10 Days of Hawaii

HELLO Family and Friends! 

The blog has been quiet for so long because it was waiting for me to report on a really sweet adventure.  I recently took a 10-day trip to Hawaii, and with sights so gorgeous & awesome, I can't imagine not sharing my experience with everyone!

 

Let's kick off the summer fun...

 

DAY 1
After a 5 hour flight to Los Angeles, another 5 hour flight to Honolulu, and gaining 6 times zones, I have finally arrived in Oahu to visit my friend, Tarynn.  As you may recall, Tarynn is no stranger to the blog.  She and I met in an English-speaking volleyball club in Japan, and we took many weekend trips together back in 2010!

 

My arrival day was also Tarynn's birthday, so I was greeted "Aloha style" with a fresh flower lei, and then we met up with a friend at a beachside restaurant to celebrate her big day!

 

So many reasons to celebrate with a Mai Tai, which is pretty much the official drink of Hawaii!

 

DAY 2

We went to church in our swimsuits and cover-ups (that was a first for me), so we could immediately head for the beach when it was done.

 

Welcome to Hanauma Bay!  It's a Nature Preserve and a Marine Life Conservation District with 400 species of fish and sea turtles. 

 

Panoramic view from above with the reef in the shallow water, which is great for snorkeling.

 

 

 

 

Blue skies and palms trees every where you look

 Kerri and Tarynn having fun snorkeling

 Snack time on the beach was SPAM musubi, which we purchased at 7/11 after church.  This is a great snack since it doesn't require refrigeration. 

(I even bought a musubi mold so I can make this delicious treat back in Michigan, too!  It is just SPAM, rice, soy sauce, and seaweed wrap.)

Dinner was Hawaiian specialty "saimin" noodle soup, which was very similar to the ramen I enjoyed in Japan.

After my first full day I was starting to realize the food in Hawaii looked very similar to the food I had in Japan.  In fact, we even found some red bean ice cream bars at the grocery store.  I took a pass on this treat stuffed with Azuki.  I have already eaten my fair share of this "sweet bean paste".