we were in oahu from august 1st through 8th. a few things from our trip...
1. it was waaaaay too short.
2. waikiki beach is one of my favorite places. it is one of the best people watching spots ever.
3. mia comes alive in the water! girlfriend mastered swimming without floaties by the end of the trip.
4. i like to eat...a lot. duke's beach fries and hula pie. buzz's salad bar. leonard's malasadas. baskin robins jamocha almond fudge ice cream. pina coladas. kobe's steak & garlic fried rice. red lobster's crab legs. kua aina burger's avocado burger. dole whip. the cream pot's carmel banana french toast.
5. george didn't so much love the water, but he LOVED being in the pool when he was being thrown back and forth between my dad and my brother, tyler. he caught serious air...5 to 6 feet high, which resulted in lots of deer in headlights stares.
6. our room had 2 lanais - one had a perfect view of waikiki beach, diamond head and the sunset and the other had a perfect view of the sunrise. pure beauty.
7. we loved standing on our lanai and watching the turtles swim in every afternoon.
8. we rented dune buggies and drove all around the island while my dad and brother rode harleys. it was quite an adventure.
9. we paddled out on canoes and then rode the waves back in. it was serious fun.
10. we took a catamaran ride, which was very relaxing. we didn't see any dolphins this time, though.
11. russ, mia, george and i all slept in the same room for the first time! it was heaven (as long as everyone was sleeping!).
mia was in pure bliss...
fresh pineapple and dole whip...
mia opened an oyster and got her very own black pearl!
george showing us his mad superhero skills. this is his "POW!"
my brothers sharing a funny moment. i like to see them laughing...
russ and i waiting to ride the pineapple express...
stud...
my dad and little sister on a sweet harley. hawaii doesn't have a helmet law. yikes!
our dune buggy.
the famous avocado burger...man, that was a good avocado.
mia needed to wear my sunglasses to protect her eyes from the wind. i think they suit her!
grandma, papa, mia and george saying 'good-bye' to the dune buggy...
how is it that my sister and i look nothing alike??
mia LOVED the hawaiian flowers. we told her she couldn't pick any, but my dad broke our rule and got her this one. she was tickled.
my dad is george's best buddy...
this guy was just hanging out on the street and let us pet his birdy
george loves jumping ANYWHERE...
the view from my parent's lanai...
this is my very favorite beach, kailua. the sand is so fine that it almost feels like powdered sugar. if i ever move to hawaii, this is where i want to live.
this is in front of our favorite steak house, buzz's. we saw richard alpert from 'lost' here, and i about jumped out of my skin with excitement!
don't i have the best looking parents? i love that they are still in love.
george and his balloon motorcycle, which he 'rode' all around our room until it was so mangled it was hardly recognizable.
mia got a beautiful princess. this balloon guy was talented.
there is a banyan tree that is enormous! i wonder how old it is. we had so much fun walking through it, sitting in it and swinging from it's roots (which grown down from the branches).
nothing quite like a nice, cold pina colada...
mia's heart shaped goggles were cracking everybody up. she spent sooo much time in the water and was good entertainment for us all!
