Thursday, November 8, 2012

Our Escape to Paradise

ALOHA!!!....

Its hard for me to believe that its already been 3 weeks ago today that we were on our way to Hawaii. Oh, how I wish I were back on that plane...but we're not.  And I probably should have already written about it, but its been very hard to know to how to be able to put into words what this Hawaii trip was like for our family. Its difficult, not only because there is almost too much to say, but because I don't know how to put all of the emotions and moments we had into a concise format.

First off I need to thank for the millionth time, my wonderful In-laws for inviting us on this trip and making it unbelievably special for all of us. Spending time with them was so much fun and it was a great chance for us to bond. My In-laws did everything possible to make sure that we enjoyed everything we did and I can't express enough just how much that meant to us.

Just getting ready for this trip was fun. It had its logistics as we left during a school week for all 3 boys, but I did my best to get their homework collected for them to work on while we were gone so they didn't get too far behind. Did they actually get it done? Well, we definitely tried and the boys were pretty good about doing most of it on the plane on the way there and back, but it is definitely hard to complete with there being soo much to do and see in just a few days.

The boys were super excited to go as they were not only looking forward to going to Hawaii, but they were looking forward to the plane ride. And I have to say, as none of us have really been on a plane in many years, I couldn't blame them. The sophistication that is on these planes at the moment is fascinating with individual seat screens, movie/music selections galore...all on a touch screen! At one point, there were 3 of us watching 3 different movies right next to each other...What! I felt like a curious little kid myself, trying to figure out what else I could do on these monitors. It was very cool, and getting some sleep on either way was very difficult to do.

Part of my difficulty in writing this post included the not knowing how to include the mass amounts of pictures we took on a daily basis without boring all of you either. So with access to picture editing I came up with a daily collage to show you a summary of our daily events. Its actually a good way for me to look back and concentrate on the big things we saw and did. Kind of fun to see them in this fashion as well.

Day 1- Thursday, October 18th
  • Early flight out of LAX on Delta- I love being at the airport!
  • Loved watching the boys reactions during the flight especially during take off and touch down.
  • Arriving at Honolulu international airport- which included a little lost travel pack adventure
  •  Checking into our lovely hotel - The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani- 2 blocks away from the beach and right next door to the International Market Place...location, location, location- Awesome!
  • Enjoyed a stroll in downtown Waikiki and taking in the views
  • A dip in the pool for the boys and hanging out poolside for us
  • Dinner and a local Hula show next door at at the International Market Place
Day 2- Friday, October, 19th
  • Breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe- it was sooo good!
  • I took a Lei making class that our hotel offered and made my own Lei. That was cool!
  • Took the public transportation bus to Diamond Head and back just for the experience and hiked up to the entrance. We weren't quite prepared to hike upto the top (due to "tired" children who won't be named) but it was great to the view from there anyway ;)
  • Took a rest and ordered in pizza for dinner poolside at the hotel
  • Tito and Tita took us on their customary evening stroll to their favorite beach spot to see Waikiki at night....One of my favorite memories!
Day 3- Saturday, October 20th
  • Breakfast at Denny's- Food for Kings! ;)
  • Tita, Jerry and Christian took another hotel sponsored class- a Ukelele class given by an award winning Ukelele instructor Daniel Nakashima.
  • Daniel saw that Chris already knew how to play so he asks Christian to perform with him at the 11:30am show he was supposed to do. The Hawaii spirit was in full effect as Daniel gave up his performance time to let Christian sing 2 of Chris' own songs, and then perform 2 Hawaiian songs with him. An amazing experience/memory for Chris!!
  • 12:30pm-We got on a charter bus that took us to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We got to see Oahu's beauty on the 1 1/2 hour ride there and I made an Aussie friend named Dani who was there with her family on their first international trip out of Australia. Love meeting new people!
  • Once there we got to eat this delicious pineapple/sherbert ice cream dessert, the boys got to fish in Fiji, we all got warrior tattoos on the island of Tonga and saw coconut milk be made in Samoa by a very funny Samoan!
  • Had a great buffet dinner and then saw an amazing Luau story style show to end the night!
Day 4- Sunday, October 21
  • Not getting used to the time change, I took Danny and Mikey to Waikiki Beach at 7am and saw the sun rise over the beach. OMG!!!
  • Enjoyed some quiet time to myself on the sand watching my boys enjoy being in the warm Hawaiian water and sun...something I'll always remember!
  • For lunch we went back to the Hard Rock to see some local children perform on their stage and another stroll down Waikiki's streets. 
  • We had a late evening picnic with the Titos at the beach and then went to church for a beautiful traditional mass.
  • Walked back to Waikiki beach and the boys ended the evening swimming in the sunset light. What a glorious sight to behold!
  Day 5- Monday, October 22nd
  • Tito and Tita invited us to an abundant breakfast buffet at the famous Duke's. It was a beautiful way to start of the day since it was right off the beach and we got to enjoy it with a perfect view outside. It was delicious and the boys could not get enough of the bacon.lol
  • Right after, we again took the public bus all the way to Pearl Harbor to see and take the tour to  the USS Arizona Memorial. That was a special trip for all of us, but especially for the boys to see and relive a little bit of our American history. 
  • We got lost on our way back on the bus that only adds to the many adventures and we got to stop off at the University of Hawaii because of it. 
  • This was technically our last night in Hawaii, so we took it easy by the pool and Jerry and I enjoyed a well deserved cocktail, and I did some last minute shopping at the Int'l Market Place.
 Day 6- Tuesday, October 23rd
  •  It was our last morning in Waikiki and what better way to spend it but again...at the Beach!
  • This time we all went and it was special for all us to get in the water together and leave with a little sand on our feet to remember it all.
  •  Jerry and I took a walk down the beach together 
  • Christian had his final moments to play his Uke on the beach...loved hearing that sweet sound coming from his own hands.
  • The boys enjoyed watching the waves crash over their mom and dad...always fun to amuse the children with your own antics.
  • What a beautiful morning it was for us!
Thank you Tito and Tita for an amazing trip and for allowing us to spend these days with you!
We love you!!

Thank you Hawaii for being so beautiful for us and giving us memories we wont ever forget!

Thank you for stopping by!

From my corner to yours...

Aloha
&
 MAHALO!