!i! Howie !i!

First of all, I gotta explain Howie. I pulled out my 3rd grade journal about two months before AJ and I got married. I was reading some random entries and I came across one entitled "Where would you like to go someday?" Of course I picked warm, sunny Hawaii ... only being a 3rd grade speller, it was "howie". And Howie was where we went on our honeymoon.

We caught our flight out of Salt Lake city going to L.A. where we had an hour and a half layover. From there, we flew straight into Honolulu. The flight to L.A. was okay. Packed with annoying people going to the dental convention, but we survived. The flight to Honolulu made us both sick. Sitting so long in a rocking aircraft did not sit very well on my stomach. We landed at 8:00 p.m. which was midnight Utah time and we were just exhausted.

Day 1: We drove the entire island. We did this just to get our barrings, but it turned out to be our favorite day on the island. We stopped at just about every beach we came across. We were staying on Waikiki and that beach is busy, but we found so many small quiet beaches with no people in sight. We stopped by the temple and took a tour of the visitor's center. And then we toured the pineapple plantation where we got pineapple ice cream. Yummy!

Day 2: We hiked the Diamond Head Volcano. Sounds exciting right? Ha ha boy would you be wrong! The itinerary for the hike is that you hike a part of the volcano and then you can look out and see a huge crater. Sounds great! The vegetation was dead. Someone had collapsed and the EMTs were trying to get to them. We had to climb through this old military prison that was made for tiny people. Finally we get to the top and look for the crater. Turns out the parking lot IS the crater! We could have parked and turned around because that was it! But there were pretty views of the ocean from the top so it was worth it.
After that, we visited the valley of the temples which is a Buddhist monastery. It was interesting to learn all the culture and the landscape surrounding this temple was gorgeous! We found a grove of bamboo trees that were miles high!
We finished the day by going to the beach and watching the sunset on Sunset Beach.

Day 3: We visited Pearl Harbor. We watched a show and then took the Ferryboat out to see the Sunken USS Arizona.
We spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural center. AJ especially loved the spear throw and won 4 necklaces to bring home. During the Luau, it was brought to their attention that we were on our honeymoon. We had to stand in front of everyone and dance together. Great fun being in the spotlight in front of a hundred people you don't know!

Day 4: We woke up and watched the sunrise on Sandy Beach. Then we found a beach where there were about 8 turtles swimming and one on the beach. Hawaiian sea turtles have just recently returned to Hawaii. Because they were gone for so long, there is an animal cop on the shore ready to arrest anyone who touches a turtle. Ok...maybe not quite like that, but it is illegal to touch or swim after a sea turtle.
Then we went snorkeling. Snorkeling was the highlight of our vacation! We saw so many fish. We snorkeled at Shark's cove which is a very shallow area of the ocean surrounded by rocks. Because it is so shallow, the water is warm and the bright colorful fish live here.
We decided to try snorkeling at Waimea bay. Immediately AJ spotted a sea turtle. We swam with the turtle for awhile until we could no longer keep up. They are surprisingly fast. Closer to shore, we got caught up in a school of fish. Thousands of fish! They completely surrounded me. I couldn't see past them. They were small white fish and their eyes were all on me. It was one of the neatest experiences I have ever had.
That night, we went on a date to Bubba Gump shrimp company restaurant where I had lobster for the first time. It was delicious. It's kinda risky going to a seafood restaurant when the one you're with is allergic to shellfish. But the night was a success with no allergic reaction!

Day 5: We went on a hike to some falls I can't remember what they were called. The hike was long and muddy. My shoe broke. We got eaten alive. And when we got to the top, the falls were uneventful. Pretty, but not worth the hike.
So...we turned around and went back to the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Then went back to Sunset Beach to collect shells, play in the water, and watch the sun set.

Day 6: We drove the island again until we went to the airport to catch our red-eye flight home.

It was such a fun honeymoon. We want to go back to Hawaii very soon. Once you've been there, all you ever want to do is go back!