Hawaii Days 11 & 12

As with any vacation, the last day is the craziest, trying to fit in any last minute things. We wanted to go to Pearl Harbor on Day 10, but heard you have to be there early to get standby tickets for the ferry out to the memorial. Since we were tired and decided to wait, we missed out. We got there just after 8am, after packing everything up. The next available standby tickets were for 1:15. Had we known you could go early and get standby for later, we could've done that the day before. We could've driven by, picked our tickets up, and gone to the swap meet to bide some of the time. We just didn't know. They were booked out for months, but my neighbor said it was no problem to get them in December. I would advise anyone to get tickets as soon as they know when they'll be there, to insure you get them. That was disappointing. We were able to go through the exhibits, just not out to the Arizona Memorial. After wandering there for awhile, we went to Diamond Head State Monument. There is a hike to the top of the crater that takes about two hours round trip and we didn't have time to do it. Another unfortunate experience--we arrived right after an ambulance, fire engine, etc and they closed the parking lot off. Jon dropped us off and had to drive all the way back down to the college (about a mile, maybe more?) to park and then had to walk back up. I don't know what happened, but a helicopter came, flew to the top, loaded someone, brought him down, where he walked off the helicopter, and they made him get in the ambulance. We had lunch and then walked back down. Kristen and I dropped the others off at the airport and then returned the rental car, since our flight was 5 hours later. We were going to keep the car, but apparently, they're all due around 4 and if you keep it just a few hours longer, you get nailed with a fee (ours was $86). So, we turned it in and took a bus, since no shuttles were to be found, back to Waikiki. We walked around a little, got a smoothie, and took a bus back to the airport. No luck with the wallet. Jon and the three kids got to LAX around midnight and had 5 hours to try and sleep in the airport, while Kristen and I had to try and sleep on the way to Seattle. We got there and had to board again 20 minutes later. We all got home at the same time the next morning. And that concludes our amazing dream trip that really feels like a dream.

Hawaii Day 10

Since yesterday was such a busy day and we got back so late, we decided to keep today low-key. The Beach was our morning--the waves were big and the boogie boards were fun! Yesterday's Beach had some big waves, too--one would pull you back into the ocean, while another came in top of you and pushed you back out. I kept waking up in the night with that sensation. That Beach also gradually sloped downward, but then had a pretty steep hill right before the water. This one, by our house, is so nice! Some of the best and softest sand and most beautiful water and scenery. We came back for lunch and then went to a big flea market for souvenirs. Such great deals! $1 for bracelets that were $8 in the shops. We got some fun stuff! We were hot, so drove around looking for a shave ice, but ended up at this donut cart. Holy yumminess! We went to the Pali Lookout and I've never felt such strong, constant wind! We had fun doing pictures there. Jon's shirt kept blowing up,  making him look super buff. We had a relaxing dinner and evening, gearing up for an early and busy last day tomorrow. I can't believe it--we fly out tomorrow. I'm not ready to go!

Hawaii Day 9

I needed to do laundry,  but things started out with a bang. A ton of sirens went by and then the power went out.  Our landlords were nice enough to take the laundry out of the dryer,  since I didn't have time to finish it. While the power was out,  Kristen and I went for a walk along the beach. We've heard from several people about a shave ice place that we have to try. Matsomoto's, near the North Shore. We drive up in the morning and grabbed one and wow! People are right! There are at least 20 flavors and the prices are great. You can get it with vanilla ice cream at the bottom and/or azuki beans. Jon got mango with beans and ice cream; Kendall had beans and ice cream, too, and got a local favorite;  the rest of us didn't get beans,  but had ice cream. Kristen had lime;  Jarren had bubblegum;  Jenna wanted blueberry;  and I had Hawaiian (banana, coconut, and pineapple). We went around the North side and ended up at Waimea Beach. It was so crowded, even though it was cloudy and rainy. Parking was extinct, so Jon dropped me and the the younger kids off and he and Kendall went across the street to Waimea Falls to hike. Cell reception was sketchy, so we couldn't connect well. Last I heard was they'd be done in an hour. We got out of the water and changed and couldn't find them, so we started walking. We walked between 1-2 miles. We passed homeless camps and lots of people. So. Many. People! We met up at a grocery store, where Kendall bought a dragon fruit (it's like purple kiwi). Then it was time for the Polynesian Cultural Center! I don't think we had enough time there, but we fit in a cool, interactive movie about Hawaii, a canoe ride, spear throwing for Kendall, Kristen, and I and an outrigger canoe ride fit Jon, Jarren, and Jenna. We had a luau buffet dinner and got to see the amazing show. It was great fun! Jena was really tired after the Beach, a long walk, and a long day. She got grumpy and didn't want to watch the show after intermission. I'm just glad she's not any younger!