Whenever we travel, I try and take a journal or mini album along to work on. I wanted to keep it simple for this first long trip away from Jack (4 nights) for me and JC. It was his birthday present to me (my birthday is in October and we took the trip in January). I decided to take a Midori Traveler's Notebook that my mom had gotten me from Japan. I used this leather cover to hold it. From the moment we exited the plane, we felt instantly relaxed. Since we just had our carry on bags, we marched right outside, smelled the glorious fresh air and immediately felt like we were in paradise. Even though we were really still at the airport. But the palm trees, clear skies and the smells!! We caught the rental car shuttle to Avis and got into our Ford Escape and hit the road. Since we stay on the North Shore, we take full advantage of the drive through Kapaa by stopping at my favorite little spot, Mermaids Cafe. I was introduced to the amazing ahi nori wrap back in 2005 and have been in love ever since. It's something I crave and have to have at least once when I'm there. In fact even as I'm typing this I am feeling an emptiness in my stomach. Trust me, you are missing out if you don't pay them a visit while in Kauai. The only crazy thing is having to deal with the chickens that aren't afraid to get creepily close.

After we ate, we walked down the street because JC saw a cute boutique he thought I would like. And he was right. Kiko Kauai had just opened a couple weeks before our visit. It's one of the cutest and most well curated shops I've ever stepped foot in.

We stayed at the St. Regis Princeville using points and cash, and it was nothing short of amazing. You can read a bit more about it from this blog post from our last trip in 2011.

I took along very limited supplies with me: mini scissors, tape runner, date stamp, black ink, and a Sakura Micron pen. My goal was to document as much as possible in my Traveler's Notebook while on the trip and then just add finishing touches when I got home. Since I have way too many unfinished projects, I just wanted to get this one done in a simple yet creative manner.

In this video, I show you how I used Instax photos printed from my Fujifilm Instax Share and how I finished off the album. You can read more about the printer in this blog post. Love that it uses the same type of film as the cameras. The Pilot Twin Marker set is awesome and they are great for writing on washi tape!

Hope you enjoy the video! Would love to hear any tips or tricks you have for your travel memories!