Hawaii 2015: Day 7

Sad face. This was at breakfast on our last morning in Hawaii. The grandparents had already left for the airport. It was a wonderful trip. The girls definitely want to go back. Perhaps for my parents' 100th anniversary.

Hawaii 2015: Day 6`

 On our last full day, which just happened to also be Thanksgiving, we hiked up Diamond Head.

 The day was a bit overcast with intermittent showers. 

 But we were not deterred. 

 Not even by the what Amalia estimated to be 3 million sets of stairs it took to get to the top. 

The views were spectacular. 

 Post-hike shaved ice. 

And swim. 

 Then on to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner buffet, which was delicious. 

I tried to get a traditional family holiday photo, but these are the best I could do under the circumstances.

 Posing in front of the impressive gingerbread house displays. 

Hawaii 2015: Day 5

 Day 5 was our marathon outing to the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

First stop was the canoe pageant. 

Then we went to a few of the "villages" for educational performances. This is a Maori haka from Aotearoa (New Zealand). 

And a song of lament, which had beautiful harmonies.  

 Tattoos!

Much less painful than the real traditional ones, which were etched deeply into the skin. 

Lily said she was going to miss our tour guide, Cousin Mitch. (Most of the employees and performers are students at BYU-Hawaii, which is affiliated with the Center.)

Canoe ride to dinner. 

The luau, where Lily discovered kahlua pork. 

 People celebrating anniversaries and honeymoons were invited onto the stage. 

But only the couples celebrating their 50th were asked to impart their wisdom about marriage (there was one other 50th couple). 

Dead soldiers on the bus ride home. We got back to the hotel around 11 p.m.  

Full moon over Waikiki at 5 a.m. the next morning. 

Hawaii 2015: Day 4

 Our day started in Kapolei for a family photo shoot. 

The setting was beautiful, and the photographer caught some great natural (and unnatural) poses. Can't wait to see how the pictures turn out.

 We then drove up the road to one of the Ko Olina lagoons for a day of swimming and snorkeling.

We met up with one of my mother's former Senior Concerns co-workers for dinner at Monkeypod Kitchen

The girls had fun with her daughter, Victoria.  

Yes, the flute made the trip to Oahu. We sacrificed the violin. 

Hawaii 2015: Day 3

Yes, I know I skipped Day 2. You can picture us snorkeling in clear, warm waters among colorful fish, if you'd like. Or, because of the rain and poor water conditions, you can picture that tripped getting cancelled and us shopping for Hawaiian outfits to wear in our Day 4 family photo shoot. Ask Amalia, it wasn't worth taking any pictures of us going from store to store for hours on end (though some of her facial expressions may have been worth capturing).

Day 3 was our trip to Pearl Harbor.

One of the first things we saw was this veteran from the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Coincidentally, my parents had met him at another event a few days earlier. The man gets around. 

After visiting the museums, we took a launch out to the Arizona Memorial.  

It was a gray, drizzly day, which somehow felt appropriate.  

The visitor center now has a 25-minute movie about the attacks, which I think made an impression on the girls. It certainly helped them better understand what I'd struggled to explain on our drive out to Pearl Harbor. 

A view of Honolulu on our drive back from Pearl Harbor. 

Hawaii 2015: Day 1

On our way to Hawaii to celebrate Grandma Carol and Grandpa Dave's 50th wedding anniversary (and Thanksgiving). With no in-flight movies, guess how long this sisterly love lasted. (Actually, I think the anticipation and excitement gave them a strong dose of positive vibes. Plus, Lily was delighted to discover POG on the flight, which she instantly fell in love with.)

 Amalia patiently waiting for our airport shuttle. 

Reunited and it feels so good. 

Hawaiian BBQ dinner at the beach. 

I hadn't been in Hawaii for more than 2 hours when I almost broke my foot by dropping a dinner plate on it. Here's a picture of our comical waiter posing for an action shot with the ice he brought for me. 

 See how relaxed the Hawaiians are, even when filling out injury reports? 

The girls' first evening in Hawaii (with Diamond Head in the distance).