SUNDAY - We headed out on Sunday morning. My sweet parents took us to the airport because Bryce was working in Idaho. We had a great flight because we only had one layover and that was in Honolulu and only for an hour. We grabbed some lunch and boarded the plane and it was a sweet ride. We had to ask someone to change seats because we weren't seated together, but that was no problem. I watched two and half movies on the way over that I had been wanting to see. Aloha, Love and Mercy, and half of Inside Out. Loved them all! At the Honolulu airport, I was feeling the humidity and the wonderful scents of the islands. I was so excited to be there! We grabbed some dinner and waited to board our flight to Kona. Skyler and Taylor picked us up. Taylor arrived on Friday a few days before us. We headed to Sky's new place. He lives about an hour away from the airport. Last time he lived only 20 minutes. There is always a lot of driving when we go to Hawaii. But that's okay as long as you have good company, and that I did. It was so good to see him.
It was only 5:30 pm Hawaii time, but 9:30 pm our time and I was pretty tired. When we got to his place, there was a church party going on that his roommates Jeremy and Crystal were hosting. It was fun to meet some of the members of the church and two cute missionaries were there as well. I CANNOT believe I didn't take their picture and send it to their moms! I wasn't thinking. Jet lag I guess! They both looked like they were 12 years old. One was from Plain City and one from Twin Falls. After they left we visited with Jeremy and Crystal and Sky. They all live together to save $ on rent because the cost of living is so high in Hawaii. At one point they lived with seven other guys. I am not sure how Crystal handled that but she is pretty easy going. While we were talking Jeremy mentioned something about roaches and I piped up with, "You have roaches here?" Without knowledge of my intense fear of the things, he said that yes they do and in fact he woke up twice with a giant one right on his face and how he proceeded to smash it against the wall. I was DYING inside! I hate them! I fear them! I loathe them! They are of the devil! I wanted to puke right then, but I pretended to be brave. In true Indiana Jones form I thought to myself,
"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ROACHES?!"
No one else seemed bothered by it in the least. Yes, I am aware that Hawaii has roaches. Lots of them. They are everywhere. I have seen them every time I have visited. But giant ones crawling on your face while you sleep?! That is just way beyond what I am able to deal with! I adjusted to geckos crawling all over Skyler's walls in his last place...but giant roaches? Egads! Happily I never saw a single roach in his last place, mainly because it was a condo complex and they sprayed for them regularly. We then got settled in a bit. Taylor slept on the pull out bed upstairs and we slept in the baby's room downstairs. Jeremy and Crystal just had a baby in August named Navy. What a sweetheart she is! We put clean sheets on the bed and then I very gingerly got in bed, all the while fearing a giant roach was going to appear. I didn't sleep too well that night (ya think?!) mainly because I kept the sheet pretty much on my face to protect it from any creep and crawling things!
MONDAY - As far as relaxing in paradise...Taylor came in and woke me up to go running this morning around 6:30 a.m. and I thought he was a giant cockroach and pretty much jumped out of my skin, not to mention screamed rather loudly! We headed out towards the ocean which is only three miles away from Sky's house. But we took a wrong turn and ended up back at Sky's house instead of the ocean. Taylor didn't want to go three miles but I tricked him into it. Sadly, that was the last time he ran with me while here. It's so HOT and HUMID I was literally dripping after running! I'm not used to this humidity! Sky's shower is outside. Yes, outside! I opted to use Crystal's inside. It has a skylight above it but you can't see in it, just out of it. The house is nice though. Other than the roaches and other bugs. I still haven't seen a roach yet. Whew! I have even adjusted to the geckos crawling around inside because they eat the other bugs and are afraid of people. Bugs and crawly things are the Hawaiian life I guess. I'm not made for living with bugs! But I'll get used to it I hope! I just love Hawaii other than that!
We took off to breakfast at the Big Island Grill. The pancakes were enormous! I ordered just one and could only eat half (if that) of it. The boys all got Loco Moco. It's good stuff too. Then we headed down to the Kona downtown coastal shopping area. I wanted to go to the Big Island Running Co. and Taylor wanted to hit the swap meet. It was closed. But I got some cool stuff at the running store. Then we went to get some groceries at Costco. We were gone a long time because everything is quite a drive. Taylor headed out with Dave to do some snorkeling??????
TUESDAY - Dave made us breakfast this morning. I didn't go on a run. I was still struggling with jet lag. I am dead by 7:30 pm and wake up at 3:30 am. We decided to go to the beach today. We went to Kua Beach. It's my favorite so far. I loved it last time we came. It is spectacular! The water was gorgeous and the waves perfect. Not big enough for Taylor though. Sky wasn't feeling well (he is recovering from heat stroke from a deep sea boat excursion last Thursday.) We ate sandwiches we brought for lunch and then packed up and headed to Mauna Kea. It is always really cold there and so we changed into warm clothes. It was a bit of a drive. We wanted to get there before sunset so we could watch it from the the peak, but we were a little late. We still pulled over and got some shots of it half way up. Once we arrived it was SUPER windy and COLD and DARK! I think it said it was 37°. We took our own hot chocolate (they provided hot water) and had a few cups before heading up to the summit. We also looked in the HUGE telescopes at the stars. We also saw Saturn. I have never seen Saturn in a telescope and it was incredible! We hung around the visitor center for a good 30 minutes to help our lungs adjust to the elevation change that we were about to experience. It is almost 14,000 feet above sea level. That's quite a jump! We only stayed at the top for a few minutes because it was extremely cold and windy. I m' sure with the wind chill it was in the teens. In Hawaii! I was in a goofy mood on the way down. I told them it was the thin air! I couldn't stop laughing at mostly stupid things. Sky wasn't feeling too well and so Dave drove us home. It was a fun day!
WEDNESDAY - This morning we headed out really early to meet Sky's friend Drew. He was going to take us deep sea fishing in his boat. I was not planning on going because I figured it would be a very long and hot day and also because I am not a fan of dead bloody fish in a small boat. But...Dave talked me into going. I am VERY grateful now that I went. I would have missed one of the highlights (if not thee highlight) of the entire trip! In fact, I had already told them goodbye and at the very last second I hurried and got dressed to go. I had made sandwiches for all of them but not for me and so when we arrived at the harbor I spent almost $7.00 on a sandwich for me! But, it was worth it! As we headed out to sea, we saw two schools of dolphins jumping in swimming really close to our boat. It was AWESOME! I love dolphins! I have gone deep sea fishing in Alaska several times but this was no comparison to that. It was WARM and SUNNY instead of COLD and RAINY like it usually is in AK! And that difference made it so enjoyable. I sat on the helm of the boat and just soaked in the sun as I watched the waves and the gorgeous sparkles the sun's reflections made in the water. It looked like the water had diamonds floating on it. Just so pretty. I love the bumpiness and the rhythm of the boat as it glides against the sea. I never get sea sick. In fact, the rocking puts me to sleep! Boating has always been one of my favorite things. I could ride in a boat all day long and never get tired of it. The breeze in my hair, the sun on my back, and the rocking of the boat is the perfect recipe for relaxation. The boys were hoping to catch some nice tuna. Sky had gone out a few days earlier with Drew and they caught a huge haul of tuna (Ahi). We weren't having much luck. We were trying to find some birds because if you see birds that means they are eating small fish (bait for the bigger tunas) and you will probably catch some. We found some birds and sure enough we caught a tuna. It was not really very big and we only caught one. We did however loses a couple of Drew's expensive lures. They are $100 a pop! The fish take off with them. We had been out for a good five hours when we decided to just go out to one more deeper spot and if we had no luck to head in and call it a day. As we headed out, Drew said he felt like we were going to catch one because he saw the currents converging. He was right! No more than 30 seconds later, we had a hit. Unfortunately it got off. We were pretty bummed, but then less than 30 seconds later we got another hit! We saw him jump! A beautiful BIG Marlin! He was so gorgeous! And HUGE! The boat was filled with excitement and energy for the next 35-40 minutes that it took to reel him in. It was intense because we didn't want him to break the line or get loose or take off with the lure. It was different than halibut fishing when you reel them in too. Taylor was the chosen one to reel him in. His arms were bulging! It was so hard to get that big fighting guy in. But with some perseverance and a few rest breaks while Drew, Dave, and Sky helped reel him in, they got him to the boat. He was so pretty! Opalescent blue, green, purple, and pink. Just so pretty! Once he got to the boat, he became unhooked! Drew had to gaff him. I hated that part! He was putting up a huge fight and Drew told Sky he needed to get the gun and shoot him or we would never get him in the boat. Sky did and shot but missed. The fish was flopping around so much that it was hard to get a clean shot. Then the gun jammed! Sky's hands were too wet to un-jam it and so he gave it to me! Yikes! I was clueless! I tossed it to Dave! We were all in a frantic panic trying to get that fish in before he got away! Dave calmly (he is ALWAYS calm in stressful situation!) un-jammed the gun and Sky made a beautiful shot right between the eyes. He stopped fighting and they managed to get him int he boat. HE WAS HUGE! Drew was freaking out with excitement! He said it was the biggest fish he's had in the boat! They estimated he was around 300 pounds! And 7.5 feet!!!! Sadly, he turned black as soon as he was out of the water. He had some dark bluish purple on the top, but his gorgeous colors were gone.
Drew said he knew we could catch some more and make a haul, but everyone was pretty excited and happily satisfied with him, so we all agreed to call it a day. We packed him with wet towels and put ice around him. Drew usually sells the fish he catches to help with the expenses of having the boat. I have never seen so much excitement on a boat than I did on the way in. They all kept talking about it and reliving the whole thing and they were pretty proud. It was exciting! I just kept thinking how close I came to missing out on it all! Once we got the boat docked, the boys got the fish out and we laid him down while we all helped scrub the boat. You have to really clean it to get all the salt water off. It took a while to do the inside and out. As we were cleaning some old Hawaiians drove up and asked us how much for the fish. Drew told them $300. He said that it was only $1 a pound....which is a great deal. They tried to get him down and he finally gave it to them for $250. They were going to take it to San Francisco. Probably most likely to sell it to China Town. One of the guys cut off a piece and ate it raw! He said it was good! YUCKO!
It was a heckuva day at sea!
We had a great time! I was worried about Sky because he had been out on that boat for over 8 hours a few days before and got heat exhaustion. He wasn't feeling super duper after and so we took it easy the rest of the day. We had orange chicken for dinner and watched a movie.
THURSDAY- This morning I got up and ran down three miles to the beach. It's called Two Step where Sky took us snorkeling last time. It's where he free dives all the time. It's where he caught his State Record lobster and where he has seen many sharks! It was gorgeous! I called Dave to come and pick me up becuse I didn't want to run up three miles straight. STEEP miles up. He came and enjoyed the beach for a bit too and so did Taylor. It was a bit off to the side of Two Step where the refuge is and it's so beautiful. It reminded me of Oregon because it's so rocky and has a lot of tide pools. LOVED IT! I can't get enough of the ocean! I was born to be near the ocean!
I came back and we made waffles for breakfast and then Dave and Taylor went snorkeling for a bit down to Two Step. I got to hold cute little Navy for a while. She is the sweetest little thing! I need one of those! Sky was still not feeling up to par and so we headed out to pick up the tuna that Drew made into piko (?) Whatever it is, I wasn't planning on eating it! Raw tuna I believe! Bleck! Taylor wanted to hit the Swap Meet and I wanted to get some shirts for the boys and so we did that in Kona while Dave ran to Drew's and then all ate at Fish Hopper. It was really yummy but I was feeling bad Sky wasn't with us, but he needed the rest. We ran to Costco as well and then came home and made Shish-K-Bobs for dinner. Jeremy and Crystal joined us. I made a crock pot lava cake and it was yummy!
FRIDAY - Dave and Sky got up early and ran some errands. I made French Toast for breakfast and then made some marshmallow popcorn Skyler was wanting to try. It turned out pretty good. We then headed out to see the Green Sand Beach and Volcano National Park. The Green Sand Beach is the ONLY one in the world! I was excited to see it, but it was quite a challenge to get there. It's a three mile four wheel drive adventure to get there. Either that or hike to it. Sky has a four wheel drive Jeep and so we attempted it in that. It wasn't too bad. We only got stuck once. haha We did have to help another guy get his Jeep unstuck. He was in some deep mud though. We just got high centered on a huge rock. It was worth it!
The beach is GORGEOUS! And the sand looks almost GOLD! It was amazing! The waves were huge! Taylor took to them but I just got in a little bit because they looked pretty wicked to me. I did get soaked though. And the most amazing thing of all.... I found a dime right there in that sand! I want to say I was shocked, but I wasn't because I have been finding pennies this entire trip in the craziest of places! I KNOW TYSON has been sending them to let me know he is with us! That kid LOVED Hawaii and the ocean! There is no way he would have missed this! I wrote his name in the sand and put the dime in the middle of the O and a wave came up and crashed over it and washed away the dime! I panicked and started to look all over for it but couldn't see it anywhere! Dave suggested it might have got buried deeper in the sand. So I looked where I thought it had been and sure enough there it was about two inches down. SO AWESOME! Yes, I know some people think I am crazy, but I know I'm not. I KNOW it is Tyson's way of telling me he is near. That I KNOW. And it made my day! I wanted to stay at that beach all day, but everyone was ready to head to the Volcano. We stopped and had a picnic on the way just on the side of the road... we had chicken salad croissants. So yummy!
It was quite a drive! We got there and it was FREEZING! Mainly because I was still wet and it was windy and raining! I went in the bathroom and changed. We went in a couple visitor center's and then waited in Sky's car until it got dark so we could see the red glow of the Volcano. Sky overdid it again, I could tell, but he was okay with waiting. It was pretty cool to see.
SATURDAY - Today I went on a run while Jeremy took Taylor out to go spear fishing. Sky still wasn't feeling up to that. Taylor wanted to spear a Parrot Fish and amazingly just as they were heading back in, he got one!
I took a new route on my run because I had to go farther and I saw some pretty strange sights:
Free library
Painted Church
Haunted house
Botanical Gardens
Ended up on busy highway!
Dave and I went to Donkey Balls and brought home some Huli Ribs and Chicken. They were yummy. Then we grabbed Taylor and headed to an black and white sand beach and just chilled for a while and it started to downpour! It was so cool to be sitting on the beach watching the waves crash in a downpour! I was dripping wet! But I started to get cold and so I headed back to sit in the car. Dave and Taylor stayed out for a lot longer. So fun! On our way back we drove to Two Step to get some sunset pictures. Hawaii has the MOST incredible sunsets of anywhere on the planet! And they happen every single night!
SUNDAY - Last day. We got up and went to church. It was awesome because we all got a lei. They always say Aloha! before they give their talks. The Kona Temple President is in that ward. I sat by Crystal in RS and after we were out in the parking lot and some guy passed out free large bags of chips. He does it every week apparently. I guess he works at the chip factory. We grabbed some and then had Jeremy take a few pictures of us. Taylor and Sky left to go to the beach. Taylor hung up his hammock between two trees and just chilled. We stayed home and packed and I played with Navy. We ran to get Taylor and got some family pictures with the timer on my camera. They were okay, nothing to write home about, but not bad. Then we ate Kahlua Pork that Sky made for us and had to rush to get to the airport on time. It was a rush but we made it!
Sad to go.... but a wonderful trip!
Long flight! Had a quick layover in Honolulu and then a straight flight to SLC. Bryce picked us up on Monday morning.
PICTURES IN OTHER POST HERE!
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