Halona Blowhole, Diamond Head State Monument, Holey Grail Donuts, Byodo-in Japanese Temple, Rainbow bridge in Haleiwa, Sharks Cove, North Shore Shrimp Truck, Pearl Harbor, Lanikai Beach

There is so much to love about Oahu that it is difficult to choose 

what parts to post about and what details to leave out. 

I promise to make this my last post about our trip to Hawaii.

The Halona Blowhole was interesting because the name is hilarious.

Numerous people had climbed down the hill 

and were jumping into the water to swim. 

That was a big fat NO for me. 

This activity did not appear to be safe. 

The views around this lookout are beautiful. 

We woke up around 5 AM one of the days so that 

we could hike the volcano Diamond Head. 

I highly recommend this hike. 

It is a simple hike with incredible views and scenery.

It warms up fast in Hawaii, so the early morning 

was the perfect time to do this hike.

The website showed that all the spots available for this hike were sold out.

 However, we found that if you opt to park outside the gate and walk in,

 it gives you the option to still reserve a ticket. 

SHARKS COVE

This is where I ruined my phone:(.

JD loved this place and was incredibly brave 

when it came to exploring the open ocean.

I loved the view and the walking around the rocks.

Getting inside the water, not so much.

We both LOVED the sno cones 

that were across the street from Sharks Cove.

We also had some delicious food, but 

I can't remember anything but the insanely delicious 

sno cone.

PEARL HARBOR

There is a reverence and a spirit that is strongly felt here. 

It was a privilege to visit this fundamental location in history. 

I appreciate how the visitor center educates visitors about the

 importance of understanding the immense sacrifices 

that were made to transfer 

"engagement to peace." 

DONUTS

I read about this place on Pinterest, 

and I was very interested.

JD was indulging and walked around Waikiki 

with me for what felt like hours to find it.

The donuts are tiny and adorable, and the drink is delicious 

but definitely sugar-free.

JD was happy to let me enjoy my fun Pinterest find.

JD opted to indulge in what he called the real thing:).

BYODO-IN JAPANESE TEMPLE

The beauty of this place cannot be captured in a photo.

Seriously, you have to go here to fully appreciate it.

The koi pond is adorable.

 I am hopeful that the picture with the koi will bring me 

continued prosperity and good luck.

LANIKAI BEACH

We LOVED this beach. It is in a cute little neighborhood, so it can be tough to find parking.

After a few trips around the community, someone was leaving 

we were able to ease into their spot.

JD blistered his back pretty well at this beach.  

One of my favorite places was Haleiwa. It is a total party. 

Near Rainbow Bridge is an Ice Cream shop where 

we may or may not have gone a few times. 

I had a New Zealand flavor called Hokey Pokey.

It is my new favorite flavor.

In Haleiwa, there are rocks leading out into the ocean.

JD and I decided to walk out as far into the ocean as we could using the rocks.

About halfway out, I look down and see what I think is a gigantic spider crawling around.

I seriously started to freak out.  JD assured me it was a crab that was eating a shrimp. 

As the sun went down, more of these little fellas emerged. 

I wanted to turn around and go back to shore.

JD convinced me to keep going.  I made it to the end of the rocks. 

I was pretty impressed with myself, even if there were 

little children around eight years old out there as well. 

I am not a fan of creepy crawly friends.

I am a fan of Oahu, Hawaii. 

 

Polynesian Cultural Center, Hanauma Bay, Kualoa Ranch, Waimea Falls

First, I must acknowledge that the Pina Colada served in the pineapple and the pineapple creme bru lee served at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) Lu au are divine! I wish I had one of each right at this very moment:).

The day before we went to the PCC, I took my phone into the ocean in one of those safe waterproof bags that proved to not be so safe. All of my pictures from the last five days were on it.  We put the phone in rice overnight, and by morning, it was apparent that my phone did not have much longer to live. I was a bit of a mess because I had not backed it up to the cloud recently. JD wanted to head out and enjoy the day. I did not want to go anywhere until I knew my photos were saved. I love how far technology has evolved. I had my computer and strategically airdropped ninety-nine percent of the pictures before the phone forever died. 

The PCC was an exciting place. It was fun, but I think other than the 

Lu au, it would have been more entertaining with children. We were thankful 

we did not have little ones to care for during the Lu au.

We had these very cool tattoos applied. JD chose the warrior, and I picked the chief. JD felt it was culturally incorrect for me to desire the chief tattoo.

 I assured him that it was the twentieth century and there was a reason the queen's tattoo was in the center of the chief tattoo. 

Husbands and wives, chiefs and queens are one and meant to work together as equal partners like The Family Proclamation says:).

Right outside the PCC is a place to buy mixed sodas. 

This massive soda we were drinking was $5. 

Seriously, the best deal you will find ANYWHERE in Hawaii.

I love how the rolls and potato salad are purple.

Pictures are not allowed at the evening Lu au, but 

we loved the story and show. It reaffirms the truthfulness that families are forever 

and that our loved ones are never very far away. 

KUALOA RANCH

I was freaking excited to go on the jungle cruise and 

get to see the Jurassic Park sign and sites. 

I did not see a reason to read the instructions 

or details when choosing our adventure. 

Seemed self-explanatory.

I was wrong, and I opted for the incorrect venture. 

Our journey did not see the side of the mountain

 with all the Jurassic Park stuff. 

We did get to see the place where parts of Jumanji 

was filmed. I guess that is cool.

We did enjoy 

getting to know the others on our 

the tour.

Our tour guide had incredible stories, and the scenery was breathtaking,

 so we will count it as a win. Even if we didn't get to see what 

we thought we signed up for 

because I picked the wrong tour. 

Why am I making this beautiful facial expression? The only conclusion

 I can come up with is I am feeling very passionate about the fact that, 

EVERY DAY IS A BLESSING!

Stuffed Lobster Dog, pineapple, and mango churro

Why Not?

Once again, here is that beautiful facial expression. 

Everywhere in Hawaii, signs to buy chilled coconut exist. 

We tried it and did not love it.

I love to see the Temple!

We ended up back at the temple later in the week. 

Across the street from the temple is a gated garden that overlooks the ocean. 

It was right down the street from our hotel, which meant

 we were able to see it a few times.

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott in Oahu North Shore. 

This was our view. I loved waking up to this view every day. 

We loved this hotel. They check out beach chairs, toys, and scuba gear. The courtyard has all kinds of games and activities during the day. We did not use these accommodations, but it was nice to know they were available.

North Shore shuts down early, so we did use the Rummikub game they had on hand.

(I won't mention the fact that I always won:).

WAIMEA FALLS

JD was not sure he wanted to go to this place. It took a little bit of convincing 

but we both loved it and are glad we went. We both swam in the pond, 

but I was sure I would get a disease and did not stay long.

The walk up to the falls, the stunning trails, and the plants are worth the trip. 

We loved this place.

HANAUMA BAY

MY FAVORITE!!!

I can't say enough about how much I loved this place.

I regret that we did not make time to go for two days.

We almost didn't get to go at all. You have to schedule it, 

and we hadn't, but we decided to drive there 

before Pearl Harbor and beg for a pass. 

Somehow, we were able to get one without begging. 

It was seriously a perfect day. 

The pictures could not capture the awe or magnificent beauty of this place. 

When you come around the bend and see the bay, 

it completely takes your breath away. 

It is so spectacular. 

It took me a moment to get brave enough to go snorkeling.

 I discovered that in this cove,

 snorkeling feels relatively safe. 

The coral and fish are magnificent.

JD lived under the water from the moment we arrived.

I was mistaken to think that ten days might be too many in Oahu.

We needed one more entire day to spend at Hanauma Bay.

 

ALOHA- OAHU, HAWAII-BANAN-DOLE-FUMIS-LAIE TEMPLE- MARRIAGE IS THE BEST!

JD bought us tickets for my birthday this year to Hawaii. We had a lot to celebrate. I finally graduated from BYU-I with a B.S. in Marriage and family, yahoo. 

We also celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. 

We both absolutely LOVED Oahu!

The first few nights, we stayed in Waikiki. We both loved the fast-paced craziness of the area. We also loved how late everything was opened. JD and I fell in love with the fish tacos at the International Mall; I don't even like fish. The place is directly across from the Honolulu cookie store. 

Waikiki Beach was a total party during the day

 but in the evening, it was extremely calm.

We loved it both ways.

Quiet and peaceful and crazy.

During the last half of our trip, we went to the North Shore, which we also loved. 

However, we started to miss  Waikiki, so we drove back 

the last day before heading to the airport. 

In Waikiki, on one of the paths that leads 

to the beach is this shop called BANAN.

It is delicious and fun to stop and get a treat to 

eat while sitting on the beach.

DOLE PINEAPPLE

The Dole Plantation was worth stopping at once.

I am glad we did not pay 

for more than the train ride around the plantation.

It might be more fun to visit with little kiddos.

We did buy some LI Hing powder while we were there. It is delicious on pineapple. 

The powder was applied to many types of food on the North Shore, including our snow cones.

 It is interesting how versatile the flavor is. 

The little pineapples growing all over were adorable,

 and the dole whip was...

DELICIOUS!!!

We had been told by many about the famous shrimp trucks. 

While on our trip, we tried a few different ones, but our favorite was Fumi's. 

Simple but tasty.

I loved visiting the Laie Temple. The day we went to the temple was JD and I's anniversary. It is a little humorous that JD and I both woke up that day and decided to wear a green shirts. I am thankful for the gift of marriage and covenants.  

In 2014, Elder Holland gave a devotional address at BYU-I. The title of his talk was Living after the Manner of Happiness. In this talk, Elder Holland discusses how life and liberty are a right, but happiness is a pursuit. Elder Holland states, "In short, your best chance for being happy is to do the things that happy people do, live the way happy people live, and walk the path that happy people walk." He then gives four suggestions for living a happier life- #1- Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  #2- Choose Happiness. As Abraham Lincoln taught, "Folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." #3- Be kind and pleasant. Elder Holland comments that you cannot build your happiness on someone else's unhappiness. #4- Work at it- Don't be idle. "Be industrious and labor, including laboring for and serving others- one of the truly great keys to true happiness." 

These four suggestions Elder Holland provides lend themselves to building an eternal marriage. Happiness in a marriage must be pursued and worked for. It is often the result of the work we are willing to strive for.  

I LOVE YOU, JD! 

I am thankful for the gift we have of working together 

to pursue a life of eternal happiness.

You are my best friend.

LOVE you FOREVER!