Maui beach 30-year anniversary

J.R. and Andrea celebrated their 30th anniversary with their first trip to Maui. They hiked, snorkeled, climbed waterfalls and whale watched - and made time for an early morning photo session north of Lahaina.

This trip was like a dream in between a fair amount of sadness and struggle. We took this trip at the end of January just before the global outbreak of COVID-19. If we had waited even a few weeks, the trip would not have happened.

My husband Tom, an in-house travel agent, found the airfare deal, and J.R. and Andrea found the amazing condo on the water. We introduced them to the sights of Maui, and they shared the condo.

Over 30 years of marriage, J.R. and Andrea moved from the west coast to the east coast and back to the west coast again. They've started over from scratch, learned skills ranging from barbering to IT management to sailing , devoted many hours to volunteer work, cared for aging and sick parents and renovated a house they now share with a bossy Pekingese-Chihuahua mix and a hyper Belgian Malinois.

It sounds obvious to say that pictures take you back, but when they take you back to Hawaii, then you've got a treasure.

Planning on a trip when COVID is all over? Think about taking some time for photos.

Drone photography by Tom Christensen.