Do we have to leave?

Our last day in Hawaii was bittersweet. We spent the day just laying on the beach, taking some last-minute photos and collecting our free gifts from the ABC Store.

We ate at Duke's one more time before we caught our evening flight back to the mainland.

Below are a few of our favorite photos. Hope you enjoyed our trip with us.

Hawaii - You put the lime in the coconut

OK. This is really about pineapple, but the title is tropical. Today we spent some time with Lelaine's family-- Auntie Carmen and Uncle Clarence. They took us to Lelaine's old stomping grounds.

We visited Iroqouis Point Navy Housing where Lelaine lived and Ewa Beach where she used to play. You can see us of Ewa Beach with Waikiki in the background.

Auntie and Uncle were so kind to us during our visit. They took us out to a filipino lunch at the Golden Coin restaurant where Chris had pork adobo, bbq, and rice. Lelaine had pancit, adobo and langonisa (filipino sausage).

They also packed us two boxes of pineapple to take with us. To prepare us for all of the pineapple, Auntie Carmen also gave us a pineapple cutting lesson.

Auntie Carmen's tips:
You can check pineapple for free when you leave Hawaii and it doesn't count against your number of bags.
Buy the pineapple for juicing. It has less acidity and is sweeter.
Cut up the pineapple right away and freeze it. It can go bad right away.
Don't buy pineapple at the airport

Hawaii - Just the beach

Today was just another day at the beach with snorkeling. This time Lelaine snorkeled with no problems. Lelaine thinks her original snorkel was defective. Chris thinks she finally learned how to shut her mouth.

As you can tell, we are not yet proficient with an underwater camera. Trust us, there were a lot of fish!

Hawaii - Driving the Coast

Our first stop was to the Pali Outlook, which offers beautiful views of Oahu. It was 10 degrees cooler at the outlook than at the beach so everyone quickly glanced around and ran back to the cars.

Next, we drove up the Windward Coast and towards the North Shore. We stopped at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck for some less than stellar shrimp, but fantastic garlic rice. Chris also braved coconut milk straight from the coconut. We continued to drive to Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline to check out the surfers.

We ended the day at another one of the Duke's restaurants the Hula Grill. It was a brave day for Chris because he also tried the Pacific fish Ono. He actually liked it. He said it tasted like bbq...go figure.

Hawaii - Pearl Harbor

We all rose early to see Pearl Harbor on Tuesday. The site is a true memorial to those who died on that fateful day.

Hawaii - Lelaine can't snorkel

The second day we went to Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling. While from a beach town, Lelaine had never snorkeled before. She was a bit nervous from the warning in the Lonely Planet guide that snorkeling can be more dangerous than diving. (She's seen Open Water.)

When we arrived we were warned that there was a strong current so visibility was bad and there are NO REFUNDS. Perhaps that should have been a sign. Lelaine couldn't keep water from coming in her snorkel to save her life. Although, she was warned not to touch the living coral, the current would push her over the coral (less than a foot below her) and she would have no choice because she wasn't able to breathe and swim her way out of the coral.

Lelaine left frustrated, but determined to give snorkeling another try.

That night the entire family went to The Royal Hawaiian Hotel for a luau. It started out with fresh pineapple on the table and mai tais.

The luau included fish, teriyaki beef, chicken, and, of course, Kahlua Pig. We also experienced the "Royal Polynesian Extravaganza" by those who clearly don't eat at a luau everyday.

It was a grand time and everyone walked back to the hotel with full bellies and in amazement of the Polynesian booty shaking.

Hawaii - Day One

We started our first day in Hawaii eating a big breakfast at Duke's Canoe Club. Chris loved the Pina Colada Bread Pudding and Lelaine loved the portuguese sausage and rice.





We walked around Waikiki for a bit searching for a beach to lay out on while we wait for Chris's family to arrive. We found out that not all beaches are created equal. Some have a very sharp coral bottom. Chris's legs and knees show evidence of this.


Later on that afternoon the Bigelows, Vaughns and Pinkertons all arrived. Weary from their first days in Maui, we all decided to watch the Chiefs game at the poolside bar with some mai tais. Below is a picture of our hotel.

For dinner we all checked out the food court of the International Market Place. Lelaine and Chris had Bautista's Filipino Food. Chris's dad had very spicy Korean beef. I think he may ask for medium next time.

GO GATORS!

Going to the BCS National Championship! Buckeyes are GATOR BAIT!

Holiday Housewarming

Yesterday we threw a Holiday Housewarming Party. Lelaine baked 6 desserts and Chris bought libations. It started at 8pm and went late into the next morning around 1:30am.




The best part of the night was when Chris's coworkers surprised us with an extravagent gift...a Kitchen Aid mixer! Both of us were shocked to receive a gift like that and still feel a bit guilty for accepting it. We are so lucky to have friends like ours.



Of course, we also loved seeing our friends who we don't get to see very often and to catch up before the holidays.