Oahu Pt. 2

Here is the promised part 2. I'm too busy eating M&Ms to write a clever intro so I'll just jump right into the pictures. We all know that's the only reason you go to a blog, anyways. 

We did the Koko Head hike. Words cannot express how evil this hike was. Seriously. It was evil. I loved it though! And by that I mean the view from the top. It was spectacular! If you are in good shape, I would totally recommnd doing it!  I am in good shape and it was still killer for me. I had to take breaks like every 5 minutes! I'm not sure if you can really tell from the picture, but the trail is steps straight up the mountain. And that sucker is steep. But it was most definitely worth it!

My GoPro doesn't take the best pictures. But this is the view from the very top! You could see 360 degrees all around of the whole island. Like wow.

Do you see those sketchy steps? That's the whole hike. Hard.

If you go to Oahu and you don't go to Kua'aina... are you even living your life? I don't think so. Best burgers ever.

My sister and I are almost twins. Yuh. 

Can't get enough of those Hawaiin sunsets!

Here's an Oahu hidden secret. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck! I know it looks a little crusty, but it's delicious. I always get the shrimp scampi, in case you were wondering.

I had some boba tea! (Herbal, of course). Also, I'm not wearing makeup. Those of you who know me should know what a big deal that is. I hardly ever step outside without black cat eyes drawn on. 

As I have previously explained on the blog, I am obsessed with VW vans. They had them everywhere over here! Just one more reason why I should move to Hawaii. 

Hehe Sarah's eyes are closed because it was so bright. 

Both our eyes are closed but Max photobombed it so I had to post it. What a goofball.

A lot of people have also asked about this swimsuit. I got it from DownEast Basics. 

North Shore. Our friends have a house right on the beach here! They have this perfect hidden beach practically to themselves! It was so fun! And they had a rope swing off a giant tree right on the beach that was the best thing ever. I got some great videos of that to share. 

Maggie is an island girl.

Laie Point. Nature is pretty cool, isn't it?

Hehe.

HELP I'M FALLING INTO THE OCEAN! Haha...ha.......ha...

Okay, this probably looks pretty gross. But I promise, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DELICIOUS THINGS EVER. Since my dad served his mission in Japan, he loves to eat Japanese food with us. So one of our favorite places to eat is Tokyo Noodle House. This is real ramen! So it's like the amazing instant ramen that we all love, minus the cancer! What's not to love about that?

We also hiked up to Manoa Falls. This was a much much easier hike! It was soooo  beautiful! Most people who go to Oahu only go to the beach, and forget about the rainforest! If you can bear to pull yourself away from the beach for a couple hours, do this hike! You won't regret it!

Group selfie! It was pouring rain when we hiked it so we were all drenched. But that made it all the more fun!

We really felt like we were in Jurassic Park. You know, they filmed some of it there! Half the time, I was expecting a raptor to pop out and eat me. So that was pretty exciting. 

I was trying to be a monkey but it didn't work out too well. 

Yeah I just love nature's creations. 

A pink Waikiki sunset! Let me tell you something. If you plan to go to Oahu, DO NOT STAY IN WAIKIKI. I mean, stay there a couple nights if you wish, but don't make it your whole trip! It is way too crowded and busy. The beach is constantly packed so you can't just sit and relax. Don't get me wrong, Waikiki is fun and they have great activities and shopping! But if you make it your whole trip, you'll probably regret it. 

I actually wore makeup on this trip so I had to take a selfie. 

We celebrated my brother's birthday by going to Shorebird. This is another one of our favorite places to eat.  It is right on Waikiki beach so you sit and eat your dinner watching the ocean. You pick the entree you want and they bring the meat out for you to grill yourself! I know you probably don't go to a restaraunt to cook for yourself, but it is actaully a really cool experience! But maybe that's just because my dad is a master griller. He's a pro. 

And finally, after 10 days of heaven, we had to return home. There was a magnificent sunset over the ocean out the window of the plane. I took this as an omen of good times to come!

I hope your summer adventures were as amazing as mine! And I hope you each get to go to Hawaii someday. 

Paradise Pt. 1

Finally, after 3 days of peace and quiet, my parents and I flew to Oahu to meet up with the prodigal children. I can't even tell you how amazing it was to be with my whole family again! Bless the sweet people who willingly chose to marry into this family. I am sure they had no idea what they were getting themselves in to. We are all equally crazy in our own unique ways. But in a fun way. Well, I think so, at least. 

We stay at the Marriott Ko Olina. This is the view from our hotel room. Isn't that breath taking? My family loves to just sit on the balcony and eat our breakfast while watching the ocean. 

I always get a fresh coconut to drink when I'm there. Wanna know where I got this? It's called the swap meet! If you go to Oahu and you've never been to the swap meet, you are doing something wrong! It's a big flea market with all the souvenirs, jewelry, purses, food, and clothes you could ever want! Plus more! Here's there website for times and location: http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/

Another Oahu tip for visitors: GO TO LEONARD'S MALASADA'S. 

Malasadas are Portugese donuts. You can get them with different fillings and coatings, but we always get ours with chocolate custard inside with cinnamon sugar on the outside. They are divine! If you are thinking, what's so great about those they don't sound that good, stop. Just trust me. They are worth the drive no matter where you are staying. 

My sister in law Katie photographed my while I had my first one of the trip (yes, that means we meant multiple times and we are not ashamed). They made me a little crazy, as you can tell. They are really that good.

It's probably weird that I'm posting a picture of my feet... but I just had to show off my adorable pedicure. Aren't the daisies so cute? My Saltwater's are pretty cute, too. 

Maggie's first time to the beach!

Sisters.

Beautiful Hawaiin sunset. 

If you want to have a little fun while grocery shopping, go to Don Quijote. It is a regular grocery store plus Asian goods. They have really funn and weird stuff. It is quite an adventure, let me tell you. My dad loves it because he served his mission in Japan.

We went to church at the Honolulu Tabernacle! It is so beautiful. 

There is a giant Banyan tree to the side of it!

Which I promptly swung from like the mature seventeen year old I am. That's keeping the Sabbath day holy.. right? 

We went out on a boat to snorkel while my dad and brother scuba dived! I have lots of cool videos from that which I will be posting soon! 

My crazy almost- twin sister being her crazy self.

She and her husband tried to take a cute underwater picture. Sadly, this was the best they could do...

Keep an eye out for Paradise Pt. 2 and my video from the whole trip! Pt. 2 will be more entertaining because I took a lot more pictures. It's all worth viewing, I promise.