Parents Party in Hawaii

As we just saw our first snow of the winter last weekend, our hearts return to a warmer memory Laura and I had this summer. Due to some great wheeling-and-dealing by Laura, Laura and I were able to run away for a week to Hawaii.



Now I'm sure Laura will remember some different things than me but I'll put in a few highlights I remember and then leave Laura to fill in her thoughts later.

We left on Sunday and headed for Seattle. I was super excited because I was going to see my buddy Mikey in Seattle who I had not seen in a long time. We made good time (thanks to books on tape) and had a great night with Mike. I stayed up way to late talking with Mike but who cares -- I'm on vacation. Early flight the next morning was long but we had great seats and made it. With the long flight and busy weekend, we just checked in and relaxed for a while. Late that afternoon we took a walk on Waikiki beach and saw our first Sea Turtle (Laura squealed!). We enjoyed just walking. The beach was beautiful and the water was so warm! We walked until late and then called it a day!

The next day was my favorite (at least the first half). We booked a tour and got to go out and swim with the dolphins and turtles. Here is the boat we took:


This was an amazing experience. There were probably almost 100 spinner dolphins that were just kind of trolling in a general area. They would come swim fairly close and even jumped some. My favorite part is when I got away from the group and as bale to get in with a group of dolphins -- literally swimming with them (until my legs gave out) and was within arms lengths of almost 10 dolphins. I was in heaven. We also spent a while watching 3-4 turtles and had some very up-close experiences as they surfaced. It was my first time in a snorkel or warm water and I was the last one out. I would still be there if Laura hadn't yelled at me to get out! Laura fell asleep on the way and then we decided to take the rest of the day off and just sleep. We had a nice dinner and a long walk on the beach and loved it!

The next day we decided to kick back and try the Polynesian Cultural center. We had made the decision to get out of Waikiki but had to kill another day so the tour was it. We took the morning slow and hopped on the bus at lunch. The drive over was fun and the guide was great. It was pretty hot but we had a good time walking around the center but the Luau was the best part. All the food we could eat and we made a pretty good dent! Then a really nice show that evening but before it started -- Laura got in some of her favorite activity:


We got home late but had fun! The next day we hoofed it back to the airport for a rental car and freedom. We had to get out of town and we headed for the other side of the island. We grabbed some snorkels and fins and drove. The place we wanted to snorkel was closed (full for the day) so after some Taco Bell (I made Laura) we drove. It was fun just to drive and look. We ended up on the other side of the island. We rented kayaks and paddled out to a bird reserve and hiked and swam. It was a lot of work but is was a blast and only a few people. Then we paddled back and just goofed around. After a small issue with our B&B, we moved north and got a hotel.

The next day we drove back around the island and spent the day at Hanama (SP?) preserve. This is a secluded bay where only a limited number of people can come each day. We had a great time snorkeling and laying out on the beach. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a recommended restaurant. The highlight for Laura was that we found out the Clinton's had eaten at the restaurant and we got to sit and the same table for just a minute. If the waitress had been nicer - we would have eaten at the same table! I was crushed (NOT!)

Our last day we just explored. We started with a quick trip to the temple and then explored

BYU Hawaii. Then we drove all the way up the north shore and stopped wherever we wanted. I loved watching the kite surfers (I'm trying that next time) and Laura loved the lunch place we picked. We stopped at this great beach and snorkeled, swam and just relaxed. On the way home we stopped at a shrimp shack and then headed back.

Sunday it was off the the airport. We got there way too early and had plenty of time to shop and just hang out at the airport! Way fun! Long flight home and then crashed. We slept in and then had to hit IKEA in Seattle before it was time to head home!

Lets just say it was great to get away and just as great to get home and see the kids again!