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Back from Hawaii... :)/:(....(very long)
Well, we're back. Glad to be home in one piece with a long but peaceful journey back. Sad to have left Hawaii. 
But I'm sure we'll be back sooner rather than later if I bug the hubby long enough. I have to thank Sarah(Mrs. Ziz) for her fantastic condo! Your condo worked out perfectly for us! And your property management team is awesome. Shelley was so nice. The girls loved the "sunny" paint job. It made them happy everytime we walked back in.
The flights both there and back went so easily(with 3 kids!!!). Everybody was commenting on how they were such good travellers. Matty pretty much slept, ate and flirted with the flight attendants the whole time. The girls slept and watched movies on their DVD player. Then on the way back Tia told her whole life story to our flight attendant. Thanks for listening Armando! lol. I think he knows more about her than Matt and I do!
The day after we arrived my awesome niece flew in to join us which was great. We did so many things on this trip. We only spent a couple of days lounging around on the beach. My neice and Tia both needed to go to Pearl Harbor for school so we went over there and toured the USS Missouri, saw the USS Oklahoma memorial and spoke with a couple of Pearl Harbor survivors(beyond words). I have to say that I hate the new "look". It almost feels disrespectful to the events that occured there. Totally theme parked out. Everywhere you turn there's a concession stand or a food cart. Dippin' Dots... on a sight where thousands perished...really??? Coming from a military family I guess it was too much for me.
We hit up the Dole plantation( a must for Tia). Did the maze with the kids for the first time. They loved it. Hit up Cholo's on the North Shore. MMMM. And had a celeb sighting there. Michael Emerson from Lost was there having a beer!!! That was cool. We also saw Emeril Lagasse at The Kahala. We went to Waimea Valley for the 1st time. This is my new favorite spot on the island. It is so beautiful. I can't believe we've never been. Of course we had to head to the Swap Meet. Took my niece on a driving tour around the island. Hit Kailua Beach Park. Took a catamaran cruise near Chinaman's Hat. Got to see turtles and a lone hammerhead! The girl's took a quick keiki horse ride (their 1st) at Kualoa Ranch. Stopped at Laniakea Beach to see the ginormous sea turtles soaking in the rays. Did a ton of shopping and eating.
I also conquered my greatest fear in life. SHARKS!!! I have had nightmares my entire life because of this irrational fear. Even as a tiny child. I did a lot of research about this and kept going back and forth about whether or not to do it. Not only because of the fear but because it has some locals up in arms. But I did decided to jump in (literally) and do it. We did a shark cage dive( float really) with Hawaii Shark Encounters. I am so glad we did. We really got to see what they were doing with the sharks(as in NOT feeding them). They don't throw any blood or chum or anything for that matter in the water. Anyway, the boat ride out was terrifying! Think Perfect Storm! The captain said that if the weather was a tad worse he would've cancelled. So we really got a crazy ride out the 3 miles from the North Shore. The crew were totally laughing at my niece and I holding onto one another for dear life. He then asked who was the most scared of sharks. I quickly raised my hand and he said he knew it was me because of our conversation and how much I knew about sharks( thank you Discovery Channel and the web). He then told us we would be in 2 groups of 6 and asked who wanted to go 1st. I quickly raised my hand again(and was the only one). He was shocked and said the scaredy cats never go 1st. Imagine my surprise when I volunteered to be the 1st actually in the cage too. I still can't believe both my husband and my dad let this happen. They both said I grabbed my snorkel before they even finished tying up the cage and jumped in. I think my brain was just numb at that point. OMG...I was in a 6x8 steel cage in the middle of the open ocean with a dozen sharks circling. I could see there fins above the water a foot from my face. Then I stuck my face in the water and actually saw them. It was one of the most thrilling experiences I've had. They were just swimming. Nothing aggressive, just peacefully swishing back and forth. It was unreal and I would do it again in a heartbeat(sans crazy boat ride)!
We had a fantastic trip! My only regret is that my passwords were not working. I mean for anything, facebook, the nest, email... nothing. Don't know what was going on. So Matty didn't get to meet his cyber pal Ashton. Renne, I'll definitley have to GTG with you and Ashton next time were in town. We'll plan before I leave just in case! lol
Sorry so long girls! Just had such a good time I had to share!---- J
Re: Back from Hawaii... :)/:(....(very long)
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Sounds like a great trip. I'm impressed that you did the shark encounter. You'll never find me in the water with sharks.
(because... when I swim in the ocean, all the sharks are sleeping in secret cages under the sea)
Newlyweds since 2007
I'm glad you had an amazing time. Is it mean that I didn't want to reply because I'm SO jealous
I'm glad you guys enjoyed our condo and the girls loved the paint job, it probably needs work after a year of vacation rentals!
I'm so happy that you conquered your fear, I would NEVER swim with sharks! I secretly changed my schedule when some visitors planned that trip, I told them I was off then I told them I looked at my schedule wrong... mean? Maybe... but I didn't have to face the fear! I'm a chicken and don't have nearly as much guts as you!
Glad to hear that your kids did good on the flight too. I'm wanting to go with our little fam when #2 is born but we'll see what happens. I want a break from here and time to enjoy paradise again.
Yay Jaime! You're home...we're SO GTG on May 4th...I'll send you a message on FB!
WOWOWOWOW! What a trip. Sounds like a blast! And the shark thing?! Holy cow. I am terrified of sharks too. Started when I had my first sleep-over at a non-family member's house when I was 5...Jaws was on TV and my mom had to come get me because I was hysterically crying.
I am so jealous of all the time you get to go to Hawaii. Do you think J could pass as a relative of Matt's so we could fly along with you? Seriously!
Glad to have you back...just in time for tornado season..oy!
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