It was only six months ago, but...

Brian and I went on a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands in December. We went with my sister, brother-in-law and parents. It had been on my list of top 5 vacations to do and I've officially checked it off! It was Brian's first trip to Hawaii, and it definitely didn't disappoint. If you want to island hop or see more than one island while in Hawaii, I strongly recommend doing it by cruise ship. It's basically your floating hotel and restaurant. You spend a TON of time in port, so there's lots of time to do excursions and see the sights. We had a blast. Here are some things we we want to remember about this trip.

Oahu
*Brian and I going a few days early, renting a convertible, attending the new show at the PCC ("Ha: Breath of Life") and having it make us miss McRae like crazy (and it was only our second day there)!
*our workout in the park in Honolulu--it left Brian's legs sore for a good portion of our trip
*catching part of a big surfing tournament (front row seats)--some top guys were there. This was the first time they've held the Eddie in the last four years. 30 ft swells=awesome surfing!

Maui
*attending church with the Maui Saints. WOW! What an amazingly warm welcome. Made me realize I have so much room to improve in welcoming new faces...I think I'll even start by passing out rice krispy treats to all the new faces. Seriously!
*visiting the whaling village and seeing one of the largest trees in the whole world.
*road trips to enjoy some state parks and beautiful scenery
*snorkeling in Molokini Crater with Cap'n John and his catamaran crew. Cap'n John's jokes about electrocuting the whales, Amy's bathing suit, and Mom's Fan-Hat (or FAT). Mom winning his shirt! Good times. Some of the best snorkeling in the world--vibrant colors. Seeing tons of sea turtles and a few humpback mamas with their calves.

HILO and KONA
*visiting the Kona Temple
*parasailing
*visiting and touring the volcano park. Steve's awesome posing over a lump of lava. The lava cave and bridge. Floating past where the lava enters the ocean at night. Seeing the steam rise into the sky.
*Brian getting a tooth infection--thank you Doctor Dad and Penicillin! Hindsight tells us that he already had Diabetes on this trip and that infection could've been really bad news for the rest of our trip.

Kauai
*Hiking barefoot through the jungle to a secluded waterfall and feeling like we were on the set of LOST. Swimming in the pools and feeling the power of the waterfall. Our granola-y tour guide and her sightings of the menehune (mythical, little people of Hawaii). The two, kind Russian boys in our group...who hadn't bathed in a while and everyone could tell (poor guys, really).
*paddle boarding
*boogie-boarding--the awesome wave Steve and I caught together and rode all the way into shore
*the sheer beauty of Kauai! Just gorgeous!
*all the wild chickens and roosters!

Cruise Ship
*Our amazing Filipina waitress! She kept bringing out more and more food for us to "try" without us asking for it. We didn't complain, but we frequently waddled our way back to our cabins. (And somehow, we all avoided gaining more than two pounds. Probably in part to all the active shore excursions we did.) Her "modesty" and her over-shares.
*The Magician's entertainment! The rope swinging between his legs and the lady having to grab it--hilarious! Also, the pin-wheel-head optical illusion.
*The improv of the the Second City comedy group--bust a gut laughing so hard.
*Explaining "Biggest Loser" to dad and his ever-so-thoughtful response.
*Dad's awesome Hair Hat and people's reactions.

It was such a fun trip with some very fun people! When can we go again?!?!?!

Here are some of the many pics we took. (Sorry...the slide show cuts some of the details out).

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