Hawaii!

I never wrote about our trip to Hawaii with Jeff’s family in May of last year, but since I have no kids and am waiting until this baby comes, I figured I'd get this on the blog. Diana wrote a great synopsis of the trip so I will just post below what she wrote. It was a wonderful trip and we were so happy to have helped provide it for the family. We all chipped in to pay for Sandy and Ron’s plane tickets and my parents donated their time share at Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was great since it had a kitchen and 3 bedrooms. And it of cousre was a beautiful room.

 Strangely the bedroom with two beds had a bathroom with no enclosure. So the girls made a makeshift covering so they could have a little privacy. 

 A room with a view

 Michael had already left on his mission so he unfortunately didn’t get to come. We went to the island of Oahu and had a packed trip, but it was great! One thing not mentioned in Diana’s letter is that Jeff, Lisa, and I went swimming with sharks in Haleiwa. 

Jeff getting in touch with his inner shark.

It wasn’t as scary as it sounds since you are in a cage, but it was pretty cool to have them swimming right by you. Two groups take turns going in the cage with a snorkel and while down there we could also hear whales talking to each other, which was neat. It was a cold day so I didn’t feel the need to stay in the water for a super long time, but I’m happy to say I did it.

All of us except Diana and Sandy also tried surfing. We had a long walk from our hotel to the beach we surfed so that was a bit of a trek, but I realized that I don’t love surfing and don’t feel the need to do it again in the future. Although it was such a crowded beach area that maybe it would have been a bit easier if we weren’t dodging people. I was happy to have done it and I got up a few times, but the ocean scares me a little so I think doing anything in it that involves the waves makes me a bit uneasy. Jeff cut his foot on some coral which was very unfortunate and he was bleeding quite a bit and then there was a bomb scare in a nearby area so we couldn’t go home via taxi because no taxis were coming. So in the end it became kind of dramatic, but everything is fine now when you look back at the memory of it.

All in all it was such a wonderful trip and so fun to spend a whole week with family. Everyone had a positive attitude even when it rained, and there is something so special and incredible about being on the islands. You can't imagine that a place so beautiful exists so it's really neat to be able to experience that and share it with so many loved ones. And what made the trip even more special was spending time with a family friend of the Baer's (Diana talks about eating with Elder Tovey's family later) and feeling the spirit that they brought. Lisa arranged meeting up with him and his old companion and it was a highlight of the trip to be embraced by his family. 

Diana’s recap:

On Sunday we went to the beautiful Honolulu Tabernacle for church and it had a wondrous fresco of Jesus on the outside. 

Lisa is telling us that she is available with her flower on the right side.

It was really neat to see such a beautiful place and I felt such a calming spirit if peace and love. They also had this large Banyan tree outside the church, which was neat to see because usually banyan trees have these crazy branches that grow in the ground, but the branches had been trimmed before hitting the ground making the grass pristine. It was a neat place to be. 

We also went to Pali lookout this deep green old growth forested area where you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful city below. 

After Pali we went to the Valley of the temples to see the Byodo temple, a Japanese stylized temple with a large green pond in front of it. The pond was filled with Koi and lots of black swans, which none us knew existed until than. We got to see the giant Buddha inside the temple as well.

 Beautiful cemetary the temple grounds are on.

On the second day we headed for the Laie temple, which looks as if it had been dropped straight down from heaven in a place of paradise with beautiful gardens throughout and a such a strong and wonderful spirit there. It was a cool experience to see the temple knowing that one day I will be able to go inside and partake of the blessings therein. We walked inside the visitor center, which always has the large marble statue of christ with arms outstretched welcoming all to the temple.

After a the spiritual experience at the temple we went to the Polynesian Culture center, which I loved because I had recently taken an anthropology class at Front Range Community College and it gave me an added appreciation for different cultures. I often marvel at how diverse the world is and the traditions that people uphold is very neat to witness and to see. We got to see the parade of culture right alongside the little stream (river?) they have there. 

 What I was awestruck at were the dances that each island shared, they are distinct and different from the others, but one thing remains the same. The women are very feminine in their dances, their motions, the way their hands move, and arms glide is incredible. The men are very masculine showing off their strength and they most often are very intimidating. After witnessing the show we went to luau where we had barbecued pork, salmon, fresh salad, and bright purple sweet potatoes. Everything was delicious, the food was amazing and the entertainment during the festivities was top notch.

 A very cooked pig is under there. 

 Who doesn't love a good luau pig?

 This guy has been at PCC forever and people love his show. He's also the fire dancer in the evening show.

Drinking cocount juice.

 Trying to make fire.

 I did this (lummi sticks) in 5th grade and my friend Cami and I were really good at it. It was fun to relive those glory days. 

 Lisa and Jeff did great, I kept whacking myself so this was not my activity of choice. 

 Playing another Maori game, but be careful because with that many sticks flying at you someone is bound to get hurt. 

After a lot feasting we went back to the hotel and prepared for the third day, a short hike. I didn't know what to expect when we got there, but I was quite amazed at what we found. I have never been in or seen a jungle in my life, like the deep jungles with the great serpentine vines that seem to engulf every tree and plant. When we went further back in we came into the what I dare say the heart of the jungle, a magnificent place as green as an emerald the green I had seen all over Hawaii, but had not actually ventured in. There were trees that towered like giants over us with great reaching branches that shelter us from the rain as it began to fall. I enjoyed this part of the trip because I am writing a book about a jungle expedition and was glad to experience it and to know what it is like in a real jungle. It wasn't all just tall trees, deep brush, and thick vines, there were patches of bamboo forests that sprung up in-between and a few wild flowers throughout. The rain came down and it was a welcomed surprise as it gets hot and humid, it felt nice to trudge up the jungle trail to see the 150 feet high Manoa Falls. The falls were impressive with a large pool at the base that you can swim in, but seeing that we were already wet from the rain we didn't feel the need :). It was a great hike and just seeing the wide diversity of plant and fauna life in the forest kind of makes you stop and wonder how god created such a beautiful place and if that kind of diversity exist in such a small place you wonder how people can't believe in god. After Manoa Falls we went back to the hotel walked along Waikiki close to Diamond Head Crater for some shopping.

On the fourth day we hiked up to Diamond Head Crater and it rained again, but it was a refreshing rain and by the time we reached the top, the sun was shining on the caldera and Honolulu. There was a short flight of 99 stairs to climb to top, but I took the wheelchair ramp up. Diamond Head Crater used to be a strategic military outpost in WWI and possibly WWII. We had to enter through one of the cement tunnels and the 99 stairs that led up to the crater also led up to the three bunkers that are still there today. From the lookout atop Diamond Head you could see just about everything, with a beautiful view of ocean not far behind. 

After the hike down we returned to Laie and got Shave Ice at Matasumoto, it was a delicious treat for the warm weather. 

After the icy treat we went to the Turtle beach along the way where we found a sleeping turtle resting quite comfortably in the sand with his buddies in the water beckoning him to join them. 

After the turtle beach we headed to Tiffany's favorite beach Waimea bay and sat for a little bit and watched Jeff tackle the wicked surf. It looked as if he had been tossed in a washing machine as the waves threw him back onto the sand and then dragged him back in, but he was having fun in the surf. 

We headed across the was Botanical Gardens. I had always wanted to go the Botanical Gardens, because they are a rarity in the states and they don't have the wide variety of plants that Hawaii has to offer. Hawaii has the warm humid air that most plants can grow in. There was plenty of places to walk, flowers to see, a few forested spots to walk through, but most of all it was the Waimea falls that we were interested in seeing. Waimea Falls was overflowing due to the rainfall earlier in the day. After a long stroll we went back through the gardens and Sarah was a good sport and tagged behind so I could take some pictures. On the way back Sarah found some archaeological formations and small recreations of villages along the way back. Who knew that Sarah would find archaeology in Hawaii :). 

 They filmed Joe Versus the Volcano, George of the Jungle, Journey 2 the Myseterious Island, and Hunger Games Catching Fire here. 

 We were famished after we left the gardens and headed to Kahuku grill where we met up with some of our favorite elders, Elder Tovey and Zimmerman. We caught up, had good food, and talked. Tovey invited us over to his house for the last day of our trip and we more than happy to accept.

On our fifth day we headed out to Aulani where the Disney Resort is and we went out of the Catamaran, a beautiful white boat so we could snuba and scuba. I was a little apprehensive to try scuba, but I doned the life jacket, flippers, and masks and got in the water after Tiffany. With the waves and salt water rushing into my mouth I got a little scared and returned to boat, but was refreshed after the little dip in the ocean. It's hard to try new things, but I'm glad I tried. Mom and I chilled on the Catamaran and saw the spinner dolphins out on the waves. After a long day of scuba and snuba everyone returned aboard the boat where the crew served us teriyaki chicken and pork sandwiches. It was a great little feast and we enjoyed the ride back. On the way back we spotted some whales, which is unusual because its late in the season and they should all be in Alaska by now. There was a mother whale and a little baby whale beside her and possibly the male escort, which we didn't get to see. We saw their backs and the spouts from their blowholes, but not much else. I had never seen anything so huge in the water! I knew that whales existed, but I had never imagined they were so huge, its hard to comprehend that until you get close enough to see one. 

Getting ready to snuba.

 About to snuba too!

We went back to the hotel and went out for a sunset walk along the beach and just stood in the ocean as we watched the sun go down.  

On our sixth and final day we went out to see Pearl Harbor and boarded the bowfin first thing. The Bowfin is the large submarine, it was exciting to wander around its deck and hull. I never knew how much equipment a submarine needed to work. We got to see all the inner workings of the submarine, but the other thing that surprised me was the sheer size of the torpedoes. The torpedoes on the bowfin are 20 feet in length and weigh up 3280 pounds, it gave me an added appreciation for the soldiers who had to pull those into position and load them into the Torpedo tube (they had chains and sort of a gurney to move them, but still). After the bowfin we pursued the vast amount of wartime artifacts in the museum. After the museum it was our alotted time to board the boat and head over the Arizona Memorial. The Arizona Memorial hovers over the destroyed ship, which lies as a tomb for more than 900 soldiers who still remain in the aft (rear) of the ship. As soon as we stepped off the boat I could already feel that the Arizona Memorial was scared ground. We were able to see the ship through the water and oil still bubbles up from the hull, we learned in the audio that the people maintaining the memorial call the droplets of oil that seep out "survivor's tears" . It really brought into perspective the battle that happened more than 72 years ago. After witnessing the sunken ship we went into the main part of the memorial and saw all the names on the wall of those who fell defending their country. After leaving the Arizona memorial we took a shuttle to see the Battleship Missouri. It was the biggest ship I had ever been on and its interior was massive, I think if you spent your entire time in the navy on that ship you still wouldn't know your way around. It was a complex inner working maze of a mess halls, living quarters, and offices. After pursuing below deck we headed back on top and returned to the shuttle and headed for the aviation museum. The aviation museum isn't as large as the one in DC, but it houses a very neat collection of planes, some still in working condition others, not so much. 

Oil is still seeping out of the sunken ship.

 It has been a tiring trip!

After pearl harbor we head back to the hotel everyone went surfing and I can't balance to save my life, so I stayed behind with mom and enjoyed a wonderful shopping venture before heading back to the hotel. After everyone was dressed we headed back to Laie and went to Elder Tovey's home, where we were welcomed with open arms by his family. I love their hospitality in Hawaii, they embrace you and welcome you in. They prepared a large feast for us and we indulged in the delicious homemade meal after which they couldn't resist and wanted us to get up and dance. Tovey's sister in-law and brother both worked at the Polynesian Culture center for several years. The men played the ukele, drums, and guitar while Tovey's sister in-law taught us all how to dance. There are several dances, one consist of picking up flowers, making a lei, sewing the lei, and then wearing the lei, the other is a fast paced danced of making bread, kneading the bread, then baking the bread, and then eat the bread, and the last dance is of a bird in flight hovering over the skies and flying low, before going to ground to eat, then taking flight again, and soaring. The men performed the pig dance, yes you read that right, the pig dance or the hookah dance an intimidating dance to show off the male's masculinity. After a wonderful night of dancing we sat down for a spiritual time. They sang a missionary song and then love at home. Afterwards Tovey got up and bore his testimony. It was one of the most spiritual nights I had had in a while and I was truly touched by the holy ghost and it showed to me that no matter where we are or where we go there will always be people there to love us for who we are. After the spiritual meeting we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

Hawaii is truly a magical place, a place with beautiful spots of paradise. I was very glad that we could go and share in this experience. The other thing is that I am extremely proud of my self because it was the first time that I had never broken down on a vacation. Normally I tended to break down if I don't get enough time to decompress from social situations because of my Asperger Syndrome. It was exciting and I really just hung back and took everything in. I enjoyed every moment of it and the splendorous moments of beauty in-between. I will never forgot the wonderful spirit I felt throughout the trip and I will carry that with me always. Thank you so much for your generosity and sending us on this wonderful vacation, I had such a wonderful time filled to the brim with many happy memories. It was the perfect vacation for all of us and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!