#4 Kayak the Kahana River

To preface this story, I'll give you a little bit of background information.  When Justin and I were dating and things were starting to get serious, we were in a sporting goods store and I informed him that I have always wanted a kayak and I jokingly, but in all seriousness, said that I would much rather have a kayak than an engagement ring.  We joked about it off and on for awhile until one day we were in Sports Authority again and found an awesome deal on a kayak.  I got so excited about it and we just decided on the spot that we were going to buy it, because it was such a good deal.  In the moment I didn't think about it at all, but there we were, still dating at this point and about to buy a two person kayak.  That's kind of a big commitment step to buy a two person kayak with someone you are only dating because if things don't end well, it's really difficult to paddle a two-person kayak all by yourself.  But this was a REALLY good deal on a kayak, and I had always wanted one, so we bought it and it has been the best thing I have ever purchased!  Justin and I have had so many awesome adventures on our kayak, memories that will last forever, but there are too many to talk about right now so maybe another time.
    One of the best adventures we went on was during the month of January 2011.  We were dating and had traveled to Idaho and California for the holidays to spend some time with both our families and while we were there I knew that Justin had talked to my dad to get his permission to marry me (he's so cute).  So I kind of knew that he was going to propose to me but I didn't want to make a big deal about it or spoil his surprise or anything so I just waited.  Later I found out that he had planned to ask me while we were in Idaho, but it didn't work out like he wanted so he came up with a new plan.  So, anyway, we had come back to the island around the first of January and he suggested that we go kayaking.  We had always talked about going kayaking at night because I love to look at the stars and I just thought it would be so magical to kayak through the jungle at night.  So we took off to the Kahana River, which we had kayaked many times, but this time it was at night and I was so excited!  If you can imagine kayaking through the Amazon River, that is what the Kahana River looks like.  It is super jungley and so peaceful and amazing.  So we headed out with a flashlight and our paddles and started up the river and it was so magical.  We chatted along the way and just enjoyed each others company until we reached this spot in the river that we had picnicked at before, there is a small grassy area and a tire swing over the river.  We just sat there on the water for a moment and enjoyed the peaceful night and then Justin started to turn around in his seat (he always sits in the front). I thought he was just trying to be funny and pretend to tip us or something, but then I noticed he was clutching something in his hand and was trying to turn and face me, and my heart dropped.  He started to tell me that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of eternity with me and then he proposed (he was on both of his knees, not just one, but that was okay).  He held out his hand and there was a huge ring sitting in his palm and I was overwhelmed with happiness.  It was a better proposal than I could ever have imagined and I loved him for making it so special to both of us!
   So our kayak has a lot of meaning and memories for us and if we could take it to Idaho we would.  It was honestly the hardest thing for me to have to sell.  But we decided to take it on one last adventure before we sold it to a friend of ours who has a family with small kids, so we know they will use it well and have fun with it.  So we headed up to the Kahana River again, this time during the day and made the ride one more time.

This is the beginning, in the bay.  The river runs into the bay so we have to start in the ocean and paddle over to the mouth of the river.

There is a small sandbar we sometimes have to cross when the tide is low.  Since Justin is such a sweetheart he pulled me along so I didn't have to get out!

Most of the river is tropical jungle like this, and is overgrown in a lot of places, and I love it.  It's one of the few places untouched by tourists, which probably won't last long.

 This is the spot where Justin proposed to me.  The rope is still there but unfortunately the tire was cut down.

It's hard to leave this all behind and sometimes we question our decision, but we know it is the right thing for us to do and we look forward to bringing our kids back here and showing them this place.  Check that off our list!