It’s been 20 years since my husband, my almost-3-year-old daughter and my 7-months-pregnant self  stepped off the plane in Kahului to begin what we thought was a two year job on Maui.  Actually, stepped off the plane doesn’t really tell the story.  We’d given our daughter some Benadryl during the flight to help her sleep, and it took a little longer to kick in than we expected.  When we landed she was sound asleep and we had substantial carry-on luggage even without her and her enormous car seat.  Oh, and did I mention I was 7 months pregnant?  What WAS I thinking??

The crew that cleans the plane was so compassionate, and helped us down the stairs – back in 1990, there were no jetways in Kahului.  Someone brought a golf cart to the bottom of the steps and we loaded my still-sleeping little girl and my enormous ankles onto the cart for the trip to the baggage claim.

Fast forward 20 years…and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Thank you, Maui.  Thank you to all the beautiful people who have been part of our lives, and for the richness of the Hawaiian culture.  Thank you for the opportunity to live in a true mixed-plate community, with the richness of many cultures blending and sometimes struggling together.  And thank you,  Lord,  for this incredible, beautiful island of mountain and beach, lava and sand, fragrant breezes and tropical blooms.  It is truly home.

• Thank you Kindly and Embrace Life stamp sets
• Whisper White, Basic Black, and Kraft card stock
• Sahara Sand Classic ink pad; Stazon Black ink pad; Pretty in Pink ink refill
• Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Aquapainter
• Pink taffeta ribbon and Scallop trim border punch

10:05pm   I forgot to mention that this card was inspired by the Curtain Call Color Challenge:  CC23