Oahu 2020

 I just got back from my 6th trip to Hawaii.  You might say, it's my favorite.  I used free airline miles to get there, so I took two days off work with the intention of flying back a week later (with a few days left of my spring break-the best deals leave on strange days and times).  To keep a long story short-it was wild b/c when I left the Corona Virus was just ramping up and it made me a little nervous to fly, but by the first morning I woke up in Hawaii, I feel like the world absolutely fell apart (in order to come back together).  Schools started shutting.  Restaurants.  By the time we left the Island, they went from two cases on a different Island to 15 on Oahu.  Restaurants were take out only.  Stores closed.  Sites closed.  The day we left the beaches closed, there was a curfew enforced, and visitors were asked not to come for a month.   With the airline rush, we tried to stay away from groups as much as possible.   We had two beautiful days, but everything going on was always on my mind.

 We stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki and we could hear the ocean.  I left the balcony door open several nights just so I could listen to the waves.

 We also went to eat at a place called The Reef (one of my favorite spots-it used to be the Shorebird).  You grill out with a great view of Diamond Head.  While we were waiting, I walked out to the beach and saw 4 large sea turtles swimming around.

 Two days we rented a car and drove around the Island.  I'm convinced if you don't love Oahu, it's because you haven't ventured around the Island and taken in the gorgeous beaches and views.

 We stopped at Turtle Bay for lunch at their poolside view.  The view was stunning of some pretty heavy waves, and the food was delicious.  Side note-you can park for free, but the lot is quite a hike, so you can also valet for $10.  They will let you valet for free if you are handicap.

 We stopped at Pipeline where the waves, even 'small' on these days, come in with so much power.

 I also grabbed a snow cone in Haliewa.  This is where I learned (years ago) how much I love snow cones with an ice cream center.

 I also stopped at Dole Plantation.  I can't get over how adorable pineapples are as babies and always visit them in their 'nursery'.

 There were only two days with beautiful sunsets, but, I'll take 2.

 The whales were in full force.  You could see them spout from the shore all around the island.  Another good way to spot them is to look and see where the boats are hanging out!  We took a cruise out and got to see a mama and her calf.

 It also rained, a LOT (probably 3 full days).  It had something to do with there being no trade winds, but the locals were talking about how unusual it was to have this much rain, so you know it's impressive.  There were flash flood warnings, and Kauai even had a tornado watch, which the newscaster said they had never heard of (though I'm sure it has happened before).

 It rained so hard that the dirt was washing down from the mountains and the beach water was brown for about a yard.  We were driving around one of these days and there was some pretty epic water that I normally would not want to drive through.  In the future, I'd stick to the hotel.

All things considered, Oahu is always amazing, but it was a different reality this time with so much going on in the world, hearing about the super market shortages back home, the pandemic, and death toll rising.  It just reminds me to always have supplies, even when I leave (which I had bought some of before leaving), and to not take for granted my health or the people out there dealing with this virus.  The flight home every cough and sneeze made me cringe.  I'm grateful for the good memories in the mist of a trying time, and so far, I've stayed healthy.   I know so much of that is beyond my control, and I'm grateful for the memories.  I, for sure, look forward to going back once things have settled down and the world is healthy and well.

Hawaii 2016

 My Mom and I went to Hawaii over my spring break.  It was the last celebration lined up to celebrate her retirement.  Any excuse to go to Hawaii.  I know I'm in a minority, but Oahu is my favorite island.  We said last time that we would go to Maui next time....and then when it came time to book the trip...we booked Oahu.  I guess I'm a city girl at heart and you get the best of both worlds here.  Maybe next time, Maui, maybe next time.

 I love all the people.  I love the lines of surfboards where there would be bikes on the mainland.

 We did take a day trip to Kauai.  I had NOT visited Kauai, but I agree it's beautiful, and quiet.

 A grand canyon in the pacific, who knew?

 And the fern grotto, I love the personality of each island-so different and distinct.
Then it was back to Oahu.  Mostly we spent the week doing nothing, but we did rent a car and head to the North Shore one day.  A few weeks before they had 50 foot waves and the Eddie (thank you, El Nino).  They were about 15 feet the day we were there, but they never fail to impress in the winter, but...you just can't capture that sort of power on film.  But...check out how big they are AT the shoreline.

 I had enough points on American to fly for free, so we carried over our savings and stayed at some fun places.  We couldn't pick which hotel was our favorite, so half the week we stayed at the Outrigger Main, with a hot tub overlooking the beach.  The last half of the week we stayed at the Moana Surfrider with an unobstructed view of Diamond Head, those great rocking chairs, and a banyon tree covered back patio.  I can't pick a favorite.

 But, here's the view from Moana at sunset with the banyan tree below and my favorite view ahead.

 This year I tried out the Hula Pie at Dukes, better than it even looks.  If you are visiting, I really like Duke's for casual food, they have a great breakfast buffet, we discovered the Hula Hut this year (yum), and my all time favorite is the Shorebird at Outrigger Reef with a grill where you grill your own food in the evening with an unobstructed view of Diamond Head.

 I also love that there is a breaker wall built on part of the beach where you can swim without the currents and waves.

All I can think about is going back.  It will be Maui next time.  Or Oahu.

Retirement Party-Pineapple Style

 On January 30th, my Mom officially entered the world of retirement.  Her work threw her a really sweet party.  She had been at UT Dallas for 29 years.  I had the family over on her last day of work for dinner.  To celebrate, we are headed to Hawaii soon.  I decided to do a pineapple theme with (sort of) Hawaiian-ish food (that my extended family would eat-they are picky).  I went with gold and yellows.

 I picked up some pineapple straws at the dollar tree last summer (yup, I plan waaaay ahead-always).

 I made Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches, sweet Maui onion dip (just onion dip and chips), roasted pigs (bbq mini sausages) and cheese, macaroni salad, slaw (gone vegan by using an Oriental Roman Noodle instead of the chicken), and a fruit salad.  I had planned to make pineapple cupcakes, but we came home with a ton of bundt cake from the party the day before, so I sliced up the lemon cake and added some little honeycomb pineapples.

 I found super cute pineapple toothpicks at Hobby Lobby.

 I also found chalkboard pineapple clothespins at Michael's and I sprayed them gold to label the food.

Very easy, and a fun reason to get together as a family.  

Princess Kaiulani Sheraton

I posted about my trip to Hawaii  Friday.  I had an incredible trip, and as I said at one the end of the post, Hawaii is the one place I'd tell everyone they had to visit at least one time.  You go once....you'll  see once isn't enough.  As a teacher, I certainly haven't found a clever way to make enough money that going on any vacations doesn't mean careful saving, but my Mom has always been really good about finding great deals for vacations.  She searches for months, on random days via the internet. We try to do a mother/daughter trip each year.  She found a great deal this time (pretty much for the same price I've paid for a plane ticket to Brazil the last few years. I was able two fly direct and stay the week in the Sheraton for an equal price to the ONE to Brazil).  There are always tons of options when traveling as far as hotels go, and thus far we've stayed in three different hotels.  Truly,the Sheraton was my favorite.  It's definitely where I'd try to stay next time in in Waikiki.    I got an upgrade in room when I told them I was blogging about them, but I can honestly say this was the nicest hotel we've snagged regardless of the upgrade room-I really am fond of Sheraton hotel rooms.  The expense of Hawaii is the travel, and the point is to hit the beach (at least for me), so I've tried to locate hotels closest to the beach in the past, but not on the beach-this was the best location and the nicest room by far.   With one day completely rained out, it turned out a  nice room was a great idea-with a big balcony to overlook the city.  All the rooms have balconies overlooking various things (ours had a slice of ocean on one side, the International Market (with nightly music wafting up) and the city to the other side (there are two towers-and your location=the price of the room, but they all have fun views of various slices of Waikiki and balconies).  There is a main road that runs along the beach and a few hotels that directly back up to the beach, and on the other side of the street (and several streets back) house most of the hotels).  This is directly behind the Moana Surfrider.  The beach is one street away, and you can see it from the hotel.  

The thing that struck me the first time we went to Hawaii were the number of 'open' rooms...one side= walls, and the other side-flowers and pools and fresh air.  Even the airports have this same set up, so bizarre.  I guess with the difference between winter and summer being 5 degrees (80 vs 85) it's not a big deal to be able to hide from the climates.  One side of the lobby (the left here) is open to the pool area that leads to the street/beach.

 The room was big, and the best part-bath tubs (I'm sorry, but whoever started building hotels without tubs-I can't take it.....I'm just a soaker....and I want my options open on vacation).

 The one thing I always love about a Sheraton-pillows and beds.  Oh.  My.

 I was there a week, and this greated me-a snack pack filled with Hawaiian flavors:  Maui chips (I ate so many my tongue is raw), chocolate covered macadamia nuts (I ate so many my feet better be sore soon so I can run those off), tropical drinks, and lots of fruit (also provided in bowls by the pool).

View to one side-the water (the other side of the hotel would be facing the water as well, along with Diamond Head).  

 Side two-a view of the city, and below is the International Market place, which serenaded me nightly.  I opened the balcony every night to listen.

 Two bottled waters left in the room daily (a fridge is also in the closet), towels you can trade out to take to the beach by the pool...

 ...and beach chairs you can take with you to the beach to hang out.  They also had drink service on the beach during certain hours....

 During the day there were 2-4 people who brought their local crafts (an artist with some really beautiful carvings, a lei making sessions, a man with wooden carvings, he was even creating one on site, ladies with quilt kits (of course, I got a little something there), and lots of jewelers.  Every night they have a band/hula dancers poolside (that take request) and then they seemed to move (all three steps) in the restaurant (which is open towards the pool and has pretty great looking buffets-I didn't try it out because there are only so many meals in a day, but it was always crowded.

 They also have a show on sight that includes dancing and tells the story of the various Polynesian islands.  Again, I didn't go, but got to see the crowd coming out happily taking photos with the various acts.  It was the one night I used the gym (once....better than none-and they had a great set up with free, bagged, headphones and towels you could snag to take with you to the equipment).  

Next time I head back to Oahu (please let it be soon), I am going to try to stay at the Sheraton-it really has been my favorite, with the best set up, and the nicest rooms.  I wanted something affordable, but close enough to the beach that I didn't forget where I was.  I love the location-beach in front, King's Corner to one side, and International Market place to the other side.  Super clean rooms, great balconies, regardless of where you are housed.  The staff was really helpful at the check in counter/pool side, and the bell hop by the drive was always quick to find out what we were waiting on (tours/pick ups etc) to help out.  I know so many people that don't think Hawaii is a viable option, but it's one of my very favorite spots, and it's a lot more affordable (room wise etc) than most of the big cities I've stayed in throughout the country.  So if it's your dream-check it out before you check it off as something that's not an option-it's a pretty incredible state that the US gets to claim!  

Oahu

Over spring break (a few weeks ago) my Mom and I took our annual vacation.  This year we found a great deal and headed to Oahu....one of my favorite spots on planet earth.  Minus their lack of craft stores, it's paradise.  I have been years before, but it was in the summer, and I've always wanted to head to Oahu in the winter to see 'the waves and the whales.'  This trip provided an abundance of both.  

I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to see quite a few places in this world I call home.  So many incredible buildings that man created, and though I am fully aware that God is the ultimate creator of man who built these places, there is something really pure about Hawaii-it's beauty is all a testament to God.  Nobody else can take credit for this incredible masterpiece.  

I've touched down for a day on two on the other Hawaiian Islands, and my hope is to someday visit those islands again and actually rest my head on a pillow for a night or three, but Oahu has so many adventures still waiting for me, I can't help but go back again...and again.  

It's definitely the 'busiest' of the islands-it's a stopping spot for many Japanese and Australian tourist coming to the closest American location for great shopping-and Waikiki caters to that, but despite the crowds, it doesn't deter from this incredible beach overlooking Diamond Head.  This just may be one of my favorite views on planet earth.  

 Look back towards the beach, many hotels line up along the sands, and I love that there are some walls built to allow for swimming without fighting the currents (or in my case, floating).

We spent several days just exploring Waikiki again, but we also spent three days driving to other spots on the island.  If you visit Oahu and think it is summed up by Waikiki, that is so far from the truth-there are many quite, beautiful spots all over the coast, and I think anyone who is concerned with the business of Honolulu and Waikiki perhaps didn't get to make this journey North.  After stopping at some of my favorite coves and beaches, we finally made it to Pipeline.  I've seen it before in the summer with small waves, but this round of site seeing didn't fail to impress.  Check out how much bigger the waves are than the surfer.  

 The waves curl over and great a 'pipe' that the surfers surf through.  We happened by during a jr pro surfing contest, so we got to see some really great rides....and one pretty impressive wipe out with lifeguard via jet ski waiting in the wings.  The waves really do thunder in, suck the tide out 20 feed before rushing in again to surprise those sitting on the shore an additional 30 feet.  I saw quite a few watchers scrambling for new spots up the drastically slopping shores.  The professional photographers were set up with their long lenses, and after an hour of camera envy we headed on up to Haleiwa for lunch and snowcones-truly spectacularly delicious-if you go-get one with ice cream at the bottom.
We also stumbled upon a beach with sea turtles sunning.  These are commonly seen on Turtle Beach (not to be confused with Turtle Bay).  Two were on shore, and a person (not a lifeguard, not sure his exact role) stood with a red rope that couldn't be crossed.  The turtles are protected and you can't knowingly go within a certain number of feet (not a problem for me).  These guys rested on the shore, while others surfed the waves.

 We also swung by Dole plantation-this pineapple is the size of my thumb-I wanted to name it and take it home.....but it warred with the desire to not be arrested, so I left in there....for now.

We also visited Pearl Harbor.  I went 13 years ago, but it was just as moving the second time.  My grandfather served in the Navy during WW2.  He was too young to sign up when Pearl Harbor was initially attacked, but it didn't stop him from trying.  As soon as he was able to get on the list, he enlisted and served in Japan to help with the clean up after the atomic bomb.  He had many stories to share about the kindness of those he encountered in Japan, learned the language, and loved the people he met serving in Japan.  

The memorial is built over the Arizona, you can get (free) tickets in advance of the visit (and should b/c by the time we got there at 7 they were giving away walk up tickets for 11:45 and out by 10:00).  A boat goes over and you get to spend 15 minutes on the memorial before heading back.  

We got to see a number of really beautiful sunsets, but one morning we drove to the Westside early enough to catch a sunrise on this beach covered with lava rocks.  Watching the sun hatch above the horizon and bring it's crayon box of colors with it was worth the early morning wake up (not so early on Texas time).  

We only rented a car for a few days (Waikiki and Honolulu are not fun to drive through-too much stop and go traffic, but we did rent one for a few days while we headed to the West and North coast).  There are city buses that also go all over the island for a steal, but we decided to use our car to drive to Hanauma Bay before the first bus arrives.  This is a popular snorkeling spot.  It's an old volcano whose end gave away to the sea long ago.  (I'm pretty sure Elvis filmed one of this movies in this spot).  Whales were swimming at the opening o tfhe bay, but all the darker spots are actually coral that snorkelers and scuba divers explore.  

I'm not a ginormous fan of swimming with large fish-I generally live in denial when I'm out in the ocean, but in this case-I invented 'florkeling'....I use the snorkel gear by laying on a float.  One positive-you can go over some pretty shallow coral you aren't supposed to step on it, and considering the residents that call the coral home-I wouldn't want to).  There are eels, and octopus, turtles etc, but what I saw were a large variety of urchins, living coral, and a plethora of strange looking fish.  I took an underwater camera and florkeled until I ran out of film and then I high tailed it out of there before any of those huge fish got friendly.  

Another stop along the way-we took a whale watching cruise.  You could see whales breaching all along the shore, but I wanted to get a little closer (incidentally, whales terrify me-so it's like-you ride roller coasters for the 'stomach drop' emotion).  When we were headed out we ran into a large pod of dolphins.  There were at least a hundred of these spinner dolphins.  They are smaller than the 'Texas' dolphin, and it was like running into the middle of an animal planet filming as they traveled in their bobbing herd, and then they started putting on a show as they spun out of the water.  

...it would have been a fabulous way to spend the afternoon, but a whale showed up on the other side of the boat and we all got a little distracted.  Check out the size of the head of this whale compared to the boat in the distance!  

We were able to catch a lot of diving and whales spouting.  The mom's and their calves were all over, and I learned on this go round, there were usually a third whale called an 'escort' whale traveling with the new family (either a male or larger female whale).  The boat we were on was large....I was glad I wasn't on that little boat...

One other thing we tried this time was Tea on the Veranda overlooking Waikiki (I could have literally reached out and touched the sand from my table).  This is one of the older hotels (it's been there since 1901) and it was worth the price (and the desserts were pretty spectacular as well).  Ironically, I'm not a tea fan, but I love going to 'tea'....the scones and desserts make up for the untouched drink I usually leave after my first sip, just so I can say I tried it.  

I'm taking a ton of memories to get me through these last months of school....lots of great meals, great beaches, and random hula shows.  

If there is one place on earth I'd say you have to visit at least once.  If they had a convenient line of craft stores to feed my crafting needs (and maybe a few folks I'd miss)-I'd say you could visit me there because I'd move in a heart beat.

For an obnoxious number of photos from the whole trip, my facebook album is housed here.