It's been great having so many days off from work! It is now irrefutable that my stress primarily comes from work. After 11 days of NOT working, I feel the tension leaving the muscles in my body, my energy is better and my attitude is much more positive...However, I am also finding that I don't feel the same drive and determination as I do when I work. It's a conundrum. I suppose this means I should just go on vacation more often!
Speaking of vacations, we just got back from a wonderful vacation in Honolulu, HI. We spent just under a week there and I wish we were still there. While spring is slowly coming to MN, the weather couldn't have been more perfect in HI with sun, warmth and a refreshing ocean breeze cooling us just enough every single day. No wonder the Hawaiians are so happy and relaxed. How could you not be when living in Hawaii?!
It was a long flight from MN to Honlulu, but it was well worth it. We didn't arrive until almost 10pm, but it was well worth it when we were greeted by the warmth and humidity of the ocean. Plus, our friend, Adam, who is a Honolulu police officer, chased us (literally) down the highway to present us with beautiful leis. Our cab driver was so confused! Grace, Adam's wife, and I joked about how people might think that everyone who comes to HI gets lei'd by the cops. Hahaha! Anyway, here's a pic of Keira the night we arrived, as well as the following morning proudly wearing her lei. What a warm Hawaiian welcome!
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| Night of arrival |
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| After a night of sleep |
During our first full day we enjoyed exploring our accommodations (Sheraton Waikiki) as well as spending time with our friends Binh, Ronald and Myaura who happened to be vacationing in Honolulu at the same time and were staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village just a few hotels down the beach. We enjoyed the beach, the pool, and even found some food trucks. It was such a lovely (and long) day that Keira fell asleep after dinner that night. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from that day.
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| Myaura and Keira in their cover ups |
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| Paddling around the lagoon |
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| Boogie board wipeout |
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| Exhausted |
The next day was another jam-packed one with a hike up Diamondhead with Adam, Grace and their son, Noah. It was a reminder that I need to get back into working out because those stairs were a killer. My thighs and hamstrings were burning the next day! Afterward we had a delicious lunch just off of the water, followed by some adventurous stops at the spitting caves, a semi-private beach and dinner at the Schonhardts' home. We are so lucky to have such wonderful and welcoming friends!
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| Our breakfast view |
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| Keira loved the pineapple |
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| View from the top of Diamondhead |
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| Most amazing fish tacos |
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| Most amazing brownie and ice cream dessert |
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| Spitting caves - I was not comfortable here - scary! But, beautiful. |
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| Top of Waikiki for a family photo - all sweaty! |
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| Noah and Keira - possibly the cutest kids on the island |
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| Keira climbed into a tree for a rest |
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| Noah's expression says it all |
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| Look at that smile! |
The rest of our trip was a blur of friends, good food, fun in the sun, etc. If you've never visited the islands, you really need to. While we've only ever visited Oahu and Maui, that's enough for us. We love Hawaii and will definitely be back again in the future!
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| Having some fun |
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| Best fruit cup ever |
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| Keira's "fort" by the pool |
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| Mom and daughter shaka-time |
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| Enjoying her new hat |
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| Gorgeous sunrise captured by Grace - Aloha! Until next time. |
Here are a few more photos and if you want to see more photos, then click on the link above. Aloha!
