Aloha Hawaii!

Is there anything better than a vacation? Rather, is there anything better than a vacation after a crazy couple of months at work? I wrapped up an event on May 10th, and then got up (far too) early on the 11th to jet off to San Francisco to meet up with mom and dad for our flight to... Honolulu!

After 8 long hours on 2 different airplanes (don't worry, I'm playing a tiny violin at my pity party), 

we arrived! Seriously folks, every single moment was a beautiful picture in the making.

This is where we spent most of our time during the week on the island of O'ahu. 

We stayed at the Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club and attended the Fia Fia luau on the property. This is one of the smaller - and more traditional - luaus on the island. We had so much fun and the food & entertainment were great!

Naturally, when there was an intermission in the Luau, it was time to take silly pictures!

Our luau was also the perfect vantage point for a gorgeous Hawaii sunset!

A visit to Hawaii is not complete without a stop at Pearl Harbor. I have never been a big history buff, but I totally geeked out while we were there. Especially after we watched the video about the (STILL) sunken USS Arizona. 

Below is part of the submerged USS Arizona - it was so eloquent the way the short film put it, but it is something along the lines of: the ship that was their post is now also their grave. So sad!

About mid-week, we were getting a little restless spending the majority of our time by the pool, so we loaded up in a small tour bus and spent the day touring the entire island of O'ahu!

One of our favorite spots was the blowhole lookout. It was so cool to see the waves hit the rocks, then see a spray of water shoot out of the top of the blowhole!

I mean, come on, how beautiful is this?!

Can't remember exactly where we were here - there was quite a bit of cloud coverage, but it burned off quickly.

This was a lucky shot - our guide said that once in a while you can see the large turtles on this particular beach. He also mentioned that we wouldn't be able to stop because it was a no parking zone and the ticket you'd get is incredibly expensive. So you can imagine our surprise when he put on his flashers and told us to RUN down to the beach, snap a pic and run back!

My favorite stop on the tour was probably the Dole Plantation. They have an entire garden area showcasing all the different types of pineapple. Who knew?!

 Dad and I played a game of ping pong - pretty sure I have never really played, and he said he hadn't played in years and years and years (his words!) 

We had a lot of laughs and the final score doesn't matter... says the loser.

By the way, did you know that mermaids do exist? 

These little guys were everywhere! I wanted to sneak a couple home so badly. 

Gorgeous Brazilian Cardinals!

All good things must come to an end, and it was finally that time in the week where we needed to leave for the airport. In true Elizabeth fashion, silly car pictures were necessary!!

Aloha Hawaii! It was a blast! xoxo, E