As I mentioned earlier today, I'm way behind in blogging. So yes, you had fair warning...I'm all over the place. Going way back to spring of this year, I decided to finish HI things before I continue writing about CO things :) Also, I apologize in advance for the length and the amount of pictures in this post...
Continuing on with our B&B guest list...
[To read about our busy and fun year with visitors from the beginning, click here. For part 2, click here.]
March:
As you know, March was a rough month for our family. My mom came out shortly after we found out we miscarried. Even though the reason for her visit was a sad one, we still had special time together. Highlights include: lots of beach time (even on overcast days), shopping and decorating for Easter, visiting the Kailua Farmer's Market for the first time [We loved it, wished we had gone sooner in the year, and continued to go every Thursday until we moved!!], trying new restaurants, and simply spending lots of quality time together :)
At the end of March, my cousin Steph and her husband Tim came to visit. Dan was away for training for half of their visit, but he was able to join us towards the end of their stay. We packed a lot into their week-long visit, and it was fun to try many new things with them! Highlights of their visit include: driving around the east coast of the island (stopping at the lookout points, Sandy Beach, and Makapu'u Lighthouse), visiting the North Shore (shave ice and the Dole plantation for the first time), Pearl Harbor (tickets were sold out, but a tour guide had 3 extra tickets for that morning...such a God thing!), Aloha Stadium flea market, whale watching (free tickets thanks to the raincheck voucher/lack of whales we saw on our January tour), going to Kuoloa Ranch for the first time and doing the Movie Site tour, walking around Waikiki, dinner at our favorite (Kalapawai), hiking Mariner's Ridge for the first time (even though we got caught in the rain and couldn't see the view from the top!), and spending Easter Sunday together.
April-May:
In April, my grandmother had a stroke. Thankfully, she got medical care quickly and received months of rehab and therapy. (Today, she's almost fully recovered, which made her 60th anniversary celebration that much sweeter!). At the end of April, I went home for a week to see her and visit family, so we didn't have any Hawaii visitors during the month of April. Some highlights from my time home include: spending lots of time with my grandparents, driving out to GCC with my parents for Parents' weekend (and stopping in Erie on the way!), celebrating Jon's birthday (first time 5 of us were all together in almost a year!), a mini-family photo shoot (courtesy of Jon), and visiting with my friends and their cute kids.
May:
Our good friend, Chase, was the final visitor to our Hawaii home. Dan hadn't used his vacation time during the year (due to scheduling and rotations), so he was able to have Chase's entire visit off! Consequently, he got to see many touristy things for the first time alongside Chase. It was one of the best weeks we had on the island! Some highlights include: visiting Pearl Harbor, drinking out of a coconut at the Aloha Stadium market, Kailua and Lanikai beach days (our Lanikai day included Lanikai Beach, the Lanikai Pillbox hike, AND going to Lanikai Juice for the first time!), walking around Waikiki and downtown Honolulu (and going to the Royal Hawaiian...known for their Mai Tais... for the first time), eating at Nico's (featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives) and Side Street Inn for the first time, going to Chief's Luau, spending a day at the North Shore (Chase jumped off the rock at Waimea Bay), finding and going to the last original Tiki Bar in Oahu, and hiking Koko Crater for the first time. To see a great video Chase made of our hike, click here...hopefully the link works.
Living in Hawaii...and having the opportunity to share our experience with so many friends and family members...made the year that much more memorable!
Keep Smiling...
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