Aloha!

Well, we're home! Isn't it amazing that 10 days away can feel like minutes? We had a really wonderful time ... and Hawaii is as beautiful as people say it is! Surprisingly enough we don't have tons of pictures (relatively speaking) and a lot of them are on my dad's camera. We spent much of our time with water and sand on our hands (bliss, I tell you) so a camera didn't seem like what we should be holding :)!

We had a 2 hour delay in the SLC airport - there was something wrong with the plane, which isn't my favorite thing to hear when we are flying predominately over the ocean. And then we found out they fixed it with super tape. Tape. Luckily we were still able to leave that afternoon.

The flight is a long one ... and ours was filled with kids! One flight attendant said she had never seen so many in her entire career on one flight to Hawaii. It was pretty chaotic, but that actually made it better because if Landon screamed it didn't really matter - someone else was also screaming so nobody could stare at us :)!

Our little traveler

Here is a picture of our first Hawaiian sunset. Please keep in mind we had been traveling all day and it was approximately midnight Utah time. And we were waiting to be seated for dinner. We were a bit tired and hungry to say the least!

We stayed at the North Shore for the first few days in a condo right on a golf course. Every morning we would wake up and go for a long walk and explore. Life's a bit slower up there without the hustle bustle of the city.

The first full day there we hit the beach! Landon LOVED it! The water overwhelmed him sometimes because he didn't know what to do about the waves ... but the sand was pure little-boy heaven for him. He couldn't get enough :)!

Jeff had the opportunity to go golfing and have a golf lesson with the pro at the resort where we stayed. He was in heaven! We also went to a beach known for their sea turtles and saw a turtle come up to sun herself. They are creatures of habit and always return to the same places, so she had a name and everything (there were preservationists there to protect them from tourists while they were sunning who told us her name, habits, etc.).

While we were there we also went to visit the temple - it is so beautiful. We also took in the visitor's center, BYU-Hawaii and a luau dinner at the Polynesian Cultural Center. (**After the temple we thought we lost our camera ... turns out we left it at the temple, so we are missing pictures of a day or so in there!)

Jeff and I had plans to go to the temple and my dad and James were going to go as well. However, the morning we were going to go I realized I left my recommend in my wallet back home. I usually only travel with my passport, license, debit card and credit card ... oops. How do you pack church clothes and not remember that?! Then it turns out the temple was closed for cleaning ... for the whole month. That made me feel a little better :)!

The most profound thing that happened on the North Shore, though? LANDON TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS! July 24, 2011 ... it was pretty exciting!!

After all that excitement we headed down to Waikiki beach. There is a lot to do there so we were constantly on the go. We spent time at the pool and the beach and did a lot of walking.

My mom, Ale and I went to the Iolani Palace. Hawaii is the only place in the US to have ever had a ruling Monarch - they were annexed in the late 1800s and became a state when my mom was a young girl. Isn't it weird to think Hawaii became a state such a short time ago? I remember singing "50 Nifty United States" as a kid. I had no idea there weren't 50 until the 1950s. It was so beautiful!! Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside.

We also hit up Sea Life Park while we were there. It's like a very little version of Sea World. Landon LOVED it!! There were fish up close and personal (right where he could see them), a dolphin, sea lion and penguin show and lots of turtle. We even swam with the dolphins!!

Dad and Landon had to get front and center for the dolphin show!

We actually bought the DVD of our dolphin swim ... it was so cute (and because I am a sucker-mom who had to have the footage!)! Landon got to come with us (which is why we picked that program) and got to pet, kiss, and interact with the dolphins. It was so, so cute!!

We also spent some time at Pearl Harbor visiting the USS Arizona memorial. What a profound place. It was incredible to see the ship underwater, as well as all of the other relics, pictures and videos that they have. It's a very meaningful place for America in general, but particularly profound for us - both of our grandfather's served in World War II.

Here is part of the USS Arizona

The names of the brave men who lost their lives that day.

There was also a list of men who were part of that crew who did not lose their lives that day, but that have chosen to be buried with their comrades when they pass away. What an incredible display of patriotism and connection. It was really an awe inspiring place.

Jeff and I were lucky ... since we were with my whole family we got to go out on a romantic date while we were there. We celebrated our anniversary a bit early and ate at a fancy restaurant right on the beach ... and Jeff might have bought me a beautiful necklace and some earrings to go with it :)! Love him!

We finished up our vacation with a trip to Hanauma Bay. It is a nature preserve and one of the most beautiful places on the island! It has great snorkeling - so we did that and played in the sand. Then Jeff, my dad, James, Ale and I hiked up Diamond Head - the big volcano there. You actually hike up the crater and end up at the top rim looking out. It was beautiful!! I'm also proud to say the park ranger told us it would take 45 min. each way. We made it in 15 up and about the same going down.
What a fun, exciting trip! We were all sad to say good bye, but we'll have lots of fun memories forever.