Hawaii. 'nough said.

Last month we went to one of this tour season's most anticipated destinations: Hawaii.

Arriving at the airport.

Hawaii may have been the "last one picked" when it was finally chosen to be the 50th member of Team USA, but it was by no means a direct result of Hawaii lacking desirable qualities. (Unlike, alternatively, when my being picked last for an athletic squad is a direct result of my lack of skill.) There's probably no way to describe just how beautiful Hawaii is, but I hope the pictures I post can convey some of that beauty.

We were brought to Hawaii for a "corporate," wherein some large corporation hires us to perform for its conventions, meetings, etc. One of the coolest parts of doing the corporate gigs is that the corporation usually puts up our room and board, which then means that we usually get to stay in incredible hotels.

This corporate gig was no exception.

For our three days on Maui, we stayed at the Grand Wailea, consistently ranked in "Top Hotel" lists for all sorts of categories. Perhaps one of the coolest things about the hotel is that it's nearly entirely open-air, that is, there are very few closed hallways. And because of the tropical weather in Hawaii, that usually means that there's a slight breeze blowing throughout.

Here are some pictures of the hotel:

This fountain is in the center of the lobby.

One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was when a small group of us went scuba diving. Though none of the players in the band hold scuba certificiation, the hotel offered a basic instruction program (30 minutes of lecture, 30 minutes with the equipment in a practice pool) one could take prior to a short dive. So on the afternoon of our day off, Kiana, Jason, Hiddy, Annette and I took advantage of this unique opportunity and explored the area the hotel's beach.

Here are some pictures (and a video...!) taken by Eric McDaniel, one of our scuba instructors:

The funniest part of the trip, by far, was getting to work with comedian Paula Poundstone for the corporate. I was really excited to meet Paula and hear her perform live, especially because she's one of my favorite panelists on "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!", an NPR news-based game show I follow on podcast.

You know when you build up your own idea of what someone will be like before you meet them, and then hope that that's what she or he will actually be like? For me, I always hope that said person will be friendly and down-to-earth, especially if it's someone whom I perceive to be famous or well-known in some circle. That being said, not only was Paula Poundstone hysterical, but she could not have been more wonderful behind the scenes. Her children were with her at the event, and because they're string players, she asked if she could bring them into our dressing room to meet us. How awesome is that? So, here we are hanging out with Paula and two of her children in our dressing room:

All things considered, our time in Hawaii was definitely unbelievable.