Oahu, Hawaii 2013 - Day 5

Snorkeling is an incredibly attractive sport

You might be surprised to hear that today, Chad and I woke up early to watch the sunrise.  This time we had coffee though, and the magic of coffee increased the wonder of it all by at least ten times.  And then we looked for sea glass.  Apparently, we have formed certain habits while on vacation.

We let the kids sleep in today for as long as they wanted.  This was hard for me, as I kept looking at the clock and thinking of all the fun we could be having, but it was so worth it to see them wake up well-rested and happy.  Ali was the last one up at 9:00.  The rest of us were getting ready to spend the day at the North Shore.  We had planned on paddle boarding with Scott, but the girls didn't want to do it, so we decided to something everyone could agree on.

While we were in the kitchen packing the cooler, I noticed that Jackson seemed a little taller than usual.  In fact, he seemed a little taller than me.  Well, that just can’t be because he’s only a thirteen year old boy.  So Chad measured us, and sure enough, Jackson was ¼” taller than his mama.  I did what any mom would do when she realizes that her baby boy has grown so much that he’s now taller than she is:  I cried.  And I hugged him.  And he hugged me back, because I think he was a little sad about it too, to tell you the truth.  Well, that was a fun way to start my day.

We took a scenic drive to the North Shore, and on the way we stopped at Giovanni’s shrimp truck in Kahuku.  Shrimp trucks are everywhere on the North Shore, but Giovanni’s is the original.  For twenty years, they have been selling shrimp out of an old 1950s bread truck.  Had it not been featured on the Food Network and in all the travel guides, I would've drove right on by.  It looks like a truck that an old, fat, burned out hippy with a ponytail would live in.  The menu offered three choices:  Hot and Spicy, Shrimp Scampi, and Lemon-Butter.  I chose the lemon-butter because I had read such great reviews about it.  The shrimp was perfectly cooked, but I’m not sure I’m the biggest lemon-butter enthusiast.  I should've gone with my gut that was telling me, "spicy, spicy, spicy!!!"  But I’m glad we stopped.  And no one got diarrhea, which is always exciting.

Doesn't this just scream, "Come eat the shrimp that comes out of me!"?

Next, we stopped at Turtle Bay resort.  We walked to the beach, and it was packed with people.  Like every other beach in Hawaii, it was gorgeous, but the family wanted to move on to Sunset Beach, which was next on my list. 

As we pulled up to Sunset Beach, we were amazed by the beauty, and the waves were the perfect size to let the kids have fun, without causing me to worry about them drowning (which I do even when they’re in 6 inches of water).  After settling in to our spot on the beach, we headed straight for the ocean.  The waves appeared small, but I was surprised by the force of them.  Once you were knee-deep, the tide would both push and pull you at the same time, making it hard to stand up.  However, once you were beyond the crashing of the waves, the water was perfect.  And exceptionally deep.  Chad and I snorkeled while the kids played on their boogie boards. 

They played with the boogie boards both in AND out of the water

We spent hours and hours at Sunset Beach, and we had so much fun.  I became obsessed with snorkeling for sea glass.  I would swim around, looking for it on the ocean floor and then I'd dive down to pick it up.  Then I’d panic because I kept seeing the shadow of a great white shark.  It turned out just to be Chad, but I couldn't shake the feeling that sharks were lurking right behind me.  I think I have a phobia or something.  That just can't be normal.  Chad decided to snorkel halfway back to Washington without telling me, and while I was busy diving for sea glass, he disappeared, and I couldn't find him for about 5 minutes.  When you think Jaws is hunting you, and you're in the ocean, and you can't find your husband, your mind can wander.  And I had some pretty freaky images go through my mind.  

The kids spent so many hours on their boogie boards, that they have each rubbed the skin raw on their tummies.  We all got a bit too much sun, and we are all equally exhausted.  Of course, not in a "let-me-complain-and-tell-you-how-tired-I-am-so-you'll-feel-sorry-for-us" sort of way, but more like a "the-second-my-head-hits-the-pillow-I’m-gonna-be-out-for-the-night" sort of way.

Early in the day, before the waves picked up, and when the kids still had skin on their stomachs

We drove to Haliewa town to stop at Matsumoto’s for shave ice.  I had read that if there is one place to have shave ice on Oahu, it’s at Matsumoto’s.  It was a fun experience in a casual town, but the texture of their ice was nowhere near as amazing as the ice from Waiola.  Look at me – I have become a shave ice critic.  We all got ice cream in our cups with various fruit flavors, and then ate our treats outside on a bench while people watching all the tan, sand-covered beach bums.  I wanted to continue on, staying in Haliewa until sunset, but the kids wanted to go home, eat dinner, and watch Lost.  I showed them the first episode last night, so they could see the beaches we’d be at today, and they were instantly hooked.  By the third episode, they were as confused and frustrated as I was when I watched the show, and I’m so tempted to tell them what happens at the end.  Maybe I’ll use that as a form of punishment: “If you argue with me ONE MORE TIME, I’m going to tell you how Lost ends.”  Anyway, we ended up not going to the beaches where Lost was filmed. 

Coolest town on the island

Brain-freeze inducers

We had an indescribably beautiful drive home.  Surrounded by lush green mountains, thick fog, and the most vivid rainbows imaginable, it was like a scene out of Jurassic Park.  I wouldn't have been surprised if a Tyrannosaurus Rex came running onto the highway and chased us.  

If you look closely, you might see a pack of Velociraptors

The kids fell asleep in the car, and Chad patiently listened to me gasp, "Look at that!  No, look at THAT!  Oh my word, it's so gorgeous."  Had he looked at everything I told him to, his eyes never would've been on the road.  It felt good to finally walk in the front door, and when we did, we brought about 18 cups of sand in with us.  Chad prepared dinner for everyone, and then did the dishes and the laundry.  I told both of the girls to make sure they marry men that are good to them as their daddy is to me.  Ashley said, “Why can’t I just marry Daddy?” and then she turned around, and was glued to Lost once again.

Tomorrow we hike Diamond Head.  That is, of course, after we watch the sunrise and look for sea glass.

I'm too tired to go on.  In fact, I'm too tired to even write:  The Nieme.....