I Love You, California!

For our final day together we ventured out to the West side of the island. This way Mere got to see all the different parts of the island. In Ko`olina there are several resorts. The water on the West side is actually pretty rough, so because Ko`olina has become such a destination, "lagoons" were created to provide protection from the rough surf and provide a nice swimming area for visitors. We took full advantage of this, enjoying a day of swimming and picnicing. Mere and Will out in the lagoon We'd been so busy over the last few days that we never managed to catch a sunset, so we headed back into Waikiki for an early dinner and to watch a spectacular sunset. It was a beautiful evening to end a lovely weekend!

One place that I've really wanted to visit but intentionally saved for Mere's visit was going to Kualoa Ranch. This is where much of the Jurassic Park movies were filmed, along with Godzilla, Lost, and many other movies and TV shows. I was so excited to go on the Movie and TV Show Tour with Meredith and Will! Waiting for our tour. The Ka`a`awa Valley is just beautiful! Godzilla's footprints This was my favorite part: Ahhh! Dino! Tour bus selfie! The scenery is just breathtaking. Chinaman's Hat from Kualoa Ranch! After Kualoa Ranch we drove my sister up around the North Shore of the island, had lunch at Turtle Bay, and went to Waimea Valley, another must do for when our visitors are here! We wanted Mere to be able to swim in a waterfall! It was a clear, sunny day in the valley; perfect for a dip in the waterfall pool. Next we went into Haleiwa for a little window shopping. We ended the day with yummy di...

We decided to stay close to home today. I planned to show Meredith our local beach along the south shore, have some lunch at home, then head to Waikiki for the rest of the day. When we got to Kaimana beach, we found a great surprise! When we stepped on to the beach we immediately noticed a monk seal! We went to talk to the volunteer who told us that Rocky was there resting while she is molts. Molting happens shortly after she leaves her pup to take care of itself, and takes about two weeks. Rocky had given birth to her pup about 45 days earlier near Kauai. She recently traveled back to the south end of Oahu where she is resting and molting. The volunteer told us that it takes the energy of running a marathon for a monk seal to molt. For this reason the monk seal rests more than usual, which is why she can be easily spotted here at Kaimana. It was early in the morning when we were there, so she was just waking up and we even got to see her go into the water and swim around on her w...

After a month of routines, rain, and not doing much, I was so excited for a couple days off work and my sister coming to visit! It had been far too long! Meredith arrived Wednesday night. We had a nice dinner at home, did some catching up, and watch the Cubs win the Wild Card game! We woke up Thursday morning ready to go explore. I took Meredith on a scenic drive and to the beach! We started with the "must see" drive along the Eastern Shoreline. Then we were off to beautiful Lanikai Beach for some sun, swimming, and a picnic. Silly me forgot to get a picture there. After soaking up the sun we cooled down with shave ice from Island Snow, President Obama's favorite shave ice place! On our drive back into Town we stopped at the Pali Lookout for some good views of the Windward Coast. When Will and I took my mom to the Pali Lookout about a year ago, Will went walking down a path that had a warning sign that read "Falling Rock."  I told him to wa...

Since we moved into our new apartment we've been slowly gathering pictures and decorations for our beach themed home. Today we put our gallery wall together! There are still a couple of pictures we'd like to get to add to the bottom, so it's not complete yet, but it's a good start! I also got a couple of pictures to go in our bathroom. I got them at the Made in Hawai`i festival. They're pictures of our state flower, the hibiscus, and taken by a local photographer! It's starting to feel more homey around here a little bit at a time.

Last night we went out for Mexican in Waikiki and the spicy taco contest. Afterward we went for a beach walk and to get a drink and listen to some music while we enjoyed the ocean view. We stopped in at a little shop and chatted with the guy working there. He told us about a pool party in Waikiki that was happening the next day and a "secret code" of how to get in without paying the cover! Will and I figured, why not? Monday was labor day so we could get our chores done then, and be able to play on Sunday. Also, the pools along Waikiki are almost always exclusively for guests, so we had to take the opportunity to get into a fancy pool! So we got up and got ready. This was a fancy pool party after all, more like a day club than just lounging at the beach. We packed our pool bag and headed to the Modern Hotel. We got there toward the beginning of the party so we got a great little spot next to the pool. There was sand around the pool so you totally felt like you were at the b...

We thought today might be the day that Will has been waiting for. A Mexican restaurant in Waikiki celebrates Cinco de Mayo every fifth of the month! They have drink specials, music, special decorations, and a spicy taco eating contest. Will was the first to sign up. The tacos are supposed to be very spicy, but Will said they weren't very spicy at all (by Will's standards that is!). Will did a great job, coming in a close second place, but it ended up being more of a speed eating contest than a contest of how much spicy a person can handle. And it was free, so what was there to lose?! Being a good sport! Planning his strategy. So close! Yeah!