About

E komo mai! Welcome!

Aloha, I’m Maile from Maui!! Born and raised on the island of Maui, I spent my childhood digging in the taro patches at my family’s farm, harvesting apple bananas to sell at the farmer’s market, paddling canoe, riding bikes and throwing ripe guavas with the neighborhood kids on our small dirt road in upcountry Maui. All that time, I dreamed of how to travel the world because Maui felt so small, tucked far away from everything. I attended college in San Diego, California, where I studied Journalism, Marketing, and Graphic Design. After graduation, I moved home for a couple short years before relocating to Seattle, Washington, where I worked in Marketing and Public Relations, as well as Event Planning.

During my time back on Maui, I met my future husband, Ken, at the Maui County Fair, on his military leave from South Korea. Over the next year, we developed an old-fashioned long-distance romance which helped pass his time overseas, penning hand-written letters to each other almost weekly. (I saved all our letters!)

Ken visited me the following year during his military leave and asked me to “go steady” with him. I guess you could say we’ve been going steady ever since…married in 2010, with three beautiful children! After years of living away from Hawaii and extensive traveling, Ken and I, along with our babies, moved to Maui to be near my family. It felt like the right time to move back. I missed it. After traveling around the world (Asia, Australia, the US and Alaska, Europe, Canada, Mexico), I can say with conviction that there’s no place quite like Maui.

Maui No Ka Oi.

This blog is a snapshot of our Little Maui Family. We recently purchased our own little slice of paradise, a 500-square-foot cottage on a good-sized lot on Maui, overlooking much of the island. It’s a dream satisfied in many ways – we own something albeit small, with room to build a main house eventually. Praise God for this gift. It’s an adventure raising our three littles in such a tiny space. We’ve had to downsize tremendously and are learning to strive for “better, not more.” Join us in this journey as we chronicle the joys and challenges of this unique season.

Mahalo for stopping by!

x Maile