Here are a few of the highlights from our trip…..

1) Whale Watching – we went on the Atlantis Navatek and really enjoyed whale watching. What a great day
2) Waikiki Beach – a busy beach with tame waves and a whole lot of atmosphere
3) Kailua – A great beach town with an even better beach
4) Haunauma Bay – Some awesome snorkelling
5) The North Shore – WOW – what a great place. Great surf town and beach to watch the surfers in the winter
6) Windward Coast – gorgeous scenery
7) Driving through the middle of a mountain! A feat of engineering Halona Blowhole and Cove – gorgeous/breathtaking

After our trip to Hanauma Bay we stopped at a look-out to see what was happening with Halona Blowhole. While there were big waves crashing the rocks, there was nothing coming through the blowhole today. Oh well. We were able to spot whales in the distant and Liam was the first to spot a sea turtle swimming in the ocean. There is a little beach here that you can climb down to. Would be a great place to spend a few hours.

We drove past Waimanalo Beach and thought it looked like a great place to stop one day. We were on our way to the South East town of Kailua. What a great little town. We stopped at a place called Teddy’s Bigger Burgers for milkshakes, fries and burgers…. quite enjoyed the atmosphere of this cute town. As we read that Kailua has one of Hawaii’s best beaches we stopped for a look. It was getting too late in the day to spend much time here but we waded out to a sandbar and really enjoyed it. The water is turquoise and the sand is white and fine. Amazing how the sand can change from one side of the island to the other.

In fact, every part of the island is different… We’ve been enjoying the differences.

On our way home we drove through the middle of the island through the mountains. What a beautiful drive. We even drove right through a mountain… the tunnel was quite long too.

Weather has been great so far and we’re having a great time.

Because of the flooding, sewage leak and closed pool we have been exploring so much of the island…. it’s amazing how much those who only make it to Waikiki actually miss.

Our first day was a combo of rain and sunshine. We drove up the Leeward Coast and also to the North Shore where we had the famouse shaved ice from Matsumotos. So far, it has been the best snow cone on the island.

Day 2 we headed into Waikiki. What a great part of the beach!!! We loved it and enjoyed the waves. Nowhere near as big as on the North Shore but perfect for the kids. We had shaved ice at the beach but it wasn’t as good as Matsumotos.

We’re off to the island of Oahu….. Yes, with all the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and Honolulu. Yes, one day I’d love to visit one of the quieter islands (I’d love to visit EACH island!) but there’s nothing wrong with hustle and bustle either. Especially since there is still the rest of the island to explore!

We’re staying away from Waikiki and Honolulu in a resort-type area called Ko Olina. We’re in a townhome.. you can see them along the top part of the photo….. It comes with a golf cart to drive around the area….. and our patio backs onto a neighbourhood pool.  We’ll make good use of the golf cart to drive to and from those four lagoons which we here are nice and sheltered and perfect for snorkelling. An interesting fact about Ko Olina, should you be a Disney fan, is that this is where Disney is building their first Hawaii Disney Resort. It is under construction right now to open in the fall. I would have loved to have wandered through it, enjoyed a Disney gift shop and even a Disney meal but alas, perhaps next time! We’ll still see if we can wander the grounds.

There is SO much to do on this island.  We’re really excited to go to a luau…. the beach…. waikiki……. do a little hiking… and visit the North Shore to see the surfers ride the huge waves.  Apparantly you can get the best shaved ice on the north shore so we’re excited about that too.

Anyway, that’s where we’re off to next!

ETA – Okay, so if you know me fairly well… or if you’ve ever gone anywhere with me, you may know that I have a thing for souvenirs. I’ve gotten better and try not to buy useless junk but I love wandering through gift stores and perusing racks of postcards. Always have and likely always will. So when my husband told me about the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet I got a little bit giddy. Aisle after aisle, table after table of trinkets and hawaiian crafts…. I suppose it is good we don’t have much room in our suitcases to bring too much back!

I started reading this book yesterday and couldn’t put it down. Read it all day long whenever I could and finished it at night.  WOW. It really was that good.

I had no idea what to expect as I must have downloaded it to my Kindle a while ago and forgotten the premise. Or maybe I never read a description at all?  That may have been what initially kept me reading and had me intrigued from the first page. What’s a carer? What’s a donar? What’s complete mean?

It doesn’t take long to realize that these characters are different from us. And eventually everything gets explained and it really makes you think. The book deals with some really important issues and makes you think about some pretty important questions.

Here’s a few….. What’s the importance of arts and culture in our lives? What’s the importance of arts and culture in a world so steeped in science?

There’s more but I don’t want to give away the ending so I’ll just keep them to myself.

If you’re looking for a good read, one that will keep you on the edge of your chair, or couch or bed… well give this one a try. I loved it.

Here are some of the ones I want to read, or re-read as the case may be:

Room by Emma Donnahue

Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Summer by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

The Geography of Bliss: One Grum’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Heart of the Matter - Emily Giffin (EXCELLENT)

I Remember You – Harriet Evans

Fly Away Home – Jennifer Weiner

Critical Care – Candace Calvert – this was a free Kindle pick and certainly the description was misleading.  The book itself was trying to be a little like Grey’s Anatomy.  Once you get past the free sample, you get hit with a very Christian message.  The book was good, but wanted to give you the warning.

Crowned – Julie Linker – I think this is a teen-read.  It’s about beauty pageants.  It was good.

Time of My Life – Allison Winn Scotch

Sweet Life – Mia King – I really enjoyed this book.  A family moves to Hawaii and everything changes.

Don’t You Forget About Me - Jancee Dunn

Best Friends Forever – Jennifer Weiner

Up in the Air – Walter Kirn

Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky is a novel about three teenage girls who take a pregnancy pact.  How does the pact affect their parents, their parents relationships and friendships as well as their own lives?  It was a great read and I highly recommend it.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult – Picoult is in stellar form here.  I do not have a child with Asperger’s syndrome so cannot comment on whether her portrayal of Aspergers is correct, but it certainly was believable.  Like with all Picoult novels, there are various layers and stories within the novel.  It is a great read.  Family dynamics are at the hart of this story and what happens when someone is accused of murder.  Highly Recommended.

A Soft Place To Land by Susan Rebecca White – a good reminder to update your will   This is the story of what happens to two 1/2 siblings who lose their parents.  Both are sent to live with different people and their lives take completely different turns.  There isn’t a big ‘issue’ here but it is not a light and fluffy read either.  Enjoyed the book.