Oahu: Day 4

On the fourth day in paradise we woke up to another beautiful sunrise. 

This is the day of Ben and Katelyn's wedding in the Laie, Hawaii Temple. We were so excited to celebrate with them. We were their YM/YW leaders in Papillion and have watched their relationship unfold from the beginning.

Of course I had planned on straightening my hair and being all pretty for the day. But half way through my blow drying the power went out!!! Yep...so there I was...neither curly nor straight.

But there are just some things you get to roll with and that was one of them! I didn't even put on makeup. That is how chill I was.

As you can see, we took a few selfies. What else were we supposed to do to pass the time!!??

It was so uplifting to be in such a sacred place. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won't soon forget.

They are so perfect for each other. They balance each other nicely. 

After the wedding we had a few hours to kill while we waited for the reception. Jim and I headed back to the house for some snorkeling. Ilise and Robert went to ride horses. For some reason Jim didn't find the idea of that to be relaxing.

We loved hanging out. After we snorkeled we watched the ocean. It is something I found I could do all day.

This mama hen and her babies came through our yard  at about the same time every day. Lots of chickens running around. Jim liked to joke that he would just catch one for our dinner so we didn't have to go out. Ugh...no thanks!

This is the only pic I got at the reception. There were quite a few people that I knew. I was just too busy talking to them to get a photo.

After the reception we went back to the house to chill out. Robert picked this out at the store. I gotta say it was pretty dang good!! It had yams in it so it counts as a veggie...right?

This is how most of our days ended. Looking out the windows at the ocean, writing in our journals and checking in with our phones. We visited and joked and laughed about the days adventures. It was a really good day.

And just in case you needed a good chuckle.... I'm always asking Jim to please smile with his teeth. He has a nice smile and looks less constipated. This is what I got. Better luck next time!!

Oahu: Day 3

The third day started with a sunrise again. 

It just couldn't have been more perfect.

More pink clouds!! My favorite!!

And then it was day time. What a perfect way to start another day in paradise. Ilise and I left the boys at the house (snorkeling again) and we hiked up the road a mile to get pedicures. It was a fun start to a fun day!!

In case you were wondering what the Walker's look like....here they are. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center our third day here.

The PCC is owned by the LDS church and is primarily responsible for employing the students from BYU-Hawaii. We learned all about the different Polynesian cultures and got to see some of their traditions and dances. I think we could have spent a ton more time here.

 This fire dancer was 13 years old!! Yeah...I wonder if his mom was as nervous for him as I was.

 I'm pretty sure I'd have the most fabulous time being a dancer here. We went to this luau and ate Hawaiian (roasted pork, mushy poi, purple rolls, more bland stuff...) food and were entertained with songs and dances.

 A pina-colada IN a pineapple....yes please!!

More of our young friend the fire dancer just because he was that good.

 We wandered around here for almost 6 hours. There was still so much more to do and see. It was so much fun!!

After a full day of wandering and seeing and watching we went to their night show.  "Ha:Breath of Life" did not disappoint. There were no photos allowed and I'm sort of glad. It allowed me to sit back and just take it in. It was spectacular. I loved it and would definitely recommend it. We wandered back across the road to our house (because that's how close we were) and sat on the couches overlooking the ocean and visited until we couldn't keep our eyes open any more.

Oahu: Day2 Afternoon

After we shopped for groceries we came back to the house and ate a quick breakfast and got ready to play in the ocean!!

Here at Bathtub beach the water is shallow and relatively calm. There are a couple seals (we were told by a resident) that come here to nap. In this photo, in the corner of the rocks, there is a big seal taking a nap.

The warm sun and warmish water were very inviting. Sparkling water is my favorite!!

As we suited up to snorkel we still couldn't believe we were in the place. It was so perfect.

The little orange house is our rental. Two bedrooms two bathrooms a kitchen and living room with one amazing view. This is from the rock wall where I was standing.

Us on the rocks.  It was easy to walk out there in low tide and sit and watch for a little different view.

And we can't have a vacation without Jim having a gun show!!

I loved sitting in the sun the most. It was my very favorite thing to do.

And then there was a hike. It was hotter further from the ocean. We hiked a short hike and tried to find the other that was listed as nearby but we were unsuccessful.

The jungle part of the island was beautiful. We called out to the birds and a lot of the time they would answer back.

These giant leaves were trippy. A good indication of a lot of rain!!

One of the benefits of traveling with another couple is we don't have to rely on just selfies. I like hanging out with this guy.

This was our view at the end of the trail. We could see the ocean (and some power lines) and more beautiful mountains.

At the end of this beautiful day we went to find some shave ice. It was fruity and cold and amazing. It tasted so good!!

Oahu: Morning Day 2

Of course we were up the first few mornings before the sunrise. It took a minute to acclimate to the new time zone. I'm not sorry about that at all. We were well rewarded for it!

It was so calming and peaceful. I could have sat there all day long.

All the skies were awash with color. It was an amazing morning for sure.

It didn't matter which way we looked, the view was breathtaking.

Too beautiful for words.

Our deck faced east so we had the best light shows in the morning.

You know I am a sucker for pink clouds!!

Soon after the sun was up we decided to take a walk on the beach. The water was a little colder than I expected...but definitely not cold. It was a beautiful morning.

Such an explorer. He loves to look around and find creepy crawlies and such.

Following his tracks. 

My jammies!! Of course it was in the 70's in the morning but with the humidity it was a tad chilly.

All these sand hills are next to crab holes. There were hundreds of them.

There was a crab in this hole one second before I took this pic. They can sure move fast!

And what would the morning be without a selfie! 

Then we went to the grocery store and came back and played in the water. But that is a story for another day.