Joey + Rory Share Memories From Family Vacation to Hawaii

By Timothy Yap Feb 23, 2016 12:54 PM EST

One year ago, Joey and Rory Feek were in Hawaii, celebrating Rory Feek's fiftieth birthday. At that time Joey arranged for all of the Feek family to go spend one week on Oahu and one week on the Big Island.

Joey recalls with fondness. "It was a magical trip. In late February, we packed our bags full of warm weather clothes (I promised Joey and the girls that I wouldn't even take a pair of bib overalls with me, and I didn't) and said goodbye to the ice and the cold and landed in beautiful sunny paradise... me, Joey, Heidi, her husband Casey, Hopie and our little Indiana."

"For two weeks, we didn't just walk down memory lane... we made incredible memories that will last a lifetime! We walked beaches, hiked craters, caught waves, climbed volcanos, road catamaran's, drank mai-tai's and even blew out a few candles together. It was our favorite vacation we've ever taken. Most of the trips that we call family vacations, are actually places where we're playing a show and try to fit in a few days of being tourists around it. This one was different. There was no music, no plan, no rush... just us all being together as a family. I loved it."

It was during the time when Joey still did not know her cancer has returned. It was the time when the couple did have a care free vacation. Rory continues: "I didn't bring a camera with me on this trip, but since Joey and I became iPhone people again a couple months ago... I made sure to capture some of my favorite moments with mine. We've been back home for a few weeks now, but I still find myself still listening to some of the island music we listened to when we were there. We built a fire the other night in the campfire pit in the backyard and Joey and I and Indy sat together and watched the sun go down and flames rise up, while we listened to an open-tuned Hawaiian guitar play a beautiful melody. It took us back... "

A few months later, doctors would discover Joey's cancer had returned. Joey has been in home hospice since the fall, and she is currently too frail to eaven leave her own bed. With help from family, Joey Feek did achieve her goal of living through the 2016 Grammys, the release of their new hymns album and Indiana's second birthday (Feb. 17).

This week the Feeks' Hymns That Are Important To Us is #1 on both Billboard's Christian and country albums charts.