Our first visitors!

Back when Jas and I announced to our friends (well the ones we did tell) that we were moving, two of them started planning their visit almost before we had even purchased our plane tickets!!  Now, I realize at least part of them was just using us as an excuse to come to Hawaii, but even still, I so appreciated them coming!  Of course, a few days before their arrival we had some washer problems...perfect timing!  But, luckily, it was fixed the morning they were arriving.  So the morning was spent in preparation, cleaning the apartment, washing clothes, blankets, towels, etc.  And before I knew it we were on the way to the airport.  I feel like everyone who comes to Hawaii wants to have that "lei" moment, so I went and got them real lei's and bought it to the airport to welcome them.  I didn't care if they only wore them for the trip home, I just wanted them to have that because I know how important it was to my mommy last year, and even Jas when we arrived.

As is normally the case, the 5 days they were here seemed to fly by.  But, I think, or at least I hope, the trip was everything they wanted it to be.  I sure enjoyed having them.  First thing we did after dropping the luggage off was take them to Zippy's for food.  If you live here you know Zippy's is a must.  And then that night we went out for drinks....followed by an intense eating session at the Big Kahuna.  When you're drunk food just tastes so incredibly good doesn't it!?

DAY 2- 

The second day we set aside for visiting the historic sites in Pearl Harbor.  When we arrived we found out tickets for the USS Arizona were sold out.  The tickets are free, but they only give out a certain amount per day because they can only fit so many people in the theater for the documentary, and then on the boat to the memorial.  But, one of the nice park rangers told us that often people get tickets for hours away and they end up not waiting for their time.  So what they do is have a standby line.  Groups are called every 15 minutes.  So we headed over to the line to see the other park ranger .  Sure enough, we ended up only having to wait about 20 minutes before we got in!!  As you can imagine being there gives you an amazing feeling...so sad, and leaves such an impact on you.  To think that so many men are still entombed in the USS Arizona...never having a chance to make it out before it sunk that fateful day of December 7, 1941.  To see the oil still leaking from the ship.  It's such a jarring feeling.  We spent hours walking around and reading things, and we didn't even go into all of the places that were there, like the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Bowfin, a submarine with a stellar history that I actually read a book about last year.  It was an exhausting afternoon and by the time we were ready to go we were starved!  After getting some advice from one of the park rangers we ended up at a pretty awesome spot, where I ordered a Philadelphia Cheesesteak...yup, I had to.  It wasn't half bad either.  And we all had some awesome pie.

Those lost on the USS Arizona

in the memorial

on an old gunner

USS Bowfin

Later that night after a rousing game of charades, we mustered up the motivation and took a bus down to Frost City so that our friends could taste the amazingness of a snow ice!

DAY 3- This was a beach day.  The Ala Moana Beach that's just a couple blocks down from us.  Navaja and I, the two swimmers, swam out to a rock and contemplated life, and of course I swam away with a small cut on my hand, no big deal!  The non-swimmers, Pam and Jas stayed closer to shore.  We soaked in a ton of sun, and Pam and I read, like the true book nerds we are.  It was a beautiful day, as always.  Of course we were hungry afterward, so we stopped at a diner- luckily none of us have very soft stomachs because we went parasailing after, a choice made by our guests, and of course we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  That night we went to this absolutely amazing restaurant (Side Street Inn) with Pam's cousin.  We had a FEAST!!  And it was DElicious!

Pam's first Orange & Cream Soda!!!!!

where'd we go!

and this isn't even all the food!

DAY 4- Of course we had to take them to my favorite brunch spot thus far, the Cream Pot.  I think they enjoyed it as much as I do.  And I was so happy for an excuse to go back there!!  After, we gave them time to shop and get any souvenirs they wanted.  We got some shaved ice too.  Had to make sure they experienced all the awesome goodies I love.

DAY 5- And then, just like that, it was their last day!!  Since it was Monday I planned to drive to the North Shore, hoping the traffic wouldn't be as bad as a weekend.  The night before I asked our guests if there was anything they wanted to do that we hadn't yet, and that we could do considering funds...Navaja said cliff diving, and that was all I needed to hear!  Off we went to Waimea Beach Bay, home of "da rock", a popular jumping spot.  Our non-swimmers weren't sure if they were going to make the jump, and when we got there they were sure they were not!  The beach was awesome!  Decent waves coming in that took you out, and brought you back on your ass if you didn't keep up with it!  We all had sand in places sand should not be!  Just like our first beach day, Navaja and I swam out to a small rock and sat for a while...until we were interrupted by something coming out of the water!!  I nearly fell off the rock...but, to our relief it was just two honus (turtles).  Even though it still freaked us out slightly.  We sat and stared for a while, and then when we realized the one was not leaving, we decided to go off the other end of the rock and swim to shore! We made our way to the real rock for our first jump.  From the shore it didn't seem so high...but of course, once we climbed up and were looking down, it was much higher than it seemed!  I asked some of the locals sitting on the rock if there was any trick to it, one guy answered "just jump"...perfect!  Navaja was first, he took a while, but he finally jumped off.  I was up next and I wasn't about to give myself time to chicken out, so, after getting my bearing on the edge, off I went!  Holy crap, I felt like the water was never going to come, and when it did, it gave me the biggest wedgie ever...but how awesome it was!  Of course we jumped again a while later.

no one pays attention to that sign so why should we!!

That night we were doing dinner with Monika, Pam's friend who lives here with her husband and children...she also came to see us at the beach for a little while.  Our guests decided on the Hula Grill...a pretty touristy restaurant since it's in Waikiki, but one I had fully intended to go to eventually anyway.  The food was good, the dessert was good and we had a nice time.  Monika, a fellow blogger, asked me if she could take a picture of my outfit for her blog, I was so taken aback!  I'm sure that's the only time that will ever happen to me, considering I'm far from a fashionista, but I was flattered.  After dinner we went to Duke's statue so our guests could get pictures, and then for some drinks.

LOVED his shirt

Our guests and I

Needless to say none of us got much sleep that night.  Especially since I had to be up at 5am to get them to the airport!  The nerve of them booking such an early flight!!  But, I love them anyway, and can't say enough how much I appreciate them coming.  It was like having a little slice of home here, if only for a short time.

They were leaving us...but they weren't going home...their next stop was L.A.

And the adventure continues (for both us, and them)...

Stay tuned...