Aloha, Hawaii

During the second week of December, we got to go to Hawaii again for a conference. It was a crazy time since we had just moved, hosted Thanksgiving, and had Christmas around the corner, but hey, it was Hawaii so we couldn't refuse. We were on the island of Oahu and stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Darin and Jen Allred travelled with us (well, Jen did. Darin's ticket didn't get purchased, just reserved, so he had to fly by himself and arrived a couple of hours later). The hotel was beautiful and we were so excited to be back. We met up with some great friends, Ben and JaCoy Robinson, the next day and spent the entire week together. We also got to reconnect with other friends from residency during dinners, hikes, chillin' on the beach, and karaoke at the coffee shop across the street.

Scuba diving at Haunama Bay was first on our list of things to do. After a delicious breakfast of Jamba bowls and oatmeal at Jamba Juice, we were energized and ready to go. The water was great and we spent a few hours snorkeling along the reef. Then we headed back to the grocery store for some snacks and cream puffs to take on our hike to Manoa Falls. It was a beautiful hike and the scenery was fun. There were thick bamboo plants all over and long vines hanging from canopy trees as we walked up to the waterfall. The water wasn't flowing as heavy since it was wintertime but still pretty. After hiking back down and cleaning up at our hotel, we went to a restaurant called Haleiwa Joe's. It was the favorite of the week. We had some amazing fish and the boys were ranting and raving loudly about how great the food was. Definitely a high recommendation.

Next on our "To Do" list was the Dole Plantation. We ate lunch there, ate pineapple ice cream, and walked around the grounds. Then we drove up to the North Shore to watch the surfers. The waves were coming in pretty good and we just sat there for hours watching the locals surf. Our boys even body-surfed a bit but were getting pretty thrashed out there.

The Hale Koa hotel next door held a luau for all of us that evening and it was fun to visit, hook up with old friends, and see some Hawaiian entertainment.



Next was golfing for the boys and para-sailing for the girls. I have never done this before and I was so excited. JaCoy, Jen and I got to go together so it was really fun for all three of us to be up so high looking at Waikiki and scream on the way down when they dipped us in the water. It was a great experience.

Then we just hung out on the beach until the boys arrived and watched the sunset while taking goofy romantic pictures of each couple.

We also went on a ATV tour at Kailua Ranch. It was gorgeous. It has been the film site for many movies and television shows including LOST, Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, and many more. It was a lot of fun driving through the country and Hawaii is absolutely beautiful. It's amazing how lush and green it is there.



That evening was the buffet and night show at the Polynesian Culture Center. Joe was so excited to finally get his Pineapple Delight. The show was great with all the dancers and entertainment.

We visited the Laie Temple and Visitor Center and Giovanni's shrimp truck before driving up to another hike at Waimea Falls. This one was on a paved road and when you got to the top, there was a big pond that you could swim in. Lifeguards were keeping watch to make sure our boys didn't do any cannonballs off the top of the falls. The water was FREEZING. JaCoy and I counted and just got in. I started swimming quickly to keep warm. Jen had left her swimsuit in the car but due to peer pressure from her friends, she jumped in fully clothed. What a sport!

The last day we toured Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.



It was a wonderful vacation...I mean, conference.