Hawaii- In words

We left on Friday, July 20 and caught our flight at 1:30 pm. It was a 6.5 hour trip across the ocean, and the girls did fabulously well watching movies, reading, and playing cards. Tommy was my lap child, and Jacob and I passed him back and forth. He was pretty good and napped for a little bit and finally fell asleep at the end of the flight.

We got off the plane and noticed immediately that things were different. There was humidity in the air, we could see the sparkling blue ocean, and everything was so green. We couldn't believe how beautiful the trees, plants, and flowers were and how things just seemed to grow spontaneously. Especially coming from the desert, the tropical climate was invigorating.

Jacob book the girls to get the rental van and then we loaded up our bags and headed to Laie. We stayed in the home of a professor at BYU Hawaii, who goes to the mainland every summer and rents out his home to people coming to visit Hawaii. It was a beautiful four bedroom house and we felt so lucky to be able to spread out and have such an accommodating place to stay. Lauren got her own room, and loved the space, but by the end of the week ended up sleeping in the same room with her sisters. I guess she's just not used to sleeping alone.

We'd gone back three hours in time, so we went to bed at 8:00 pm, feeling like it was 11:00. The next morning, all of us woke up at 5:00 am because it would have been 8:00 at home. For a family that itsn't full of morning people, it was nice to get a jump start on the day.

We loaded up in the van and drove back to Honolulu for the day. We got tickets to see Pearl Harbor at noon, then ate breakfast, and finally headed to the swap meet at Aloha stadium to shop. Each girl had $10 she'd earned from doing chores this summer and they ended up with some fun prizes. We made it back to Pearl Harbor, and really enjoyed the movie leading up to the tour. It was informative and helpful for the girls to know a little bit about what we were about to see. They take you on a ferry out to the memorial over the USS Arizona, and striking white monument anchored atop the sunken ship. It was a serene resting place for those men and a reminder of the freedom we enjoy that they paid for with their lives.

After Pearl Harbor, we headed down to Waikiki beach for the rest of the afternoon. We admired all of the shops, drove along the main drag and saw the beautiful hotels, and enjoyed our first dip into the Pacific ocean. It felt great. The water was so much warmer than CA oceans and so clear and blue. We then went to Costco and Walmart and loaded up on groceries for the week before heading back to the house and crashing for the night. It was definitely a long day and we were worn out. Traveling with 4 children, especially a young baby, is somewhat taxing and we learned a lot about what works for us throughout the week.

Sunday we again woke up early (6 am) and were ready for church at 8:00. The building was just down the street from the house. It was the missionary farewell of two members of their ward, and they gave excellent, heartfelt talks. Then we heard the most amazing musical number I've heard in a long time. A family from Tonga got up to the stand- a mother and 5 girls and started singing the most beautiful song about Joseph Smith that I've ever heard. It turns out that they wrote the song, and created their own harmonies to blend together. Not only was the song beautiful, but the spirit that they conveyed with their voices was indescribable and Jake and I were in tears by the time they finished. Our girls felt the spirit too and were able to recognize it to us. The girls were brave to go to a foreign Primary and Jake and I enjoyed our meetings too. We napped and ate lunch and then spent the afternoon walking around the Laie temple grounds. It is such a beautiful white building, and stands out strikingly in the greenery of the hills behind it. We spent an hour in the visitors center and loved talking with the sisters and seeing the displays there. We walked out to temple beach and got our feet wet and then ate some delicious raw tuna (PB&J for the kids) that night.

Monday I woke up and ran around exploring BYU Hawaii for an hour. I love running in new places and feel like it gives me a feel for the town/area like nothing else can. My brother Andy has a friend attending BYU Hawaii and he and his wife (Jordan and Mary are their names) were kind enough to watch our kids a few times for us throughout the week. They were amazing with our kids and Jacob and I were so grateful to have their help and have a little bit of time on our own. Monday Jordan came over with a few friends and they and took the girls and Tommy swimming while Jacob and I had a little day date. We first went to Waimea canyon and hiked up to the waterfall there. It is kind of small, but they let you swim out into the pool and go under the water and it was such a fun experience. Then we went into Haliewa and ate lunch at Haliewa Joes. We had shrimp and ribs and fish tacos. The seafood on the island was incredible and so so fresh and delicious. We tried to eat as much of it as possible.

Then Jake and I went to Waimea Bay and jumped off the rock there. It is about a 25 foot jump into the water, and was my first experience ever jumping off of something that high. Jake gave me great tips on form and I made it just fine, but he didn't follow his own advice and ended up with a bruised tailbone that is still bothering him two weeks later. It is a picturesque beach and the water was amazing and crystal clear. That night we grilled salmon for dinner and then had Family Home Evening with our kids out on the beach. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

Tuesday we took it easy and didn't even leave the house until 2:00 pm. We all had a nap in the morning and then watched a few movies and played card and board games. We spent the afternoon snorkeling in the tide pool of shark's cove and loved seeing our girls point out and marvel at all of the beautiful fish there. I'd never seen anything so amazing as those beautiful tropical fish and loved how close you could get to them. Jake grilled us steak, pineapple and asparagus for dinner and it was a delicious island meal.

Wednesday we went to the Polynesian cultural center. It was such a fabulous place. We had passes that included a group tour with a tour guide from Samoa and she was darling and so helpful with Thomas. We visited the "islands" of Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, watched the new 4D movie, watched the floataing parade, ate at the delicious Ali'i luau, and watched the musical "Ha: Breath of Life" at night (while Tommy went to bed and was tended at home by Jordan and Mary). The girls loved learning about each culture and we were impressed by how well organized everything was. There was so much to see and learn in each of the islands and there was much thought put into the shade and seating for the crowds. I especially loved how interactive everything was- you not only learned about life on each island, but you got to try your hand at different things throughout the day.

Thursday Jake I and took turns napping in the morning, and during his nap I took the kids over to Bikini beach. It was the closest to the house and we were able to just walk over. On the way I bumped into Julia Mejia, a woman my dad taught on his mission to Peru, and loved seeing her. The waves at bikini beach were very gentle and the kids and I just sat in tubes and floated with the tide. It was amazing how many different beaches there are on the island. Because the shore is not straight, there are pieces of land jutting out everywhere and the island is curved, it makes for different tide breaks and shore lines and beaches within every mile. We loved exploring a lot of different ones. After lunch we headed to Kakela beach and jumped off of Alligator rock. It was a rock in the ocean and perfect for kids to jump off. The waves here were stronger and the girls got pounded a few times. We brought the little charcoal Weber grill from the garage, and Jake grilled us tuna steaks over guava wood charcoal on the beach. We loved eating dinner while hearing the waves crash nearby and the girls had fun on a rope swing nearby. Our neighbors, the Lewis family, invited us over for dessert when we got home and we loved meeting them and eating delicious Mochi balls, melona popsicles, and chocolate macadamai pie from Ted's bakery.

Friday we started out the day at the Hukilau beach. It was a nice sandy beach with calm waves and everyone had a good swim in the ocean. It started to rain about lunch time, so we packed up and headed out to get some lunch. The girls and I ate at the Kahuku farm (delicious passion fruit ice cream) and Jake had the best shrimp from Romy's. The skies cleared and we drove up to Haliewa for shave ice. On the way back we stopped to see the turtles at Laniakea where huge green sea turtles swim and rest on the beach. It was really cool to see them flapping in the ocean and pop up for air.

We headed home and got cleaned up and then Jordan and Mary came to watch the kids for the rest of the night. Jake and I headed to dinner at the Kahuku grill (amazing coconut shrimp and burgers) and then got Ono ice cream (me) and a cold coconut (J) for dessert. Then we took a walk out on the beach together and saw the sunset. It was such a special moment in time for us and brings tears to my eyes even as I type about it. We then went to the Laie temple and participated in a session there. It is such an amazing building on the outside, but it pales in comparison to the the spirit and peace that we felt while inside. We loved the layout of the inside and were so grateful to be reminded of the our eternal nature and God's plan for us and our family while we were there. The temple is truly the House of God.

Saturday was our last day and we went to three tables and snorkeled from 9:00 until noon. The fish there were amazing- every color and variety- and Jake and Lauren especially enjoyed having snorkeling time together. Ellie and Ada splashed and played like crazy in the waves and Tommy snoozed in his car seat. We ate lunch at Ted's bakery, and then made one last stop at Hukilau to swim and get a family picture. We spent the evening cleaning, packing, and vacuuming the van and mourning the end of our wonderful vacation.

Sunday we woke up, ate breakfast, and loaded into the car for our trip back to Honolulu. We drove the other way around the island and enjoyed seeing all of the fields and agriculture that is grown through the center of the island. It was awesome to see pineapple tops for mile after mile as we drove down the road. We got the the airport and had a great flight home on a less full plane. I had an extra seat next to me so Tommy was able to lay down and actually get some good sleep. We got in the van and arrived safely home by 11:45 that night.

There were so many wonderful things about our trip, but the one that stands out most to both Jacob and I is that we didn't think about cancer hardly at all. It was like the horror that we've experienced and lived through was suspended and we could just be together, focused on each other and our children and the beauty of the place around us. That alone was so healing for our hearts, minds, and spirits that we came back truly rejuvenated and restored. There are not even words to thank the people who helped us have this vacation and we will be forever grateful for their wonderful gift to us.

Hawaii is a magical place and we are so grateful that we got to visit our 50th state as a family.