Living Island (and Eating) Style

As you can see, we are all ok with traveling. After Florida, we went to Hawaii. Lady Hiva had a different itinerary, so the Muggles and I left early in the morning an flew to Los Angeles. Lady Hiva joined us in LA a few hours later. Jamba Juice welcomed us to California and we were all happy about that! 

Hawaii is such a special place to all of us. This trip home was different than any other trip though. It was first time Lady Hiva had been back after both her parents had died. That created a mix of emotions and experiences. First, it made us all happy to be home. We love the fresh air, the ocean, the food, and most of all, we love being around family. Lady Hiva was also was able to come enjoy life on Oahu with us this time. Usually she is busy caring for her mum, but this time she could come exploring with us!!! We loved that! 

We had made a bucket list of activities we wanted to do while in Hawaii and we were able to do all of them but one. We took ukulele lessons and we danced hula together. Both of those experiences were fun. Not sure that we did either of them very well, but we still enjoyed it. 

We were so excited to listen to local music stations and hear Iam playing on the radio. We are all so proud of him and all that he is doing to spread aloha around the world. 

On Oahu I love both the mauka and makai (mountain and beach). I could sit and stare at both for long periods of time. Hawaii truly is a magical place. 

We made the obligatory trip to the Swap Meet. We all like to go and we end up buy all the things we don't need and never knew we even wanted until that very moment. HAHA

We had a whole list of places that we wanted to eat while in Hawaii. All of them were delicious! We went back to some of them a few times. All four of us can tell we have not been to Hawaii latetly because we were shocked by the portion sizes of the food! SO MUCH FOOD. 

We went several times to visit all the people in the cemetery--grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters, and several aunts and uncles. 

Paying a visit to their siblings. 

It is always fun to take them to BYU-Hawaii and show them all the places we used to go to classes or spend time. 

Shark's Cove is still a family favorite! We spend hours and hours there every time we go. This time we used the snorkels and we went out to see all the beautiful fish. We saw eels, fish of every color, and all of us were so happy to see the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. All of us get excited when we see one. 

I was so proud of the Muggles and their bravery to go on into the deep. They even were willing to swim down into the deep to see more fish. What a tribute to their hard work in swimming lessons. 

SHAVE ICE! We like several places around the North Shore, but our favorite is Wili Wili's in Kahuku. Matsumoto's is still the OG, but the line is SO LONG. The kids and I love Angel's in Laie, but Lady Hiva swears by Wili Wili's. So it is a win for all of us. 

Part of being in Hawaii is being with cousins. It is so much fun to spend time with all of them! 

One day we wanted to go to Kualoa Ranch--something none of us have done. We drive by it every time we go to Honolulu and again on the way back, but we have never done the touristy thing. We went but did not realize people have booked three weeks in advance! Needless to say, we did not get tickets. So we walked around for a bit and then went beach hopping all the way back home. We had a reminder that we live in such a beautiful state. 

 This trip we wanted to immerse the two Muggles Hawaiian and Polynesian culture. We go all over the world learning about cultures and thought it was time for them to learn about their own heritage. We stopped at King Kamehameha statue and then booked tickets to the 'Iolani Palace. That place is always special. It is so powerful to learn about the bravery of Queen Liliuokalani. What a sad end to her reign and her country. 

Most of all, I loved the conversations we were able to have with the kids about sovereignty, ethnic heritage, service, and standing up what you believe in. That alone made the tour worth it. Outside the Royal Hawaiian Band was playing Hawaiian Anthems. I loved hearing the Hawaii State Song and Aloha'oe. Both passionate songs written during the kingdom era. 

Dresses for a princess and the queen. 

Listening to the tour through the historical building. 

Another stop we made was The Bishop's Museum. There was so much to see and experience there. The kids loved to see connections between all they know about Hawaii and Polynesia. For example they were excited to see the makafeke in the museum like the one we have hanging in our home from Lady Hiva's dad. Or the canoes like the models we have in the house. 

The Bishop Museum is beautiful. I am so glad that we went. 

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a place that is special for both Lady Hiva and I. We both worked there at some point. It was also where both of Lady Hiva's parents worked while raising their family. It was also a chance for the kids to immerse themselves in Polynesian culture more. 

We had an amazing day. WE ended it with the Night Show. Koala Bear decided that she wanted to be a hula dancer AND a fire knife dancer. I hope that she wants to be both and does it. 

We got some tattoos. I was proud of Koala Bear when she walked up they asked if she wanted the "princess" tattoo. She boldly said, "NO! I want the Warrior Tattoo!" YES! I am so glad she sees herself as a warrior to fight for herself. 

These two have been around tapa cloth their whole lives. Which includes all the tapa under all of our beds. They loved to see how it was made from plants to quilted mats. 

They even practiced making their own tapa cloth stencils. 

The kids were able to taste poi too!

We made it to the beach everyday! That makes my heart happy. It makes my heart even more joyful to see my family enjoying a beautiful day in nature.