Hawaii 2021 (part 1)

I used to dream about taking my kids on an epic family vacation to Hawaii or somewhere like that, where we could experience all kinds of things for the first time together. I didn’t really think I would ever actually be in the position to make this happen.

The reality that my oldest son and his wife will soon be moving away (and we don’t even know where to yet, because that’s military life) is a constant thought that gets louder each day. That, along with the knowledge that they didn’t really get a honeymoon and I have no idea when we will get to take another family trip or spend that much time together caused me to pull the trigger on an epic family vacation.

I booked us a seven day trip to Oahu, where my daughter-in-law is from. Me and the boys have never seen any part of Hawaii other than through a screen, and my DIL hasn’t been “home” in nearly four years, so it was perfect for several reasons.

We had a few family nights to discuss the trip (and it was an excuse to get them to all come over) and decide what our main focus and priorities would be. Everyone got to put in what they most wanted to get out of the trip so we could plan accordingly.

Though we invited a few other families to go with us, it ended up just being the four of us. It worked out perfect. We rented a condo with an amazing beach view in Ko’Olina, right across from Aulani (the Disney resort).

The flight from Vegas to Honolulu seemed a bit odd since we had a connecting flight in Phoenix, but it got us there. We left early enough in the morning that even with the three hour layover we landed at 2pm (thanks to the time difference).

We got our car, checked into our amazing condo, and hit the beach. There were a couple of different lagoons just a few yards from the condo, plus a resort pool. It was incredible.

I tested out a plastic case for my phone in the ocean as we played and watched our first Hawaiian sunset. I think the energy there is calming and peaceful, though the views certainly didn’t hurt. I’m definitely not doing an adequate job of describing this.

On our way back to the condo we stopped by the bar and enjoyed pina coladas and the hot tub. My heart couldn’t have been happier…that is until we ate Zippy’s for dinner. Of course all the food we ate was delicious and filling. (Somehow I managed to only gain three pounds during the entire week.)

The highlights of our first full day in Hawaii consisted of visiting the North Shore, snorkeling at Shark’s Cove, meeting my DIL’s mother, and visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center to watch the “Ha…Breath of Life” cultural show.

The boys might say the visit to 7Eleven was among the highlights since they could get (fresh?) spam (or shrimp) musubi there. We loaded up on snacks to take to the beach daily.

It definitely warmed my heart to watch the reunion between my DIL and her mother, and to watch my son be a gentleman as he met his mother-in-law for the first time in person. Although everyone got along well, I think my younger son took a liking to her the most.

If you ask him what his favorite part of Hawaii was, he says her name! I think she reminded him a bit of his late grandmother. They both have the same spunky personality, like the same flowers, and tell it like it is.

It was really nice to watch my DIL’s eyes light up as she showed us around her hometown, took us to her mother’s home where she grew up, and shared so many memories about her personal life and her heritage (Hawaiian and Samoan).

The weather was beautiful, the water was refreshing, and the entertainment at the show was phenomenal. My DIL shared that the star fire dancer was a world champion and had been fire dancing since she was about seven years old. It was definitely one of the most incredible things I’ve witnessed.

I’ll share more about the rest of our week in paradise in the future…but for now, I will say that it was really special to be there. We weren’t able to do and see everything we wanted to because of limitations and restrictions, but we definitely plan on going back. (Who knows…if my son gets stationed there maybe there will be a lot more trips there!)