News Year Resolution

Ok so I know that I don't post as much as I would like to so a New Year's Resolution that I have is to post at least 2x's a month! So I hope I can keep up with this so that everyone can know what is going on in our lives.

Also...Greg and I have moved back down to Mesa. If you would like to see us and hang we would love to see you! Send me a message and we can make plans!

Hawaii Trip Part 2

So apparently I never posted a part 2 to our trip to Hawaii. So let's see if I can pick up where I left off.

Sunday:
On Sunday morning we went out to Pearl Harbor with Brea and Brint. We went on one of the submarines and got the audio tour. Man there were some tight spaces and the sub is definitely made for short people. I am only 5'5" and I was starting to feel claustrophobic in there. Greg did not fit well in there at all. There were not enough beds for every sailor that was on the sub so they did something called hot bunking. When a sailor came off a shift he would go find another sailor to take out of bed so he could get some sleep. That life style is not for me that is for sure.

After we spent time on the submarine, we caught the ferry to go see the Arizona Memorial. This was my 2nd time seeing the memorial and each time it still amazes and saddens me to all of the individuals who lost their lives that day. It also amazes me that fresh oil is still leaking from the vessel that is at the bottom of the harbor.

Looking towards the front of the ship

List of names of those who died that day

Flag on top of the Memorial

After Pearl Harbor we went back over to the beach and just hung out for the rest of the day! Just the way a vacation should be :)

Monday:

We spent monday on our own and used it as our "tourist day". Brint dropped us off near the International Market near Waikiki. We went through the shops and stopped at the Pick and Pearl kiosk. I picked at oyster and in it was a Black Pearl! Out of the 4 pearl choice the Black Pearl is the most rare. We negotiated with the lady and got a beautiful pennant to mount the pearl in so I could wear it as a necklace. After that the deal was that I could pick one more oyster for free. I was really luck because when she opened it up I got 2 more Black Pearls! I was unbelievable. We didn't mount them there as earrings. Greg did that for me as a Christmas present. They are beautiful and now I have a great set that I can wear out anytime! After the International Market we walked down the strip to see what else was around. We found a Ukulele shop because that was the one thing that Greg wanted to bring home as a souvenir. We had a great day just to ourselves and shopped and did all the "touristy" things that we wanted to do!

In the evening we went night surfing. We were out on the water as the sun set. It was so romantic and I was so glad that I could spend that moment with my husband! We had a great time and got in some great surfing. I was able to stand up but only for a few seconds at a time. 

Finally caught a wave!

Sunset

Tuesday:

We went to the Polynesian Culture Center and ended our night with a Luau (sp)... It was a very long but amazing day! We went through many different cultures during the day and took a ton of pictures. We had a great tour guide on the bus to the Culture Center. On the way we saw the bridge that Lucy ran out on in the movie 50 First Dates, Mr. Miyagi's hut for Karate Kid, and the jungle looking area where they filmed Lost. I will let the pics show how much fun we had at PCC. 

Crazy Tree Climber

Trying to make fire with sticks

Big Drum Beats

Dinner!

We had an amazing time. We were so tired by the end of the day and got a great nights sleep. After this we had one day left in Hawaii and just spent the day at the beach before we had to go to the airport and return to Phoenix. We took an over night flight so we could have a full last day for our vacation. 

Thank you so much to Brint and Brea for letting us stay with them and for showing us the ropes in Oahu! We hope to return soon not only to visit you but to see the island again!

Hawaii Trip Part 1

In August Greg and I visited Honolulu, Hawaii to visit the island as well as Brea Hiatt and her husband Brint. It had been such a long time since we had seen them and I was talking to Brea one day and she said we could come visit. I thought it was a brilliant idea, but never thought we would be able to pull it off. We made it work and go to visit the Island of Oahu for 1 full week! We arrived on a Wednesday night in August. I want to thank my dad for the tickets for the airline flight. Without that we never would of been able to go. Once we arrived, Brint and Brea met us at the airport to pick us up. We drove back to their apartment to drop off our stuff and then decide how we were going to start out our trip. Once we got settled, they took us to dinner at one of their favorite places. It was a Ramen place. It was the best Ramen I have ever had in my life. After dinner they took us on  a tour of downtown Waikiki. I could smell the ocean and feel the breeze and it felt amazing. The only thing that I didn't really like was the humidity. It did a real number on my curly hair. After the walk we went back to where we were staying and settled in for the night. It was so nice of Brint and Brea to let us stay with them. We really appreciated it!

Thursday:
Our first full day in Hawaii Brea took us around some of the island to a beach called "Sandy's Beach". While we were there way off in the distance there was a ship in the ocean. Then Brea informed us that Pirates 4 was filming just off the island and that very well could be the Black Pearl. It was way off in the distance but I really think it was. I got some pictures but they are kinda far out...

Its small but its there...

This one is a little better...

After we spent some time looking at the ship we went down to the beach and laid out our stuff and got ready to enjoy the sand, the water, and the sun. The sun felt amazing and the sound of the waves crashing made me realize that I was actually Hawaii!

Hiding form the sun haha...

Awwwwww :)

Crashing Waves!

Excited for the Ocean

Later that day once we were able to meet up with Brint, we went to go get shaved ice at a place called Shamazus (sp?). It was so good! Shaved ice is the new ice cream in Hawaii. Greg and I split the shaved ice and we had trouble finishing it. This thing was huge. We had half strawberry and half mango and then added condensed milk on top of both sides. It was so YUMMY!!!

After we ate the monstrous shaved ice we then decided to go to dinner. They took us to another favorite restaurant. It was called Teddy's Burger. It reminded me of a 50's diner with a modern twist. The burgers were huge and very good. They had a special sauce that was on the burger and it was amazing!! The burger was way to big for me to finish but I kept eating it because of the sauce. 

Friday:

On Friday we went to the North Shore to go snorkeling at Sharks Cove. On the way there we stopped at Waimea Falls and the Dole Plantation but we decided to come back at the end of the day.Waimea Falls was absolutely gorgeous. It was about a mile hike to the end where the falls was. It was very lush and green with lots of flowers.

After Waimea Falls we went snorkeling and it was amazing! The water was clear, a little chilly, but right when we got in the water we landed on a  school of fish, not sure what kind they were but they were pretty. Once we were done snorkeling we had a little camp and had hot dogs and chips. It was yummy! The North Shore was absolutely beautiful and had a different feel from Waikiki. The air was more crisp and had a fresher smell to it.

Getting started ... It was a bit cold

School of fish we found right away

Awesome dude!

 Tunnel that was found while snorkeling

Saturday:

Saturday went spent the morning learning how to surf! We went down to Waikiki  with Brea. They had extra surfboards for us to use so we didn't have to pay for them. We were thankful for that. It was really flat that morning but it was still a good learning environment. My arms were so sore and tired by the end. Other people making surfing look so easy and let me tell you its not. Its exhausting but it was so worth it. We ended up going on a sunset surf on Monday night. It was beautiful and romantic to watch the sunset from the ocean. By the end I was able to stand up on a small wave. It was only for a few seconds but it still counts! I would definitely go surfing again if and when I get the chance :)