Day 6 - Wednesday

 Today is our Wailua River adventure. It is sad to realize that this week is getting close to ending. It is also the second anniversary of Matt's wife's death. 

We got up at 6:00, got our breakfast, got drinks and snacks together, swimsuits on and slathered with sunscreen, we headed to our meeting place. 

Took a few minutes for orientation and then a short van ride to the mouth of the river where our kayak will begin. The day was beautiful with very little wind. The kayak ride is about two miles each way. We kayaked up and beached our kayak for the hike to the Secret Falls. This is a fairly short hike, just a little over a mile, and it is very easy compared to the hiking we've been doing. David and I went here on our honeymoon in 1996, almost 30 years ago. Matt and I got in the water and got under the falls, same as David and I had done all those years ago. I am heartbroken thinking about him and how much he gave me. Thinking about all the dreams and hopes we shared at that time. I was pregnant with Avi and our new lives together were just beginning. Those 27 years we had together had their ups and downs but our love was always a constant and he will always be the love of my life. Tears were running down my cheeks as I stood under the falls, thinking of him and how much I love him. I renewed my commitment to live the best life I can with the years I have left, for both of us. To love our son and my children before he came into my life, that he so graciously took in and loved as though they were his own. 

After some time by the falls, we headed back to our kayak. The trip back was a bit harder as were were going into the wind. Matt and I worked seamlessly together, as we seem to do no matter what. It is kind of weird. And I don't really understand it. We got along so well and there is never any pressure. I love him so very much and at the same time, I hate that my life has conspired in the way that it has. I wanted to live the rest of my life with David. Of course, not with his illness, that was so incredibly impossible. And I can't ignore that his illness was ever present threatening both of us. I hate to think it won. It seems like it did but maybe not. It never stole our love from us but it did steal his life. I still can't find a way to feel peace about it. But I know I can't change it. So I try to go forward with the best decisions I can. I'm so grateful for Matt's presence in my life. This last year would have been so much harder without him.

After arriving back to our room, we had salad with our leftover fish, which was fabulous. Decided to relax a bit. After we headed into the ocean for another swim. Used the doodles I brought this time and it was really fun. 

Decided to drive into Lihue and eat dinner at Duke's tonight. It was a gorgeous and calm evening. Sat by the beach and had a delicious dinner. Shared a salad and a main course and it was perfect. Walked across the street to the Harbor Mall to a little place I remembered from long ago that had fabulous ice cream. Shared an ice cream cone. Such simple pleasures. Enjoy this man so very much.

Tomorrow, we have a 4:30 am wake up call for our Napali Coast adventure.