Aloha!

11.06.08

We left rainy Portland for a week in Hawaii!  We went for Amanda's wedding and had no expectations.  Generally when we go to Oahu we have our time planned out.  Tis time, as we didn't know when we might have time with the bride and groom we left our options open.  Jeff really wanted to SCUBA and I wanted to surf, see the bride, groom and her family and spend a bit of time in the sun.  We managed ALL of the above and more.  We arrived in Hawaii to a balmy 84 degrees.  We collected our bag and found Amanda and Edward awaiting us with Leis.  What a lovely greeting.  We had planned on going to lunch, but their plans changed when other flights were delayed.  So, Jeff and I moseyed out to the North Shore and got settled in our room.  We stayed at Turtle Bay Resort.  With the exception of being so far away from Waikiki it was ideal!  It suited us perfectly.  In my mind Waikiki was on the west coast; which we preferred to avoid, so we could either travel to Waikiki from the south or the north.  It would have been a good idea to look at a map to confirm my memory which was about as wrong as it could have been.  So, we had a drive of at least an hour daily to see everyone.  Still the drive was beautiful and relaxing.  Even more relaxing was the silver lining in the cloud of losing my purse. I got a new phone with a GPS which totally allowed me to relax while driving and enjoying the sights.

We went to dinner Thursday night with Amanda, Edward, and got the opportunity to meet Ed, Barbara, and Mike, Edward's parents and younger brother respectively. It was a nice dinner at the Hale-Koa hotel, though we were late the first evening as the traffic was nasty due to construction and traffic in Waikiki.  

When we arrived on Thursday it was the beginning of the surf season on the North Shore.  We learned that the storms crate 20ft waves in Hawaii in November and everyone gathers for the competition.  It was interesting to see the crowds, the waves and the surfers on the way to Waikiki.

Upon our return from dinner, we fell asleep to the sound of the ocean as we left the door to the Lanai open.  There is nothing so relaxing as the sound of the waves lulling you to sleep.