how i spent my birthday......for 10 days.

a few weeks ago mike came home one day and said, "we might be going to hawaii." it was a great segway into my lunch. we were able to go because the army sent mike to the ada convention there, thank-you dear army for paying for my trip! needless to say the ensuing 3 weeks of preparation where a whirlwind of fun. my kids got to have grandma and grandpa come stay with them, and mike and i got our first kidless vacation in the last 3.5 years.


me and mike and the polynesian cultural center, which has a 1000000% awesome show, really good food, funny entertainers, and a very expensive price tag. but you must go. just think of it as a really fun way to give to charity. profits from the center go to scholarships for students at byu-hawaii. may i just say that La'ie is the prettiest town in all of Oahu.
samoan coconut tree climber, he was so fast.
we spent most of our time on the beach, but didn't take pictures, cause our camera would've been stolen ya know. we rented snorkel gear and hit the north shore and east shore for lots of good snorkel time. three tables, and hanauma bay where highlights. i am converted to snorkeling as my main source of vacation activities from here on out. here we are near the blow hole on the east shore. "the sea was angry that day my friends." (bonus points for whoever can tell me where that quote comes from)
one of our strategies was to eat our free breakfast at the hotel, a candy bar for lunch and for dinner we ate whatever, wherever we wanted. the best things i ate? shave ice from aoki's in hale 'iwa, ku'aina burger's roast beef sandwich with cheese and chile peppers, and kona's kaluha pork borrito, both in hale 'iwa. also there was a cheese cake factory in waikiki where we had lunch. the food was fabulous, a couple of times we skipped breakfast and ate these delicious donuts called malasadas from leonards bakery. puffy mounds of fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and stuffed with a creamy custard that had just a hint of coconut. heavenly. you can tell how liberally they sugar over there by mike's lips.
spent a day at pearl harbor. here is a pic of the oil that is still leaking from the sunken arizona. i used to think that was a myth. the memorial grounds were filled with old men who i was sure had returned to this place to see how it had changed, and also the things that where still the same.
mike at the memorial, they have these amazing trees that have these herculian branches that hold thier own weight and stretch for miles! we planned to collect some seeds to plant at our future home, but forgot.
aren't i a proper gun maiden.
the temple at la'ie, didn't i tell you it was gorgeous?

i just have to say thanks to the hubs, it was awesome and beautiful and relaxing and fun. and i will be dreaming about sand and sun for many months to come.

ps heather and jerrel i need you to post pictures of us so i can steal them.

pps. mom and dad, we never could've done it without you, next time it's your turn.