As promised...

I've decided to start up "Memory Mondays". This does not guarantee I will post every Monday, but it's a start. I'm not sure what memories I will conjure up in the process and I'm not promising that they'll be entertaining to anyone but me. So, since our trip to Hawaii is now nothing more than a memory (and a FABULOUS one, at that!) I'll start off there. P.S.-This post will be extremely long because this is the only account I'm making of our trip, and I want to remember everything I can. Also, it says Thursday at the top cuz I started this post last week, and it's technically being posted on a Tuesday.

Day 1:

We flew out of Utah at 7:00am and arrived in Kauai at 2:00pm. The plane ride was not fun, unlike the last time I went to Hawaii and flew first class (I worked for Delta). That job really ruined regular air travel for me. Our friends Frank and Nettie arrived before we did, so they greeted us at the baggage claim with leis made from the pua kenikeni flower-so fragrant!! How awesome are they? We picked up our rental van and went to our hotel, The Lawai Beach Resort, which was located halfway between Poipu Beach and Spouting Horn. It was amazing! We had a 2 bed/2 bath unit with a huge living room and kitchen and an ocean view. We were pretty drained from traveling so we went to eat at a local place called Keoki's Paradise, went grocery shopping at Costco to stock up for the week, and then crashed.

The pool

Our view

Day 2:
We spent the entire day at the beach. Evan loves to play in the ocean, and I love to lay on the beach. On our way home we stopped at a small outdoor market for some Shave Ice (a Hawaii MUST!!) and ended up getting some body art. Nettie and I got glittered flowers on our ankles, and Evan got a henna turtle on his leg. We went home and got ready, went out to dinner and went to bed early after a long day in the sun.



Day 3:
This was our all-day-in-the-car day. First we drove to Kapa'a and listened to a timeshare presentation so that we could get discounts on our activities for the rest of the week. We loved our saleswoman. She was so low pressure. If we had the money, I'd go back and buy a timeshare from her just because she didn't try to force us into anything. Then we drove from sight to sight, getting out to see the views from various lookout points. Some of our stops included...

Wailua River

'Opaeka'a Falls

Wailua Falls

Kukuiolono Golf Course (we stopped here for a geocache for Frank)

and Waimea Canyon

Day 4:
We slept in and hung out all morning, watching movies and talking. Then in the afternoon Evan and I went scuba diving with Seasport Divers. We went on two dives and saw tons of green sea turtles and two white-tip reef sharks, along with A LOT of amazingly colored fish. That evening we all went to dinner at The Beach House. We planned to have one upscale, nice dinner since we were there celebrating our anniversary, and we definitely got what we wanted. The restaurant is located just across the street from our hotel, and sits out on the water. They have these huge sliding glass doors facing the ocean that open up all the way, so you can listen to the waves crash on the rocks and watch the sun set as you eat. The food was so good that Evan didn't even bat an eye at the bill-that's never happened in the history of our marriage. Even days later, he kept saying how delicious our dinner was. We walked back to the hotel and sat on a rock wall by the beach, listening to the ocean and watching the moonlight dance over the waves.


Day 5:
We spent the morning by the pool and then went up north and rode a ferry to a place called the Fern Grotto. It is a shallow cave, with ferns growing upside down from the ceiling. It was beautiful. That night we went to a luau. Loved it!!


Day 6:
We went to a cattle ranch up in Princeville where they have zip line tours. It was a blast! We went on 9 zip lines of different heights and lengths, and then hiked into this private waterfall pool where we swam and ate lunch. It was so fun! There was a family from Layton in our group-what a small world, huh? After the zip lining we followed the main highway all the way up the island, stopping at Hanalei Bay for a moment and then continued on until the road dead ended into Ke'e Beach, where we watched the sun set. It was amazing. The Napali Coastline starts at Ke'e Beach, so we got some pretty pictures of that.

Day 7:
We spent another morning by the pool and then did some snorkeling across from the hotel. I didn't last very long (I always seem to suck seawater down my snorkel, ie-torture!) but Evan was in absolute heaven. The cove near our hotel was one of the best snorkeling beaches on the south shore. I could not believe how MANY fish there were in that little space. After that we went to Kipu Falls. It's really popular with the locals but not well advertised, so it wasn't overcrowded with tourists. It's a waterfall pool with a HUGE rope swing tied to a gigantic tree. Evan and Frank jumped from the rope a few times, but neither of us girls did. I stood there holding the rope forever but then chickened out. I'm too cautious in my old age. We finished off the day at Spouting Horn.




Day 8:
Nettie awoke early in the morning with terrible stomach pains, so Frank took her into the ER. They didn't determine the cause, but at least it wasn't appendicitis. So, they came back and we all packed up and checked out. Our flights didn't leave until late at night, so we had all day to do our souvenir shopping. We found a set of mixing bowls that were carved out of mango wood, in which the seller engraved "Evan and Robin, Five Years" on the bottoms. I was so excited to have something to always remember our aniversary. The couple who sold them to us was from Thailand, and they gave us a discount because Evan spoke so much Thai with them.The only problem is we bought them at a breezy outdoor market, and I didn't notice until we got them home to our house that they stink!!! I still haven't decided if the wood is just smoked, or if it's the stain they used, but it reeks. I haven't even used them because I can't stand the smell. I even think my plastic bowls that are next to them in the cupboard are starting to smell.

We dropped off Frank and Nettie at the airport, but we had a later flight so we enjoyed some good Thai food (that couple had put us in the Thai spirit) and then turned in the van. We had only rented an economy car but there weren't any when we checked in so Hertz upgraded us to a minivan. We all laughed at first at the idea of the four of us in a van, but it was so nice to have all that room!! There's no way we would have been able to make it that last day with all our bags and souvenirs in a small car.

What a trip!!! It was by far the best vacation Evan and I have taken. I think everyone needs to visit Hawaii at least once in their lifetime. If you haven't gone yet, GO!