Hawaii 2011 (week one)

I am finally getting through all the pictures I have recently taken off my camera, and realized I haven't shared our exciting vacation with you all!

Sam and I never took a honeymoon. Getting married just before spring semester, with me still in nursing school did not leave a lot of buffer time between our wedding (on Saturday) and me going back to clinicals (on Monday)....

For us a vacation was long over due since we will be married two years this month! Time sure flies.

I have been to Hawaii before, but Sam has never gone. This seemed like the prime opportunity to go somewhere a little exotic before our little bundles of joy make an entrance. Sam's brother Dan lives on Oahu, and we do not get to see him and his wife often so it just made sense that we would vacation in their neck of the... um... tropics.

We flew out December 10 and stayed through Dec 23. What a lovely break from reality, and what a lovely gift from Dan and Raia to let us crash at their place!

I wanted to share some of my favorite memories and places with you. I hope it will bring a little sunshine to you in this wintery weather!

We arrived on a Sat. night and the following Monday the fun began. A trip to the Dole Pineapple Plantation was silly, educational, and very tasty.

Of course the beach was a must, and we lucked out to be staying literally across the street from Hukilau beach. This soon became a frequent stop for surf, sand, and a little boogie boarding.

A little tid-bit... if you have ever heard the hula song about the Hukilau, it was written about this beach.

One of my favorite things to do is snorkel. We did this a few times and sadly the only pictures even related to snorkeling were from Hanauma Bay, a marine life conservation area 10 miles from Waikki. It was a beautiful little cove, however; the tide was really low that day so it made for some shallow swimming. Not very easy for two pregnant women!

I have a thing for light houses. This was a great "little" hike up to a very beautiful view. We tried to watch for whales since this is the time of year they migrate to the area, but no such luck.

We were able to take time and do a session at the Temple, which was in walking distance from where Dan and Raia live

When you have the right connections you get the special treatment. Dan has several buddies in the military, one of which got his Captain's license literally that day so we could all make a trip out in Kaneohe Bay. We rented a boat from the Marine base and skipped on over to a sandbar!! Once in a lifetime fun for Wyomingites like us.