hawaii part 1

i wanted to post a first installment of pictures from my trip. i didn't take as many pictures this time. i really didn't feel like carrying my big camera with me, so my little one took most of the pictures this trip.

i just cant say what a wonderful time i had. no words would do it justice. but being with my sisters in hawaii was SO MUCH FUN!!! and having my aunt & uncle there to spoil us (think delicious food every night!) and share in the memories was wonderful.

the first few mornings we were together, we got up early and went walking together. it was so much fun because we talk & laugh the whole time and hello!, it is warm & beautiful. here we are, on a walk, taking a timer picture.

i got to hawaii on saturday night. it was a long day of traveling and i crashed when i got to ang's house that night. we had already decided that my first morning in hawaii, we would go paddle-boarding. here we are on our way out the door in my hawaii uniform. skirt (with pockets), small t-shirt, flip-flops ( i call them comfy, ang calls them ugly!), bathing suit & sunglasses.

this is the only picture we have from that morning. i wouldn't dare bring my camera because i KNOW i fall off my board (multiple times) so the camera stays at home. but man, i wish i would have had it. we paddle-boarded for 2 1/2 hours and at least half of that time, we were swimming with the dolphins. little spinner dolphins. it was incredible. i was scared at first because they were SO close to us, but after a while i was loving it. ang said it was the first time she had ever had an experience like that in all the times she had gone paddle-boarding.

it was incredible

ang has a friend named chris. he owns a company. he drives people around on his zodiac. he took us out. it was awesome. we drove over to captain cook's and snorkeled. amazing coral, more dolphins, schools of incredible fish. he took us to look at lava tubes. he drives like a crazy man, it was so fun. he taught us a little about hawaiian history. super cool & very interesting. and on the way back, we saw a humpback whale... breaching. yah, it was awesome. (except being semi-sea-sick. uggh!)

this is me, on the boat with captain cooks snorkel spot in the background.

is it my imagination or do i look a little green??! :)

clear blue water, white powder sand, glorious sun, and my kindle. (I am reading the secret garden & LOVING it!!) no one else in sight. just me and my sisters. this is HEAVEN. ang @ makalewena i went to the temple on saturday morning. i am embarrassed to say that it was hard to get there. I wanted to go, but the beach or some other adventure kept getting in the way. so i scheduled a saturday morning session. it was so wonderful. the women that work in the temple there are so kind & loving and i just want to hug them all. ( i did hug a few of them!) there faces are weathered and some of their bodies are starting to fail them. but their hearts are so pure and full of love for the service they are doing in the temple. their testimonies are in their smiles. i love them. i love the temple. i have been to wiapeo valley before, but this time we got to ride through the valley on horseback. wow. so fun and such an adventure. being with my sisters & my aunt and uncle was so fun. it was so peaceful and beautiful. it rained the whole time. i liked it.

what we saw

the pictures just don't do it justice. think about 20X more beautiful.

me & teed on our last night out to eat all together. we went to lava java. my sister serves there in her spare time and the food is SO GOOD. it is all fresh, organic, made at the restaurant and grown on the island kind of food. we pretty much ate there every day for at least one meal.

the flash makes our eyes look crazy, the sunset makes our skin pink.

I'll post more soon, when my kids & house recover from me taking the time to post these pictures!!