Part of the Club!

That's right everyone! I am officially a part of the CHACO club!! Kenneth has been watching ebay and various stores for a good deal on a pair of chacos for me, and finally...after more than a year of watching...he snatched a victory!! They ended up being LESS than 1/2 of normal priced chacos! Whoo hoo! I've only worn them once when we went rock-climbing, and they felt pretty good. Still have to get used to them though...my toe feels so contricted! Kenneth tells me I'll get used to it...Anway, here they are!

One major complaint about the chacos...I feel like I have fat feet in them! Oh well...I guess I'll sacrifice it for supportive & breathable shoes while hiking...

Oodles of Fun!

So, last Friday, we were able to attend an outdoor concert of Kenneth's Snow college friends, Frank and Melissa. It was held in their backyard and was TONS of fun! She plays the cello, and he plays the guitar. They also had other musians playing - additional cello players, bass player, drummer and trumpet. They played some really fun jazz music! It was awesome! We've only seen Melissa once since we got married at another concert she was a part of, and Frank - haven't seen him since our reception! At the time of our reception, Melissa was pregnant with their little girl, Lydian, who is now 19 months old!

We decided that we should really hang out more often, especially since they live so close (about 10 minutes away), so we planned a little rock-climbing date for family night. We just headed up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, and it was SOO fun! We had a great time climbing and just chatting. It was hilarious to see their little girl too! As soon as we got there, she plopped on the dirt and started smiring herself with it! She was so fun to watch and seriously is one of the cutest girls I've ever seen! Kenneth didn't even realize how much fun kids could be! Good times!

Hawaii Part IV - the last one!

Alright! I am so excited because after this I will be updated on the Hawaii posts! Then I can get back to real life! Here we go!

Monday, August 11th

On Monday we went snorkeling at Haunama Bay. It was a little frustrating getting there, because the parking lot was full, so we had to drive around for awhile looking for a spot, and ended up parking about a mile away from the Bay and hiking up to it. I wouldn't have been that bad, but it was really hot, my sunburn hurt, and Kenneth was getting blisters from his flip-flops. THEN, once we got there, we found out that they only accept cash for the snorkeling gear and lockers...and we didn't have enough! SO, we had to hike another mile or so down to the local grocery store, and buy something to get cash back. As we were walking back up the hill once more, we were totally annoyed, and when a cab guy came by and offered us a ride up for $5 we took it! Seems kind of ridiculous when you're in the car for less than a minute, but we were fried! Once we got there though we relaxed and had a great time. The fish were AMAZING!

Whoops! Kind of cut this one off...

A sea turtle! I've seen one every time time I've gone! 3 for 3!
A HUGE school of fish!

After we were done snorkeling we drove to a blow hole that is just around the corner and got some great pictures. The waves were AWESOME there because they were huge and would crash right on the rock. There is absolutely no beach here.

When we got home, my sis-in-law Kim told me that when she was in Hawaii, and girl was taking pictures at this location, down closer to the edge (where Kenneth WANTED to go, but I wouldn't let him) when she was swept into the ocean and she ended up drowning! How sad! Kim was snorkeling in the bay, which is just around the corner, and the beach patrol pulled the girl into the Bay and Kim saw her. How sad! This is why I make the level-headed decisions that we don't do things like that!

Tuesday, August 12th

Our last day in Hawaii! As weird as this is, I think we were ready to go home. The vacation was amazing but we were tired, and burned, and ready to sleep in our own bed! On our last day we packed up, and check out of our hotel by about 10 a.m.

After we packed up, we headed towards the North Shore to do a session on the Laie Temple. It was great! It is kind of our tradition to always do a session at the temple whenever we vacation in a place close to one. I think it's a good tradition!

After we were done at the temple, we slowly drove back towards the airport (our flight didn't leave until 9:45 p.m. Hawaii time). We stopped at some of the local beaches along the way.

So, I think I was really tired by this point, but I LOVE how green the mountains are so I had to put it in!

After driving by the beaches we were beat and couldn't figure out what else to do, so we ended up seeing Mama Mia (I know it's lame to watch a movie when you're in Hawaii...oh well). Then we headed to the airport. Our flight left at 9:45 pm Hawaii time, and we got into the Salt Lake airport at 7:30 am Utah time. It was insane! It was NOT comfortable trying to sleep on the plane! I'm sure it was hilarious seeing the two of us laying all over each other trying to get comfortable! Hilarious! Anyway, that's our trip! THE END!

Hawaii Part III

Hello again! Continuing on our adventure...

Saturday, August 11th

Our Saturday was full of just swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, and laying out in the sun. I got HORRIBLY sunburned that day! I seriously could not sleep that evening because I was so burned on my legs and back! Ouch! I forgot to bring pictures from this day, so I will add them tomorrow.

Sunday, August 10th

On Sunday, we found a local ward to go to for church. It was interesting because there were SO many cultures and languages! One of the speakers was Tongan and Kenneth had the hardest time understanding him...I guess it was a bonus that I grew up around so many! It was crazy to see on the program that there were like 6 Sunday School classes...each in a different language! It was awesome! The church buildings there are great because they are so open (just like everything!) We got a couple of pictures of the reflection pool and also a wonder mosaic of the Savior.

After church we went to Pearl Harbor. I always love going there. I LOVE learning about WWII history, so I eat everything up! It is so sombering to think about the men who lost their lives, and how that tragic day effected the United States of America, and the world as a whole. I love to think of those times and how a tragic event brought the US together in such an incredible way. I love going out to the Arizona Memorial and think about the men who lived and died so triumphantly that day. Going on the Arizona Memorial is a crazy thing. The feeling there is so peaceful, and everyone is asked to remain silent to respect the tomb we are above. There are about 1,000 men who are buried within the sunk ship. Here are a few pictures from the memorial itself:

Portions of the ship that can be seen above the water

A plaque with the dedication of the US Arizona
The beautiful wall which lists all the names of the men who lost their lives that day, not only from the US Arizona, but other ships as well.
Kenneth in front of the flags of the various US ships

After going out to the memorial, we spent some time in the museum. There is SO much stuff in there, and I LOVED it all! I love museums and we're the nerds who sit there for hours (literally) reading everything there is.

This was a model of the overall memorial and also the ship underneath it:

This is a picture of one of the torpedos! They actually found it just in like 2002 underneath all the sand and silt. It was still active and way corroded, so they decided to take it out in the middle of the ocean and detonate it. This is what remained after it was detonated. Crazy cool huh??

The anchor from the US Arizona

Hawaii Part II

Thursday, August 7th
So, continuing on with our adventures from Thursday in Hawaii...after the Dole Plantation we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We were only there for one day so we didn't get to do a ton at the different activities at the different villages, but we had fun nonetheless. Here are a couple of pictures: Kenneth laughed at me for this first one for wanting a picture in front of the fake waterfall...oh well! I thought it was pretty still!

Tree Climber at the Samoan village:
Kenneth making fire at the Samoan village:
The fish we weaved at the Tongan village:
Dang! I am one fierce Tongan spear-woman!
The Hawaiian dancers on the River Pagent:
The Tahiti dancers. They are supposed to be like the sun. The men do a really fun dance here!
I LOVE the Fiji dancers!
Uh...I think this is Tonga...
The Island of Aotearoa...more commonly known as New Zealand. They are one of my favorites!

After the village portion of the Polynesian Culture Center Kenneth and I went to the luau. I really wanted to take him to one, and it was fun, but he didn't like the food very much. It all is somewhat sweet, and Kenneth is DEFINITELY a spicy guy!

Friday, August 8th

Early Friday morning we spent our time on Waikiki beach. I LOVE that you can get up and be at the beach by 7:30 am and have PERFECT weather! It is the greatest! Then early that afternoon we went Parasailing! It was a lot of fun, though I wish we had done it before the skydiving because it just didn't seem as exciting when you compared the too!

We had about 600 ft of rope...pretty dull compared to the 14,000 ft we were at the day before, but way fun still, and beautiful views!

After our parasailling fun, we headed over to White Plains beach for more surfing and boogie boarding! I love that beach!

The random awesome guy I saw looking for buried treasure! My brother Nathan would appreciate this one!
And my beach toes!

Well, that's all for today! Look back tomorrow for more fun pictures!