We had been looking forward to this trip to Hawaii for a very long time. Since we went to Germany as civilians with the Army we get something called Return Agreement Travel or more simply RAT. Sam's not a contract employee, but when you go overseas it's for an initial 3 year agreement. When that is up and you agree to stay for an additional 2 years (a Return Agreement) the government pays the way for us to return to our home of record (Hawaii) for a visit. It's one of the really great perks of living overseas. Anyhow, so we've been planning on this return trip for a few years now.
We tried to plan around when we knew Sam's brother and family would be visiting Hawaii since it had been more than 4 years since they had seen each other. Mom planned to come over whenever we went and Sam's parents were going to be there too. I was dreading the trip simply because there is just no easy way to travel that far. It went much better than I had imagined though. We went from Stuttgart to Amsterdam to LA to Honolulu. Elly did really well on the flights except she would not sleep unless I was holding her...lucky me :) There was one stretch where she slept on the seat for a couple of hours, but other than that if I tried to lay her down she woke up crying. Needless to say, we were very happy to land in Honolulu and be finished with that portion of our trip. I was already thinking about (and dreading) Elly and I going on to Alaska then down to Virginia to meet up with Sam in May, then back to Germany, but I tried to put it out of my mind until that time came.
We stayed with Sam's parents the first couple of nights until we got our own condo, which just so happened to be right next door. It was the perfect set up for Elly. She could (and did quite often) yell out our window to them. I think we all heard "Oma! Opa!" more times then we could count.
It was so nice to be back in Hawaii. What a beautiful place! I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have when we lived there. At the time it felt like we would be there forever and it was much too hot for me, which was only magnified by us having the hottest townhouse in Mililani (in my opinion). I was still missing Alaska and my family so I never really gave myself completely over to Hawaii.
This time back we stayed in a condo at the Ko'Olina Resort and we had A/C that we could turn on anytime it got too warm for us. It was wonderful! I love the feeling of Hawaii. I lived in Florida for a year quite awhile ago and while the temperature was similar, there was no Aloha there. Those of you who have been to or lived in Hawaii know what I mean. The people in Hawaii are so warm and friendly. Sam and I really noticed that after being in Germany for 4 years. Warmth and friendliness are not strong points for most Germans it seems. Anyhow, it was a wonderful 3 1/2 weeks in Hawaii.
WARNING!!! There are LOTS of pictures in this post. I had hundreds of pictures to choose from and am only posting a fraction of those.
We arrived in Hawaii the evening of March 19th...exhausted. The next day we didn't do much of anything other than pick up our rental car. By the following day we were ready to hit the beaches. Ko'Olina has some great man-made lagoons that are wonderful for Elly. They are shallow and there are no real waves to speak of. Elly LOVED the water!
One of her first times playing in the sand
Oma and Elly
I LOVE this!
Daddy and Elly
This is where we stayed. Our condo is on the top left and just across the walk on the top right was Sam's parents condo. What a great location!
Taking a walk down to the beach to watch the sunset
Beautiful Banyan tree
23 March 2011~
Mom arrived just a few days after we got there. I'm so glad we were able to spend that time together.
Our little family out on our balcony~ I am so blessed :)
Mom loved being back in Hawaii. I think she was the saddest to see us move away from there. She loved "having" to visit me when we lived there :)
Elly was visiting with Mom that first morning
Walking between our condos heading to the beach
There is only a field between our condo and the beach. It really was a great location.
Looking for turtles
It was windy and Elly was bracing against it.
Yokohama Beach on the west side of the island
Putting sunscreen on Elly before playing in the water for awhile
Three generations of "Hosier" girls :)
Elly really loved watching the waves at Yokohama
Her favorite place to sit
I love her!
Telling us about the water
In the evening we went to the pool in our community to cookout. Here Elly was posing with a Habiscus.
Elly wasn't sure she wanted to go in the pool with Oma
Elly and her cousin Lia became fast friends
24 March 2011 ~
This day we started our day out in downtown Waikiki at the Aloha Tower Marketplace. Here are Sam and Elly at the top of the Aloha Tower.
Mom let Elly hold her camera....very bad decision :) She didn't want to give it up after that.
Using the camera as a leash :)
View through my camera...
...and the view through Elly's (Mom's) camera
Watching the fish
Beautiful fish in the harbor
Eating bread at The Cheesecake Factory.
Daddy and his girl
Wearing Daddy's glasses
Shopping at the International Marketplace in Waikiki
We stopped by a playground where Auntie Diane and Heather had taken their kids. Heather gave Elly a beautiful Habiscus flower and she was being shy.
First rule in making friends on the playgroud....share your goldfish crackers :)
If you have crackers...friends will come.
Lia took Elly up the slide
Elly loved playing on the slide.
25 March 2011 ~
Our good friend Tom Sharkey, is a pilot for Alaska Airlines. They lived in Hawaii when we were there, but now they live in Alaska. Tom had a layover in Hawaii during our stay there, so we spent some time with him. We all went on a catamaran ride out of Waikiki. It was beautiful, but we had no idea we were going to get as soaked as we did. We got soaked with water spray as well as Mai Tai spray. It was lovely :)
Sam and his mom on the catamaran
Oma and Elly
Sam and Tom
Oma and Elly enjoying the water spray
Mom and Elly
26 March 2011 ~
The next morning Tom had to catch his flight back to Alaska
It was really great to see our good friend again.
27 March 2011 ~
We walked down to the shore in front of our condos. It's hard to see, but there is a turtle's head popping out of the water. There were lots of turtles, but it was hard to catch them in a picture.
This area of the shore was very rocky, but not too far away were the lagoons that we could go to.
28 March 2011 ~ Makapu'u Lighthouse
This is the view we see when driving along the Kalanianaole Highway on our way to the Makapu'u Lighthouse. This is my absolute favorite drive on Oahu. The rocky shore and the beautiful blue water make such a gorgeous view.
Mom looking out over the water on our way up the hill to the lighthouse
We were going to get a family picture, but Elly took off.
Still on our way up and it was getting HOT!
Mom and I with the lighthouse behind us
Mom with Rabbit Island behind her.
View of Rabbit Island from the top
Makapu'u Lighthouse
My handsome husband :)
On our way back down the hill
What a happy girl we have!
29 March 2011 ~
Snails 'n' Trails is one of my favorite beaches. What I loved about living in Hawaii was knowing the "out of the way" beaches. Those that were pretty private. You might have other locals at the beach at times, but nothing like Waikiki where the beach is covered with people.
I'm pretty sure this is what Sam dreams about when he's having a hard day at work. He absolutely loves Hawaii and dreams of going back to live there someday.
Mom down by the water
Isn't that a lovely "farmer's tan"? Seems like any day I really got some sun happened to be a day I had on a short sleeve shirt. I tried the whole time I was there to even it out, but I still have a pretty good tan line on my arms.
Mom and Sam having fun in the water. I'm really not a water person and can enjoy the beach plenty without getting wet.
A turtle that was resting on the reef.
The waves were really rough this time at Snails and Trails.
30 March 2011 ~
There are quite a few classes offered at the Ko'Olina Resort. One of them was Paddleboarding. Sam and his Mom decided to go and it started at 7:00am, so when Elly woke up we went down to watch them.
Mom at Lagoon 4, where the Paddle boarding class was.
Sam looked like a pro.
Sam's Mom
Elly ate some breakfast while we watched
Such a serious girl early in the morning
Sam and his mom wanted to be the first to do a tandum ride. Here they are trying to get both of them standing.
Here they are when it didn't work :)
Trying a different approach...
Still standing....
And going in the water again. They didn't quite master it, but given time I'm sure they would have.
Beautiful lagoons at Ko'Olina.
31 March 2011 ~
One day we decided to go up Tantalas Drive, which is a winding road that goes way up a hill. From there you can overlook Waikiki. It's really beautiful. After getting lunch at the Hale Koa (Army Hotel in Waikiki) we went to a secluded beach near Turtle Bay.
Elly was all ready for the day.
I love her little French braids :)
We are blessed with a very happy little girl.
Mama and Elly ready to get in the car.
View of Diamond Head crater from Tantalas Drive.
Our little family at the top of Tantalas.
Overlooking Waikiki
On the steps of the Hale Koa.
Beautiful! You can see the Makapu'u Lighthouse partway up the cliff.
We stopped by a secluded beach near Turtle Bay. I was getting Elly covered with sunblock.
2 April 2011 ~
One morning we left Elly with Oma so we could climb Diamond Head Crater. It's really not a climb I would want to take a toddler on. She wouldn't have enjoyed it much and Sam would have ended up carrying her most of the way. It was great to have Oma nearby and willing to watch her.
Looking down at the trail we already hiked.
Diamond Head Crater
The view of Waikiki from the top of Diamond Head
A beautiful lighthouse that we looked down on from the top of Diamond Head. I think I've heard that it was bought and now used as a residence. What a place to call home!
A section of steps heading back down the hill
Once again....beautiful farmer's tan :)
3 April 2011~
One Sunday afternoon the ladies and children all went on a train ride. It was really nice. This train went in front of our condo every day so it was kind of fun to be on the other side of it.
Waiting on the train
Elly and Mama...I don't think she was too sure she liked all the noise at first.
My two Moms :)
Our whole group
Auntie Diane and Lia
4 April 2011~
This was our North Shore day. I LOVE the North Shore! We went to a nice, private beach and then got lunch at Stordo's. We really like their sandwiches and it was on our "must do" list :)
Daddy and Elly checking out the water
When a big wave came in Elly left Daddy and was booking it back up the hill to where Mom and I were. Smart girl I have :)
Our little surfer girl
6 April 2011~
Mom flew out this evening, but she really wanted to give the paddleboarding a try so we got up early to get in on that class. I wasn't terribly excited about it, but tried it out. I don't swim and I just didn't want to fall into the water....even though it was only a few feet deep. I didn't fall, but I didn't really give myself a chance to either. I figured I made it once around the lagoon without falling....why take the chance and try again. I know...I'm a chicken :(
Even Elly got to experience it!
8 April 2011~
Elly really enjoyed playing in the pool near our condo. Sam and Oma took her down there just about every day it seemed. She was one happy little girl!
Wrestling with Daddy before we went to the pool
Lia loved all the snacks Elly had :)
9 April 2011~
Toward the end of our time in Hawaii I discovered a beach that I had not know about. Sam did, but somehow I had never been there and I loved it! Locally it's called Turtle Beach because there are about 4 sea turtles that stay in the small lagoon and they'll come right up too you to see if you have any food for them. You're not supposed to feed them, but apparently people do because they are very friendly. Sam and I were there by ourselves for an hour or so and then Lia and Elly joined us for awhile. The girls had fun playing together.
This girl loves wearing Daddy's glasses.
Well, that's it for the Hawaii portion of our trip. I'm really trying to get caught up on this blog. I'm hoping to get Alaska, Virginia, West Virginia and Florida posted before too long. Wish me luck...
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