For our ten year anniversary we visited the happiest place on earth! I love O'ahu and felt blissfulness and glee just bubbling out of me during the trip. I absolutely loved sharing this special place with our kids.
At one point I found myself bursting with laughter with a homeless man after several failed attempts at putting my shopping cart in the cart-return. He and I watched my cart roll backwards undoing all my effort, we looked at each other and roared with laughter. I felt like I left the island with 20 new friends, including this man.
Lydia had a hard time on the flight (and 2 teeth broke through her gums 2 days later) but the girls did great once we were on Hawaii. We stayed in a condo on Haleiwa, right on the beach and loved playing in the sand and water!
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| My little globe trotter |
The next morning we woke up early and drove to Waimanalo beach. For years I dreamed of having a barefoot beach wedding, and I was a little let down by our temple marriage 10 years ago... So we made my dream come true and renewed our vows on the beach. We had an officiate and a short sunrise ceremony. Hawaii does not disappoint! It was everything I hoped it would be: enchanting, romantic, sweet and genuine.
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| Reverend Kermit |
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| Reading his vows |
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| Does Reverend Kermit looks like a random weirdo watching us? |
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| It's official: we're married (again!) |
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| My friend Nguyen took our family photos. He's a talented photographer! |
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| I took these ones. I love the pics of the girls! |
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| I love love love this picture. Sisterhood summed up in a photo. |
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| Mermaids! |
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I used to run from my house to this pier once a week during sunrise. It's become one of my treasured memories of living on O'ahu. |
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| We spent one day on Waikiki. Avery loved swimming in the protected pools! I was excited to get back to sleepy Haleiwa. |
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| Banyan trees. So cool. |
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| My favorite dessert of all time. The Hula Pie at Duke's Restaurant |
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| Diamond Head view from anywhere on Waikiki. |
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| I got to surf every couple days right in Haleiwa. Pua'ena point had great waves of all sizes, which is good for an out-of-shape Utahn like myself! How can Utahns stay in surfing shape? I was so wiped out after one hour on the water I could barely lift my head! |
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| It was crowded! |
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| I sure love this girl |
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| Avery's first "surfing" experience. She got splashed and cried, lol |
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Some day this will be a real wave!
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| Lydia seemed to really love the ocean! It must sound like being in the womb lol. |
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| Avery tried to snorkel at Shark's Cove but it was too cold. |
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| She spent hours exploring and playing on all the beaches we visited. |
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| This beautiful smiling babe came onto our beach to sun bathe. Hawaiian Monk Seals are endangered, so we felt very lucky to have seen her! |
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| The semi-wild birds are such pests, always pecking and begging for food. |
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| Another "wild" animal |
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Waiamea Falls. The water was very cold, I'm proud of Avery for getting in with me! |
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| I really love this :) |
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| Avery wasn't impressed with Matsumotos shaved ice. She picked around the beans, my favorite part. |
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| Lydia ate about 3 cups of sand. |
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| I ran out to Ka'ena point while watching the most incredible sunset. |
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| This was our sunset dinner on our deck to celebrate our 10 years together. |
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| We saw a lot of turtles, but didn't touch any! |
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| Nay and Sparky snuggling |
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| Todd ran Ka'ena point and beyond. He did one run that was 21 miles long! |
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| This photo is a real dream come true for me. Combining my favorite people with my favorite place made me happy! |
