eventually landing on Hanakapi`ai beach, where many hang out, eat lunch and then turn around. But! A side branch of the trail continues on to Hanakoa Falls, which was our destination. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen – freshwater tumbling from above into a deep pool with a rock shelf behind the falls. The entire trail was *amazing* and totally worth the days of sore muscles (helped along by a wonderful Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage). Next time (anniversary trip!) maybe we’ll hike in and camp?
You may have heard the news already (we sure complained about it enough). Ben and I, just 10 days before our wedding, are being forced to move. Of course there’s a much longer story here, but in a nutshell, it’s a no-fault eviction: the owners of our awesome little two-bedroom flat let us know a little over a month ago that they wish to re-occupy the property, and the 60-day notice fell smack dab into prime wedding prep time. “Owner-Move-Ins” are one of the few remaining ways renters in San Francisco can be displaced from their homes, and while it’s upsetting even in ordinary times, it certainly threw a wrench in our shared vision for the fall.
The rental market here is competitive even when time is on your side; at first blush, rental on-demand in sixty days seemed impossible. Before long we started debating all sorts of alternative housing ideas: we could stay with family, friends. Maybe pack everything into storage and extend our honeymoon indefinitely. We could work remotely from Hawaii, right? Maybe get a furnished rental to host visitors… Just as quickly as we faced that impossible dead end, we were suddenly paralyzed by options of our own making.
We finally realized we just had to start somewhere. Thank you to all who listened to our woes, grimaced at the right moments, and then told us it would probably all turn out for the best. You were right! We’re still totally stressed out of course, but we’re happy to say we’ve found a fabulous new home, just blocks from our old one, the old-fashioned Craigslist way – and we’ll be moving in time for you to visit us before the nuptials!
Introducing our charming pink two bedroom doll house at 309 Bennington.
It’s got all the quirky features your typical 1909-built home has, except delightfully intact because it’s been in the landlord’s family for decades. We’re the first renters this beauty has seen! I know it’s old-fashioned, but I can’t wait to string up Christmas lights and stick a big fir tree in the front window this winter. Gallery of pre-move-in shots below:
We’ve updated our registry and will forward mail, but please note our happy new address: 309 Bennington Street, San Francisco, California 94110. You can still reach us at our regular cell numbers and emails. We hope you’ll warm our new home soon!
An alternate Save the Date design, which I still love.
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