Hawaii - reflections

Definitely one of the best vacations I've ever been on. I found the beauty of Hawaii to be exquisite. Certainly one of God's better projects in creation. The lush greenery and sandy beaches were perhaps not the original intent, but after the volcano came amazing beauty and landscape.
The sun - not too hot, the wind - not too cold, the rain - not too uncomfortable, the snow - no snow!
I would consider visiting Hawaii a "must do" on everyone's bucket list...

Highlights:

• Visiting the North Shore. Simply beautiful.
•  Hunanama Bay - the discovery I had a phobia, but more importanly, the discovery that I could actually overcome it. I am not a swimer, and I knew I did not enjoy putting my face in the water, but I did not realize how intense this fear actually was. The moment my face goes in the most intense feeling of pressure from the entire ocean decended upon me. My heat rate would increase and I would be at near panic. By working on it, physically and mentally, I managed to get myself to relax enough to wear the mask and open my eyes... the beauty of the underwater world is amazing!  Certainly a stretch for me.
• Relaxing on the beach - who doesn't like that. Knowing you can lay in the sun, cool off if you want and not have to worry about housework or cooking is the most amazing thing. Watching your family enjoy themselves... priceless. We kept it simple at the condo, eating many prepared meals which only required heating, doing a few dishes and sweeping up sand. That was about it.

Lowlights:

• I would love to explore more of the North Shore. Simply beautiful.
• I would like to visit the outdoor market near Waikiki Beach and the Aloha market.
• I would like to explore a few more beaches down the West coast.

I guess we will have to plan for trip #2. Perhaps a good 25th wedding anniversary trip!

Linda

Amy says... Great trip! Highlights include swimming, the weather, swimming in the ocean, getting to miss out on school, visiting the cave. The snowcones were tasty. Snorkling is such great fun. You can never have too much swimming.
Lowlights - the flight delay and the flight, would like to try surfing.

Kari says... The trip was awesome. Relaxing. Highlights include seeing the cave, the whales and the blowhole. Getting to miss school, the pasta (chichen alfredo) and the snow cones were so delish.
Lowlights - would like to go on a boat and see dolphins.

Rob says... Relaxing for mom. The pineapple maze was interesting and fun to walk through. Body surfing the waves and watching the whales. Snorkling.
Lowlights - traffic, the flight delay and the long flights.

Sam says... Highlights - visiting Pearl Harbour, getting a first look at a lot of the WW history. Snorkling! Most definitely one of the best times to be had. Visiting the North Shore and plantation. Enjoying snowcones and watching the whales.
Lowlights - the plane delay, the flight itself and waiting for the car rental are all things we could have done without. Would have liked to go on a boat tour and would have enjoyed the chance to have an underwater shark experiences. A visit to other Islands to see active volcanoes would have been great.