Hawaiian Babymoon

After not taking a real vacation all summer, we were so looking forward to our trip to Hawaii. Friday morning we went to the airport and sadly our flight had been delayed. We grabbed breakfast at Starbucks and relaxed since there wasn't much else to do! We finally got on the plane and headed off into the west skies. We luckily had great seats and the plane wasn't that crowded so I was able to get up and walk around quite a bit.

They also served some food, which always makes flights better. We finally arrived and got out luggage and Cindy, Gary, and Kenzie were already there with the rental car and supplies from Costco! We then made a quick stop to get our snorkel gear and then headed to Kailua where we rented a house. The house was great - nice and clean - and the owner was very friendly and helpful. He had lots of tips and recommendations that were spot on!

So after unpacking and getting settled in, we went to The Food Company and got dinner and then ate on the beach right there in Kailua!

Of course, we then jumped into the wonderfully warm water!

Saturday we woke up pretty early because of the time difference and went to Lanikai beach to try out our snorkel gear. I was very impressed with the soft sand at this beach.

We then went back to the house to watch the BYU game. We were a little nervous to spend the time watching football, but it ended up being such a great game! Hail Mary in the last second!!! After the game, we went to Hanauma Bay and did our first real snorkeling.

 We saw quite a few fish and enjoyed the fun times!

On our way back, we stopped at some lookout points and saw a blowhole! It was very cool. We then went to dinner at a Thai place.

Sunday we got up and went to church. Bryce and I had a good laugh with how the "Ahola, Brothers and Sisters" and "Ahola" response were pretty low key and didn't feel forced.

After church, we went to the Pali Lookout. It was very pretty to see the valley, but also very hot and humid!

We then went to brunch at Cinnamon's. The wait was long, but the guava French Toast are totally worth it! The cinnamon roll was delicious too.

Monday was another big day of activities starting with pancakes for breakfast!!! Our host, Jon, made amazing pancakes and we quickly ate them up. After  breakfast, we went and saw Pearl Harbor. It was a little overcast, but very humid so luckily we had a tour at 11AM and not in the middle of the afternoon.

After seeing Pearl Harbor, Bryce found us a spot in Chinatown to eat lunch called Legend Seafood Restaurant. We got in right at the end of the lunch rush and got seated quickly. The AC was blasting and the carts of food starting coming. It was a little chaotic trying to figure out what to get, but it was exciting to get food!

With full stomachs, we were ready for the next activity, but first to be a tourist in Chinatown. Peace signs and mimicking the statue...so cliche!

We then went to Punchbowl Cemetery and walked around.

Tuesday, we got up and went to the North shore for a big snorkel day! We started at Shark's Cove and got out pretty early and beat the rush so that was nice. It was beautiful!

The water was a little rough, but we are good swimmers. Plus, being able to swim around and be on my stomach felt so amazing!! We saw so many fish and even a sea turtle - it was awesome!

After snorkeling for awhile, we were hungry and got lunch just across the road at some food trucks. We got a pretty tasty ahi tuna burger on a taro bun that hit the spot.

Next, we went to Three Tables and did more snorkeling. We saw an octopus at this beach! Also, the water was pretty rough so a little tricky swimming around. When I was getting out of the water and huge wave came and pushed me up the shore. Luckily, I didn't flip onto my belly! I did have lots of sand everywhere!

Beaches!!!

We then went to Waimea Bay. It was a beautiful beach and we mostly hung out. We then hurried to Matsumoto Shaved Ice and got there right before it closed. Delicious!

After getting shaved ice, we drove by sunset beach right at sunset so stopped to enjoy the sun doing down.

I had Bryce take a belly shot!

Since we got dessert first, we had to figure out dinner second, which ended up being a trip back up the shore to Ted's Bakery for garlic shrimp. It was worth it!

Wednesday, we were pretty tired and slept in until 8AM. We then went to Laie to see the Temple and go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was so hot and humid especially being in normal clothing. The locals were saying how unusually warm it has been and glad we weren't just wimps.

The PCC was so cool! The island shows were super entertaining and everyone was having a good time. It was also not very crowded so it made it nice. The luau was good, but since it was so hot, it was hard to eat much food. I kept eating the fruit! The evening show after was incredible! Islander cultures are pretty awesome!

Thursday, we got up and got crepes for breakfast! I love crepes. We then headed to Waikiki. Cindy had to stop at the doctor's for swimmers ear so we did some shopping while waiting for her. We then went to the most incredible noodle place for lunch, Marukame Udon. So glad Bryce loves to find good food places wherever we go!! The wait was a little long and hot, but so worth it.

Two very happy people!

After lunch, we made a quick stop at the Waikiki beach. It was tourist so we didn't stay long, but got a picture all the same!

We then were on the hunt for a surf shop. During the search, Kenzie and I stumbled into a store with good AC that also had awesome stuff. We bought some jewelry and accessories! We ended up finding the surf shop, but not being impressed so headed back to Kailau. We went to the beach and enjoyed the wonderful water and sunset.

After the sun went down, we went to the grocery store and got a hodgepodge of food for dinner. I really enjoyed the apple and cheese! Bryce enjoyed lots of poke.

Friday, we went back to the North Shore. We started with breakfast at Ted's Bakery. It was a very good decision especially the mango pasty.

We then went to Turtle Bay and saw like 7 turtles! It was incredible just swimming around them.

Snorkeling away!

We also snorkeled at Shark's Cove. The water was less rough so that made it nice, but there were a lot more people so we didn't stay too long. We then drove to Haleiwa to get food. We decided on Kau'aina for burgers. I liked how much avocado they used and the grilled pineapple was good!

I found this giant Rainbow flipflop at the store next door and loved it!

We also got shaved ice again at Matsumoto's. I also found a Christmas ornament at a little store that I am excited to put on our tree to remember our fun trip! We then drove back to the east side of the island as crazy rains were starting to fall.

Saturday, we got up, packed, and headed out. We returned our snorkel gear, drove around Waikiki to return a shirt and buy one last souvenir and then went to the airport. We said our goodbyes since Cindy, Gary, and Kenzie left from a different gate than us. We got some food at Starbucks while we waited for our flight. Then the delays started. We got boarded on the first plane, but then had to get off and wait for a new another one. When the second plane came, there was an issue so we had to wait for a third one. Finally, after a 6 hour delay we were finally on our way home. The delay did let us watch the BYU football game and we got complimentary entertainment on the flight!

Mahalo Hawaii for a great week and babymoon!