Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hawaii

At the end of February we took the trip of a lifetime to Oahu Hawaii with Aunt Marlena and Aunt Ruth. Before I forget anything, I thought I would post some pictures and memories.
Kalyn was an absolute champ on the plane ride there. We had been talking about this trip for weeks before we left in the hopes that she would be excited and not scared to fly. Well she LOVED it! When we were getting ready for takeoff we all buckled our seat belts and Kalyn announced "Ready for blastoff!" We "blasted" off and it was smooth sailing from there. She took a great nap on the way there and played quietly the rest of the flight. She fell asleep towards the end of our flight, but woke up in time to land in Hawaii. It was almost 11pm when we got in so we didn't really get to see anything until the next morning.
Our first day there was spent at the pool and walking to the ocean (it was only 2 blocks from our hotel) so we could dip our toes in the Pacific. Kalyn absolutely LOVED the pool and HATED the ocean. Aunt Marlena bought Curtis a boogie board, it was expensive to rent them and she figured this way he could use it everyday if he wanted. He loved watching and learning from the locals and by the end of the week was almost a pro.

 The second day there we walked to International Market to do some shopping and sightseeing. There was an amazing Koi pond at the market with tons of Koi. It was beautiful! There were also birds that hung out there and we were able to get close enough that we could almost touch them.
That afternoon Curtis and Aunt Ruth left before us so they could get back to the hotel. The did a helicopter tour of the island and loved it. Aunt Marlena, Kalyn and I went back to the pool and played there while they were gone. When they got back we looked at pictures and the video from the helicopter ride. It was pretty cool to see the island from the sky.

That night we walked back down to an all you can eat prime rib and crab leg buffet. Kalyn tried crab legs for the first time and LOVED it. I don't like seafood so I'm glad that Curtis does and that hes introducing Kalyn to it. Kalyn stuffed herself on crab legs, shrimp, salad, fruit and ice cream and when she was done she fell asleep listening to the live music that was playing.

 Pearl Harbor was so amazing!! I learned so much that day! The USS Arizona memorial was fantastic. Such an important part of our history and it was so peaceful there. I thought it was going to be a tough day for Kalyn but she was perfect the whole time.

 I REALLY wanted to visit the zoo while we there, it was only 2 blocks from our hotel and I knew Kalyn would love it.
That morning Curtis, Aunt Marlena, and Aunt Ruth went and did the Atlantis Submarine tour. Kalyn was too small to do it, so we hung out at the hotel and took a nap while they went. When the got back Curtis and I took Kalyn to the zoo. There were tons of beautiful animals and plants to see, but at the end of the day Kalyn told us the peacock was her favorite. Really? Not the tiger? Or Elephant? Or Lions? Or even the Giraffe? Nope! The peacock that we really only saw in passing. They had a little playground at the zoo so Curtis took Kalyn to play while I did some shopping at the gift shop.
On our way back from the zoo it started to sprinkle a little and then the wind really picked up. It started to rain a little harder so Kalyn and I picked up the pace so we could get back before it got really bad. Curtis stayed behind to try and catch some pictures of ocean and the gigantic waves that the wind was making.
Our last full day in Hawaii was my FAVORITE!! We Hopped the bus that morning and headed along the North Shore to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was so awesome!! We got to meet and learn about the 7 cultures of Polynesia. Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Marquesas and Tonga. There was a canoe pageant, a canoe ride, dancing, family activities, a luau and a fabulous show at the end of the night. Ha, breath of life! It was so interesting to learn about all the different tribes, to see their dances, to listen to their songs and to just take it all in. I found Kalyn and Curtis matching outfits at the International Market, and they wore them that day. SO CUTE!! Curtis learned to Hula, Kalyn played the bamboo sticks and we all danced and sang. PCC is run mostly by students attending BYU Hawaii. It helps cover the cost of their tuition and all of the students who help run it, "work" in their native culture. So when you're visiting Tonga, you're learning about their culture from people born in Tonga. It was pretty impressive. I cant for the life of me remember out tour guides name, but he was a sophomore at BYU Hawaii and was waiting for his mission call to arrive any time. He was such a great guy!
I really wanted to see the Laie temple while I was there. There were 2 buses that went there between dinner and the evening show, so my plan was to go visit the Temple while the others shopped at the gift store, but I missed both buses. If we ever make it back, I WILL make it a priority!
The day we went home our flight didn't leave until 8 pm, so we had a little bit of time to do one more thing. When we were planing our trip my "Hawaii bucket list" was to go to Pearl Harbor, PCC and to climb Diamond Head. I had done everything except Diamond Head. Kalyn stayed with Marlena and Ruth so Curtis and I could rent mopeds and drive to the mountain. We took the short scooter ride and headed up the mountain. It was only like 3/4 mile, but it was the hardest 3/4 mile of my life. Curtis was so good at keeping me motivated when I wanted to quit and when we finally made it to the top it was SO WORTH IT!! The view was amazing and I was so proud of myself. We stopped at the International Market on the way back to hotel for some last minute souvenirs and headed back to the hotel to get packed up.
The flight home was a good one, we got stuck in Dallas for a little before heading to Chicago and out parents were worried we would be able to get back to Traverse because they were having a snow storm, but we made it.
I'm so glad we were able to go. Even if Kalyn doesn't remember the trip when shes older, we always have our memories so we can tell her about it and of course we have amazing photos to show her. Thank You Aunt Marlena and Aunt Ruth for taking us!! We are so grateful.

1 comment:

Meggin said...

AWESOME!!! Brought back great memories of our trip, too!