HTC Reunion in Hawaii- Part 1

Well, it has been over a month since my family visited and it was SOOO bittersweet for them to leave! I cried the whole way home from the airport and I wasn't right for a few days! I was happy to have my house, cleanliness and sanity back in some regards, but in a sense, none of that mattered and that's saying alot for me! I knew I wouldn't see my nephew and sister for at least 9 months and I wouldn't see my mom until August! Until that point, I loved EVERYTHING about living in Hawaii and then when my family left, I realized it is one of the biggest downsides about living here and being so far away! All that aside, we had a really great trip! I am quite the planner and had an Excel spreadsheet of our itinerary for the 9 days they were here! I also had coozies made to commemorate our trip! A friend also took family pictures of us dressed in our Hawaiian garb! All in all, it was so much fun and I can't wait for them to come back next February!

Friday 
My family arrived on Friday. My mom lives in Orlando and my sister and her husband in Miami, so they met up in Atlanta and took the 10 hour flight out! They ended up getting Robby his own seat, so he was in his carseat and did good staying occupied with the movie Cars and his toys! They arrived at about 3:00pm Hawaii time and I was running through the airport to try to meet them. I had parked in the wrong place after buying some leis from the lei stand. I waited at the entrance from the terminal asking all of the passengers, "Did you come from Atlanta?" and they all said, "Nope!" Come to find out there was another exit, so I ended up missing them coming out! But, I spotted them quickly and Robby came running to me! It was so great to be reunited! Kyle met us too because we knew we couldn't fit all of the bags in my car! So, we packed up and headed to the Grand Waikikian in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Of course, we hit major Hawaii traffic! :) Welcome to Hawaii, haha! We unpacked and got settled and then headed to our house in Kailua to pick up Macey Jane and have dinner! At this point, they were up for almost 24 hours, but we had a nice dinner at the Grove in Kailua! We headed back to Waikiki, caught the tail end of the fireworks show and everyone quickly found themselves cuddled in bed!

Saturday

On Saturday, we were all up super early due to the 6 hour time change. I think we heard Robby around 4:30am ready to play! Kyle and I went to pick up donuts from Regal Bakery (a must if you are ever in Hawaii) and then we ventured around Waikiki to try to get a little exercise from all of the donuts we inhaled! Then it was time to hit the pool and lagoon! We had a great time enjoying the sun! The hotel had some great water slides that Bob and Kyle really enjoyed! I went on one, but I will admit, I hate getting my hair wet! Robby woke up from his nap and joined us too! That evening, we had dinner at Duke's! Duke's is a Hawaiian staple and has a great view of the the sunset and Diamond Head!

Dinner at Duke's

Sunday

On Sunday, it was up early again to head to Kailua so Kyle and I could join our church! It was special to have my family there as well! After church we had brunch at Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe. It was our first time going and it was really great! It has a great view overlooking the botanical gardens. We went on the Marine Corps Base and toured our family around and grabbed a few things at the commissary and back to Waikiki we went! We had a low key afternoon at the pool and went next door to the Hale Koa for dinner. The Hale Koa is a military hotel that offers great rates for hotel rooms in Hawaii! And, as military, we can go there at any time and enjoy the pool/resort activities which is super nice! The dinner wasn't our favorite of the trip, but it was ok!

Monday 

Monday we played tourist! I got a great deal on Groupon for a complete island tour including the USS Arizona for $35/person! Normally this can go for over $100! We started out early, getting on the bus at 7am! Our first stop was the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. Because this is such a popular attraction and even though we had tickets through the tour company, we still had to wait about 1.5 hours before it was our turn! So, we grabbed a snack and Robby chased the birds around! It was fun. Once in line, you watch a 20 minute video giving you the back story of the attack and the months and weeks leading up to it! It was a great film and so fascinating. If a few things had changed or been reported, there may have never been an attack. Next, it was time to board the "white boats" as they call them. For me this was really cool because all of the skippers on the boats are active duty Navy. This is a shore tour for them and what a special one it is! :) We got back on the tour bus for the rest of our island tour. We made quite a few stops, but I think some of the favorites were the North Shore and the Dole Plantation! We arrived back in Waikiki around 5:30 and we were so exhausted! I stayed back with Robby while the rest of the family got sushi.

Pali Lookout

North Shore

I'm sure I have bored you enough, so I'll save the rest for later! :)

To be continued...