We're Back!

Hi family and friends! We are back from our almost 2 week adventure to HAWAII! We had an absolutely fabulous time! There are almost 500 pictures posted on the other picture website so go and check them out! I noticed after going through them to upload, that I apparently couldn't get enough of the sunset over the water! A lot of the sunset views are from our balcony. Also the rainbow pictures are also from the balcony. It seemed to rain just about every morning (early) but not last long, and then clear up with a beautiful rainbow. Jason and I used this slightly cloudy time in the morning to workout, browse around town, and watch the Packer games. (YES they were on TV there, although EARLY Sunday mornings!)

We spent the first couple of days we were there, just relaxing on the beach and by our oceanside pool. It was very sunny and very relaxing to just talk, have a few Hawaiian cocktails, and absorb the warm sun. Throughout the next week we traveled on many different and exciting excursions. One day we went on an "Ocean Safari" in which we went out on a small boat with a few others and a couple guides, looking for wildlife (whales, dolphins, turtles, etc). We saw a lot of dolphins from the boat, but MUCH more once the guides dumped us out of the boat in the middle of a huge pod of wild dolphins. It was sooo neat, they were above us jumping through the air, doing flips, swimming next to us and beneath us. We spent about an hour in the water with the the dolphins, what an experience! The next part of this trip, we went to a more cove-like area and again were dumped out of the boat to check out the sea turtles, coral, fish, and inadvertently...a SHARK. I was out of the water sooooo fast when I heard what was below me...Jason of course swam CLOSER to it to "check it out" with one of the guides! Seriously...

A big accomplishment for me on this trip was the snorkeling part. Admittedly so, I am slightly claustrophobic and cannot naturally breathe through my mouth. Not to mention I am scared BIG TIME of things in the ocean like, sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, etc. It went great though and I had an awesome time once we were in the water.

We spent one day also over in Pearl Harbor. We visited the Arizona Museum, the Battleship Missouri, the Submarine USS Bowfin, and the museums that surround Pearl Harbor. It was very interesting to see and also incredibly sad. I think we enjoyed what we could from the day, and also learned a lot!

One of our more fun adventures while we were on the island was the day we rented a Mustang convertible and drove all the way around and throughout the island. We visited many destinations that we wanted to see and also took some very scenic drives. It was a fun day of sunshine and lots of laughs in the convertible. Jason tells me he could see me in a convertible....I like the sound of that! :) We visited the blowhole, Haunama Bay, a neat lighthouse on a peak, Northshore (where the Triple Crown surfing tournament was being held -- CRAZY big waves!), and Pipeline (a famous surfing spot where only professionals are allowed in the water!) We had lunch at a little pizza place on Northshore, then headed south through the middle of this island and the many mountains since we had made almost a complete trip around the island. There was a lot of scenery through here; we also then visited the Dole Plantation. We ate some great pineapple and took a tour of the plantation. It was pretty neat!

We also learned to SURF while on the island. We went out for a long half day lesson with some of the Waikiki Fire Fighters to a slightly deserted beach and they taught us (patiently) to surf. We actually did really well, although there were plenty of spills and wipe outs to go around. This pic is of us after we have "learned" how to surf on land, and are waiting to go into the water. The other pics are pretty entertaining of us in the water!

One night we went to a pretty cool Luau. We were greeted with Mai Tai's and fresh flowered leis. There were a bunch of traditional ceremonies that we could participate in. I made a head band with fresh palm and flowers. Jason got to be a part of the bringing in the nets from the lagoon. We had the traditional pig for dinner that was roasted in the underground oven along with many other island "favorites".
We took a sunset cruise one night on a catamaran sailboat which was fun. It left right from the beach in front of our hotel and it had an open bar :) And of course we visited the Waikiki fire department while we were there for a few photos and to just check it out!

We got to spend a lot of time together and really had a great time no matter what we were doing, it was great to be away from work, school, and the business of everything. We were greeted back however with MUCH colder weather than we were used to and of course, both of us heading right back to work (and school for me). Despite the catching up we have to do, it was well worth it! Sorry this got so lengthy....much luv, Katie