Aloha!

Steve and I spent the last week on vacation with his family on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii.  It was the first time that all of us have traveled together, and we had a terrific time!  Since moving to Texas three years ago, we don't see his family as often so it was great to have a week to make special memories with them in such a beautiful place.  

We spent the first afternoon at our resort, soaking in the views and the golden hour before watching a fantastic sunset (the first of many).  

Our first full day on the island included a tour of Pearl Harbor, which was very moving.  I had been to the memorial once before on a training trip in college, but enjoyed revisiting it with family.  After the Pearl Harbor tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the Waikiki Beach, followed by the biggest snow cones of all time and another beautiful sunset, before joining the family for the best fried rice I have ever had.  Ever.

We spent New Year's Eve day hiking Diamond Head for some beautiful views of the island.  The hike was about an hour and a half round trip, with tons of stairs.  Totally worth it!

We spent NYE evening splitting pizzas and lounging by the rooftop pool before the fireworks began at 11. The Hawaii time change definitely got to me, though - I didn't last past 10pm!  Mad props to my nieces for making it all the way through the fireworks and until midnight!

The next day, we traveled to the north side of the island to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center.  There, we rode in canoes, learned ancient fighting techniques, and attended a luau, complete with leis, hula, and a roasted pig.  And I got to drink a smoothie out of a pineapple, which was a big highlight for me ;)

The next day, the family ventured to the North Shore for a personalized tour with Keelee, our tour guide.  We visited a coffee farm, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and a nature preserve complete with a hike to a beautiful waterfall!  I tried Dole Whip for the first time and realized that I am quite the fan, along with the rest of the family (except for Steve - too much pineapple for him - no such thing for me!).  And, of course, we enjoyed another sunset on the beach to wrap up the day.

Our second to last day was spent largely on the water - which was right up my alley!  We ventured out before dawn for a snorkel excursion.  We began the day by swimming with dolphins - a bucket list item of mine.  Thanks to my SIL and her awesome underwater camera for capturing them in the photo. While we were at the dolphin site, we spotted multiple humpback whales - another bucket list item!  My day was made then and there, but the excursion wasn't over.  We snorkled with fish and a sea turtle, and then anchored in a bay where we were able to paddle board, kayak and swim for some time.  It was great.

We made it back to the resort in time for family pictures, including some with another beautiful sunset.  Steve and I snapped a selfie while waiting on some of the pictures :)

Our flight departed at 6pm on our final day in Hawaii, so we were able to take advantage of a last morning on the beach.  Give this girl an umbrella, a lounge chair and a good book, and she is set!  

Our flight home was extra special and unique because Steve and I gifted to one another for Christmas upgrades to the first class cabin on our redeye flight home.  I had never flown first class before, and my-oh-my, was this a treat.  I could travel like that any time, anywhere!  I think we picked an excellent present to give each other this year!  If only it could be a regular occurrence... maybe someday ;)

A huge thank you to my in-laws for dreaming up this vacation for all of us to share, and for making it into a reality!!  Mahalo!  

Spring Happenings

It's been a while since my last post - this spring has been a busy one!  So let's get caught up on the latest happenings, shall we?  Here's what I've been up to since we last chatted:

- A belated birthday trip to Houston, including a delicious brunch with my sister and the epic Houston Rodeo with my college roommate.

So Long Summer: Broken Bow, OK

My life this past summer could easily be segregated into pre-bar exam and post-bar exam life.  Pre-bar exam life is not the greatest.  It requires lots of studying, stamina, and stress.  But post-bar exam life - let me tell ya, it is the best.  I know we are moving quickly into fall, but before I bid a final adieu to this summer I want to remember some of the highs of the summer (post-bar summer that is!).    So please bear with me while I jump back in time a few weeks and get caught up to speed with a couple of "So Long Summer" posts!

Post 1: our post-bar incredible trip to Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

beartooth pass

Earlier this month, I flew out to Montana to visit my sister for a long weekend.  We took the day on Friday to drive the Beartooth Pass - a popular highway that winds through southern Montana and northern Wyoming on the way to Yellowstone National Park.

I had never been to Montana before and wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the pass.  The mountains were stunning and the topography was unlike any mountains I had seen before.  We weaved our way up to the top of the mountain range and the landscape evolved as we drove along.  We saw everything from beautiful firs, to bare mountaintops, to glacier remnants, to hidden mountaintop lakes, to grizzly bear country!

It was about a six hour round trip - one that I would highly recommend for anyone visiting Montana.  Hope you enjoy these pictures from our journey!

amy meets montana (a sister weekend)

Two weekends ago, I had such a great treat - a trip to visit my little sister in Montana.  She moved out to Montana earlier this year to begin her residency.  She's there for a year and I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to visit this fall.  We had a great weekend!  Here's my beautiful sister in her new home.  Thanks for hosting me, sissy!

sweet south dakota: day 3 and 4 (the badlands)

{We spent a wonderful weekend in South Dakota for my family reunion.  You can read more about our trip here and here.}

On Sunday, we woke up early and drove down the canyon where we were staying to check out the Spearfish Canyon Waterfall.  Our flight was set for early afternoon, so we wanted to make the most of the rest of our time in SD.

sweet south dakota: day 1 (mount rushmore)

Two weekends ago, Steve and I joined my family in beautiful South Dakota for my family reunion.  It was my first trip to South Dakota and I am pleased to say that all of my expectations of the state were blown out of the water.  The lodge where we stayed was nestled in beautiful Spearfish Canyon, where the topography is stunning and the cell phone service, non-existent.  It was perfect.

{This is a very picture-heavy post - I wanted to make sure I savored and memorialized every moment of our trip!  Thanks for bearing with me and all of the pictures :) }

4th of july recap: part 1

Happy belated Independence Day!  We spent the weekend celebrating America's birthday with our good friends (and awesome hosts), Chris and Emily, at Chris' family's lakehouse on Lake Erie.  We had the best time!

On the 4th, we took a ferry over to Put-In-Bay to explore for the day.  The typical modus operandi, as we were told, is to take the ferry over and rent a golf cart to get around once you arrive on the island.  You wouldn't believe how many golf carts we saw over there!  We rented our own (the infamous Clarabella) and drove all over the place on it.

second anniversary part 2: puppy vacation

For our second anniversary, Steve and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to a real hidden gem in Brown County - Story Inn.  You can read Part 1 of our trip here.  Since Story Inn is pet-friendly, we took Lyla with us and she had an absolute ball.

second anniversary part 1: the story inn

For our second anniversary, Steve and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to a real hidden gem in Brown County - Story Inn.

houseboat trip - part 2

(This is Part 2 of our houseboat vacation to Lake Ouachita.  You can read Part 1 here!)

One of the things I really enjoy most about house boating is the balance between physical activity (wake surfing, wake boarding, skiing, etc) and relaxing.  We made sure to do our fair share of both on this trip.

houseboat trip - part 1

After my sister’s medical school graduation, my family headed to beautiful Lake Ouachita for a week-long houseboat trip.  It was a great vacation - the best ever!  We spent five gorgeous days on the water.  The weather was perfect, the water temperature was just right, and the company was enjoyable (as always).  It was all around, a great trip.

graduvacation

Happy Friday, friends!  I am currently on a plane on my way to Houston to watch my sister graduate from medical school.  Today is going to be a very special day :) followed by a weekend of celebrating and a fantastic week of houseboating with my family in Arkansas! 

the thankful project day 23: something you've seen

{Linking up with Kenzie at Chasing Happy}

  

November 23rd: Something You've Seen.

For this prompt, I decided to pick a few of my favorite views.  I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity over the years to visit each of these places and to memorialize their beauty in these pictures.  God really knows how to make the world beautiful.

{San Dias Mountains, New Mexico}

{Cabo San Lucas, Mexico}

{Indiana Dunes, Indiana}

{Windsor Castle, Great Britain}

{Grand Canyon, Arizona}

{Lake Ouachita, Arkansas}

{Brookshire, Texas}

{Roatan, Honduras}

{Florence, Italy}

{Pikes Peak, Colorado}

 {Santorini, Greek Isles}

 

{Brown County, Indiana}

{Maui, Hawaii}