Most of you know that I got married last month. And, most of you know that I was on Stampin' Up!s incentive trip to Hawaii as well. It was a FABULOUS honeymoon! When you earn an incentive trip from Stampin' Up!, they spoil you!!! Stampin' Up! left gifts in our hotel room every night. I was always so anxious to see what little package might be sitting on our bed when we turned in for the night. I was never disappointed.
Mike and I enjoyed a wonderful week on Oahu and Kauai for the first week of the trip. We met up with Stampin' Up! in Kona on the Big Island at the start of our second week. We were greeted with floral leis as we boarded our bus to travel north to our resort. The resort, The Hilton Waikoloa Village, was huge. After unpacking, we headed down to a Welcome Reception hosted by Stampin' Up! We were greeted with fruity beverages and shell necklaces/leis. We enjoyed a sushi buffet, a pasta buffet, lots of fruit, cheese, and other yummy dishes. It was fun reconnecting with lots of old friends and meeting new ones.
During our first full day at the resort, Stampin' Up! treated us to a fantastic buffet breakfast. After breakfast we headed in to General Session where we enjoyed seeing highlights from former Stampin' Up! trips. Then the fun began - SU always shares sneak peeks of coming products - including the upcoming In Colors. No, I will not be sharing any details! We were sworn to secrecy! The products were SO new, that the new ink pads didn't even have labels!
Mike and I then spent the afternoon swimming with dolphins! It was so much FUN! We even invested in the video - which has inspired us both to go on a diet! My friends Claire and Farrell and their son, Elihu, joined us for a dinner at the hotel's Chinese Restaurant. But, the best part of the day was seeing our first gift!!! Mike and I BOTH received fabulous bags! Mine coordinates perfectly with the travel wallet I received before departing last month. Everyone loves them! Mike started using his immediately.
Day 2 started early. We headed off to an all-day tour of the Big Island. The main attraction - volcanos! But, we also got to see Sea Turtles on Black Sand Beaches, tasted yummy baked goods, visited a beautiful waterfall, and enjoyed gorgeous scenery.
After a week and a half of really fabulous meals, we decided we were in the mood for something familiar - so we headed out to Macaroni Grill. We rode the hotel shuttle down to a small shopping area on the resort. But when we returned to the room, we found this neat package filled with island treats! I hated to open it, but it didn't take me long to dive in!
The third day was a free day for us. Mike rented a car and checked out some ruins and a park. I met up with Claire and other demonstrators for the Make and Take Session. The Make and Takes this year were great!!! Stampin' Up! gave us a TON of free product - five ink pads, marker, container of brads, stamp set, sticky strip, and all of the supplies for several projects - all packaged in a fun island basket. I'll probably be offering the projects as a class in the future - but we have to wait until the new catalog comes out to use some new products!
In the afternoon, Mike and I took the car and checked out Kona and did some shopping. I can't believe how inexpensive pearls were on the islands! I think I purchased them in every color imaginable! I think Mike was bored of jewelry stores!!!

I hate to say it, but we headed back to Macaroni Grill for dinner that night! And, boy, am I glad we did! I ran into Pam Morgan - from Stampin' Up! She had with her the new in color card stock! I got to touch them and examine them! The colors we saw on the screen during the General Session were not the colors I held in my hand! You're gonna love them! I'll be getting my hands on them in June. But, as usual, the highlight of my day was going back to the room for my gift! Tonight the gift was a festive sarong!
Thursday was our final, full day on the island. We chose to relax by the lagoon. We got up early to secure a cabana. Shelli and her family were camped out right behind us. The thing I loved most about the incentive trip was the intimacy. 416 of us earned the trip, but not all attended. With friends and family, around 900 of us were at the resort. But, Shelli and the rest of the SU employees took time whenever they saw us to chat.
Dinner our last night was a fun - even if a little too windy - luau! We sat with a really fun group of people! They kept us laughing all night long! The food was never-ending! And the show was incredible - especially the fire!!! But, I still raced back to the room to check out the last gift! They left us a beautiful, handmade necklace. It was fun seeing them around the next day!
Man, I want to earn the Incentive Trip every year - and so does Mike!!! He was asking me on day 2 of the trip about how to earn next year's!!!