HI Life 2015

Dropping Kori off at school isn't nearly as much fun as picking her up.  But spending time with her in Hawaii is always fun!  We had a great week before I had to leave.  Boo.  We did a lot of fun things, both familiar and new.  We ate 4 hamburgers each at Seven Brothers!  Can you even believe that?  It's a good thing for me that Seven Brothers isn't here in Utah.  Our first full day, we walked all around Kawela Bay and the little hiking trails between it and Turtle Bay.  Beautiful and deserted, just the way we like.  We found THE Banyan tree from LOST!  Lots of stuff was filmed here.

We also hiked to the top of Crouching Lion, the rock formation above my head to the left.  These are the "before" pics, the "after" pics were very scary!  It was a relatively short hike, but straight up the mountain.  The heights bothered me, but I did not jump off or throw Kori off!  The views were incredible!!

Later that same day we went into Hale'iwa for acai bowls and to check out the new shops and restaurants that were under construction when we were there last year.  They also put in a lot more parking and new bathrooms and changed the front of Matsumoto's.  It's really nice!

Our second day, we went to our favorite little spot of Heaven On Earth, the PCC!!

The next day, we hiked beautiful Waimea Valley and swam in the falls.  Kori was bugged that she had to wear a life jacket.  I was just excited to be able to swim in the same water where Sawyer and Kate swam!  Kori and I did not see any dead bodies however.  :)

We also stopped at Kori's school that day, and headed back into Hale'iwa for the evening.  We found this delightful little rocky beach.  There was a big parking lot right by the beach, but no one was ever parked here.  I don't know why, it was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset!

Saturday was our "business" day.  We moved most of Kori's stuff into her new hale, met some of her roommates, and then went to Walmart to buy some stuff that she would need.  Her upstairs roommates are darling!

Sunday, we attended church in the gorgeous mauka chapel in Hau'ula.  We loved the spirit there and the testimonies were all beautiful!  After church, we drove through the free botanical reserve of Ho'omaluhia.  We figured that would be an appropriate thing to do on Sunday afternoon.  I don't know why we've never heard of this place before.  It's right up against the Ko'olau mountain range.  It is a long, winding road with periodic parking lots.  Each parking lot is devoted to a different part of the world and is surrounded by plants and trees that come from that part of the world.  Incredible views!

We also visited a couple of our favorite beaches, Mokuleia and Papa'iloa.

We found Vincent! 

Funny that Vincent was here, as this is the survivor's camp beach.

Monday was the sad day.  I had to leave.  I had to be out of my condo in the morning, but my plane wasn't leaving until the evening.  So I spent some time out on Laie Point listening to the ocean while Kori attended her first classes.  After class, we went out for yet another Bruce Irons Burger at Seven Brothers!  Then, Kori and I walked out to Bikini Beach, which is right by her house.  And then I dropped Kori off at her hale, and I drove back across the island.  So sad.

This is how happy I was about leaving Hawaii.  NOT!  Good thing I have the rest of my wonderful family to come home to!  They make it lots easier to leave my beloved Oahu to return home.

So far, so good at school!  Kori is happy to be back in school, and happy to be back in her Hawaii home.  We miss you so much every day!  But we're happy for you.  Love you, girl.  And ALOHA, Hawaii, until we meet again...