Once in Maui, two girlfriends and I set out to find a quiet beach for the day. Not a touristy beach crowded with families, honeymooners and the smell of coconut suntan lotion, but a small private patch of sand where we could talk and connect with Mother Nature. We hopped into our rental car at 11:00AM. Without an itinerary, we wanted to rely on our natural instincts, and of course, Maui’s resident volcano Goddess, Pele, to show us the way.

After passing all the familiar beaches, we continued along the main road, stopping at various spots. Some of these were quite picturesque with crashing waves hitting jagged black lava rock, however, not exactly what we had in mind. As our journey progressed, the wide, flat double-lane highway turned into a single-lane, broken tarred road with hairpin turns leading up a mountain. At 5MPH, we had to honk the horn around each turn to alert possible drivers coming in the opposite direction. Yes, a bit treacherous, but highly worth the breathtaking ocean and cliff views.
After a couple of hours, our stomachs were grumbling from the winding road and our mounting hunger. One friend remembered that this was the road that led to a small town where an old woman sold homemade banana bread from a roadside hut. Nothing (except maybe chocolate) could have been a better incentive for three Goddesses to continue onward and find that banana bread lady!

An hour and a few dozen switchback turns later, we found hera Hawaiian native with island hair and an ear to ear smile looking as if she had been waiting for us all along! We devoured the banana bread and conceded that it was the best banana bread we had ever tastedwarm, moist, spicy and sweet. When we asked our hostess if we should turn back, she recommended we continue on the same road since we were more than half way around the mountain, and the road would eventually circle back to the beach.

With happy, full tummies, we headed out. Finally, after several towns, the road took one last curve, leading us back to blue water. At 4:00PM, we noticed a small beach covered with trees growing out of the sand that were bent towards the ocean at unusual angles. We settled into that secluded beach, swam in the crystal clear ocean, gave each other Tarot card readings, and soaked up the sun until 5:30PM when we had to leave.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the hotel ten minutes later! We had traveled most of the day looking for the perfect beach, only to find it ten minutes from where we started. Yes, sometimes what you’re looking for is right under your own nose, but that beach would have never looked and felt as good had we found it in ten minutes. We would have missed the journeybeautiful scenery, intimate conversations, and yes…the best banana bread in the world! Maybe Pele really was leading us.

Regardless of your destination, it’s the journey that gives it meaning.

5 Ways to Enjoy The Journey:

• On family car trips, take time to stop along the way to absorb the scenery or the people.

• When you set a goal in life, accept and enjoy any and all roads that lead to it.

• When you reach a goal in life, reflect upon the lessons learned in your journey and appreciate what you’ve accomplished.

• Keep a daily journal and read past entries. They will answer your questions about why things happened when they did.

• When a difficult situation takes you “off-track”, stay in the present, knowing this too shall pass.

Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss

Debbie Gisonni, aka The Goddess of Happiness, is an author (The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss and Vita’s Will: Real Life Lessons about Life Death & Moving On), speaker, happiness expert and columnist for iVillage.com. Contact: http://www.goddessofhappiness.com

Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Gisonni

Where do you buy your beauty supplies? If you buy them from a department store- you are paying way too much! I was a department store buyer for many years. I was hooked on a particular brand, and I thought that the products were only available at the department store. I was wrong. With a little bit of time and research, I was able to shave off 50% of my beauty supply bill. Imagine what you could do with the extra money. The process is actually really simple. All you have to do is find the right websites.

Many of us are hooked on a particular brand of beauty supplies. We have used them for years, and love the way that they make us look and feel. The price tag however isn’t very pretty. Try doing a search online for your favorite beauty products. You may find that auction sites such as EBay.com have really good deals. Make sure to find out about shipping and return policies. I am a sucker for a free shipping deal, so try to find them whenever possible. You may also be able to purchase the product directly from the manufacturer’s website. Look for online promotions that will give you discounts on the items you buy most. Coupon sites can give you even better discounts, so shop around.

If you are feeling adventurous and want to try a new cheaper brand, have no fear. Most websites will include a list of ingredients for all of their products. You can then compare this list with products that you have tried before. Look for products that have natural ingredients. If you can’t produce anything on the label, chances are its not a good deal. There are many companies that focus on creating cheap designer knock-offs, so you may get a fragrance or cologne for much less than the name brand.

Buying beauty supplies online can be a lot of fun. You will be amazed at the level of savings, and pleased with the final product. Try getting together with friends and family members to compare beauty regimens. You may find a new product or item that you cannot live without. Always remember- beauty doesn’t have to be expensive!

Melanie Breeze, avid online shopper and user of CouponChief, is always shopping around for the best deals. You can find beauty supply bargains and savings available around the web at CouponChief, all in one location. Always find an online coupon 1st before making ANY purchase!

Affordable hair removal options for men and women exist but you might have to adjust your expectations when it comes to the length of time the unwanted hair will actually be removed when considering the cheaper options.

The cheapest hair removal options tend to be ones that offer temporary hair removal such as shaving, waxing, chemical depilatories and tweezing.

While waxing and tweezing might offer several weeks of hair removal for small areas of unwanted hair, the other two options generally give you a few days of hair removal at best and usually need to be done regularly to keep the hair free look.

Hair removal options like laser treatment and pulsed light treatment may offer longer hair removal results but tend to get expensive once you figure in repeated treatments that are often necessary to achieve desired results.

Electrolysis is generally considered to be a true permanent hair removal option but again, the cost might be too high for you depending on the amount of hair to be treated and the number of visits you may need to remove all your unwanted hair.

With any hair removal option your best is to do your research and carefully consider your options before deciding on what is best for you.

Certainly, your budget and the amount of time you have to give to receive various hair removal treatments are just two things you’ll need to consider.

Temporary and permanent hair removal technology is evolving constantly and is relevant to both men and women who want to remove unwanted hair.

For more information on hair removal options, visit http://www.PermanentHairRemovalTips.com