Saturday, July 23, 2011

Oops, we did it again!!

You may wonder what I am referring to in the title of this post. Let me tell you. Courtney and I went on vacation for a month . . . again!!! Almost three weeks of that was spent in Hawaii!!! Not fair?! Yeah we know! People are starting to get upset with us for taking a month every summer to go travel and play. We figure that with Courtney having summers off as a school teacher and with me working summer jobs between semesters at school, we should take advantage of this while we are young and can get away. Now that I have graduated and we have a little one on the way we figure we won't have opportunities like this for a long time to come.

It was early this year that I was talking to my friend Nate and he suggested we come and visit him and his wife Deb on Oahu this summer. Little did he know we would seriously consider it. Courtney and I decided we would go as a graduation/anniversary/birthday present to ourselves. We spent ten glorious days with them on Oahu and then met up with Rachel and Cory Stuart on the Big Island for another seven days!!!

Ten days on Oahu was perfect. With Courtney having morning sickness and Deb being full term and ok to deliver at any time ten days gave us enough time to see everything we wanted and still relax and not have to rush ourselves. Diamond Head had amazing views, the Polynesian Cultural Center was fun and educational, Hanauma Bay was so fun and exciting being able to snorkel with the fish and Pearl Harbor was very eye opening and brought new humility and gratitude for our specific freedoms! We were lucky to have Nate and Deb as tour guides and hosts for our time there.

On the Big Island we were able to see the volcano along with its lava rock fields, craters and calderas! We did even more spectacular snorkeling and were able to see sea turtles! We loved having so many things, including beaches, so close by. The place we stayed in was amazing and hard to leave. We were able to eat some amazing food with Rachel and Cory would go back again if we ever got the chance.

The remaining part of our trip was spent in Washington with family and friends where we were able to catch up and enjoy time together. The 14 hour car trip there and back was fun but long especially when your wonderful wife is fighting being sick. It was an amazing vacation and we were able to do some unforgettable things. We are very lucky to have been able to do it and are very grateful. Below are some pictures. Enjoy!

Here we are at Kailua beach with Nate and Deb!


  We got leied at church on Sunday! The congregation there was so welcoming!
I just thought this was a cool tree.
Here is the view Honolulu from Diamond Head!
 
 Welcome to Waikiki beach! The water was so blue!
 This is the USS Arizona Memorial that we visited in Pearl Harbor.
 This next group is us at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Here we are playing tititorea(sticks).


 Courtney and Deb trying to beat the heat.
  
Samoans in the Samoan village preparing food.
Nate, Deb, Courtney and I enjoyed the fruits of their preparations!
 

This is the Laie Temple. We had time to go through. It was very beautiful inside and out! 
 These next few are of Hanauma Bay!


 Rachel and Cory on the Big Island!
 Rachel and Cory gone island crazy!
 What great stories this guy had to share.
 He was too cute, I couldn't help myself.
 This is one of the places we snorkeled.

 Another cool tree!
 Rachel and Cory's future home!

 Courtney and Rachel in a heated game.
 Good.
 Better.
 Best!
 This is one of the classic style beaches we visited! We loved it!
 These next one are at the volcano.
 Here is Cory and I in a lava tube!
 These next few are where the lave meets the ocean!


 Here is where the lava met the road . . . or took over it!

 View from our luau.
 Just before we left the Big Island we stopped by the temple in Kona. It is small and beautiful!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Kissing

Tonight we were having dinner with the Stuarts and the topic of kissing came up. How we got on this topic is a long story in itself. I just wanted to share this quote.
"Well, if you were to kiss yourself you probably wouldn't be very impressed." - Cory Stuart
Enough said.