Hawaii Part 2: Oahu

 Day 5: We flew to Oahu in the morning, got new rental cars, and drove to our hotel. There was a mix-up and the 6 rooms with king beds turned into 2 bedrooms with king beds and 4 bedrooms with two double beds. I was not a happy camper about the fact that once again Matt and I got the short end of the stick. (Sharing a bathroom with another couple is never pleasant like we did on Kauai.) I was bitter and grumpy about it the rest of the day.

After getting settled into our rooms, most of us went on a hike to Monoa Falls. It was probably my favorite hike because I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden the whole time. It sprinkled on us at the start though, which wasn't fun, but fortunately it didn't last.

That night we ate at Spaghetti Factory, which was my favorite meal of the entire trip! I wasn't a big fan of the other local restaurants that everyone was choosing. I enjoyed my lasagna and garlic bread and loved eating it for lunch the next day as well. :)

Day 6: Trying to get into Hanauma Bay the next morning was a circus. We got there very early since we didn't have reservations for everyone. It was an absolute mad house trying to get in. Somehow all of us were able to do it though in different shifts. Everyone enjoyed snorkeling, and I tried it again one final time. It was fun to see a sea turtle. Matt and Clay/Kara had goPros and loved taking videos and pictures underwater.

We stopped at The Spitting Cave on the way back to the hotel, which was another favorite stop. I thought it was so awesome! (Water gets sucked into a cave and then spit out again.)

That afternoon we went to Waimea Falls to swim.

I had an acaí bowl for dinner. Not nearly as good as the amazing one I had on Kauai, but it was still yummy. 

Day 7: Matt and I started the morning at the Hawaii temple. It was so beautiful and special to be there. The visitor's center was really well done.

We went to the BYU Hawaii store to purchase some ties for our boys

We spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Culture, which was another favorite part of the trip. It was so well done and educational. I loved that it was hands-on. We "visited" several different islands and got to try a few activities that are common for each island.

Stick throwing

Matt was SO close to making the target!

This pineapple drink was phenomenal!

The pig grossed me out. I had a few bites but really couldn't stomach any of the food. I had double of the pineapple drink though!

Day 8: Our flight wasn't until the afternoon, so we had time to do a hike in the morning for a little exercise before we spent 7-8 hours sitting on a plane. I ran the stairs a few times, which didn't replace the 6-7 miles I would have run at home. The hike itself was a good workout.

View from the fort at the top.

On the way to the airport, we stopped over at Pearl Harbor to look around for about an hour.

Ironically on the flight home, which was a redeye, I had trouble sleeping. Instead I watched 2 1/2 movies and read my book. Our flight landed around 8am and then we rushed over to pick up our boys. We sure missed them! Matt took a nap before church, and I took a nap after church to try to make up for the lack of sleep the night before.

Hawaii was stunning, and I enjoyed experiencing it with my family! I was so grateful for all the research and time that Clayton put into arranging our schedule and the wisdom that Jared and Kari were able to share since they have been a few times. It was fun to be adults together instead of worrying about our kids. Hawaii was the highlight of the summer!