Hawaii

I was born in Hawaii. We used to visit quite frequently when I was youn

ger. I am absolutely smitten by Hawaii and, until this recent trip, Steve and I hadn't been for 6.5 years! What?!

Steve surprised me with this trip for our 10 year anni. How cute is that? Very cute is the answer you're looking for. We took the kids (much to the dismay of most of our friends) and they had an absolute blast. So did we.

Will and Lizzy did amazingly well on the flight. It's long and hideously boring but they were super troopers (yeah, that's an ABBA reference). The only problem was keeping everyone awake once we got there. The time difference is a KILLER with kids. And me.

This trip was a bit different from our "usual" trips to Hawaii. We did a

LOT more relaxing and beach going. The kids loved the beach more than anything and they loved driving around the island just looking at the scenery (who wouldn't?).

Our first morning there was Labor Day and the day of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim. This is one of the most popular open water swims in the country with over 1,000 participants. I had planned to participate but was advised not to because I'm not yet used to sea swimming and, apparently, it has gotten extremely rough in years past. We decided to just observe. It starts at a section of the beach that is generally uncrowded so we basically had the

beach to ourselves (with the exception of the thousand or so swimmers off to the side ;). The kids thought they were in heaven. It was a great start to the day. We stayed for a few hours, went home and showered and got on with things.

We had absolutely no plan for this trip. We took each day as it came and it worked out perfectly. We decided one day to call one of my friends, and met up for s

hopping and dinner (at the most amazing Japanese BBQ restaurant). If we wanted to hit the beach, off we went. If we wanted a cultural experience for the kids, that's what we did. It was marvy.

I was afraid since there were no rides involved, the kids would think Hawaii was boring. Wrong. They honestly loved almost everything we did. Nearly every morning we'd pop over to Leonard's bakery to feast on malasadas which are these amazing portug

ese sweet doughnuts. You cannot die without having tasted one. Also, no day was complete without shave ice. We tried 4 different places and found our faves. Ice Garden and Waiola. Seriously, TO. DIE. FOR. Lilikoi with azuki beans, ice cream and mochi balls... mmmmm. The kids keep asking for it. So sad.

We decided to take them to the Polynesian Cultural Center one day and you'd have thought they'd died and gone to heaven. The PCC is this fabulous place that's owned and run by BYU Hawaii. The people that work there are mostly students and are from the

islands represented at the center which are Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tahiti, and Marquesas. They give the kids "passports" that they can get stamped as they visit each country. All the countries have little (and I might add, very entertaining) productions which tell you about their islands. Most of them have some hands on craft or food tasting or dancing... so fun! I'm telling you, it may seem twee but if you're ever there, don't miss the PCC. Especially with kids. You'll love it.

One of the highlights of every trip to Hawaii is going to church. It's like no other place on earth. You'll never feel so welcomed and loved as you do there. I was a little kid when we moved to Utah but I'm always completely gobsmacked at how many people remember me. My dad was the bishop of our ward before we moved and there can't be a single person who was in their ward, young or old, who has forgotten them. People will come up to me and say, "you look so familiar..." . When I tell them who my parents are, the recognition registers and they regale me with stories of my parents and of myself when I was little. So cute. I absolut

ely adore the people there. Not just at church, all the people.

Will and Lizzy have asked me no less than 50 times when we can go back and if we can move there soon. Obviously we're going to have to visit Hawaii more often. This 6.5 year fandango will not do.

Since the trip was vair vair long and I failed to write everything down, I shall now regale you with a slightly out of order photo log of the trip. Here goes...

Our first day at the beach. How cute are those kids, I ask you.

Some of the crowd getting ready for the Rough Water Swim. Notice the idiots in wet suits? The water was 79 degrees and the air temp 85. Get. A. Grip.

Japanese BBQ with Kahala and Kira (Will's part time girlfriend).

Matsumoto. So delicious but not the "best" shave ice, as it happens.

Steve and the kids at Shark's Cove. They would ride on his back and stick their little goggled heads in to look at the fish.

Um, pardon me but how cute is this?

Our doodles with a sea turtle. Highlight of their day.

Happy family on top of the Pali.

Getting blown away.

Will and Lizzy with a Samoan Chief at the PCC.

Will and Lizzy with a cute Samoan lady who helped them make toys out of grass. Immensely clever.

Us with some Fijians. You would not have believed the size of the man on the left. He was very nearly a giant.

Steve jumping off the rock at Waimea. I never have and I never will.

Will, Kira and Lizzy at Ko Olina. Amazing, calm, man made beach.

Lizzy made some adorable little friends at Ko Olina.

Kahala and I collapsing the ridiculous floaties the kids were playing on. They took FOR. E. VER.

The babies at the swap meet. It's always at least 180 degrees there but I love it and can't miss it!

Some love on the boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The kids actually loved that too.

Oil seeping up from the Arizona. Still. It's oddly beautiful and haunting.

And finally, my little doodle pointing to Hawaii. He really got on board with Pearl Harbor. The fact that it all happened right there was pretty fascinating to him.

So, I'd have to say it was an amazing trip. Loved nearly every minute of it. There were a few breakdowns but that's to be expected when traveling with bambini, right?

Peace out,

Hedi