July 8

LAST FULL DAY IN HAWAII!!

It was beyond depressing knowing it was our last full day on the beautiful island of Oahu!

We all "kinda" did our own thing during the day. Jack and I went off in one direction for shopping, my parents went off shopping in the other direction, and Cindy & Jason were poolside again. Jack and I met up with my parents kinda in the middle of downtown Waikiki. But I must take a moment to rave about my new favorite store...sadly no locations are here where I live - sooo lame! Honolua Surf Co. is the store and it's just got the cutest clothes! Total surfer girl meets beach girl meets everything I want to dress in year-round but sadly can't! I did live it up though and added quite a bit to my wardrobe - no big deal (lol)!! Jack did well too - gotta love those surfer clothes..the material is just so soft and the look of it is niec but got that laid back-ness to it! Ah, I just love it!

Jack and I then were off on our own again and on to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. This was one of the places we looked into going for our honeymoon but at the time Disney was much more fitting for us...and we liked the price a lot better! This village is truly a VILLAGE, let me tell you!! You could seriously never leave the grounds the whole time and really do and see a lot of great things and never get bored. (My mom later told me the books & reviews say that is one of the downfalls of staying there...you don't leave the village and you miss seeing the island. I can totally see that!!!)
Well, I heard that they had penguins here. Yep, penguins just hanging out in Hawaii, being the VIP that they are!! This was another, pretty big, reason that I wanted to check it out. And guess what?! Just before I was about to get frustrated that I hadn't found them yet...THERE THEY WERE!!! AND there were turtles with them too!! (Again - previous post explains my love/obsession with turtles)





It was fun to explore the grounds of the H.H.V. and we decided that it'd be a great place to stay with kids (they have a club for the kids during the day!! lol...kidding, I wouldn't do that to my kiddos!....well, not every day!!)

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Now it was time to live up Duke's ONE LAST TIME!! We thought it would be fitting if we ended with happy hour where we started happy hour the day we arrived. It was the best choice!! The calamari - still the best (we got 2 orders this time!), the wings were still to die for, and the drinks...can't beat them!! That Ambassador drink I got there is probably one of my top favorite tropical drinks I got the whole trip!
It was bitter sweet to be there, soaking it all in and reminiscing about all our memories we made this trip!!







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For our last dinner my parents and Jack & I went to The Ocean House Restaurant, which was the fancy restaurant at our hotel. We did some "photo sessions" before hand to capture those great family pics!!



**Beach Photo Shoot**





Time to eat!!




The food was really terrific - but we were also all just kinda "food-ed out" by this point of our 10 days, so while we wanted to finish all on our plates, it was just too difficult! We also got another lovely and delicious free dessert for my parents celebrating their 40th anniversary. Actually, we got TWO free desserts!!
MMMmmmmm was it gooooood!!!!!



Cindy and Jason joined us at the end when they got back, as they had gone to a steak restaurant for dinner. Which led to another mini "photo session" in the lobby.





Jack and my dad shared one last cigar night on the beach, a tradition they started about 6 years ago when the 4 of us went to FL. They had a cigar night many of the nights in Hawaii, which was fun bonding time for them.

It always stinks how long you have to wait for a vacation...you're so excited and the energy is high and then you get there, have a fabulous time but before you know it time has flown by and it's time to go home. What the heck is that about?! I wish vacations felt like forever and time didn't run out so quick!!

Again, I thank my parents for such an AMAZING trip filled with such fabulous memories!! Their 40 years of marriage and their beyond generous hearts inspire me each day, and I will forever be grateful to them for letting us share in their celebration!! LOVE YOU MOM & DAD!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

July 7

Hanauma Bay

Today we got up super, super early to leave for Hanauma Bay for a morning of snorkeling!!! This bay is truly one of the most beautiful places (I think) on Oahu and one you cannot miss if you are ever there!!
This is probably what I remember most from when I went to Hawaii as a 10 year old and an experience I couldn't wait to share with Jack, as he had never done something like this before!!

We bought our snorkel "gear" from one of the 100 ABC stores in Hawaii, had our water shoes on to protect our feet from the reef ($10 Target, thank you!!), and we were ready to go!! ...Well, almost. The water was quite COLD, there was a pretty decent breeze and the sun was hiding behind some thick morning clouds at 8am. Jack and my dad got in first...took about 5-10 minutes for them to work their way in to the water. Me, in my typical water fashion, took a good 20-30 minutes to get in to shoulder deep water. During this time Jack and dad were off exploring further out from where I was standing and saw some good fish, Jack thought it was really cool!!


Finally I got a mask and snorkel on and put my head in...and totally freaked out!! Haha...yep, being 10 made this waaayy easier than being 25 and thinking too hard about this (and sharks). I just like the feeling of my feet touching the ground and me not being shoulder deep and more in the ocean. So, with my hand being held by my dad (yep, I'm still 25 haha...) I did a little snorkeling and loved it, just like last time! I saw bright yellow fish, a light blue one, and many others swimming in and around their coral home. It was really fun to see and experience again, but I more enjoyed seeing Jack have fun with it. I had my "fix" after about 10 minutes and then went in to sit with my mom on the beach. The boys stayed out about another 20 minutes and then they were done.


Next we stopped at Lanai Lookout point which was awesome!!! There was a blow hole here as well that was fun to watch it burst once enough water from the big waves filled it.
Jack of course had to go out further than the signs said to and scare me...grr!!



Also saw the Crouching Lion landmark. Do you see it?!
Look closely, maybe even click on picture to see bigger.


BUZZ's STEAKHOUSE!
Onward to lunch!! By this time we were quite hungry after a busy morning and taking in great scenery! I recommend everyone to go to Buzz's when they are on Oahu! I had a steak burger. Oh. My. God. WOW!!! Everyone else loved what they got as well - it was a huge success!!! It is this total beach-y, authentic, fun place right across the street from the ocean.


Right after lunch we went across the street to Kailua Beach.
Quick story - 15 years ago we stumbled upon this beach and it's really the main place my mom was, once again, bit HARD by the Hawaiian "bug". I talked about this "bug" in a previous post of mine. It's the "bug" that makes you completely fall in love with the place, it has such meaning and connection to you, and it is just someplace you always want to be or return to as soon as you get the chance. While throughout the whole trip so far, I had been bitten, I didn't really get that strong of a bite until I was here. I absolutely LOVE that I was bitten the hardest in the same spot my mom was 15 years ago. This beach...the colors, the sereneness of it, the feeling, the warmth it gave me...WOW!



I stood at the top of a sand hill right before we were leaving. Everyone else had gone to the car, but I just stood there. It was as if my feet couldn't move I was struck by the beauty of it. I tried to keep walking but I just kept stopping and looking. My eyes filled up with water and I just smiled, took in a deep breath, let out a long exhale, and said "Don't worry, you'll be back one day!" And with that I took one last look and walked away.




We started our drive home, but made one more stop. A LONG road up to a very high lookout point. COLD & WINDY from being so high up, but worth the views! WOW!!









That night before dinner, Jack and I went to Teddy Bear World. Basically - a bunch of scenes from history and landmarks across the U.S. with teddy bears in it. It was a totally fun/silly thing to see, but I wanted to do it - so we did! hehe


OVERALL - This was one of my favorite days, by far, in Hawaii this time!!!!

July 6

Kualoa Ranch

"Kualoa" means "long back" in Hawaiian - reflects the ranches mountain peaks and valleys

Today we had a early start and spent the majority of our day at Kualoa Ranch.
Little history/background:
-Family owned by the Morgan Family
-Used during WWII - had an airstrip here and the monkeypod trees were great shelter and made for hangers for the planes

-4,000-acre working cattle ranch
-Major movies filmed here: Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Godzilla, Windtalkers, Tears of the Sun, Mighty Joe Young, 50 First Dates, Hawaii Five-O; LOST and the list goes on...
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There are many activities you can do here at Kualoa Ranch - for a full day package you get to pick 4 activities.
1. Movie set tour = Mom & me; ATV's through mountains = Dad, Jack, Cindy & Jason
2. Horseback riding = Jack, Cindy, Jason & Me; Fishpond & Hawaiian Gardens = Mom & Dad
3. & 4. Ocean Voyaging Tour & Secret Island Beach
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MOVIE SET TOUR was unbelievable - just sooo beautiful, couldn't believe my eyes scenery, awesome feeling being where so many amazing movies/scenes were captured.
Jack LOVED the ATV - first time doing a big "adventure" with one and he had a truly great time!






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HORSEBACK RIDING - I have only done this once before. It was for Girl Scouts and I was probably 11 or 12 at the time - and I cried and freaked out the whole time leading up to doing it and for the first 10 minutes of being on my horse.
This time - I've grown up a bit since then....still pretty scared but I controlled myself and just kept saying, "Michelle - they wouldn't have things like this for tourists if it wasn't safe..." And I just kept petting my horse's head and saying "Good boy! Thanks for being soo good and not kicking me off Good boy!!" haha...
Needless to say I got a horse that was pretty perfect for my fears. He was SLOW! And when I say SLOW, that is a complete understatement, haha!! Part of me eventually wished we could pick up speed and trot a little, but he was slow and steady, so I humored him and appreciated his good manners.


Since Cindy has done this many times before they put the more "experienced" rider on a horse that was bold, HUGE, strong-willed, and how can be a bully to others. He was also not allowed to be the leader or by Jack's horse...who also can be a bully and strong-willed. So who do they stick in between the two?! Yep - me and my gentle-mannered, semi-Eeyore-personality horse!! All was well! Jason had the lead with his horse who just wanted to eat everything along the way and who preferred to hug the far left part of the trail instead of being in the middle with more space.
All in all - great fun, BEAUTIFUL way to see the mountains and really be a part of them! But after an hour ...my legs and butt needed a rest!
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**CATAMARAN OCEAN VOYAGE & SECRET ISLAND - At this point it started to get a little rainy/cloudy/windy/cold. (Very common for this part of the island, so close to the mountains!) It was a bumpy ride out to see the famous Chinaman's Hat, but worth getting a little wet and wind-blow for the closeup view!!! After that we stayed for a while on Secret Island. Mainly we just walked the beach and Jack did another paddle-surfing adventure.






...That speck out in the ocean is Jack, paddle-surfing!

I give Kualoa Ranch 4 stars out of 5!! Great day with the family, fun adventures, and unforgettable scenery!!!



























**Some info found from Kualoa Ranch website