Hawaii pt. 1

So here's the long awaited Hawaii post with enough pictures to crash your little pcs so be patient, sit back, grab a coke zero, and let these load up. :)

After our flight over to Oahu, where it was pouring rain when we arrived, we had a short layover and met up with the other couple we went with as well. We had previously planned to go see Pearl Harbor and grab a bite to eat in Waikiki. We grabbed our rental car and got a free upgrade to a Chrysler 300m instead of a ford focus. YES! All you have to do is ask. Seriously, it worked for us. Though I have seen Pearl Harbor before, it's always sobering to see it and this time was no different. It is eerie and they have a movie and tour of the memorial. It was a great part of our trip and I'm glad we went to see it again.



Oil still leaks up from the Arizona, resting on the ocean floor.



The memorial from a distance.



In memory of those who lost their lives there.



Riding out to the memorial.



The sunset in Waikiki where we got dinner and walked around for a little bit before we had to take our hopper flight over to Kauai, where it wasn't raining!

After traveling for over 21 hours and not sleeping, we were all exhausted. We decided to sleep in and awoke to a wonderful sunny day. We decided to go to a Farmer's market, see the local lighthouse and do some grocery shopping and 'regain our bearings' (Mr. R's favorite saying...)



Here is the Kilauea Lighthouse. It was gorgeous. At the farmers market we got some delicious salsa, a wonderful organic pineapple and some banana bread. We stopped at a few beaches that day and just saw a few sights before going grocery shopping.



Stopping at a Beach along the road for some tanning, aka where I got fried the first day. Angel Pride! (Sadly, they are not doing so well and the couple we were with on the trip loves the Mariners, who did the Angels lose to the entire trip? THE MARINERS. BOO!) That night we decided to go to the Hanalei Dolphin for dinner, which was WONDERFUL and I would have to say my favorite place to eat on the island during this trip.



Can't you tell Mr. R loves taking pictures?



HUNGRY! We are right by the Hanalei River. Many choose to kayak up the river, but we all know the T-rex arms wouldn't handle that well.

The next morning was Easter, and we decided to go to an early sunrise service on the beach pier in Hanalei. It was hard to get up early but it was worth it and gorgeous. How many times in your life can you say you've gone to Easter service in Kauai on a beach? After church we stopped by the overlook that was right across the main street from where we were staying.



It overlooks the Hanalei taro fields and the mountains of Hanalei where there are tons of beautiful waterfalls. It was a nice warm day so we went to the beach...



The next day we wanted to go and see the other side of the island (Poipu) since we were staying on the Princeville side, and we wanted to see Waiema Canyon. This was an amazing day of sightseeing and driving. We also hiked to a waterfall.



The Canyon. It's like a mini grand canyon.



The main lookout point where all the tourists go.



Overlooking the Canyon.



First of the waterfalls we visited along the hike. The book we were following told us it was moderately strenuous.



Well it was downhill one way and uphill the other way. Easy on the way down and HARD on the way up was a better description. Overall it was about 3 miles round trip. Claude went along for the hike!



A view from the end of the hike, we are standing on top of a waterfall.



On the edge by the waterfall! It was a LONG way down



The pegs got me there :)



Overall I would have to say that one of my favorite things that we did on our trip was the hike. It was something that I wouldn't normally do and I really enjoyed it, even though the way up was a little tough. I realized I need to work my quads and calves more! :) I love going on hikes and am going to try to go on more around my home as well. It's a great workout and so refreshing.

We had great weather while we were there and it was so relaxing and nice to be 'away'. Even though it rained at night and halfway through our last day, it wasn't a big deal. Kauai is my favorite island of the Hawaiian chain by far. It is so lush and really is very tropical. When I think of Hawaii, and how I always thought it would be, I always think of Kauai.

Tomorrow will be the other post with all the other pictures! :) Stay tuned!

Well it's still blazing hot here in CA. I don't know where this hot weather came from, but this morning on my run I was melting like a popsicle on a hot August day. It was only 6:30 in the morning. Not good. But, this morning I ran 3 miles and ran stairs in the middle. 75 stairs 5 times. I can already feel it in my quads and calves. Tonight Mr. R and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our one year and six month anniversary. Normally I don't celebrate anniversaries or anything, but it's fun and I got him a gift for no reason so now I have the opportunity to give it to him. I LOVE giving gifts. It's my thing I think. And don't worry, we are only going to CHICK-FIL-A!!!! Which is my favorite place, or possibly we might go to The Counter. Another great place. There are neither by my house and both by his, so I love going down to his place and getting chickfila for dinner.

I'm getting my endurance back! Just like you all said I would. Thanks for the encouraging words while I was in my rut. I am getting nervous about the marathon, but I know going in with the non-competitive mindset will be best for me for my first marathon and then afterwards I can take it from there and see what I want to do with races and different distances. I know I will be able to finish. I have a 20 miler scheduled for this weekend and once I've done that I know I will be set to go.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

xoxo