Monday, June 1, 2009

As I ended my previous post, I provided a preview of the first thing I saw as I woke up on Monday morning. Nic opened up the curtains just as I opened my eyes; it was the perfect start to our first full day in Hawaii.

We loaded into our boat of a rental car (the Chrysler 300 Touring that we were so wonderfully up-graded to) and were on the road by 8:00 am.
Our first stop: The Dole Plantation



I know it was a very tourist-y thing to do, but it was actually really interesting! And the pineapple was delicious. We even went on the Plantation Garden Tour, led by an ancient little philipino man who was followed around by a black cat and who lectured us for 5 minutes after the tour about the dangers of cross-walking.

The following is the pineapple deliciousness that Nic gobbled up in 8 minutes flat. (It was a very hot day, hence the beginning of the soup-like consistancy)



Our next stop: Haleiwa on the North Shore
Here we were exposed to our first 'local' spot. We pretended that we fit in, although we were still very pale at this point and I don't think we fooled anyone. We walked the main street in town, shopped extensivley in a very cool surf shop called Surf and Sea (Nic didn't want to leave) and ate a very yummy lunch of sandwiches from a highly recommended local spot. It was at Surf and Sea where we decided to have our try at kayaking. It was so much 'fun' trying to coordinate with each other enough to not hit the other with the oar :). Really, it was a very cool experience, as neither of us have ever kayaked in the ocean before.

We then jumped into the car and continued on our way up the coast. Our next stop was Sunset Beach, which hosts some of the islands most famous surfing. Even though it isn't surf season, the current and under-tow were VERY strong and it was so much fun getting into the water and feeling the pull.

We don't know any of these people, it is just one of our shots of this particular beach.

Our next stop was a small local bakery which came very highly recommended from our friend Paul (who was previously a local). Ted's Bakery in Sunset Beach supplied the yummiest Chocolate Haupia Pie we've ever had. Of course it was the first and only we've ever had, but still. You might be wondering how good a peice of pie could be. Just trust me...it was delicious.

Next on our agenda was a quick stop at Shark's Cove. Our plan was to snorkel, but those who know me know I'm not the most naturaly inclined person in the water and I knew I would have to work up to something like this. It was definitely out of my comfort zone. We did end up going back though, so you will see some pictures of this very cool spot on Friday.

We ended the day in our new favorite place on the Earth: Waimea Bay. I could not get enough of this beach. The sand was beautiful and soft, the water was clear, and the scenery was beautiful. Nic took the following picture to remind himself that I do swim in the ocean when I can see more than just seaweed.

Just as we started the day with the sunrise, we ended our day with the sunset. As the sun was slipping down through the clouds, we packed up and headed back to our temporary home in Ko Olina.

We ended the night once again in our resort pools and lagoon. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Finally

The last 4 weeks have been such a whirlwind for our little family. There have been so many changes and so many experiences that I can't wait to write down. But first things first...Congratulations to Nic for graduating from Cal State Fullerton on May 25. After 7 years of on-again off-again schooling and a huge commitment, Nic graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance. Words can't express how proud I am of him for sticking with it. He has a rare determination which is just another thing I love about him. Congratulations to my husband! I'll post pictures of the graduation weekend we had with family as soon as I obtain them. (Bri & Sum, Jon & Kristin, Toni, Mom & Dad??)

The next exciting thing on our list was a week long trip to Hawaii. It was an AMAZING week. We had such a fantastic time; every day since I've wished we were back in our lagoon. So, the following blog stuff is going to be pretty detailed. Like, I don't want to forget anything we did and I'm totally using this blogging thing to journal. So dear readers...don't feel the need to read everything... you can just skip right to the pictures.

Day One: Sunday May 31

Our friend Paul so kindly picked us up at 6:15 on Sunday morning to take us to the LAX airport. We were so thankful for this kind act of service...Thank you so much Paul! We arrived in plenty of time for me to buy my peanut M&M's and People magazine, and for Nic to get his Buger King breakfast. We boarded and flew away from Los Angeles at 8:50 that morning. The flight was very un-eventful. The only thing of interest was the man sitting on the other side of Nic (next to the window) who didn't move an inch for the entire 5 1/2 hours. Like not even to stretch out his arms and legs. It was crazy.

We landed in Honolulu, Hawaii at 11:20 am, picked up our rental car (which was a fiasco in itself...more on that on Tuesday) and were on our way to find a church building in a small town called Mililani. I did a little research on the web before we left town and found a meeting that started at 1:00. I must admit, one of my favorite things about the church we belong to is the fact that it doesn't matter where in the world you go; it is always the same. We enjoyed a very nice church service (Nic wore a short-sleeved white shirt, jeans and flip-flops-it was really funny) and we were on our way again. I have to admit that we did get lost about 4 times before we finally made it to our resort in Ko Olina. But when we finally found it, we fell in love. It was beautiful!

The rest of the afternoon and evening consisted of swimming in our pools and in the lagoon at our hotel. We un-packed, ate dinner at the restaurant on the beach (we shared the pupu platter)

and were in bed asleep by 9:30 pm. It was the perfect, relaxing start to an AMAZING vacation.

So pretty detailed, right? Which is why I don't have the patience to go on tonight. I will continue with Monday tomorrow. I promise it will be much more exciting as Monday was one of our favorite days. Here's a preview: (and the first thing I saw when I woke up on Monday morning)

A Moment

You know those moments when everything in life feels perfect and you don't want anything to ever change?