I had the privilege of taking my girls to Oahu, Hawaii for a week. I still can’t believe how it all happened. My friend invited a few of us out Friday night, I booked our flights Saturday night and we left Tuesday morning!! It was crazy, spontaneous and one of the funnest things we have done in a long time!! The girls and I had the most amazing time and I’m grateful to have been able to spend time with them in such a beautiful place. I’ve been on a kick about creating memories and this was definitely an amazing week full of wonderful memories!

I’m so proud of my girls for some of the things they did while we were there… They snorkeled and boogie boarded for the first time, jumped off a waterfall and made it through a crazy, muddy hike in the rain, just to name a few. I loved watching them play in the sand and water. They had no fear in the waves – which definitely doesn’t take after me and I’m glad for that. I loved that we were able to make new friends and become better acquainted with old ones.

I thought it would be fun to make a list of some of the reasons why you should go to Hawaii. So, in no particular order here are my girls and my reasons (putting weather aside)…

1) Snorkeling – We hit up a couple places for snorkeling – Waialua (which was where my daughter took these pictures of the turtle! Maybe another photographer in the family?) and Turtle Bay. My girls caught on really quickly and didn’t want to come out of the water.  The girls saw a ton of turtles, sea urchins and fish, their favorite being the turtles. Sharks Cove is another place that I’ve heard is great for snorkeling, but we ran out of time and didn’t make it there.

2) Waimea Falls – You have to pay to go in to the falls, but it was definitely worth it! It’s a really beautiful mile long walk along a paved path that leads you to the stunning 45 foot waterfall. My girls had a blast trying to figure out the spots where movies like The Hunger Games and others were filmed on the walk to the falls. The waterfall is incredible and you most definitely want to take the plunge and swim under the falls. Life jackets are there for your use and are free! Be warned that the water is COLD, but you do get used to it after awhile.

3) The Beaches – The beaches on Oahu are stunning!! Waimanalo was our most favorite beach. The waves varied in height both days we were there, the 2nd day being better for boogie boarding. The water is turquoise, the sand is soft and the surroundings are stunning! We’d stay until the sunset and walk along the beach looking for sea glass. Lanikai is another beautiful beach as well as Waimea, but you couldn’t go in the water at Waimea unless you were an experienced swimmer and had a pair of fins. I am not even close to being a good swimmer, but I enjoyed watching the surfers there. It doesn’t get much better than soaking in the sun while sitting on the beach and watching the waves. I could watch the waves all day long, they are mesmerizing.

4) The scenery! I couldn’t get over how beautiful everything is there. The color of the water, the sand, the sunsets, the flowers and trees. I loved every minute being there! The view from Makapu’u with the contrast of bright green against the black lava rock is incredible. The turquoise water with soft sand beaches, like those of Waimanalo and Lanikai, are so inviting. I didn’t want to blink in case I missed something.

5) Pearl Harbor. I have had a huge fascination with World War II for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure why, to be honest, but even back in school if I could find a way to have one of my projects revolve around WWII I would do it. For me to be able to visit the location of such a historic event was amazing and humbling. Due to bad weather the boats were cancelled and we were unable to visit the U.S.S. Arizona memorial which was a disappointment, but even still it was incredible to visit. We visited the museum and watched a short film with actual footage from the attack on Pearl Harbor. My girls enjoyed it as well and we even walked through the U.S.S. Bowfin, one of the submarines that had been restored. 

6) The food! I’m all about food. Love it! BUT I’m also really picky. The fresh fruit is unbelievable! No complaints here 🙂 The pineapple is sweet and doesn’t burn your mouth like the stuff here does. It’s like eating juicy candy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! A local cut down a bunch of bananas for us and once they were ripe the kids devoured them like candy too. The food trucks are so much fun to visit. So many options it’s hard to decide! We tried Hula Dog and it was one of the most interesting hot dogs I’ve ever had – taro (which made it purple) and bacon bun with coconut relish and garlic lemon sauce. Sounds weird but was quite good. The Thai truck was a hit with my girls and I’ve heard great things about Cajun Man and Seven Brothers (again, ran out of time!).  And let’s not forget Matsumoto’s Shave Ice and The Snow Factory shave ice cream. This was a huge debate between my girls over which was better. The shave ice is delicious and beautiful with all it’s bright colors. And the shave ice cream has the most amazing texture. I say, do BOTH!

7) Paddle Boarding – How often do you get to paddle down a river that leads to the ocean? Seriously, amazing! Not only that but it was an absolute blast to do!! My girls were able to paddle themselves or they sat on the board while I paddled. The best part of it for me – you don’t HAVE to get wet ;). We also saw quite a few turtles in the river and the location is beautiful.

8) For the photos! – Hawaii was a photographer’s dream. Maybe it’s because I live in the “Great White North” with sand and beaches (and sometimes the sun) being non existent, but I loved every minute in Hawaii and wish I could’ve taken even MORE photos than I did!

There are so many more reasons I could give for why you should go to Hawaii, and even more that we didn’t have time to do (like the Polynesian Cultural Center, Waikiki, Ko Olina,  many more hikes and so much more). If you ever have the chance to go to Hawaii, don’t hesitate, just DO IT!! My girls and I highly recommend it!