131 days

Until we get to return to Hawaii again...

yes, although it's been a challenging year financially, my sister and her husband were able to get a stay at the Kauai Poipu hotel that we got confirmed at and so we decided to scale back the trip by cancelling the second week on Maui and will just go for 8 days on Kauai and then stay over one night in San Francisco on our way home. Airfare is not much cheaper really, but we save a weeks worth of meals, car rental and entertainment but still get to escape a LONG MN winter again.

we have to decide what to do with the Maui hotel - trade for points or exchange for a weeks stay somewhere else in the world for up to a year later.

now, the part that's bothering me a bit is that we'd very much like my parent's to come along again. they haven't been back with us the last two times that we went and after my mom's surgery this last winter and recovery without smoking, we really thought they'd come along. my dad really wants to, but my mom is still not happy with her condition and feels she'd be a burden to us. as much as we're begging and pleading, we're not getting her ok yet. she's like that and it's frustrating. what's the point of living if you refuse to try?