Oahu, Hawaii 2018
This trip to Hawaii was pretty special, as it was Matt and Cali’s first time there. This was my fourth time to Oahu so it was neat to show Matt around to all the destinations and do some of the activities. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the warm weather.
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DAY 1 - SATURDAY & SUNDAY
I totally count packing and the airport day one! I get just as excited to pack and to be in the airport as I do with the actual vacation. However, this trip's airport experience was extremely stressful. I will be writing another blog post all about traveling with a disability and with a baby. Stay tuned for that!!
We left for the airport around 2:30 a.m. and Cali was wide awake driving, through security, and on to the plane. The first flight was 2 hours and pretty easy; she slept for some of it. Once we got to L.A., we were asked by an employee to change flights because our original flight to Hawaii was overbooked. Because of this, we got to Oahu 5 minutes earlier, plus they offered us $300 each, and my sister, Kellie, was upgraded to first class. HECK YA! That was pretty cool. However, because of the flight change, once we got to Hawaii, our checked bag was lost and we had to go to our original flights baggage claim to find our bag. Luckily it was pretty easy to figure out and find; it's always super scary and stressful when your bag is lost. Been there. Done that. Cali struggled a lot on this 6 hour flight. She slept for a little bit but really just wanted to play and move around.
Then we had MAJOR issues with the car rental. Matt had called a day or two before to confirm the car and the car seat, and when we got there, they said “Oops, we don’t have that for you. Too bad.” We were not happy! It was a really good deal too! Long story short, we waited for like an hour or two and finally got the car sorted out once my parents arrived.
We then went to Walmart, got our groceries, then headed to the condo. It was raining super hard for the remainder of the night. The roads were puddles and Oahu got 12 inches of rain. The mountains were gorgeous though with all the waterfalls coming down them.
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DAY 2 - MONDAY
Poor Cali had a rough night sleeping. Matt woke up early with her, went for a walk, and took some sunrise photos. We were in Honolulu most of the day. Matt, my Dad, and Kellie climbed up Diamond Head and my Mom and I stayed at the bottom and played with Cali. She loved pushing her stroller around. She is SO close to walking. We then went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and shopped a little bit in downtown Honolulu.
The walking really hurt my knees and feet, so we ended up renting a wheelchair for the week. On our way back to the condo, we stopped by the Dole Factory and got some ice cream, and then had a little photoshoot on the beach while Matt took sunset pictures.
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DAY 3 - TUESDAY
Matt and Cali woke up early again and went to take some sunrise photos. Hawaii is 3 hours behind Utah so it took a while to get adjusted to the time difference. We started the morning off in Waimea Valley. There is a walk/hike up to a waterfall, where Matt and my Dad swam in. It was too cold for us girls. We then ate at one of our favorite lunch spots, Haleiwa Joes, then went to Waimea beach. Cali was super cute to watch as she played with the sand. We then went back to the condo, got cleaned up, and headed to the LDS Laie Temple.
Coolest thing ever! So I just thought we were at the temple to see it, take pictures, etc. Matt took a really awesome photo of the temple with the sunset, as dad "helped" him. And Mom, Kellie, and I enjoyed talking to the missionaries and taking photoshoot photos. WELL, Kellie's boyfriend, Max, surprised her by coming to the island, photobombing our family photos, and proposing to her! She has always wanted to get married in Hawaii, but now she got engaged in Hawaii. My parent's knew, and didn't tell me (Super smart not to), and Matt had to keep quiet as he was trying to help Dad stall time and take the photos. Max's family all came over too. It was super sweet and cute, and all we couldn't stop talking about for days.
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DAY 4 - WEDNESDAY
Today is Cali's 1st Birthday! How cool that she got to spend it in Hawaii, not that she'll remember. We celebrated her birthday with Matt's family a little before this trip (see previous post), so we had a tiny little part in our morning to celebrate her actual birthday. We went over to Haleiwa again where Matt and I went kayaking while Kellie, Max, and my Dad went paddle boarding. Thanks mom for watching Cali. For lunch we ate at Heleiwa Joes, again, then visited an art gallery, and then went to the Cooper's General Store for shaved ice. (Family Tradition). We went to the beach for a little bit, and walked around the condo area later at night.
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DAY 5 - THURSDAY
I was really excited for today but the weather wasn't cooperating. We went to Pearl Harbor and were able to walk around and watch the documentary show. However, they stopped the boats that went to the Arizona Memorial because of potential lightning. Matt and I were super bummed because he was really looking forward to that. For lunch, we went to Kona Brewing Company on the south side of the island, then everyone split up. Kellie spent the rest of the day with Max's family, Dad and Matt hiked the lighthouse trail (the lighthouse in the movie '50 First Dates') and took pictures, and Mom, Cali, and I attempted to go shopping and then got our nails done. We met back up at the Macadamia Nut Farm then went back to the condo.
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DAY 6 - FRIDAY
We went to the Hukilou Cafe for breakfast. This cafe was the inspiration for the breakfast cafe in the movie '50 First Dates,' and it was yummy. We then stopped by the beach for a quick moment and watched the surfers. As soon as it opened, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We went to Somoa, Fiji, and Tonga, and watched the water dance parade. There just isn't enough time to do everything there in one day. We went to a Luau that night, where Kellie and Max danced on stage as a newly engaged couple, then went to the HA: Breath of Life Night Show.
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DAY 7 - SATURDAY
We started the day at the Stadium Flee Market, which is one of my favorite parts; I love flee markets. We tried some food and got some souvenirs. We were also excited about going to the Pali Lookout, which has a beautiful view, and planned on getting some pictures. Sadly, the rain and fog ruined that plan, but it was funny to see a view of absolutely nothing; just a pure white fog cloud. We then went to the Japanese Temple, also one of my favorite places, and fed the fish and birds. We went back to the condo and hung out. I did my henna tattoo, Matt took pictures, we listened to some music on the beach, and packed.
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DAY 8 - SUNDAY
It's always a sad and depressing day when you have to leave Hawaii. We returned the car rental and went to the airport, which was just as difficult as the first airport experience. Cali did a lot better on the flights home. We didn't get home to our apartment till about 1 a.m. and man did we all sleep good that night.
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It was a fun trip and I we really enjoyed ourselves. I'm glad that we were able to go and that Matt could experience what my family talks about non-stop; we love Hawaii so much! Thanks to my parents, Kellie, and Max, for helping watch Cali and for making it a fun experience. I'm grateful that we were able to go and have such a good time. I think we just need to move to Hawaii. :)
