Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Hawaiian Vacation

On July 4th, 2008 I met an amazing girl named Lehua Kamakawiwoole at a picnic in Rose Bowl Park to watch the fireworks. On May 29,2010 I watched her and my friend David Faulkner get married in Hawaii!

I flew out to Oahu, Hawaii on May 27th. My friends Erin and Jenny had flown out the previous day and I met them for lunch and drinks. We went to Lehua's bachelorette party that night at a restaurant with her bridesmaids and other ladies involved in the wedding.

On Saturday we woke up early and went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was a little cloudy and cold at first, but the sun eventually came out. The snorkeling was really cool and we saw tons of awesoem fish! That night we went to one of Lehua's Aunts and Uncles houses for an authentic Hawaiian luau. They had a pig burried in the ground and everything. We tried a whole bunch of Hawaiian food that was incredibly tasty. There was plenty of story telling and toasts and the night ended with singing and ukulele playing.

Sunday was the big day. The wedding was so beautiful! It was held outside and on one side we had the beautiful mountains and on the other side was the beach and ocean. Lehua looked amazing in her custom made gown. David looked so happy and in love. Of course I cried here and there. They had written their own vows that were just beautiful. Everything turned out perfectly. The reception was in the same place as the ceremony and we had an amazing omlette bar and waffle station as our meal. It was a great wedding and I'm so glad I go to be there and share that day with them!

On Monday we went to the north shore and layed out on a beautiful beach. I also did a little snorkeling at Shark's Cove. We stopped at a local taco stand along the road on our way back. It was oh so delicious. Then we had to get back to bring Jenny to the airport.

It was now just me and Erin. We had the priviledge of having breakfast with the bride and groom before they flew off tot he Big Island for their honeymoon. After that we went on the Manoa Falls hike. It was so lush and gorgious. Everything was so green and full and beautiful. The waterfall was awesome. Although it started raining right when we go there. It was a slippery and muddy hike back.

On Wednesday we first headed to the Punchbowl Cemetary. Mom my had told me that her great Grandpa's Uncle was burried there (I think that's who, not sure though). I looked up his name and was actually able to find his grave. From there we headed to the Honolulu Chinatown. It wasn't that great though. Nothing compared to Hong Kong. We found a beach by Honolulu, layed out and took pictures. Ering flew home that night.

And then there was one. I got up early on Thursday to get a good start to my day. I first stopped at Pearl Harbor to do the USS Arizona memorial. I go there at 7:30 but the free tour ticket didn't start until 9:30, so I had to hang around until then. They had a couple museums I could check out. The memorial was really interesting to see. It was crazy to see parts of the ship still sticking out of the water. After Pearl Harbor I drove along the west coast until I couldn't go any farther. I found a nice, almost secluded beach and caught some rays. I fell asleep a few times and stayed a little longer than I intended. From there I went to the Dole Plantation. It was fun to learn a few random facts about pineapples. I went back to the condo and did some souvenir shopping around the area. I watched the sunset one last time on the beach and then headed to the airport that night to fly back to the mainland.

It was such a fun trip. I felt really bad that Dave couldn't come, so I tried to have as much fun for him as I could. :)

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