Food for Thought


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It is better to trust and be disappointed once in awhile than to distrust and be miserable all of the time.

-Abraham Lincoln

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Oahu - Hawaii Part 1

We have wanted to go to Hawaii for a long time but have never been in a good situation to go. My brother-in-law and his family moved to Kauai last July and told us we should come visit so we started thinking about it a little more. So with the help of two awesome babysitters for Seth (my mom and Clint's mom) and thanks to the 118,000 sky miles I had racked up when I worked at Arkona, we were able to take a trip to Oahu AND Kauai this year.



On the pier near our hotel in Waikiki.


Apparently even dogs can boogie board...


At the Pearl Harbor Memorial


On the boat heading toward the memorial that sits over the USS Arizona

The water that surrounds the USS Arizona is shimmery. They explained that it was from the oil that still leaks from the ship. As we looked at it, we saw some actual oil rise to the surface. There is still 50,000 gallons of oil estimated to be in the ship and if it all were to come up at once, Pearl Harbor would be facing an ecological disaster. Crazy.

I don't remember what kind of tree this is but the brown branches actually grow until they reach the ground and then they become roots like all the rest of the trees.

At a restaurant called Tiki's for Valentine's Day



Yellow Hibiscus. The Hawaiian National flower.



Our tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center.



The lunch buffet. It was much better than the pricey dinner we ate later on.


Waiting for the canoe show to start.



We played games in each of the villages. I can't remember what village this was but everyone started in a circle holding a stick. Then our guide would say "left" or "right" and we would have to move around the circle and grab hold of the next stick before it fell to the ground. If your stick dropped you were out. Obviously it got harder and harder as fewer people were in the circle. But Clint and I were the last two standing. Go us!



Another game we played was this weird javelin throwing thing. You had to try to get your stick into the circle. Clint came in 2nd place.



One of the few pictures we were able to get of the both of us together...the downside of not traveling with anyone else.




Clint's favorite part of the canoe show....the Tahiti canoe.



He liked that it was the only canoe of just girls.



Getting my "hula" on!







Clint was a good sport and even did some dancing. I think he looks so cute!

At another village we did some reed weaving. It was freaking hard! I pouted until Clint finally helped me make my fish!


Coconut climbers...




Our tour guide used to be a fire dancer in the Ha! Breath of Life evening show. So he was showing us some of his old moves.



At the beach in Waikiki on our last day in Oahu. Just hanging out before we took our short flight to Kauai that evening.

Kauai (Hawaii Part 2)

For the 2nd half of the week we island hopped to Kauai to visit my brother-in-law Shawn and his family. I liked this 1/2 of the trip much more than the 1st part.

Apparently roosters roam wild here. We saw them all over the place.


At Poipu Beach to snorkel and sit in the sun.



Hanging with my girls...my favorite part of the trip!



Getting ice cream!



On Saturday we all drove up to the north shore. There were a few of these one-way bridges where you just take turns driving across. You let four or five cars go and then it's your turn. Only in Hawaii could this happen. No one honks at each other. I'm not sure I ever observed any road rage. Fascinating.



Of course, if there is a bug nearby, the girls would find it and pick it up.
Shawn attempting to teach the "rookie" how to surf at Hanalei Bay.


I'm somewhere under the water....



Will I get all the way up?????


Yes. I will!

This is the best shot Clint got of me standing but I got up twice. The 2nd time I got up I rode the wave all the way to the shore. It was cool!



Fearless Heidi. She will do anything!


Clint and Shawn boogie boarding!


The sun decided to peek out at us as we were leaving Hanalei Bay.


On Sunday Clint and I went to Kapa'a and rented some bikes and rode along the shore. Best $10 we spent!


It was pretty windy as you can see from the palm trees in the background. But still fun.


There spots on the bike trail that went right alongside the cliffs of the shore.




Clint being....Clint.


After our bike ride we got some shave ice from a local shop. I have to admit, it didn't sound all that wonderful but it was so good that I didn't even think to get a picture of it until we had eaten almost the whole thing!


On our final day in Kauai, we went on a whale watching trip. These were the pictures taken by the photographer on the boat:



First whale spotted about 10 minutes into the 5 hour ride.




Spinner Dolphins

We actually saw them jump in the air and spin before going back in the water.






We went all the way up the Napali coast. The cliffs and mountains are unlike anything we had ever seen!








More whales!










I was pretty ready for this trip to be over after 5 hours...can you tell by the look on my face?




We went to Brenneke's beach that night and made fajitas and had a picnic dinner before Shawn took us to the airport. He forgot tongs for the wok so he used a stick...ha ha!


Beautiful Sunset.

A perfect way to end our trip.