Goodbye Hawaii

We leave Hawaii tomorrow, but we've had a great time the past two days! On Tuesday, we went and toured BYU-Hawaii and did baptisms for the dead at the Laie Hawaii Temple. After that, we went to the Dole Plantation and ate some fresh pineapple. Julie and Brian went in the maze that they have there. (It was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records 2001 as the World’s Largest Maze!) On the way to the Dole Plantation, we stopped at a beach where we saw and walked up to sea turtles!
Today, we went snorkeling at Shark's Cove and saw lots of fish. Mom got attacked by a fish about the size of quarter and freaked out. Then we went over to Waimea Bay where the water is super clear and warm. (It's like a pool.) A lifeguard drove dad down to the ocean on a four wheeler and we got him into the water for a little while. By unanimous vote, today was the best day.
We're ready to go home to our own beds, but aren't sure we're ready to return to the mainland.

More Hawaii!

Aloha again! We've had a lot more adventures since the first blog. Today, Julie and Brian took surfing lessons (they both got up!). They are very sore, but each had a great time.

On Friday, we spent the day in Honolulu where we visited the different museums that told us about Hawaiian history and culture. We also drove along Waikiki and went into Diamond Head Crater. (After seeing Waikiki, we were grateful that we're staying on the North Shore.) On the way back home, we stopped at Pali Lookout for a beautiful view of Oahu's coast. (picture above shows how windy it was)

On Saturday, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We highly recommend going to it. The night show was amazing. There was a different dance from every 'island' and then at the end, there was a fire dancer from Samoa. Throughout the day, we got to visit the different island areas and experience the cultures and the different activities. At New Zealand, Brian and Julie received tattoos (Julie wants a CTR tattoo now and Brian wants one that is a picture of the Book of Mormon). They tried mastering the poi balls. (see attached video for Brian's experience) We had a great time!

We are having an amazing time here, hope to keep you updated.

In Hawaii

Aloha from Hawaii! We are having a fabulous family vacation. The ocean and island are incredible. Pictures do not do it justice. We have been here for three days in our home that we are renting on the North Shore that sits right on the beach. The waves roll in right outside the back patio. (We do turn them off at night for noise control while sleeping.) Yesterday, we went to Pearl Harbor and took a boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial. Then, we bought tickets to go and see the USS Missouri. These two sites are know as the bookends of WWII - the Arizona sinking at Pearl Harbor, causing the US to enter the war, and the Missouri serving as the place where the surrender documents were signed. Julie and Brian were able to go on a guided tour of the USS Missouri and go in the CEC room, which is the control room for all the torpedos, harpoons, and other destructive weapons (you normally can't go in there unless you're in the guided tour group).
Today, we have been relaxing at our house. Julie got to fulfill a life-long dream of running in the ocean while it was raining. (We like it when our children aim high and are able to accomplish these things.)
We have enjoyed the shave ice (not shaved!) and the malasadas (very delicious portuguese donuts), both of which are famous on the North Shore.
We look forward to more adventures on Oahu during the next week!