We are a happy family!

Hawaii Day 10

Wednesday was a busy day for us. We went with Dave and Jill exploring, just to see what we might find. We found this 52 foot Kilauea Lighthouse first, I love lighthouses!

Then we happened upon this beautiful beach, which we latter found out was Anini beach.

It was a beautiful white sandy beach, very quiet!

Then we stumbled upon a rice plantation. I have never seen one, it was beautiful, especially with the towering mountains for a back drop.

After our exploring adventures, we went to our zip line tour. We decided to spend the extra money on the Zip and Dip adventure. It was a lot of fun, though not as exciting as we had hoped it would be. It was fun to travel over several zip lines and see the beautiful landscape. But I must admit I was hoping for a thrill, and the ramps that we jumped off were a little too mellow.

Dave sporting his fancy GoPro camera - can't wait to see the videos ;) hint, hint.

This bridge was a bit of an adventure, very wobbly.

Mid way through the tour we were able to stop at this little pool for a swim and some lunch. You had to jump into the pool from above the waterfall which was a bit scary, but fun, and the water was refreshingly freezing. :)

The last zip is the King Kong zip, you had to climb this ramp to the top, and then you could jump holding hands for a 1200 foot zip. That was definitely the most fun of all of the zips.

It was a very fun day. Made even more fun, because in the nearly 12 years of marriage Jared and I have never really done anything with Dave and Jill, just the two couples. It was a lot of fun to spend a full day, hanging out with them getting to know them better, and creating great memories.

On our way home Jared and Jill bought coconut drinks. :) Super Fun Day!!!

Hawaii Day 9

On Tuesday we made the drive to the other side of the Island to see the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, Waimea Canyon. It really does look just like the Grand Canyon, beautiful!

Following the Drive we visited Opaekaa Falls, very pretty, but disappointing when you can't get any closer.

Hawaii Day 8

Monday was our first full day in Kauai, we spent it resting, doing very little until the afternoon when we went to the beach for more snorkeling, and playing. We were amazed at the chickens and roosters everywhere in Hawaii - everywhere. I wanted so bad to get a picture of a chicken crossing the road, but I was never fast enough with the camera. I did however get one of this chicken who thought our towels and flip flops looked interesting. :)

Ann Dee had a great time covering Megan in sand, Megan had a great time too - sort of :)

Jared did boogie boarding, and had a great time doing it. :)

This was the view from our balcony, delightful!

Hawaii Day 7

Our last full day in Oahu, we went as a family to Pearl Harbor. This was another thing I was greatly looking forward too. I was however surprised by how small, simple and unassuming it was. Nonetheless it was beautiful.

It was incredible to see the actually Arizona so close to the surface, it was sad to think so many died when they were so close to air and life.

I was especially touched by the flag that was attached to the original mast of the Arizona.

I was also surprised to see that oil is still leaking out of the Arizona and will be for a few more years.

After Pearl Harbor we went to Hanama Bay to snorkel. Hanama Bay has changed. Jared was so excited to snorkel there because he enjoyed it so much, however because it was so popular , there is now a fee to get in and lots of rules. Have of our group opted out the rest of us stayed with high hopes. But the weather and timing did not cooperate and it wasn't the great opportunity we were hoping for, we did see a few big fish and large school of fish, but we were only there for an hour.

The following day was our last day on Oahu. Before heading to the airport for our flight to Kauai we stopped by Leonard's, a Portuguese Donut Shop. It is an icon in Oahu, and so yummy. Then we did a quick drive by King Kameamea's statue and spent the rest of the day traveling to Kauai.

Hawaii Day 6

Friday was our first full day with the whole family. We visited the temple first, and I met some of my relatives; Bob and Ofa Lilywhite, that was pretty cool, they were there serving a mission. :)

Okay, so cool story. Jared and I are big Hawaii Five O fans, love the show. This guy (Taylor Wily) is one of the frequent guest stars on the show, and the only Poly on the show. His character owns a shrimp shack and his personality is super fun. So while I knew he was just a star on a tv show, and that he probably doesn't really own a shrimp shack part of me still really wanted to eat shrimp at his shrimp shack, for the authentic Hawaiian experience, dumb, I know. But as fortune would have it we stopped at the Hukilau restaurant, very near to the temple and guess who was outside waiting to go in an have lunch - Yup Taylor Wily. I was shocked and thrilled. So even though I have never been "that person" who goes to get pictures with a celebrity, I totally did, and I am glad I did, and I may just start being "that person". :) Don't worry though, I didn't bug him at all after we got a picture. And yes we had shrimp, just like he ordered, and he is super friendly. A Laie native. Pretty cool, and a fun surprise to our vacation. :)

After lunch we went to the Polynesian Culture Center (PCC). I was looking forward to the PCC ever since I found out we would be going to Hawaii. The PCC is like the Epcot Center for all of the Polynesian Islands. You get to visit each island, taste some of their food, hear the music, play some of their games, see their homes/temples/schools, and learn all about their culture, all while visiting natives from the island. The PCC is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, along with BYU-Hawaii, which is next door. The church visits the islands, invites natives to go to school at BYU-Hawaii for free, if they will work at the PCC. Talk about a great deal. :) Other employs at the PCC are students at BYU as well, working as tour guides etc. Our tour guide was David, a fun and very informative guy, we learned so much!

The games were so fun, especially when you get our competitive group together. :)

The object of this game is to leave your stick standing and catch your neighbors stick all while moving left or right according to the callers instructions. Jared won - he cheats ;)

This game was similar, when the caller says left, right, front, back you move accordingly into the next square, it is harder than it looks and lots of fun. :)

It so fun to see people actually climb a palm tree free hand, start a fire with sticks, brake open a coconut, with a tiny hammer, do the hula as well as many other awesome dances, and do the drum shows. The Poly's have a GREAT sense of humor. My cheek bones hurt by the end of the night.

We also got to try throwing spears - Jared won that game as well - on pure skill. :)

The highlight of the tour was our dinner, Prime Dinning - a terrific buffet, and the night show Ha - Breath of Life. The show was amazing, made more so by our front and center seats. The story, music, dancing and then incredible fire show at then end were amazing! Who knew a man could were a grass skirt, flower leis, dance the hula and look so tough and amazing. When they do the Haka, Yikes, it is intimidating, skirts and all!