Surprise Anniversary Trip to Hawaii

  Our 17th Anniversary will always be a memorable one.  After a long day of work, my husband surprised me with a pretty pink box full of Hawaiian themed items.  The card inside invited me to join him in Honolulu, Hawaii for 8 days.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would ever go on a tropical island vacation.  I have to say... hubby did an awesome job!

  Our getaway date, in March, felt like an eternity.  I was a little nervous about the flight and knowing how long it was.  I hadn't been on a plane since I was 12 years old.  We had to take 3 different flights to finally reach Hawaii.  

  It was around 35 degrees when we got on the first plane, in Illinois.  Stepping out of the airport, in Hawaii, was like stepping into summer.  Beautiful palm trees everywhere and everyone was so friendly.  We hopped on a bus that took us straight to the car rental.  Our cute little compact car didn't have much power but it took us where we needed to go.  Even though the traffic was bumper to bumper, the scenery around you took your mind off of it.

  Brandon booked us at the stunning Hotel Renew.   The front desk was very friendly and immediately asked if we would like a refreshing glass of pineapple juice.   Our king size bed was very comfortable and I wish I could have taken that beautiful bathroom home.  The photo below is the gorgeous view out our hotel window, of Waikiki Beach.  As you can see, it was just a short walk down to the beach.

                           

  Our first full day in Oahu, we went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial.  We viewed a documentary about the attack on Oahu and then boarded a US Navy operated boat. The boat took us around the USS Arizona Memorial that was built on top of the sunken battleship.  

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona anchor

Dear Lord / Lest I continue / My complacent way / Help me to remember

Somehow out there / A man died for me today. / As long as there be war

I then must / Ask and answer / am I worth dying for?

Poem Eleanor Roosevelt kept in her wallet during World WarII

Kaiten

One Man Japanese

Suicide Torpedo

First Used in 1944

  The Pearl Harbor Memorial is highly recommended if you ever have the pleasure of going to Hawaii.  So much information packed in that memorial.  Your able to step on board a submarine, check out tons of memorabilia and learn a whole lot more than what is taught in a textbook.  

  Besides leaving and going back to the car rental, our trip to Pearl Harbor was the only time that we used the car.  We could pretty much walk everywhere we wanted to go.  If we did leave the area, we took a bus that cost around five dollars.  Not bad at all!

  The Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel has a restaurant called Tikis Grill &Bar.  We ate there a few times while watching the cruise ships and surfers, out in the ocean.  The food and drinks were delicious! 

  Diamond Head State Monument (a volcanic tuff cone) was on the top of my list to see.  My husband and I walked 1.7 miles to the crater.   It wasn't that far at all and it was great exercise for us.  Here's a photo of the two of us and you can see the top of Diamond Head in the background.  My hair was flying around in his face while trying to get a picture.  That was pretty much the best smile I was going to get out of him. :)

  The photo below was the view we had on our way to Diamond Head.  I made sure I had my good camera with me at all times.

  The entrance of the tunnel goes through the side of the crater. 

  

  The inside of the crater doesn't even look real.  They take such good care of this area.  My mind goes straight to Jurassic Park when I see these photos.  I'm just waiting for a dinosaur to come strolling past here.

The visiting center had an area where you can purchase a fresh pineapple or coconut drink.   I'm not a big coconut fan but I had to try drinking right out of a real coconut.  

  The path up the side of the crater starts out smooth but then gets bumpy and in some places pretty steep.  It's not too bad and well worth the view!

  We took a walk down the Waikiki Beach Walk, Luxury Row and other areas close by the beach.  A little window shopping and then walk on by.  Luxury Row is a little too high priced for me.  

  

  The Moana Surfrider Westin Resort and Spa, also known as the "First Lady of Waikiki", is a stunning building that has the beach right behind it.

  The parks are beautifully maintained in Waikiki.  We noticed a chicken and her babies roaming around free, in one of the parks.  The trees are very unique.  The tourists like to leave their markings on them.   

  We really wanted to see more than just Waikiki, so we went on a bus tour.  Our first stop was the Halona Blowhole and Cove.  Several signs are posted to warn people about the dangers of swimming in this area. 

The Tropical Farms, Macadamia Nut Farm was on the tour and offered us samples of every flavor that they make.  My husband and I bought a couple bags.  The macadamia nuts are delicious!

  The photo below is of Mokoli'i Island, otherwise known as Chinaman's Hat.

  Sunset beach was another gorgeous stop on our tour.

  We had lunch at Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp.  If you're ever in Oahu and love seafood, try Fumi's.  Freshly caught and the smell alone will make your mouth water.

  We had an incredible time on the Hawaiian Island, Oahu.  After 17 years of marriage, we got a break from the real world and was able to focus on each other.  Our cares were miles away and we were actually able to relax.  My husband and I definitely plan to visit Hawaii again in the future.  

First Family Trip to Florida

  We decided to take our first trip to Disney World, at the end of September 2017.  Our three kids have birthdays that are all toward the end of the year.  This week long vacation was kind of an early birthday present.  The vacation plan consisted of one day at Disney and the rest was fun in the sun swimming.  The kids had never seen the ocean before so I definitely wanted to have them experience a real beach.

  Our first stop was at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  It was a long way up the mountain but it was totally worth it!  (There were some beautiful homes on the way up.)  The view was breath taking. The clouds were moving in so we wanted to hurry and gets some photos before it started to rain.

  After staying in a hotel in Chattanooga, we left early in the morning and headed to our destination.  Only 8 more hours of "Are we almost there yet?".  We really wanted to have this trip while all three kids are still under the same roof.  Josie is getting older and will be out of school soon.  My husband and I want to get as much family time as we can.

  As we made it in to Florida, you could see the damage that was still being cleaned up from a few weeks earlier.  Hurricane Irma had hit the state hard.  You could see where new palm trees were replacing old ones that were knocked down by the wind.  Florida is such a strong state with amazing people that take care of it.

  Finally we see the Walt Disney World sign!  Of course, Austin wants to go to Disney now but we still have to get settled into our hotel.

  We had reservations at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resorts for the entire stay in Florida.  I have to give my husband credit for the hotel he picked out.  Our resort was awesome!  I would love to go back.  Our reservation consisted of a master suite, 2 full size beds in a guest room, two bathrooms, living room, dining area, full kitchen and a washer and dryer in the room.  Also, there was a little balcony off the living room.  The hotel is not even a mile away from Disney World.

  Once we had our stuff put away, we put on our bathing suits and checked out the pool.  That would be more like checking out the many different pools- kiddy pools, a pool with a big wrecked ship to play on, regular pools for the grown ups.  The resort definitely wants to make sure you don't get bored.

  Another early, exiting morning for us and a big day for Austin.  He turned 5 that day.  The receptionist at the hotel said to ask for a birthday button when we're in the park.  Once we walked in the gate, he got his button and we let him pick out some mouse ears.  He picked out some birthday ears.  Every where we went, he was told happy birthday.  He wore this hat on and off for weeks.  We picked two parks to spend the day, The Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  I expected for park to be big but still didn't expected it to be so massive.  I would definitely recommend researching where you want to go and where things are at.  It can be overwhelming.  

  

  We watched the Festival of Fantasy Parade going down the main street.  It starts at 3 p.m. everyday in The Magic Kingdom and then it ends in Frontierland.

  I love the detail that Disney World puts into everything.  In the Magic Kingdom, there is a store that looks like the giant from Jack and the Bean Stock is about to come through the ceiling.

  Austin needed a quick nap while on the monorail to Epcot.  

The first place we went in Epcot was Spaceship Earth. The ride, in this geodesic dome, is very educational.  It takes you on a journey through time showing the development of communication.  The dome is rumored to be closing in 2020 for updates.

  Finding Nemo and Undersea Fun was really cute.  Austin and some other little kids got to sit down and do the Turtle Talk with Crush.  A little boy up front asked Crush some questions and Crush answered them.  

 

  Epcot was a great park for the adults.  The International Food and Wine Festival was going on when we were there.  You could taste food and wine from around the world.  Actually there are 11 country's that they have- Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada.  We didn't have time to sample much but we loved the atmosphere.  The dome was all lite up across the lake and then fireworks began going off.

  The next day, we headed out to Cocoa Beach for the kids first time at a real beach.  Austin had his pale and shovel all ready to go.  On the way to the beach, I realized that we forgot beach towels.  We stopped at a drugstore and bought some very expensive towels.  Of course, it was my own fault for not remembering them.  Oh well.

  We stopped at Ski Deck Tiki Bar and Grill for some lunch.  We all tried something new.  We ordered a plate of fried gator to sample with our meals.  Doesn't really taste like chicken and it's very chewy. 

  Ron Jon Surf Shop wasn't far from the ocean and we wanted to take a look inside.  My older son really liked looking in this store.  I think we would all make good beach bums.  The surf shop is a pretty cool building inside and out.

  We made it to the beach!  The first thing I noticed on the beach were all the sea shells that were lined up by the shore.  I'm guessing the hurricane had something to do with that.  I've never seen that before.  You had to be careful not to cut your foot while walking past them to the waters edge.  Everyone had a lot of fun finding sea shells and playing around in the water.  Dylan actually found a big conch shell.  

  We had a great time on our vacation and hope to do more traveling soon.  If your ever around these areas, check them out.