Aloha Hawaii

 Chad and I have always said we would treat ourselves to a trip back to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary.  We weren't sure it would happen but after lots of talking we decided to do it!  This would be the first time we returned to Hawaii since we moved away from Oahu in 2006.  And it would be the longest we had both been away from Eli together.

Eli was thrilled about going to stay with his Mimi and Grandy for a week!

After dropping Eli off with my mom, Chad and I started our vacation early.  Chad had never had a pedicure.  And he wasn't so sure about it.  I finally talked him into it.  He hasn't stopped talking about it since and keeps asking when we can go back!  Ha!

Our flight left early the next morning.

 It's hard to beat a sunrise above the clouds!

 We were about to board our 3rd and final flight.  Why is flying so exhausting?

It was dark when we got to Hawaii.  We made our way to the little house we had rented on the north shore.  We knew the ocean was in our backyard but weren't fully prepared for the sunrise the next morning.  This is standing on our little patio to the house.

And this was the gorgeous view from the front of the house!  Combined with the wonderful smell of the plumeria tree in the front yard and it was a great place to stand and take in the beauty of Hawaii.

We grabbed breakfast and a few groceries from the store then made our way to watch the surfers surfing the big waves.  The waves were 15-20 feet this day!

It was raining most of the morning so we did a lot of driving and looking at places we used to go when we lived there.  Chad worked on the golf course at Oahu Country Club the entire year we lived there.  Who wouldn't like to play this golf course with these gorgeous views of Waikiki and Diamond Head with the ocean in the background?

We did a little shopping since it was raining the first two days and ran across a little stand selling Portuguese doughnuts.  I forgot how much I loved these!  The chocolate filled ones are my favorite!

 Our favorite restaurant while living on Oahu was Assagio's.  They have a delicious filet with shrimp and pasta we would get almost every time!  And they have the best ceasar salad you will ever eat, complete with anchovies and all!  I forgot to get a picture of the salad but here's a not-so-great picture of the steak/shrimp/pasta.  Mmmm, I can taste it now!!  Delicious!

It rained the entire first 2 days we were there.  We were so happy when we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise!  We ate breakfast while watching whales and sea turtles.

We finally got some beach time at our favorite place, Kailua beach.  If I had to pick my favorite place in the world this would be it!  Kailua is such a neat little town and the beach is perfect.  Crystal clear water, powdery sand and few people.

This little stretch of road was on the way to the house we rented.  It was such a beautiful drive.

And it was even better when the rain finally stopped and we were able to put the top down on the car!

Chad wanted to surf while we were there.  It was overcast but at least the rain had stopped.  Chad surfed and I laid on the beach.

 Then the clouds parted and we made our way to Waimea Bay for more beach time.  It was really crowded but at least it wasn't raining!  The waves were pretty big but Chad braved them and went swimming.  I stayed out of the water.  I'm a chicken.

We got ready and drove to one of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu for our last night there.  We were really bummed when we found out it was CLOSED!!!  Does anyone living on Oahu know why Sam Choy's closed?  We decided to drive to Waikiki and find a place to eat. I mean there are only hundreds of places to choose from there!  We ended up at Hula Grill.  Chad got a Mai Tai and I got a Lava Flow.  They make the best ones!

Our flight didn't leave until 10pm our last day.  Of course it rained so we couldn't hit the beach!  Instead we visited my old workplace and met up with one of Chad's friends for drinks and dinner.

Even with all the rain during our visit to Oahu it was much better than this!  The morning we flew out it snowed 5 inches at our house.  And eastern Arkansas (where Eli was staying with my mom and step-dad) got ice!  They even lost power for a day (some had no power for a few days).

Eli still had a great time!

The weather and roads cleared and my mom drove Eli back to NW Arkansas the day before we flew back home.  They were anxiously waiting for us to arrive home.  Eli even made us a sign!  

And the sign is still on the door :)

Our trip was a great time away for the two of us and a perfect way to celebrate our ten years of marriage.  We love our time alone (which doesn't happen often) but the entire time we were wishing Eli was with us.  We've promised ourselves we will go back for our 15 year anniversary and take Eli with us!