10th Anniversary

December 19th was Matt's and my 10th Anniversary!  In some ways ten years sounds really long, and in other ways it sounds so short, especially when you talk to a couple who's been married for thirty plus years.  It was a big milestone for us though, and we celebrated with a big trip to O'ahu. 

My parents agreed to watch our kids, which was really nice of them.  They deserve a lot of credit for helping us make this trip happen. 

On our first full day in Honolulu, we hiked Diamond Head, which is a one of the more recognizable landmarks on O'ahu.  It's a volcanic crater, and from the top, you get fantastic views.  Since it's a popular hike, we had to park a good distance from the trail head and walk to the starting point.  The parking lot we parked in was next to a whole bunch of succulents and other cacti, which I'll admit was a surprise to Matt and me.  We also got to see wild chickens hanging out in the grass next to the parking lot.  It's so interesting how Hawaii can feel like a foreign country while very much being a part of the United States.

Matt in front of the cacti

Chickens

 The hike was relatively short and easy, which was nice.  I'm so grateful that my knees are doing well enough for me to be able to say that about any hike!  The views along the way and at the top were spectacular!

View from Diamond Head

You can see it was very windy

That evening we went swimming at Bellow's Beach and caught some of the best waves of the entire trip.  We had the entire beach to ourselves, which was kind of surprising.  It was so nice to be able to swim, just us.

The next morning we hiked to the Lanikai Pillboxes.  The Pillboxes were used by the U.S. military to guard the island from attack during World War II, which made them neat to see.  However, the real draw for the hike were the views from the ridge.  The weather was sunny when we started, but as is wont to happen in tropical climates, it suddenly started pouring rain when we were a little over halfway there.  We just kept walking.  The trail was pretty slick and muddy, and I have to say that the rain shower made our hike quite memorable!  The rain didn't last long though, and the sun came out full blast afterward. 

At the first pillbox

Look at the water!  It's so beautiful!

After our hike, we tried a variety of beaches, including Kailua Beach Park, Lanikai Beach Park, and Sandy Beach Park.  We saw a sea turtle at Kailua Beach Park, which was so exciting that I squealed and scared it away!  Then we saw another one from a distance at Lanikai Beach Park, and I managed not to squeal.  The water was calm and clear.  So beautiful!  When we arrived at Sandy Beach Park, a lifeguard approached us the minute we stepped onto the beach to let us know that this was not the beach for us to swim at unless we had equipment or tons of experience.  While I do feel like I am a good body surfer, I'm not willing to risk my life to catch some waves.  It was fun to watch other people risk their lives, but those were some big waves!  I mean big!  One of the lifeguards told me that they have more accidents on Sandy Beach than any other beach in the world.  Apparently, its unofficial name is "Broke Back Beach." 

On Tuesday we went on a tour bus to Pearl Harbor, which was a fascinating experience.  I loved learning more about the history of the war in the Pacific.  Seeing sights like that makes me proud to be an American.

Matt and I at Pearl Harbor

 Unfortunately, it was too windy for the Navy to dock at the Arizona Memorial.  We were disappointed about that, but we did get to circle it a few times and see it up close.  Regardless, it was a neat experience. 

Afterward, our tour bus took us over to the U.S.S. Missouri.  The treaty that ended World War II was signed on the U.S.S. Missouri while it was anchored in Tokyo Bay.  How neat that we got to see where World War II started and ended for the U.S!  Matt and I thoroughly toured every part of that ship that we were allowed to visit.  We saw the officers' cabins, the cafeteria, the actual spot where they signed the treaty, etc.  When we were done, we hurried off the ship to catch our bus, but it was nowhere to be seen.  Apparently, everybody else on the tour finished up early, and they didn't notice that we hadn't gotten back on the bus.  I called the tour company's office, and they called the driver.  He waited for us for 45 minutes back at Pearl Harbor while we caught a shuttle back over to meet up with the rest of them.  It was a strange experience, but I guess all is well that ends well.

Big guns

Chair for a very important officer

 On Wednesday morning it was raining very hard, but that was okay because we had already planned to go tour Queen Liliuokalani's castle in historic Honolulu.  I loved that tour!  It was so fascinating to see how the Hawaiian royalty adopted Western ways as quickly as they could.  It looked like a European castle with an island theme.  Apparently, they had electricity in their palace before the White House had electricity.  They even had bidets! 

This was the Queen's bedroom

The dining room

After the tour, the weather cleared up, and we went swimming at Waikiki Beach.  It was so nice to be out in the ocean together.  One of the things I loved most about the trip was all the time Matt and I had to talk.  Talking while you're bobbing in the ocean is so relaxing.

A view of Diamond Head from Ala Moana Beach Park

That afternoon we took a tour boat out to Turtle Canyons near Waikiki and went snorkeling.  We saw about five sea turtles up close.  Some of them were even babies.  Matt and I were among the first ones in the water and the last ones out.  I loved diving down deep to get a closer look at the sea life.

The next day we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie.  We loved the PCC and highly recommend it to anyone who ever visits O'ahu.  The Center has several different "villages" that you can visit to learn more about the cultures on different Polynesian islands, such as Tonga, Samoa, Aotearoa, Hawaii, Fiji, and Tahiti.  Each island does a cultural presentation and has hands on activities.

The Samoan cultural presentation

Matt playing a New Zealand (Aotearoa) stick game 

You're supposed to leave your stick standing and catch your opponent's before it falls

We went on a canoe ride

Watched a Canoe Pageant

This was our tour guide.  She was from Tonga.

That evening we went to a Luau and had some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life.  We watched hula dancing in front of a beautiful waterfall and enjoyed more pageantry. 

After dinner, we watched Ha:  Breath of Life, which is the show that the Polynesian Cultural Center is most well-known for because it includes fire knife dancing.  So impressive!   Matt and I couldn't stop talking about how great the PCC is!

The next day Matt and I decided to go zip lining at Keana Farms in Laie.  I've always wanted to go zip lining, and it was totally worth every penny.  The views were fantastic, and the adrenaline rush when you jumped off the platform was thrilling.  Near the end, the guides had us going upside down and backwards on the lines.  The longest line was half a mile, and we were in the air for about a minute.  I wanted to do that one again.  Actually, I wanted to do all of it again.  It was so cool!

After our zip lining adventure, we went back to the PCC since our tickets included three day reentry to the Center.  We took a ukulele lesson and learned to play "You are My Sunshine."

Aren't we cute?

We also went to the Laie Temple

Then we talked to Kawika Eskaran.  He built this canoe, named the Iosepa, and is a real Wayfinder like Moana.  In fact, when Disney started working on Moana, they came to him to ask how real Wayfinding is done, so that the movie could be as accurate as possible.  He teaches a Wayfinding class a BYU-Hawaii, and I seriously thought about dropping everything to canoe around the world without navigational instruments.  Actually, I didn't really consider dropping everything, but I expressed so much interest that he said he'd love to have me in his class.  Lol!  I like adventure, but I'm not ready to be surrounded by fifty foot waves in a canoe.  No thank you!  I do like knowing that people still do that though.  It makes me happy to know that they are preserving their traditions and skill sets.

On Saturday we went back to Bellow's Beach, and this time the waves were pretty big.  We swam for awhile, but they were too big to catch without fear of breaking our necks.  So, we got out and went swimming at Kailua Beach Park instead.  Kailua Beach is usually quite calm, but since it had been rainy and windy the day before, it roiled up the water enough to let us body surf some.  Don't worry it was still very safe! 

After swimming for awhile, we went over the the Blowhole Lookout and climbed down to the Toilet Bowl.  The waves crash on the rocks, and it feels absolutely thrilling to be down there.

On our last day in Honolulu, before we needed to go to the airport, we went back to Pearl Harbor to catch all the stuff we had missed earlier that week.  We also went on the U.S.S. Bowfin, a submarine from World War II.

The submarine is neat, but mostly I'm sharing this picture to show off my new mumu!

Look at Matt's Hawaiian shirt!

Up top on the Bowfin

Matt and I had a fantastic time in Hawaii.  It was full of adventure, relaxation, and really good food.  What a special time it was for us!  We'll always remember it.

Our reunion with our girls was sweet.  Of course we missed each other and were happy to be back together.  Matt and I brought them these cute dresses as gifts.  They look so cute, and that makes me happy!

Disney Cruise: Best Vacation Ever!!!

Last week we went on a Disney Cruise on the Disney Dream, which was indeed the best vacation ever.  Maddie stayed with my mom and dad, so that is why you won't see her in any of the pictures.  We flew out to Orlando and took a Lyft to a hotel in Port Canaveral the day before the cruise started.  Matt got us an upgrade, so there were two rooms in our hotel room.  The one for the girls had two twin beds with outer space themed blankets and a big picture of the space shuttle Atlantis on the wall.  That was super fun!

At the hotel in Port Canaveral

 In the morning we took the hotel shuttle over to the Disney Cruise line.  We got through the line quickly and only had to wait a little bit for our turn to get on the ship.  While we waited, we got our picture taken with Donald Duck.

The four of us with Donald Duck

As soon as we got on board, we went to the Port Adventures desk and got tickets to attend a Princess Gathering and a Frozen Gathering.  They were first come first serve, so I was happy we got them.  While we were waiting for our tickets, the girls went over to hug Daisy Duck.

Hugging Daisy

Afterward we went over to the Oceaneers' Club, which is the Kids' Club.  It was the most amazing Child Watch facility I've ever seen.  They had one room full of larger than life Toy Story characters, a  Millennium Falcon room, an arts and crafts room, a lunch room, a video game room, and much, much, more!  Throughout the cruise, they had activities there every half hour or so for just the kids.  As we told Kirsten and Reagan, we didn't take them there because we wanted to get rid of them.  It's supposed to be so much fun that they would be disappointed if we didn't take them.  Honestly, we were just doing our parental duty!

Reagan on the slinky dog from Toy Story

Kirsten on Mr. Potato Head

R2D2

Millennium Falcon

When we were done touring the Oceaneers' Club, we went up on deck to watch the ship take off from port.  It was kind of windy and cold, but it was so neat to watch the ship go out to sea.  I liked how the ship's horn played to the tune of "When you wish upon a star."  It made me happy.

Out on the deck

Then we went swimming.  It was cold, like I said, but compared to Utah it was pretty warm.  The pools were heated, and we were willing to experience a little discomfort to enjoy the water.  We also went on the water slide, which is called the Aqua Duck.  It went around the whole ship, and part of it even went out over the ocean.  It was super fun!  We did that ride several times throughout the cruise.

After we got dressed, we went to go meet Mickey Mouse before dinner.

The four of us with Mickey

The girls with Mickey

Dinner was delicious!  There are three main restaurants on board, and the schedule rotated all the passengers through the restaurants on different nights.  On the first night we ate at the Royal Palace, which had the fanciest atmosphere.  The food was equally fancy at all three restaurants though.  Our servers were fantastic, and we had the same ones every night.  I can't remember what I ate, but I know it was delicious.  It was fun to try lots of new foods!

I liked the artwork at the Royal Palace.

Just a pretty mosaic on the wall

That evening we went to the Walt Disney Theater and watch The Golden Mickeys, which was a Broadway style review of some of the classic Disney songs.  I loved it!  I think the nightly shows were one of the best parts of the entire cruise.

In the morning, the ship was docked in Nassau.  We ate at the Cabanas, which is a buffet restaurant on board.  They had eggs benedict, Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and much more!

Then we went to the Princess Gathering to meet the Princesses!

Meeting Cinderella

Hugging Cinderella

Meeting Rapunzel, Kirsten's favorite princess

Meeting Belle

Meeting Tiana

The girls were in Heaven!!  But Reagan was slightly disappointed not to meet Ariel, her favorite princess.  Ariel wasn't even on board.  I was certainly surprised.  Matt just told her that Ariel was probably swimming alongside the ship.

Then we went to the Frozen Gathering.

With Anna and Elsa

On our way up to our stateroom, we stopped to meet Stitch!  Apparently Matt wanted to get his picture taken alone with Stitch, but I misunderstood and requested one of the four of us.  Poor Matt!

With Stitch

Late morning we disembarked and went to Nassau.  We didn't do a lot there.  Apparently, it's mostly a shopping stop, but it was neat to kind of look around a bit.

In Nassau

Nassau

Nassau

Yes, you saw that picture right!  I got my hair braided while I was in Nassau.  It was entirely too expensive, but it was spontaneous and fun!  I still have the braids in.

In the afternoon we went swimming.

That evening we ate at the Animator's Palate.  Throughout the restaurant there were large screens with different scenes from Finding Nemo.  Somehow they made the animated turtle talk to us and respond to our questions.  It was amazingly interactive.

After dinner we met Minnie Mouse!

Minnie Mouse and the girls

Minnie Mouse and the four of us

The show that evening was called Believe.  Genie from Aladdin guided a scientist/father to believing in magic by introducing him to lots of Disney characters.  Of course, the Disney characters instructed him in the power of believing in magic through the art of song.  It was a fun show!

First thing in the morning we met Olaf.

The girls with Olaf

This time Matt got his solo picture.

Then we got off the boat and spent the day in Castaway Cay, which is Disney's private island.  This was my favorite day.  The weather was gorgeous.  The water was clear, and the sand was white.  We played at the family beach for a couple of hours.  When the girls were done swimming, we took them over to the Kids' Club on the island, where they had a scavenger hunt and a luau.  Matt and I ate lunch and went to Serenity Cove, which is the adults only beach.  While we were there, we saw an eight inch hermit crab and a six inch starfish.  That was really neat!  Once we picked up the girls, we took them over to the water slides.  To use these water slides, you swim out to a platform.  The slides drop you out in water that is about six feet deep.  Of course the water is salt water, so it stings a little bit.  We made the girls do it until they screamed bloody murder.  Apparently, we should have done the water slides without them.  Oh, well!  Matt and I enjoyed it.  Then the day was far spent, and we had to get back on the boat.  Man, it was so nice to get a beach day in the middle of winter!

Castaway Cay

The girls and I in front of the Disney Dream on Castaway Cay

On Castaway Cay

On the beach

The four of us

That evening was Pirate night.  We all dressed up like pirates, and I thought my hair suited the theme quite well.  Matt surprised me by buying us these fun pirate themed shirts.  We had dinner at the Animator's Palate again, and this time the screens had lots of pirate pictures.  After dinner, there was a pirate show with Mickey and the gang where Captain Hook tried to take over the ship.  Of course, Mickey Mouse saved the day!  Then we went to the Walt Disney Theater and watch David Davinci, a famous magician or thrillusionist, as he called himself.  To end this crazy full day, we watch fireworks up on the deck.  Day three was fantastic!

Matt and I

Reagan as a pirate

Kirsten as a pirate

Day four came all too soon, but believe me, by that time we were exhausted from playing so hard.  Everyone slept in until about 9:30.  We ate breakfast and the girls spent some time in the Oceaneers' Club while Matt and I walked around the ship.  Then we picked up the girls and went to a character dance party.  They danced with Pluto, Daisy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Chip and Dale.

Dancing with Goofy

My favorite show on the ship was Beauty and the Beast.  It was so well done!  I wish you could see it because describing it won't do it justice. 

After Beauty and the Beast, we met Peter Pan, who happens to be Reagan's favorite Disney character.  I was happy he was on board.

The girls with Peter Pan

We went for one last swim on the ship and went down the Aqua Duck several times.  The pools aren't very large, but they have a huge screen at the front of the ship in front of the pools that shows Disney movies.  Most of the people just bobbed in the water and watched the movie.  It was a unique swimming experience.

That evening we ate dinner at the Enchanted Garden, and then Kirsten and Reagan went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to have a princess makeover done by their fairy godmothers.  It was adorable, and I could tell they felt like they had literally turned into princesses.  They even managed to keep their hair in the bun for two nights because they slept so carefully.

Kirsten as a princess

Reagan as a princess

Steering the boat

 After the princess makeover, we went to the last performance of Beauty and the Beast.  Everyone wanted to see it again it was so well done!

Two princesses brushing their teeth

We finally went to bed and slept soundly once again.  I haven't slept as well as I did on the cruise in a long time.  The rocking of the ship felt like being rocked in your mother's arms.  Honestly, it was so soothing.

In the morning, we had to get off the boat by about 8:30, which meant we had a lot of time to kill before our 5 o'clock flight back to Salt Lake City.  We decided to go to the Kennedy Space Center, which was only about a twenty minute drive from the port.

We spent several hours there and had a fantastic time.  I wish we'd had more time.  Matt was in heaven.  

The girls and I in front of the Kennedy Space Center

Matt with a rocket

The Atlantis space shuttle

The rocket garden

If Matt had written this blog post, he might have spent more time on the Kennedy Space Center, but honestly, I'm tired of writing and can't wait to share this post with all of you.  So, since I'm writing the post, I'm done.

I will say one more thing.  I'm really grateful that by body wasn't in pain during this vacation.  I'm healing and I can do more than I have been able to do for several months.  It's a miracle every time I walk.  It's a miracle every time I brush my hair or lift my purse.  It's definitely a miracle that I could swim out to a water slide in the ocean and walk up and down multiple flights of stairs when the elevators were too busy to be worth waiting for.  I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with mobility.  I love the healing process.