Tide and Temple

We had a lighthouse hike planned, but I really wanted to go see the Laie, HI temple. I also really waned to see the Pipeline and we heard from a fellow condo peep that the Master's Pipeline competitions last day was Wednesday. We changed our plan and headed to the North Shore. We had a gorgeous scenic route of the coast the whole time. I fell in love with the Laie Temple. It was so gorgeous and the spirit there was even more beautiful! We watched a little video in the visitor's enter about two prophecies given to this area by David O Mckay. One was that there would be plenty of water and the other that millions of people would come to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. Seeing this video showing a dry island made me feel so grateful for it's lush beauty today and these prophecies have truly come to past. As we were leaving we saw a beautiful lighted design on the ground of bells which were carved out of dust by an unknown helper. I loved taking a picture of my little family of origin by the Christus. I wanted to go in and wanted my family to be there in that beautiful place with me. There is definitive feeling in Hawaii that must be experienced.

After the temple we made our way to the North Shore. We saw the world's best surfers. We waited as the humongous waves seem to swallow the surfer up and cheered proudly as the surfers made it through the pipeline and came out smiling. What a blessing it was to be there and it was said by the competition announcer that this heat was the best surfing he'd seen of the whole competition. We saw Kelly Slater score a 9.8 out of 10 on his ride. Surreal and so fun. The walk there we discovered a house of someones by the beach. There are many homeless because of the constant summer there. I felt for the natives and I loved the area. Too bad it is so tourist heavy, but I'm glad I was able to be a part of it all. We kept a pretty busy pace seeing everything, but enjoyed a yummy lunch at Tanya's favorite beach side joint, Kahukas. She says it is Her In-N-Out.

Tuesday, Wow! Fia Fia Forever.

KoOlina is an impressive resort. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoyed walking around the grounds. I'm an early riser so I could see the prep work that goes into making it such a clean and organized place. There was a lot of mowing of the lawns and raking of the white sandy beaches. It was all so beautiful The reflection pool was my favorite are to hang out by. Tanya came t visit and we attended the Fia Fia Luau that night. It was really great! I felt the memories of being a Polynesian dancer come flooding back. I bought poi balls and we danced on stage for a little. My mom got videos of Tanya, my Dad and I dancing and participating. My folks were called up and honored for having been married 40 or more years. The pictures cannot do just to the feeling of love, family, and happiness I felt. I was grateful to be there and I wanted Emmy to be here and come for her honeymoon to feel the love of marriage and celebrating of it there at the KoOlina. The food was great and also the music, company and sunset. It was a peak experience and I'm so glad to have gone.

Hawaii Part One

As I got on the plane, I couldn't believe it was happening. I really had the chance to sneak away to Hawaii. There was so much hype surrounding this trip. I didn't know what to expect, but hoped it would be great! The plane from Sacramento to Los Angeles was tiny, old, and wobbly. I did get my ginger ale like usual for refreshment in the air. I enjoyed a great view of the Los Angeles temple, Downtown where my Dad worked for twenty years, and of the coast. There was a haze covering the   suddenly, I remembered the place of my youth and how I have moved to greener pastures, but had wonderful memories from there. LAX was familiar however, the giant Boeing 757 was not. I knew it would be a six hour flight, but didn't realize how long that is in real time on a plane. My nervousness was misplaced as I had meals with my folks and caught smiles, and pleasant glances from them.

 My mom was sitting next to me and then went to sit by my Dad. I had more room then. It was a beautiful descent into Honolulu, Hawaii. I could see the blue green water and other islands there. It was balmy and warm as we got off of the plane. We were excited and warm, really warm! My mom had six layers on and soon we started to shed our layers and feel of the aloha spirit. My Dad was a little stressed out, but a detour took us through a scenic route to Tanya's house on Pali Road. It was so beautiful We saw 3 waterfalls and quite the ocean view while we got there.

 Tanya was such a great host. They gave me Kieran's room and it had a squishy queen bed, a personal air conditioner and a little outdoor patio. It was so nice. I was noticing I didn't have clothing cool enough for the weather.. I don't know how the marathon runners did it that day, but we walked to Ross, Tanya, Christian, and I and I got some active wear and a casual dress. I'm so glad I got those clothes. The next day would prove to be even more hot as we climbed Diamond Head. It was a great view and I learned I'm a little claustrophobic..

After a little rest looking at the ocean and ignoring the crowds I was able to go to the top and reap the beautiful view. Staying calm in life helps me to be successful and I need to remember that for later. The sunrise was great, the sunsets were great and I loved how well my sister and I were getting a long.