It's hard to believe it's already been a month since I was standing in the security line at MSP with Matt and my sisters. As I slipped my shoes off the security guard joked that Hawaii better look out with us coming. What a clever guy ;) . Despite dad's fears of us being late (ok, me being late), we arrived at our terminal with time to kill and quickly found two eager parents who had been awaiting our arrival. We boarded the plane ready to leave the frozen tundra we call home, and one long 9 hour flight later we touched down on the sunny island of Oahu.
I love the feeling of being somewhere for the first time. Everything is new and exciting! And the possibilities seem endless. They say that half of the joy of a vacation comes from looking forward to it. If that's true then I believe that the moment you finally reach your destination all of that anticipation and excitement that's been building hits you and you have nothing to do but look around and take everything in while you look forward to the week that is ahead of you. And that week somehow goes by much faster than any other given week. Not sure how, but I know for a fact it always works that way.
My mom and dad had this trip planned for over a year. My mom would probably say longer, since it's always been a dream of hers to be in Hawaii with her girls. Mom, just let me know if you have any other dreams involving warm, sunny beaches that I can help make come true ;) .
HIGHLIGHTS:
Clear blue water
Coconut shrimp
Beach running
Luau
$7 drink specials
Pretending to be Australian in the kiddie pool
Kiddie pool slides
Hiking Diamond Head
Racing Triah down Diamond Head
Hawaiian beer
More coconut shrimp (seriously...so good!)
Morning coffee on the balcony
Hiking off the beaten trail
Walking sticks that choose you
Screenplay writing in the jungle (the most epic comedy, drama, romantic thriller coming soon!)
Color inspiration
Northshore
Surf boards
Watching locals open coconuts
Puppies!
Food trucks .... so many food trucks
So many birds (ok not a fan of this one)
Waterfall!
Cold, cold water
Seeing where pineapples come from
Farmer's market
Papaya, coconut, pineapple ... all the real deal
Sushi
Pearl Harbor
Missing the boat :(
Macadamia nut cookies
Beach walks
Views, views and views
I can still remember the last day how the vacation blues quickly started flooding in and though the thought of my own bed sounded great, I knew I was really going to miss this place that had become home, even if only for a week.
