Hawaii...Day 3

Monday was Scuba Diving day!! We headed down to Honolulu first thing in the morning to meet up with our scuba instructor, Drew.  Abi had really clogged ears, so she was not going to be able to dive, so she and John decided to snorkel while Cory and I dove.  First we had to watch a instructional video, which scared me to no end!  I was SO nervous about forgetting to do something, or doing something wrong, or just not being able to breathe.  Our instructor insured us that fear was normal & healthy, and that everything would be fine. So, off we went!

This is the lovely view of Waikiki/Ala Moana as we left the harbor. We are grateful we didn't really spend any time at this beach because is was so crowded!

Abi & John excited to get their snorkel on!

This is one of Cory's attempts at clearing his mask. This was a necessary skill that we had to master before actually getting in the water.  Our instructor poured water into our masks and then had us clear it out using the techniques he taught us. It took Cory a few times to figure it out.

I got it on my first try! Just sayin...

Here we are about to practice what to do if your regulator comes out of your mouth underwater. We are pretending to be holding on to the rope that we will use to decend into the water.  We did all of these exercises again when we got just below the water's surface.  Luckily, the only skill we ever had to use was clearing our masks.  This actually came in VERY handy later on in our snorkeling adventures.

This is me heading into the water before our dive. I'm the one with the yellow fins & the other figure is Drew, the instructor. This is the only picture we got of us scuba diving since we were not allowed to take a camera (too many other things to focus on for our first dive) and Abi & John were too into their snorkeling.

But, with creatures like these just a short reach away, who could blame them!! There were a bunch of turtles right where we dove/snorkeled.  John & Abi said they had to be careful not to bump into them, they were so close!  We saw a turtle down on the bottom that was sleeping wedged in between some rocks. So cute!! Scuba diving was so much fun!  I am so glad I was able to relax and enjoy it.  I nearly quit when we first got into the water and I had to put my face in and breathe. I am grateful for a patient, understanding instructor who didn't give up on me.

Cory didn't have quite as much fun scuba diving as I did.  The waves were kind of rough that day, and since we didn't go very far down, we were tossed to and fro a bit with the waves. Cory got nice and seasick.  By the time we got back up to the surface, he could hold it in no longer. What was that John called it? Chumming for fish? Yes, that is a much nicer way to put it! :)

We opted out of the second dive that was planned for us and instead enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on this lovely beach.  I think it may have been Ala Moana, but I am not certain.

After lunch we decided we had really not had enough fish-seeing for the day, so we headed to Hanauma Bay, a famous snorkeling area on Oahu. Since it was late in the afternoon, we got to go in free of charge, and even though the waves were a bit strong here as well, we enjoyed some lovely snorkeling. Above, a school of Sailfin Tangs.

These are one of Cory's favorite fish; Achile's Tangs.  We saw tons of them, and it was so neat!  They cannot be kept in captivity, so this was an awesome opportunity to see them in real life. The other yellow fish is some sort of Butterfly Fish, but I don't feel like looking it up right now.

After we wore ourseves out snorkeling, we headed back to the house for dinner and relxation. At this point, our bodies were still not adjusted to the time difference (HI is 4 hours earlier than UT) so we were always exhausted by 8 or 9 o'clock. I don't know if that really ever changed!

Hawaii...Day 2

I will begin this post by saying, yes day 2 was Sunday, and yes we did some non-Sunday appropriate activities. I am not proud, but we did have a good time...

We started off the day by heading to Turtle Bay Resort where they have a lovely beach; Kuilima Cove.  It was a gorgeous day for snorkeling and laying out on the beach. Unfortunately, Cory forgot to put the battery back in our waterproof camera, so the only pictures we took were on Abi & John's disposable waterproof camera (you know, the kind you actually have to get developed ;)).

After the beach, we headed to Waimea Falls Park where we took a lovely little walk to the waterfall and enjoyed all the beautiful landscape along the way.  There were wild peacocks as we began our hike.

Tons of gorgeous vegetation.

Cute girls.

Flowers galore!

 Awesome parrot flowers.

Cool vines & trees.

The waterfall!

Abi & John were the brave ones and they decided to swim out to the waterfall.  Cory & I didn't feel like getting wet again, so we hung out on shore and took pictures. You can see Abi & John in this picture on the right of the fall, hanging onto the rocks.

Waimea Falls is also where we were introduced to the famous Jungle Fowl. I know, it looks suspiciously like a rooster, but the pamphlet specifically called them Jungle Fowl.  This became a running joke for the remainder of the trip as "Jungle Fowl" (chickens) roam freely all over the island.

After our hike, we headed to Haliewa for some lunch & a Matsumoto Shave Ice.  I have to say, I was not totally impressed with the Shave Ice.  It was WAY too sweet for my liking.  We did, however, decide to give it another shot later in the trip and ordered some more tart flavors that were rather delicious.

There were these funky rainbow colored trees in Haliewa. In my google searching, I discovered that these are called Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. Very cool!

For some reason, I cannot remember what we did for the rest of the day, but I believe we just headed back to the house to hang out. I believe we got some more ono Papa Ole's for dinner too. Abi, do you remember if we did anything else??



Hawaii...Day 1

I decided it will be oh so much easier to post our trip to Hawaii by days.  We did so much each day, and took oodles of pictures.  This will help me keep it all straight! So, off we go, then...

Here we are at o-dark-hundred waiting to board our plane.  Our flight left at 1:50 AM (pacific time) Saturday, April 2nd.  We didn't sleep much on the plane so we looked even more tired and haggard when we arrived.

We arrived in Honolulu around 5 AM. We had about an hour drive from the airport to our rental house, and this gorgeous sunrise kept us company on the drive.  We had to pull off and take some pictures.

Home sweet home!  We had a few hours before Abi & John would arrive at the airport, so we decided to take a much needed nap while we waited.

But, not before snapping some pictures of the gorgeous view off the back deck.  Just a little climb over the wall, and there you are at the ocean! Cory was even able to snorkel once behind the house.  The tides & weather didn't really permit it more than once. We also took a drive around the North Shore to Ted's Bakery for a little breakfast. Their glazers (glazed doughnuts) were so ono (delicious), we stopped twice more before the trip was over!

 

 We made the trek back down to Honolulu around 11 AM to pick up Abi and John at the airport.  Then we did some chillin at the house for a bit. Oh, and had some good ol' Hawaiian eats from "Papa Ole's". Also, ono. Also enjoyed twice more on the trip!

We decided to take a drive along the North Shore and see some of the beaches.  We stopped briefly at Sunset Beach. 

Then decided to head up the road to Sharks Cove. 

 John, the photog...

Sharks Cove: nearly sunset.

We did a little exploring around some of the tide pools, but we weren't dressed to get wet, so we didn't see a whole lot.  A few crabs and urchins was about all. We did get to enjoy a beautiful sunset at Shark's Cove, then headed back to the house to get some sleep!

A Special Day For a Special Boy!

Saturday was a special day...

Andrew was baptized! It was such a nice day with family. We are so proud of Andrew!!

Boy, do I feel old, and yes, Madison is nearly as tall as I am! I am certain she will pass me up before too long.

YAY, YAY, it's time to vacay!!

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take a mini-vacay "up north" (as we southerners say). On June 20th (Father's Day) we got together with the Cannon clan to celebrate my Grandpa's 85th birthday. It was so nice to see family, some of whom I had never met before, and enjoy good food & great company. Since Cory had the following week off, we decided to get a hotel room and do some fun stuff with the kids on Monday.

We went swimming for a bit after we checked into the hotel (I know, it was Sunday, I don't need the guilt trip). Then it was off to bed.

Monday morning, after breakfast at the hotel & a little more swimming, we got ready and checked out of the hotel. Then, we headed to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy.

Right now Cory & Andrew are pretty much geeked-out about saltwater fish, so we figured this was the perfect place to go. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but we saw a lot of cool fish, coral, sharks, and cute penguins. We had fun petting the stingrays too.

After the aquarium, we headed to Training Table for a yummy lunch. Then, it was off to the Sweets Candy Factory near the airport.



We took a free tour of the factory, which had, unfortunately, had the power off for most of the morning, so not too many machines were up and running. But, we did get to see (and SMELL) the chocolate enrobing machine covering cinamon bears in milk chocolate. YUM! After the tour, we of course had to purchase some treats in the factory store!

After the factory tour, we headed to Sugar House for a trip to a fish store (like I said, geeked-out). I am certain if we didn't have the long drive home ahead of us, Cory would have bought a fish or some coral for our tank.

Next, it was off to the Classic Fun Center in Sandy for arcade games, the jungle gym, the blast zone (super fun!), and good old-fashioned roller skating. I wish I had gotten some pictures while we were there, but I must have been having too much fun! The boys were both "too cool" for dorky skates, so Zach rented roller blades, and Andrew rented a scooter. Poor Madison struggled with the whole roller skating thing (must be related to her mom)!! By the time she decided she was really ready to give it a shot and go it alone, we were all tired out and ready to leave! We will have to go back soon, so that she can give it another go.

It was time for the dreaded ride home. We hopped in the car, took a short detour in Springville for dinner at the Cracker Barrel (apparently, the have the BEST mac & cheese ever according to Zach the mac & cheese expert), and then headed home.

It was a long, tiring day, but we had a LOT of fun!

Happy Mother's Day to ME!!

A couple of Saturdays ago, Cory and I decided to clean out the laundry room. It was MUCH NEEDED after accumulating way too much junk in there! First we just started by cleaning off the countertop & emptying the cupboards so that we could move them to the garage. After that was all done, I thought "Why not paint in here, now that it is all cleared out?" So off I went to Home Depot to pick up some paint & supplies. Cory & I make a good painting team, he HATES the tedious work of taping off & cutting in, and I am TERRIBLE at using a roller (not enough arm strength, I guess). So, together we managed to get the room painted. That took two Saturdays (and a Monday too), because I had a boutique in Salt Lake in between. While I was in Salt Lake, I picked up a great bench/basket thing at Ikea. By Tuesday night, we were all finished!! I wish I had taken before pictures, but I really hadn't planned on getting all this done! Just imagine stark white walls, white cupboards (on the now blue wall), and LOADS of junk pretty much everywhere!! And now...

Bought a cute new ironing board cover at the boutique

Darling coat hooks from Tai Pan

What do you think?? I really love the way it turned out, and I find myself walking in there for no reason, just to look at it! Zach said he wants this room to be his new bedroom. Cory said, "How about this for your Mother's Day present?" Best Mother's Day present yet, I say!