Day 5: Hanauma Bay

Today, we got up and went to Hanauma Bay! We left pretty early with the understanding that this is a state park, and they limit the number of visitors per day that are allowed in. After watching a short movie about preserving the coral reef and taking care of the "fishes," we went down in the bay to swim with the fishies!
We rented snorkel equipment, and away we went to soak up the sun and swim! We saw some really pretty fish and snorkeled for about 2-3 hours before leaving the bay. I had been a little concerned, with my back condition/sciatic nerve issues, but somehow, everything turned out perfectly! God is good!

On the way back to Honolulu, we stopped by Punchbowl National Cemetary. The ambiance of the area just really takes your breath away. The way was marked with beautiful American flags and monkeypod trees! So pretty.

That night, we went back down to Kalakaua and visited the Moana Surfrider Hotel and did a little shopping before getting some dinner. It was our last night in Honolulu, and we enjoyed every second. After finishing some yummy dinner, at the Yard House in the Waikiki Beach Walk on Lewer's Street, we walked back down the way to Cheesecake Factory to grab some dessert to go! Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Cheesecake, amazingly rich and wonderful!

July 4, 2008 Our Wedding Day

I had to add a few wedding pictures from our wedding at Cedarwood in Nashville, Tennessee! I just love looking back on that day. All of our best friends and family, there to share our joy and love! I would do it all over again!

Day 4 - Happy 1st Anniversary!

July 4th, 2009...it's our first anniversary! Wow, where did the time go from the past year?!? We woke up to another beautiful sunrise on Waikiki. Brandon had informed me the night before that we needed to leave the hotel no later than 8AM because we had to be somewhere by 9. He said it was a surprise, but I would like it. After grabbing some quick breakfast at Mickey D's, which was probably the best breakfast that we'd had since in Hawaii.

We started driving back toward the airport, and I started wondering, but not really thinking much about it. Alot of things in Honolulu are around or toward the airport. We finally turned on a street close to the airport, and Brandon told me that we were going sky diving. I was not going to. He could, but that is one thing that I said I wouldn't ever do. Plus with my back causing me issues, I could pretty much tell he was kidding. We almost immediately turned into another parking lot, and I looked up to see "Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours" on a little sign on a building. WOW! So cool, we were taking a helicopter tour of Oahu! I had always wanted to do this, but I knew it was pretty expensive, so I thought we had decided not to do it. Brandon always knows how to surprise me with the sweetest things! Our tour was AMAZING! I was a little nervous about the helicopter with my intense fear of heights, but it seemed not to bother me at all. Just to look out over all of the beautiful valleys, craters, ocean and see all that God created so perfectly was wonderful. And to get to share it with Brandon...Priceless!

After our ride, we went to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is the world's largest outdoor mall. I remember visiting when I was little, but it had changed alot. Everyone was out and about, being that it was the Fourth of July, and there were going to be fireworks and events all day long in the area. We shopped a little but soon decided that we were hungry and grabbed a really good burger at a cool place at Ala Moana called Islands. Great burgers! After a great lunch and looking around a little more, we went back to our hotel and napped for a while to rest up for the evening. I spent alot of time out on our Lanai, just enjoying the beach, the smell, the sounds, thinking time, and more. It was wonderful to just relax and not have to worry about phones ringing, unhappy coworkers or customers...just time to think and enjoy the surroundings.

We decided to go out on the beach, where many people already were to get a glimpse of the sunset and enjoy fireworks. The sun sets around 7:15ish in Hawaii for whatever reason, so dinner could wait. We secured a nice spot and watched the beautiful sunset! and then...I felt a sprinkle...so did Brandon...and then another. Pretty soon, it started to rain, and people started to skatter. Too bad for the rain, which in actuality probably didn't last over 20 minutes or so.

Anyway, we decided not to try it again, so we went to the shops at our hotel and looked around for some more fun things and then decided to just order a pizza and take it back to the room, since it was raining. We were going to walk over to Kalakaua and eat a nice dinner, but the rain changed our plans, and we were both pretty tired from the day.

When we got back to our room, there was a "Happy Anniversary" cake waiting. It looked to be ok, but whenever we got around to trying it, it was really not that great. Needless to say, I won't ever order a cake from a hotel again. I'll go to the extra effort of calling a local bakery. I guess I learned my lesson with that one!

We had the most amazing anniversary. I still can't believe it's been an entire year. One year ago, I married my best friend, my partner, and the love of my life. We have both learned alot about life, love, and eachother in the past year, and we have grown through God's guidance. Through it all, He has provided and taught us so much. I look forward to learning to love Brandon more and more everyday and can't wait to see what God has in store for our lives! Only 364 more days until Anniversary #2:)! Brandon thanks for making our anniversary and every day of my life wonderful. I love you!

Day 3 - More Island Fun

On our 3rd day on Oahu, Friday, we decided to do some more exploring. So we got dressed and began driving! We ventured out to Pearl Harbor to try and visit the USS Arizona Memorial, but after trying to find a place to park and being somewhat unsuccessful, we ventured on to Ewa Beach, where my dad lived for a few years, while my grandfather was stationed in Hawaii in the Navy. We found Pahokupuna Street, snapped a quick photo of the house or at least the place where the house had stood, back in the 50's and left. We didn't really feel comfortable getting out of the car and walking around. Let's just say that it was really cool to see where dad's family used to live, but the neighbors didn't look too friendly:)!

After leaving Ewa Beach, we decided to drive up to the Pali Lookout. It is a beautiful historic area where King Kamehamaha used to take his troops up, and the wind would help take them over the edge with a little help. Sounds horrifying, but today, it's a beautiful scenic point that's super windy all the time. I can remember visiting as a kid when we used to be all bundled up in jackets, it was so windy!

After driving around some more and coming back to Honolulu, we were in search of the Big Kahuna pizza place. Brandon had read of this place online before we had left and it sounded like a great place. It did not disappoint. Yummy PIZZA!! Oh, and we finally got our fresh flower leis!! We had meant to get some at the airport on the day that we arrived, but had forgotten or simply got pre-occupied, so when we drove back by the airport once again, Brandon parked and went and got us a couple! They were so beautiful and smelled WONDERFUL!

After a long day of fun in the sun, we went back to the hotel, shopped a little and decided that we really weren't that hungry, so we decided to just hang out at the hotel that night instead of going to dinner.