Saka! Part 1: Oahu

NOTE: Kiel didn't fly in until we got to Maui and because this post is only of Oahu he won't be in any of these pics, but he'll be in the next post!!

I don't care what all those Disney supporters say, Hawaii is the happiest place on earth. It really is just as beautiful and peaceful as everyone makes it out to be. It is amazing that so much of the most beautiful scenery is in one place! And that place aint Arizona. Two weeks there just wasn't long enough!! I could see myself having a summer home there someday...that would be more like it. Everyday was filled with so much fun! In Oahu we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and that was a BLAST! Probably one of the most fun things we did. I think that Samoans/Tahitians/Fajians are just born with approximately 203 more muscles than the average white male. But thats not what made it great (contrary to what Melissa and Mary think...). The Tahitian dancers were amazing! I have got to learn to shake my hips like that...I've been working on it! We got lots of tats (as seen in this awesome pic)

, saw men climb coconut trees, learned to make cool things out of coconut leaves, took tours in gandolas, and ate a below-ground roasted pig at the Luau. We also got beautiful fresh purple leis. We spent two whole days at the PCC and could have easily spent another two! That was such a fun place! Oh, we also went on a tour to the Honalulu Temple and it is sooooo beautiful! Totally unique! It reminded me of a Mayan Temple lined with coconut trees. I would have loved to go in it but sadly its under construction for a year :(
The Tahitian dancers

<--Us at the luau (at the PCC)

Playing a Hawaiian game. Mary and I rocked at this

My other favorite thing in Oahu was the swap meet. Sounds cheap I know. Because it was. They had all the classic hawaiian things for so much less than anywhere else! It was great!

Oahu was different from Maui in that it there are alot of hills and mountains on Oahu. There were tall green mountains everywhere and they are so lush and beautiful. We spent 4 days in Oahu and then we flew to Maui.

When I think of my parents this is how I see them, laughing and enjoying eachother. They are like newlyweds!

A highlight of the trip was the devotionals. My dad would assign someone to give the devotional and we would have one every morning. They could be on any gospel topic the person chose. Usually they would turn into long discussions and the kids would take off playing or fall asleep but I learned so much. This might seem weird to some ppl but it is perfectly normal to my family. The gospel was a very open topic in my home growing up. I am grateful for my parent's insight to make the devotionals an intragal part of the trip.
Hawaii was my favorite trip so far. And thats really saying something because my family spends half our time at home and the other half going on trips. Cheers for good times and memories!

The kids looking for crabs
Who said stop signs had to be red??
PEARL HARBOR
DOLE PLANTATION
A Brazilian pinapple
Pinapple ice cream...mmmmmmm!
Pinapple plants...I had no idea they grow like this!
Here's some pinapple trivia. All the pinapples in Hawaii are planted BY HAND. There were thousands of pinapple plants all over Hawaii and they were all planted by hand! Each plant produces 3 pinapples and then they have to be replanted. It takes over a year for the first pineapple to be ready to harvest and then almost a year for the second and then another year for the 3rd! At that rate you'd think pinapples would be at least $50 a piece!

(all the beach pics are coming in the Maui post)

A Preview of Hawaii

I want to blog my trip to Hawaii so bad but I don't have some of the pictures I want to use so I'm waiting until I go back to Utah (on Tues!). But I just can't wait so I'm posting a preview! Here's just a few pictures from the trip and I'll be blogging the rest soon....