Last full day in Hawaii :( I woke up and made some pancakes. I threw some pineapple in the pancakes for Greg and I. Staci and Greg were still sleeping when Heidi and I ate. I thoroughly enjoyed waking up and eating outside. It was sunny, warm and we were right on the golf course.....great way to start the day.
I was determined to use all of the pictures in the underwater camera. Luckily everyone was cool to go snorkeling again. I used up most of the pics but saved a few for the turtles.
Greg's cousin works here at Kahuku Grill. He wasn't working the day we ate there though so no hook up. Good thing it was worth full price....well worth it. Great shrimp and great salad.
Staci wanted to stop at this place Angels to try the shaved ice with coconut milk. We were deciding if we should all get one. Greg and Staci decided to share and good thing this time that I couldn't decide what kind I wanted. The 4 of us ended up sharing it because it was HUGE.
We planned that the last full day we had would be spent at the Polynesian Culture Center. A few minutes after we arrived we got lei'd and got our picture taken. Greg's uncle works at PCC, and had a map with all of the shows were the best and what times. He had it all laid out for us which was pretty sweet.
Get your pose on.
This was the first little show we saw- New Zealand. It was okay.
We arrived early to the Samoa show. It's a can't miss...this probably one of 27 pictures Heidi took while we waited for 10 minutes. Heidi+camera+downtime=tons of pictures :)
The guy who did the show called 3 different guys up to play the drum. He would start with a sequence and have them repeat it. It would get harder and harder. He also had them do all the yelling that accompanied the drumming. There was a big group from Korea and from China. The guy in the picture here was absolutely hilarious.
We were getting ready to throw spears. I guess I was acting a fool getting ready to launch my spear.
They have a show that all of the different countries perform on small boats. It's like a parade kind of thing on the water. Dancing, stomping, war chants and the like. Fiji was probably my favorite.
These are the Fijian girls. Their dancing was the best...
This was the Tongan show, best part was watching one of the guys climb a tree. He also showed us how to crack the coconut, get all the meat and milk out. Dude has obviously done it so many times he could do it in his sleep. It was impressive. His jokes- not so impressive.
Right before the Luau
Entertainment during the Luau
Nice pic of Greg and Staci
Looks pretty good huh! Rolls, Mahi Mahi, pulled pork cooked Emu style (underground), teriyaki chicken, salad bar, noodles (they were flavored like chicken) rice, pineapple and sweet potatoes. Well it wasn't as tasty as it looked.
Coconut cake, coconut pudding, chocolate cake. Decent but not great. Good thing that we didn't have to pay full price!! Thanks Uncle Steve! It was fun but not worth the money. Next time we are in Hawaii it would be fun to try a different Luau and see the differences.
Apparently this gecko wanted us to take him home. Either that or he was looking for a quick ride to Honolulu from the Northshore.
On the way to the airport we stopped one last time to see if the turtles were out...they weren't. Bummer.
We also had to stop at the Dole Plantation and had to get some more Pineapple ice cream before heading home.
Sad to go home. We were all supposed to be sitting in different areas of the plane away from (which would have made the flight even longer) but the lady at the airport was super nice and got Greg a seat next to Staci and Heidi a seat next to me.
I was determined to use all of the pictures in the underwater camera. Luckily everyone was cool to go snorkeling again. I used up most of the pics but saved a few for the turtles.
Greg's cousin works here at Kahuku Grill. He wasn't working the day we ate there though so no hook up. Good thing it was worth full price....well worth it. Great shrimp and great salad.
Staci wanted to stop at this place Angels to try the shaved ice with coconut milk. We were deciding if we should all get one. Greg and Staci decided to share and good thing this time that I couldn't decide what kind I wanted. The 4 of us ended up sharing it because it was HUGE.
We planned that the last full day we had would be spent at the Polynesian Culture Center. A few minutes after we arrived we got lei'd and got our picture taken. Greg's uncle works at PCC, and had a map with all of the shows were the best and what times. He had it all laid out for us which was pretty sweet.
Get your pose on.
This was the first little show we saw- New Zealand. It was okay.
We arrived early to the Samoa show. It's a can't miss...this probably one of 27 pictures Heidi took while we waited for 10 minutes. Heidi+camera+downtime=tons of pictures :)
The guy who did the show called 3 different guys up to play the drum. He would start with a sequence and have them repeat it. It would get harder and harder. He also had them do all the yelling that accompanied the drumming. There was a big group from Korea and from China. The guy in the picture here was absolutely hilarious.
We were getting ready to throw spears. I guess I was acting a fool getting ready to launch my spear.
They have a show that all of the different countries perform on small boats. It's like a parade kind of thing on the water. Dancing, stomping, war chants and the like. Fiji was probably my favorite.
These are the Fijian girls. Their dancing was the best...
This was the Tongan show, best part was watching one of the guys climb a tree. He also showed us how to crack the coconut, get all the meat and milk out. Dude has obviously done it so many times he could do it in his sleep. It was impressive. His jokes- not so impressive.
Right before the Luau
Entertainment during the Luau
Nice pic of Greg and Staci
Looks pretty good huh! Rolls, Mahi Mahi, pulled pork cooked Emu style (underground), teriyaki chicken, salad bar, noodles (they were flavored like chicken) rice, pineapple and sweet potatoes. Well it wasn't as tasty as it looked.
Greg and Staci with the M.C. of the Luau. Small World. He served his mission in Washington and was in Greg's ward. He sang at a Funeral, Greg remembers him well. There was a missionary who sang Oh Lord My Redeemer when I was younger. It was the best version I have heard hands down. It was so powerful I still remember it. I am 99% sure that Elder Siosi was the one who sang it.
Oooooh the Night Show! Greg's Uncle had great seats all ready to go for us. He really catered to us and gave us the VIP treatment. We didn't have to plan or worry about anything. He took us to our seats at the Luau and the Night Show. He had our whole day mapped out so we could get the most out of our day at PCC.
Tuesday morning...
Oooooh the Night Show! Greg's Uncle had great seats all ready to go for us. He really catered to us and gave us the VIP treatment. We didn't have to plan or worry about anything. He took us to our seats at the Luau and the Night Show. He had our whole day mapped out so we could get the most out of our day at PCC.
Tuesday morning...
We woke up and got our stuff packed. Heidi and I took some pictures of the condo we stayed in and ate some breakfast.
Our packed car. Greg's uncle came by that morning to take our leftover food and to say goodbye. He also offered to take the keys and boogie board back to the owner of the condo so that we wouldn't be super squished in the car.
(Heidi)-When we got home Ella was really sick. She had started throwing up on Saturday (while we were in Hawaii) and then passed it on to my mom and Kaiya who had it on Sunday and Monday. Ella for some reason didn't get better until the next Friday. We were happy to be home to take care of Ella and to see Kaiya. We had thought that we wouldn't get sick and that it passed but Cirdan got sick on Thursday night and was in bed until Tuesday.
Going to Hawaii with Cirdan, Greg and Staci was a wonerful vacation and a great time. I will have many good memories forever. We definitley needed one last hoorah before our baby is born. I missed my girls a ton and Ella is still punishing me that I was gone so long by having to be with me 24/7. But looking back I am glad that I went.
Mahalo Hawaii!
(Cirdan)--The trip was fantastic. It was great to spend time with Heidi. We don't get very much time together without kids obviously. Being able to relax when we wanted, play when we wanted was wonderful. (thanks Val) I desperately needed the break from work. I really got recharged. Having the ability for my mind to be free was also beneficial for my business. Stepping away and simply having time to think will pay off. Greg and Staci are amazing, genuine people. Sharing this trip with great friends made it unforgettable. I hope they enjoyed their time with us as much as we enjoyed them. We had a ton of fun. So many laughs....I haven't laughed so hard that many times in who knows how long. I have so many great memories of our trip.
