Hawaii Part two

The botanical gardens on the way to Wiamae Falls.

I loved the beautiful flowers. I took too many pictures of flowers this day. Our battery died at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Luckily it was towards the end of the day.

Wiamae Falls. It was a little low.

The Polynesian Cultural Center was one of if not our favorite thing we did in Hawaii. The put on a wonderful production and you get a feel of many different cultures. We got there about 1:00 and we stayed until it closed at 9:00. We did not even see everything we would have liked to see.

Once a day there is a show on the river. Six of the Polynesian Islands are represented and each boat does a dance specific to that island. It was great. Once one or two people fell in :-)

Chris really wanted to do a hike to Manoa Falls, but we did not judge time wisely and we arrived at the parking lot around 5:45. In Hawaii it gets dark around 7:00. On top of the time it was also pouring rain. I did not really want to do the hike but Chris really did so we threw on ponchos and trudged up the mountain. The hike was only a mile each way so we made good time. As we walked it felt like we were walking in a river because a lot of water streamed down the trail. I reached the car before Chris and as I was opening the door he came running to the car. He stated that he could not find his sunglasses (the bran new Oakley's we bought a day before we left). We searched to car to no avail. By this time it darkness had fallen. We went to a gas station and bought flashlight. Once back at the trail we walked the entire thing again very slowly looking for the sunglasses. We did this there and back and could not find them. Below our our sad pictures. I told Chris the next pair had to come from Wal-mart, but he actually got new ones for his birthday. The first picture is the falls before the catastrophe happened.

We went snorkeling twice. The first was at Sharks Cove and the 2nd at Hanauma Bay. These shots are in Hanauma Bay. We liked Sharks Cove a little better, but this was fun as well. Chris really loved snorkeling.

We went ocean Kayaking to the island. It was tons of fun. The only hard part was carrying the kayak to the water. We carried in on our shoulders. I was dying and Chris said it wasn't heavy. Well the next day I had a huge bruise on my shoulder to prove that it was heavy! We kayaked almost to the island and then decided to ride some waves between this island and another island. It was tons of fun, but exhausting. Chris then got the brilliant idea to Kayak around the island. Of course I complained because I was dead, but we did it and made it. It was definitely a good work out.

We decided to explore the island. The is on the back side of the island. We had to do a lot of climbing but we almost made it around the entire island; however, with just a little left we reached an section where it was impossible to not get in the water. The problem was I had the camera. Luckily I had it in a zip lock bag.

This was the section that we had to swim. You had to jump off the cliff to get around. I could not do that because of the camera so I tried to slowing ease my way into the water; however, that was not easy because there were a ton of waves coming in. We could not go back because we did not have time. We had to get back to Waikiki because we had a sunset cruise that night. Luckily I made it in the water and to the other side without getting the camera wet. I think that they only thing out of the water was my hand and camera. Everything else was submerged.

After the camera made it to safety I decided to have some fun on the cliff. It was a scary one for me because you had to jump out over a lip. It was not very big, but I don't like having to clear anything.

After that adventure we got back to our kayak and looked at the time. It was 4:00 and we had to be at the boat for our sunset cruise at 5:o0, 5:30 at the latest. We paddled back as fast as we could. We made it back to the car and had to figure out how to put the kayak back on. That took awhile and we were not looking good on time. We realized that we were not going to be able to go back to our hotel. We had to go as we were, sad covered and all. We had pre-paid and would be charged if we did not make it. The woman I spoke to on the phone said that we could walk there. When we got back to our hotel to drop our car off the valet person said we could not walk, it was too far. I had left the address in our room because I anticipated having more time. I ran to the hotel and had to wait for the elevator to go 23 floors. When I got back down to our car it was 5:27 and Chris was no where to be found. By this time I am getting very worried and upset. I looked for him for a few minutes and then left to go to the pier. I wasn't going to go on the cruise without him but I wanted to make sure we did not get charged. I did not have my phone with me. I left it in the hotel so Chris could not get a hold of me. When I got to the pier I was in tears and they said they would not charge me. I called Chris and of course he was a little mad. The boat was still there and I asked them if it would be there a few more minutes. They said yes and I begged them to wait. They agreed and I drove to get Chris. He had walked towards the pier. I picked him up and we barley made it. It was our 2nd to last night and they did not have anymore sunset cruises so we were thrilled we made it.

The fireworks over the ocean that we watched from the cruise.

This was our last day and we went to another beach to body surf. This beach had big waves and we got pushed around a bit. One more thing we wish we would have done and did not do it rent boogie boards. It would have been awesome to ride the waves all the way in! Below Chris is about to get slammed.

That is me right on top of the wave. It was fun.

The Dole plantation. We mainly went for the Dole whip ice cream. It was good; however, it was one of those things that was over-hyped. I had been told how incredibly good it was so when I got it I was somewhat disappointed. It reminded me of my first experience with In-n-Out

Aloha Hawaii. Thanks for the great time!

Chris after our red eye flight home. He stated that he will never do one of those again. Neither of us slept more than an hour or so.

Hawaii

I have been a slacker about blogging, but I am finally blogging about our trip to Hawaii at the end of August. We had a fantastic time in Hawaii but before we left it was a little rocky. For months we had been planning on leaving the 20th of August. I frequently checked travelocity to find the lowest rate. One day the rates had dropped so I booked our trip. As I sat at work the day before our trip I tried to check in online and found that somehow I had actually booked our trip for the 21st! We were both pretty upset about leaving later but it actually turned out well and enjoyed our day together and had fun getting ready.

Waiting to take our boat ride the the USS Arizona

We took a tour of the USS Missouri.

Our view from the hotel room. We were on the 23rd floor but we did not have an ocean view, but it was still a great view.

One of our first days there we drove around the coast. We stopped at a view point were the waves were crashing over the rocks. It was awesome.

On the top of Diamond head. One of the most popular hikes near Waikiki

View from Diamond Head

As Chris and I were planning our day we decided to do a waterfall more in the center of the island. We had a great book of attractions and some rough maps. On the map it showed what looked like a short hike. Chris asked if I wanted to do it before we went to the waterfall and I said sure. Well I don't know how long the hike was but its destination was one of the highest peaks in Hawaii. The peak below is what we hiked. We did not end up going to the waterfall after that, but it was a beautiful view.

The Hawaiian Temple

Our first attempt at body surfing. It was a blast. I think it only took the rest of the trip to get all of the sand out of my hair from getting slammed into the beach.

Cliff jumping

Chris's backflip

Turtle Beach. We loved seeing the sea turtles up close. We even got to feed them some lettuce. I tried to look at the camera but I could not because I was afraid the turtle would bite my hand trying to get to the lettuce.

Two weeks down!

Yesterday we completed two full weeks of insanity...and yes it was INSANE. The "warm-up" is around 10 minutes long and by the end of that I am dripping in sweat. I know, I am a girl and I am only suppose to glow (which is what I usually do) but these workouts kick my butt!!! So far we have really liked the workouts except they do get a bit repetitive. If you want a really great cardio workout mixed in with plyometrics and faced paced lunges and squats this one is great.

In about 3 weeks we get into phase two. That adds about 20 minutes on to every workout so this might get interesting. I don't know what we are going to do with our vacations coming up. We will have to figure out something or just pickup where we left off when we get back. My knee hurts some days but overall is holding up okay. I hope it keeps it up!

INSANITY

It claims to be the hardest workout ever put on DVD and from the 25 minute fit test, I believe they may be right. As I finished each exercise I huffed and puffed and about blew myself over. It is a 60 day program mapped out in a handy little calendar that comes with the set. I am excited to try this program and see what happens over the next two months. I think that I will take measurements tomorrow so that I can see my progress; however, I won't be posting those unless they actually improve :-) Chris and I are going to try and be really dedicated to the exercise program (I want to follow the nutrition guide as well but we'll see how Chris does with that :-) except we might not be so dedicated in our little stint in Hawaii. I don't know if our hotel neighbors will appreciate all the jumping. I hope that me knee holds up. It has been doing fairly well over the last month or so. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Wish us luck. It will be an adventure!!!

Zion

My family has had a reunion at Zion National Park for over 50 years. My Great Grandfather started the reunion and his six daughters carried it on. As nearly all of the second generation have passed on, it is carried on by those of us who love their memory and the heritage they left us. My heritage has always been very important to me. I have always stood in awe of the people who came before me. Despite the adversity in their lives they always stood valiant and saw the glass as half full rather than half empty. I love Zion despite it 100+ degree weather and red dirt, maybe I love it more because of those things. Here are lots of pictures of our adventures.

The red rock and cliffs really make a stunning view

A tunnel was built through the mountain sometime during the first half of the 1900's. I don't remember the date. This is one of the windows that is cut out of the rock as you drive through the mile long tunnel. The tunnel was not built tall enough for our massive, modern day motor homes so the traffic has to take turns. Only one side can go through at a time because the motor homes have to drive down the center of the tunnel.

It is somewhat hard to see, but if you look closely in the lower left hand corner of the picture you will see the window of the tunnel. I wanted to capture just how far down the cliff the tunnel is located.

During my lifetime I have gone to Zion approximately 15 plus times but I never saw a rattle snake...until this last trip. Luckily it was sitting off the trail about 10 feet and was not moving at all. If it had I am sure I would have run away screaming. I hate snake!

Chris and I started playing with the kids and I taught them how to make mud balls (I know I'm a bad influence). Chris decided that he wanted to make a mud ball snowman so here is our creation.

The day before we left we decided to hike Angels Landing with my uncle and cousins. We were all leaving that day but my uncle had a long drive and wanted to hit the road early. The first shuttle into the park left at 5:45 so my uncle wanted to be on it. Chris thought we were absolutely crazy to go hiking at that hour. I did not think much of it because I grew up hiking at odd hours in the morning. A couple of years we went to sand dunes that are about a hour away and we left at 4:00 am. Luckily I talked Chris into going that early and he was only a little grumpy ;-) The photo above is a shot of the last .5 mile of the hike. The hike is 2.5 miles one way but the last .5 mile is a little more treacherous. There are chains and steep drop offs. There are a couple of parts that are a little scary and you have to be careful but it isn't too bad.
Evidence of the early hour

This chipmunk was on top of Angels Landing and as you can see it was really friendly. That is Chris's shoe. He went away empty handed, we did not have any food.
The crew on top of Angels Landing

After Angels Landing Chris and I walked to the Narrows. I wanted to walk up a little ways but we were both too cold. The weather this year was a bit more mild, especially in the morning. We will have to go back another time for more hikes.

This is at the narrows as well but it was earlier in the trip. Chris originally thought that he had a test in his geology class, but he claims that his syllabus was wrong..sure.. :-) J/k he showed me his syllabus and he wasn't just trying to get out of a family reunion. I went down to Zion on Thursday and he came on Saturday. In the above picture I am helping my little cousin surf on the current.

This is as far up the narrows as we got. We had a nice vacation and it was hard to come back to reality. I can't wait for our vacation in Hawaii!

Goodbye Ashley!

I am incredible blessed in the in-law department. I married into a great family and all of the in-laws who married into my family are wonderful as well. One of my fantastic sister-in-laws embarked on a wonderful journey to the Czech Prague mission. She went into the MTC June 23rd but before she went our family had a little adventure at Lagoon. I loved the company and it was nice to spend a bit of time with Ashley in the lazy river before she left. The weekend continued to be full of family events with a trip to the Salt Lake temple, birthday celebrations at the grandparents, and lot of yummy food.

This is only a couple of hours before Ashley left. We went out to breakfast at Kneaders and then said our goodbyes. We will miss her a lot, but we know that she will have amazing, life changing experiences. She is such a light and example to all those around her. I know she will touch many lives.

Strawberry days

Chris and I went to the rodeo with some friends in Pleasant grove. I like to go to a rodeo every couple of years or so. Sometimes I am blown away by the cowboys. I cannot believe what they are willing to do. There is NO way that I would get on and angry horse let alone an angry bull.

This crazy event was milking the wild cow. It seemed that this event was one of the most dangerous.



There were two "trained" buffalo at the rodeo with a cowgirl as their trainer. Her purpose was to get the buffalo to climb on top of a trailer. It took a long time and in the beginning we did not know what she was trying to do. The announcer kept saying over and over, "this task is almost impossible, it has rarely been accomplished." I think he was preparing us for the possibility that it might not happen, it did; however, it was somewhat anticlimactic.

Mission accomplished