30 is the new 20

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This past december my wife turned 30 years old. This wasn't easy for her, as is true for many when turning 30, I'm sure. So, to soften the blow, I sneakily planned a getaway for she and I to the island of Maui. The previous may we had gone to the big island, which is a very special place for her. Her 20's were an eventful time. Graduating college, landing her first job, losing her first job, finding a bigger and better job, meeting me, marrying me, lots of traveling, losing 2 family dogs, her beloved cat of 16 years, and biggest of all, just last year her last surviving grandparent, her grandmother passed.

Her grandmother was married to a Pan Am pilot in the days when being a pilot was a big freaking deal(think Catch Me If You Can), which gave her the luxury of traveling to exotic places, quite often, Hawaii being one of them, both the big island and Maui. And as a little kid, my wife went with her usually! So, needless to say, my wife has a special place in her heart for Hawaii... she grew up going there with her Nana! I thought spending some time there would be a good way for her to close the door on her 20s.

I planned the trip and really gave nothing away, only that we WERE going on trip somewhere. For most of the time she didn't even know if we were flying, driving, or if it was going to be a warm or cold vacation(it was winter after all). Up until maybe the last week she was clueless until I finally told her that it in fact would be warm, so at least she new what to pack. I succeeded getting her all the way to the terminal before she knew where we were going(telling all of this to the lady that checked us in scored us some free drink tickets too!). It was fun trying to keep it from her and seeing her excitement when she figured it out.

We spent 5 days enjoying ourselves, and of course in the evenings(and some early mornings) I'd head out to see if I could catch a shot or two. Was that selfish of me? I swear this trip was ALL FOR HER. I swear. She didn't mind though. :)

This was the best light I saw during those 5 days, and I was lucky to have captured two shots with it. This arrangement of a Heliotrope tree in a bed of ferns was about a 3 minute walk from a nice beach scene I shot just before this. I took note of this spot when I walked by on my way to the beach, instantly seeing the potential for the shot with the back-lit ferns.

Hope you like it! Enjoy your 20's if you're still in them. :D