
Take Great Pictures of Your Vacation (Hawaii, Part I)
(Inside: Beautiful pictures of your vacation are so sacred. While away, enjoy taking pictures of your loved ones. Play with filters and angles. Take a million shots. You’ll be glad you did.)
We just got back from Hawaii.
The last time I was there my mom, 4-year-old brother and 3-year-old self were flying to join my dad stationed in Korea. The second leg of our flight took off from Hawaii and thirty minutes in, a loud bang announced an engine had blown. Now flying on only one engine, it took an hour for the plane to dump 20,000 lbs of fuel to be light enough to safely land. Attendants scurried about hurriedly tucking pillows among all the passengers. The plane finally set back down in Hawaii with a jolting thud, unleashing the overhead compartments.
Thankfully – so very thankfully – that story did not repeat itself this time.
This was a trip of a lifetime for us. We celebrated my mother-in-law’s retirement. (Well, sorta. She’s a little uncommitted about this and keeps using the word “pseudo-retirement.”) Anyway, Hawaii, when she retires, has been on her bucket list and in the works for about twenty years. It felt great to be there with her.
I thought I’d share a few pictures of our vacation from the first two days.
Hawaii, people I love, great weather, and my camera…I could hardly contain myself. I told my family if they wanted the paparazzi to go away, just let me know.
They didn’t.
Which was awesome, because I was just getting warmed up…
Pictures of Our Vacation

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Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.