hawaii

In anticipation of Rob's 8-week work sabbatical, we knew we wanted our summer plans to include a special trip for just the two of us.  My sister-in-law, Tracey, and brother, Todd, were kind enough to agree to watch our kids so we could go to Hawaii.  A HUGE thank you to them for making this trip possible!  We drove to Fresno, CA to drop off the kids on Friday, June 7th, and caught a flight to Hawaii the next day.  Unfortunately, our flight was delayed over three hours getting out of Fresno, but at least that enabled us to get a bit more sleep.

Ready for take-off!

 Because of the flight delay, we missed our connecting flight from Honolulu to Kauai, although we certainly made our best effort.  I traded seats with a passenger close to the door and ran as fast as I could (with heavy backpack) from one end of the airport to the opposite end.  I got to the check-in desk in time to make the flight, but Rob was stuck getting our bag from baggage claim and so I paid $20 to change our tickets to the next flight.  Unfortunately, THAT flight was delayed as well (very common between islands, I'm told).  So we ended up spending most of our Saturday in the air or waiting in the airport. 

Walking outside to climb aboard our 'island hopper'

 Kauai had a great feel to it right from the get-go.  There were live musicians playing at baggage claim which was cool.  The other thing I noticed right away was all of the chickens and roosters just roaming around the island.

We stayed at the Marriott resort on Kauai and it was pretty amazing.  We loved the beautiful trees driving into the resort.  

These cool trees are Norfolk Pines and are Rob's favorite trees.  I think he told me that every time we saw one :)

Checking out the Norfolk branches up close

I didn't take a ton of resort photos, but here is one looking toward the pool (it had an island in the middle of the pool accessible by bridge). 

Directly behind the pool, was the sand (see the beach volley ball court?) and ocean.  Pretty amazing.  Our room was at the far end of the resort and very close to the pool/beach.  I don't think I've ever stayed in a room this close to the ocean.

Since we got in much later than planned on Saturday, we really only had time to walk around the resort.  We ate dinner at the resort and shared a 'hula pie' which had macadamia ice cream in it.  Pretty yummy!

We eventually found the church building on Sunday morning.  Google totally got the directions wrong on that one, but we got there, albeit a little wind-blown (me, not Rob):

Convertible = Messy hair

We spent Sunday afternoon 'Sunday driving' and looking at some of the best views I've ever seen in my life! We could have spend much more time at these parks--I'd love to go back to do some hikes someday.  

Isn't this place spectacular?!  It's Hawaii's 'Grand Canyon' with lots of GREEN!

We had walked up to the main viewing area, and then found another amazing spot on our drive out and pulled over for a look:

Chillin' in the car (we were being cheesy on purpose, don't worry):

There were hydrangeas all over the place (one of my faves)!

From Waimia, we drove to Kalalau lookout:

I can't think of a prettier place on earth.  I love how the blue sky and blue ocean meet.  Aren't these mountains gorgeous?  Looks likes fingers formed them.

 I'm normally not one to take a lot of photos without people in them.  But the views were just breathtaking.  I wish the camera could do it justice!

We drove south to Koloa  (and had dinner there) and walked around the beach a bit.  Suddenly we came upon this Hawaiian Monk seal.  At first glance, it looked dead, but it was just taking a nap on the beach (they had roped him off to keep him safe).

 I don't want to dwell on this, but Sunday night I got hit with a nasty head cold/congestion that turned into a sinus and ear infection as the week went on.  It was a bummer, but didn't slow us down much.  Bad timing!

Monday morning, we left really early to go kayaking on the Kauai River.  We went with a guided tour group and it was my favorite part of the trip!  We got the hang of the tandem kayak really quickly--I want one now!  :)

Because I wasn't feeling well, Rob told me to just relax and he would do most of the work:

Me putting my feet up and enjoying the scenery 

 Photos can't capture how awesome this was.  I didn't want to lose my phone in the water, so I didn't have it out much to take photos

We left they kayaks on the bank of the river and hiked into "Secret Falls."  It was a great little hike.  Our awesome tour guide (Lisa) did the entire thing barefoot, and with her 5-year-old daughter on her shoulders for most of it.

This is the coolest tree!  My mom would NOT like it at all.

At Secret Falls, where we ate our picnic lunch:

Rob going for a little swim, post lunch:

Getting ready to hike back out:

A brief stop at Queen's Bath:

On Tuesday, we woke up early to take a catamaran tour along the Na'Pali coast.  We were really excited about this as we'd read that this is one of the most beautiful things to see in Hawaii, and it is only accessible by boat or plane.

Setting Sail

We saw a pod of dolphins.  It's was pretty cool.  Several came up to the surface:

I caught this one jumping (my phone camera isn't as good):

Coming up on the Na'Pali coast:

Spectacular view!

It started to get windy, rough, and wet:

At this point, I headed for the back of the boat and lost my cookies (or my Clif Bar, rather), over the railing.  Rob came to check on me awhile later, and got me a ginger ale.  I wasn't too thrilled that he tried to capture the moment on camera, but it's all part of the memories, right?

After awhile we turned around and stopped at this little spot for snorkeling.  There were so many tropical fish, it was unbelievable.  There was also a sea turtle right by us.

The crew guys were so nice to me and told me I would feel better (stop throwing up) if I got in the water.  I seriously had a panic attack and couldn't let go of the boat.  It was a little weird; Rob said my eyes were frozen and not normal.  I think it was a combination of the nausea, head cold, and my (mild) fear of open water.  One of the crew guys gave me a board to hold onto, and that helped me calm down a bit and get my breathing under control so I could let go of the boat railing.  I was trying SO HARD to enjoy the moment and concentrate on the amazing fish and beautiful surroundings!  Unfortunately, I continued to be sick and had to get out of the water.  I did grab my phone so I could get some photos of Rob.

Rob had a blast (I think this was his favorite thing of the trip).  He kept trying to check on me and I assured him I was fine and to enjoy snorkeling for both of us.

I ended up throwing up about a dozen different times (hello, pregnancy flashback!) and didn't eat any of the big lunch/dessert/drinks included in the trip.  Even the cookies smelled disgusting.  Bummer!  The boat ride back (about an hour and 1/2) felt very long, but it was wet and windy and we drove very fast so that helped me feel a bit better.  

Wednesday we checked out some different falls, including Wailua Falls (seen in opening to "Fantasy Island"):

This is the Kauai River (that we kayaked on).  So pretty!

We walked along Kapaa beach and found this awesome tree swing!

Wednesday afternoon we decided to hang out at the resort and (finally) hit the beach and relax some!

Rob loved body surfing:

It started raining a bit on our walk to dinner:

My favorite dinner was at the resort Wednesday night; yummy fish with rice and sauce.  

We did a little shopping after dinner and got a timer-selfie on the beach after dark:

We woke up REALLY early (in the 4s?) on Thursday to watch the sunrise at Kapaa before catching our flight.

We were sad to leave lush and quiet Kauai.  The time went too fast (except for the last part of that boat ride).  We really hope to take the kids there someday (maybe next sabbatical?).  We caught a flight back to Oahu on Thursday morning and headed straight to Pearl Harbor:

Rob is a sign reader (and doesn't like when I try to hurry him along) 

Rob inside one of the subs

 We left Pearl Harbor and made the gorgeous drive north to Laie.  The contrast between the two islands was interesting.  Oahu is so busy and so 'big city' compared to Kauai.  We ate lunch at the Hukilau Cafe (a small hole in the wall.  The name was used in the movie 50 First Dates--it's where Adam Sandler meets Drew Barrymore).

Giant Steak Sandwich

After lunch we drove to the Hawaii temple and looked around and visited with some nice people and missionaries.  It started pouring soon after we got there.

I did not get tired of the beautiful plants and flowers

 We spent most of the afternoon and evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Neither of us had ever been there and it was really interesting.  Just after we entered, Rob went to the desk to get a map and got talking with two BYU students from China, and learned that they were from the Chengdu First Branch (all Chinese members).  Rob had attended the Chengdu Second Branch (all foreigners) when he was in China on business a year or so ago.  This was a really cool experience, since the church is so hush-hush in China.  These students were both returned missionaries and told us that their branch has over 100 members and 24 of them are returned missionaries or departing on missions soon.  This was a highlight of our trip!

We really enjoyed all of the different shows at the PCC.  I recognized several moves and a few songs from the Polynesian dance class I took at BYU way back when.

 Taking shelter under a tree during a downpour:

 The cute employee/student (from Asia)  that took our photo told us we needed to do the "Hang Loose" sign. Ha!

 The evening show (HA-  Breath of Life), was very good and what I expected.  My favorite thing at the center was an IMAX movie called, "Hawaiian Journey."  It had amazing footage of Hawaii, and was also very touching.  Rob and I both got emotional.  I left Hawaii feeling very grateful for the amazing world we live in, and with a greater appreciation for our parents and ancestors and a closeness to them.

We stayed at a Marriott on Waikiki, but never made it to the beach due to lack of time, unfortunately.

Our balcony in the city, minutes before heading to the airport

 Mahalo and aloha, Hawaii!

Rob and I played Phase 10 almost the entire flight home.  It seemed much faster than the flight there.


Many, many thanks again to Tracey and Todd for taking such good care of our kids.  You are the best!  We had such a great time in Hawaii. Thanks for reading to the end of this VERY long post. Just think of all the photos that I didn't post from our trip. :)