You just can’t get enough of Kauai. I mean, really. You can’t. Here are yet more photos and details, covering the thrilling events of each day of our wayyy-too-short Aloha Week. If you find that any of these photos are particularly beautiful and artistic, they were probably taken by my cousin Steve.

First, our fabulous hotel - the Outrigger Waipouli in Kapa’a. I give full kudos to my tax research software rep, Dave Basok, who sagely recommended this hotel to us when he heard my brother had a herd of kids to squeeze in - the hotel had 2-room suites and a kid-fantasy-pool that made this place a big hit.

My cousin Seth LOVED the waterfall grotto in the crook of the “river” below (you can’t see it unless you’re IN it!):

A room with a dream view:

No, not the newlywed room! This was the kids’ room in my bro’s suite:

The bathtub could probably fit my entire family:

And back to day One…

We head to the “very official looking” Pono Market to get our marriage license:

Sophie is a island babe !

We sign the marriage license paperwork:

Day Two dawns bright and promising:

Several of the Welcome Breakfast attendees (fully lei’d!) at Eggbert’s Family Restaurant…

Day 3 is Thanksgiving!

We all enjoy our international Thanksgiving dinner and lounging about afterwards:

Russ & Gloria (Gina’s parents - Gina is my sis-in-law) and Soenke’s dad Hauke chow on turkey:

Gina, Seth, and my Mom enjoy the grub:

Soenke, Tim, Marie, my bro Andrew, and Soenke’s mom Antje dig in:

Cousin Drew goes to town with his turkey and accoutrements!

Sophie and her cousins chill out while watching a kids’ DVD:

Day 4 takes us out and about, eventually to the world-famous Smith Family Luau!

Kauai’s shrubbery (or at least its gardener!) has a sense of humor:

Off to Smith’s Tropical Paradise for an evening of luau and more :

The grounds and the surrounding views are breathtaking…

Cousin Steve really captures the beauty

In the Smith’s gardens, they have “sectors” representing the various other Polynesian islands. Here, I have found the tribute to EASTER ISLAND! (see, I’m almost there! only a few thousand more miles!)

There were also snotty peacocks that refused to display their plumage, no matter how much I begged:

We don’t even know what this was:

Day Five: Men Take To The Air

One highlight of the trip for several of the men (Russ, my dad, Soenke, and Tim) was a helicopter ride. Of course, it took a WOMAN to organize it (me). Mostly the men would sit around every day and say “ahh yeah, we should do one-a them helicopter rides!” I believe that except for Russ, it was everyone else’s first time in a helicopter. Soenke as a pilot of things that crash when the horizontal speed goes to zero was especially nervous when the helicopter insisted on hovering.

Here’s the bird:

Soenke hops right in!

Gorgeous views of the island…

Day 6: A smorgasbord of here and there

My bro and his fabulous brood get organized for a family photo:

Kim - who has the most amazing mother instincts ever for a chick who’s not a mom yet - hangs out with Sophie at our breakfast headquarters (Eggbert’s , of course):

Soenke and my dads talk shop out at the pool:

This is the river where the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed (where the guy with the water plane was fishing when Indiana Jones came tearing out of the jungle with all the natives running behind him…)

While enjoying the scenery, we are both still having a bad hair day:

Here is my Cousin Steve , along Soenke’s mom… I had NO photos of him, so had to borrow one from our wonderful photographer:

Saying Goodbye to Kauai! (sniff, sniff!!)

Soenke and Sophie play in the airport waiting lounge:

If you leave your lei on this guy, then legend has it you will come back to Kauai someday! I should have left TEN leis around his neck, just to make sure!!!!!!