Hawaii Sunset

The last thing we did in Hawaii might possibly be the most fun thing we did that week: we sat on Waikiki Beach and watched a beautiful sunset. I recorded it on my camera and love watching it! I love all the activity going on - the sun setting, surfers riding in the last few waves of the day, an airplane in the sky, sailboats sailing by, oh Hawaii is just so beautiful and this sunset is just too pretty not to share! Enjoy!

Pearls!

If you've followed my blog, you know I love pearls. I have a pearl necklace, a pearl bracelet, and pearl earrings. And now, after our trip to Hawaii, I'm happy to say that I have a pearl ring, too. This ring is very special and memorable because I got to pick the pearl mounted on the ring!

There were several jewelry shops and kiosks around Hawaii, and we decided to stop at the one at the Dole Pineapple Plantation, of all places! As we walked through the Dole gift shop, we were approached by one of the ladies from the pearl kiosk asking if we wanted to play the pearl game. We said sure, why not, we're on vacation, so I picked a piece of paper out of her basket to find I'd won a coupon 50% off an oyster shell.

So I picked out my oyster....

Picking my oyster - tap 3 times and say Aloha!

Opening the oyster to find....

My pretty pearl!

The lady then asked if we wanted to mount the pearl on anything - a ring, earrings, necklace, etc. I decided to look for a ring, to complete the pearl set I had at home. We looked at several ring settings and finally found one that we liked, and more importantly, was affordable!

After my ring was set, the lady said I could pick another oyster since we bought the ring. So I picked another oyster, and to our surprise we found two pearls when it was opened up! Fun times and good memories. Thanks, Ross!

Double pearls!!

Peal Harbor

On Wednesday of our trip we toured Pearl Harbor. This was a very neat and educational tour. We arrived around noon and got our tickets, but our tour wasn't until 2:45 that afternoon, so we had plenty of time to tour the museums and learn all about what took place that December morning in 1941.

When it was time for our tour, we watched a 20-minute video on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and then boarded a boat that took us out to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial (the long white building in the picture below). The memorial is actually built over the U.S.S. Arizona, and to this day oil is still leaking out of the ship. That fact was very interesting to us. The U.S.S. Arizona and 1,177 of her crew were among the first casualties of  the Pacific War.

Looking out at the memorial.

Two-person submarine used in the war.

Weapons of mass destruction!

Bowfin Submarine that served in WWII

This is part of the U.S.S. Arizona that the memorial is built over. Notice the oil in the water. It is coming from the Arizona, still after all these year.

Oil from the U.S.S. Arizona.

Wall inside the memorial naming those who were on the U.S.S. Arizona that day.

Looking inside the memorial.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

Anniversary Pictures

A few months ago I was reading a blog posting from a photographer friend of mine, Sarah Carter, and saw that she had a contest going on. She was going to the movies in a few days and wondered what type of candy she should try, so based the contest around that question. All I had to do was leave a comment with my name stating what my favorite movie candy was, and I had the chance to win a free 20-minute photo session with her. I thought it was easy enough, so left my name and favorite candy - Jujy Fruits!

I was excited to check back the next day and see that I was the winner of the free 20-minute photo session! And the timing of this couldn't have been any better.

I always thought it would be fun to take pictures each year on our anniversary to see how my husband and I aged over the years. I even thought it'd be fun to have a 1, 2, 3, etc., in the picture, too, denoting what year it was . . .  you know, like how kids have a 1, 2, 3, etc., in their pictures denoting what birthday the pictures are commemorating?! :) So by winning this simple contest, I won anniversary pictures for Ross and me!

We took the pictures on April 2, and couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was shining and all the spring colors were in full bloom. Thanks for the fun time and great pictures, Sarah!

Dole Pineapple Plantation

On Monday of our trip we took a drive to the North Shore of Oahu and stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. This was a very touristy thing to do, but we didn't really care! We arrived around 11:30am and had lunch at the Pineapple Grill.

After lunch we walked around a bit and then took the ride on the Pineapple Express, a 20-minute train ride through the plantation. It was interesting learning about the history of pineapples and how they are grown and harvested. One interesting fact - an experienced pineapple farmer can plant 10,000 pineapple BY HAND in one day! I am amazed by that!

Enjoy the pictures!