Thursday, January 24, 2008

Aloha Oe!

Having Matsumoto's world renowned shaved ice. It really is pretty freakin' good!

At Shark's Cove on the North Shore of Oahu. And no, there are no sharks.


At the luau, at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We all got an orchid lei, even Jensen.


Jensen with his Uncle Benny. Benny Kai is a good friend of ours. He is the ambassador at the luau and does a fantastic job. He is so talented. If you end up going to Hawaii make sure you catch his act at the luau and tell him I say aloha.


In Lahaina we were able to go to a street market they had near the famous Banyan tree at the center of town. It was very cool.


This is a snorkeling excursion we took to Lana'i. Jensen doesn't look too excited about the fact that he's in Hawaii, but he does look pretty cute in his Hawaii outfit. That's Lana'i behind us. We were able to see tons of fish, turtles and dolphins. It was pretty sweet.


Jensen's had a long day of boat rides and snorkeling (not really snorkeling).


This was Jensen's first experience in a pool. At first he was a little freaked out, but he definitely warmed up to the idea and started splashing around. He looked so cute in his bathing suit.


Reed and I on the North Shore near Hau'ula.


Mom and Dad at Pearl Harbor. What a nice day. We were so lucky, it never rained.



The black sand beaches of Hana. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, because after you do that drive once you never want to do it again.

Pretty cool black sand!


Jensen's sporting his Hawaiian look!


We woke up at the crack of dawn (a lot earlier actually, 3:30) to see the sunrise on top of Haleakala. It's a dormant volcanoe on Maui that has fantastic views. I don't know if you can see but we are above the clouds. And also in the background you can see the Big Island. It was very cool. Then we got to bike down 23 miles (all down hill, baby).


Even in Hawaii, we gotta represent!


We were so sad to leave Hawaii. We had such a good time. My parents were able to go with us, along with my brother Dan and his wife Katie. We stayed on the North Shore of Oahu for 3 days and did the regular tourist things: go to PCC and the luau, see the big waves up on the North Shore, get Matsumoto's shaved ice, etc. It was also fun to attend one of the old wards I served in Kahuku.

The rest on the time we were on Maui, staying on the south part of the island in Kihei. There we were able to: bike down Haleakala (the volcano), go snorkeling off the coast of Lana'i, see dolphins and whales, go boogie boarding and surfing, drive the road to Hana and see the black sand beaches, and lots of beach time. All this with a baby (thank goodness for grandparents). Jensen was great the whole time and did such a good job on the plane. I would tease everyone saying that this was my I-can-still-have-a-life-trip. And it's true! Even with a baby you can still do the things you love, just a little slower and more planned out. We couldn't have asked for a better trip with our new baby boy!

6 comments:

Azure said...

Allie, what a fun vacation!! I'm very jealous of you. I found your blog through Andrea's. Congrats on the new baby, he's absolutely adorable. Are you going back to work or staying home now?

Veeda said...

I. Am. So. JEALOUS!

The Quist Family said...

Ahh, just looking at all those great pictures made me feel back where I really belong. We literally did all the things you did last time we went! Loved the Black Sand Beach. We even stayed in Kihei too. So fun!!

The Marsden 6 said...

Wow, that looks like so much fun. I too am so jeaulous! Jensen is such a cutie!

Kerrie said...

Okay, I have been waiting for those pictures! It looks like you had soo much fun. I am happy you have found you still do have a life! It is far more enriching. It looks like you did Lands End. Were you happy with them?

Kris, Andrea, Lacey, Mia, and Kannon said...

sounds like a great trip! I need a "I still have a life trip!" although do I still have a life? Good for you guys!