Christmas & New Year's Day in Hawaii - Part One

resting in the airport at Incheon during a 7-hour layover

For winter break this year we packed up our suitcases and traveled to the gorgeous island state of Hawaii. We stayed for two weeks on the island of Oahu and enjoyed so many things about being there. It was the little things that made this trip so awesome. Not only did we spend lots of family time together (well, what else will happen when you cram 5 people into a 300 square feet room for 14 days?) but we also spent a lot of time exploring Waikiki. We walked someplace every single day, whether it was just around the resort grounds to play in the pools, to play at the beach or to buy a quick snack or to venture into downtown Waikiki for a morning or evening meal at a restaurant or to tour around the Polynesian Cultural Center, to saunter through the LDS Temple grounds or tour Pearl Harbor. We did A LOT of walking. Which was good because we also did a lot of eating! We could not get enough of the delicious foods we miss from the USA. It was so comfortable in Honolulu while we were visiting. It was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than our home in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. And lots more humid -- the air was so fresh -- it even rained some of the days we were there -- we LOVED it!

bottom of the largest of three water slides at the resort - that's Brian to the right & Ashley is splashing down after her run down the slide in the center of the photo

In addition to enjoying time together, going for lots of walks, watching pretty sunsets, eating our favorite foods, swimming and exploring new places we also were able to see three movies (Harry Potter, Tron & Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and do some much needed electronics and clothes shopping. Brian, Ashley & I took a tour of Waikiki by trolley one afternoon while Charles and Ian checked out the Army Museum. I think it is safe to say that Brian's favorite part of the trip was the daily swimming adventures he had in the hotel's water slide pool. Ian and Ashley liked the slides, too, but took particular interest in soaking in the jacuzzi and enjoying some night swimming in the heated pool at the resort. Aside from the amazing Godiva cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, my favorite part of the trip was walking along the beach with my toes in the mighty Pacific at sunset. Just perfect.

contemplating something ... maybe the view from our 25th floor balcony?

view of the hotel lagoon from our balcony

making ornaments for our paper Christmas tree

taking a break to enjoy some delicious American milk, straight from the carton!

our paper Christmas tree and stockings for Santa to fill

I know I look like a poodle with all this frizzy hair from swimming and the humidity

waiting in the queue for a canoe ride at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center

replica of Rapa Nui at the Polynesian Cultural Center

giving the swinging balls a try at the New Zealand exhibit

showing off his Maori (temporary) tattoo