Summer fun!

This summer has been jam-packed with visitors and all sorts of fun activities so I am going to write about a few of the fun experiences we have had in-between work and all that has been going on. 

Opakaka Falls is another waterfall here on Kauai! If you know me you know I can't resist going to see another waterfall! In fact, on my wedding ring, Gavin has the words "another waterfall" engraved on the inside. So here we are at another waterfall!

This is a super secret one because the only way you can get to it is if you know the secret path. If you don't then you just look at it from a super far distance in a parking lot like everyone else does. But thankfully we have some friends who told us the route. 

Gavin and I made our way down the road over the fence and through the forest to the waterfall. It's not a super long trail maybe 20 minutes total. We were the only ones at the waterfall as well which was awesome. We sure took advantage of that and swam around enjoying the sun on our skin and cold water. Such a magical place! 

Another fun hike I did was with my friends from work. A big storm came and the waves were too big to take people snorkeling out in so we decided that we would go up to the canyon for sunset. It was a couple of my co-worker's first time up in the canyon and it's always so fun to see everyone's reaction to the beautiful Island of Kauai. Waimea canyon really is something else. We have the red dry rock that meshes into waterfalls and streams that lead to the look of the Kalalau Valley. We ended up hiking Kalepa Ridge at sunset which was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The ridges and blue water just leave me speechless. We did it at dusk so there was a soft orange ting on everything. I could have stayed up there for hours but the sun wouldn't permit that. The trail was pretty dry, so as we were hiking we were sliding all over the place. 

In all honesty, hiking is really a spiritual experience for me there is something about being in the beauty of the world that just makes me feel so much closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Tonight was one of the nights. As I was looking over the edge I have so much gratitude for my loving Savior and everything he has done for me. Cheers to the best hike on the Island. 

Another really fun hike Gavin and I did this summer is in Kapaa by the rainbow trees. We happen to find ourselves in this area a lot. It's super green and there aren't usually a lot of people back there which is what I love. For such a small island I feel like there are always people around. My favorite thing about this hike is the huge Albizia African trees. These trees are super invasive because they grow 17 feet a year. But they are some of my favorite. On this hike we see tons of them I feel so small walking underneath them. There is also an Avocado tree at the top. If you get lucky you can put one in your pocket and enjoy it later. I went back a few weeks later with my favorite twins to show them the views.  

One of our favorite activities to do is drive to Sugi Grove up in Waimea canyon. Sugi grove is his quiet little camp spot in the middle of Kokee state park! You can only get to Sugi grove by following an off-beaten path that is very bumpy. At the end of the road, there is a beautiful waterfall and river trail. This picture is a view from the dirt road. 

When you get to the falls you arrive at the top of it looking down the 70ft cliff into the pool of water at the bottom. Gavin loves a good thrill and so he jumped off the top. I was freaking out. I got the nervous poops.. he survived thank goodness. Cheers to Sugi grove and all the fun times. 

We had some visitors come and stay with us. Asia and Cameron came for their one-year anniversary. We didn't get any pictures with them but they sure had a lot of fun exploring the island. They could back at night sunburned and exhausted from their adventures from that day. They left one morning and the twins came that night! We picked them up and had pizza while we watched the bachelorettes. We love some good drama! 

We had a ton of fun watching scary movies, hiking, shopping, and just being together. These girls are seriously the best friends I could ask for. We just have the greatest times when we are together. We swam to Hanakapai down the Napali coast form Ke'e beach early in the morning. None of us had done it before so we had no idea what to expect. We weren't sure if we would be swimming for miles or hours. 

It ended up being a really easy swim. There wasn't much to see while we were snorkeling there it wall pretty much sand. We did see a few Humumunukukuapuaa and honus so that was exciting. Liam had a horrible cold so he was suffering in the back. We didn't bring any water, so when we got to the beach it was already getting pretty hot. We couldn't stay there long. We just started the 2-mile hike out pretty quick We also didn't have our shoes with us so we were walking on the soft Hawaiian rocks and dirt for a couple of miles. We looked a little funny walking around with our fins and masks in our swimming suits with no shoes. Everyone kept asking us where we came from. haha. This is something I definitely want to do again. 

Definitely had the best time with the twins while they were visiting. We took pictures, ate yummy food, collected shells, and went hiking a ton. 

After the swim, I dropped the twins off at the airport and rushed to meet Gavin at the Koloa shopping center so we could me Bethany Hamilton. 

We thought it would be more of a meet and greet because that is what they advertised it as. We didn't get to personally say anything to hear. But we did get to hear her speak and we entered our names into a drawing to maybe meet her. The only thing is that it was so HOT when we were there. Gavin and I were standing right in the sun. There was a balcony above us that people were standing on as well and some kid dropped his sticky soda that dripped from the walkway above onto us. Nonetheless, I got to see Bethany. She is just as sweet as a peach. She talked about taking care of your body so that you can do all these things God needs you to do. I think the older I get the more I get into living a healthy lifestyle. That not only involves food and working out. But making sure my relationships, social media, and sleep patterns are all healthy. I liked that she talked about that. It just motivates me to work hard so I can be the best version of myself. 

Gavin was a trooper and stood in the sun the whole time with me in his black hotel uniform. 

This is a photo of my work friends. It was our friend Christians's birthday so we had a little beach potluck at Shipwreck beach. Gavin and the boys all jumped off the rock into the water. I hate cliff jumping so I was excited to stay back and watch the food while they jumped. 

We of course also had to celebrate 7/11 day and get a free Slurpee. Gavin LOVES Slurpees. And I mean loves. That day we also went to get a new TV because ours was broken. Unfortunately, the coloring went out so there was an orange tint on it. Not the biggest deal but it makes everything look like it was nighttime. So we went to Target and got a 55-inch! It looks huge on our way. We definitely couldn't go bigger. 

The island also just constantly amazes me with its beauty. I feel like everywhere I look I am reminded of God and his beautiful creations. I also am just as amazed at how powerful the ocean is. We had a huge summer swell hit the south side. The waves were 20 feet big. Gavin sent me a picture from the Sheraton hotel and the grass was not sand. He sent me a few pictures. Because the waves were so big we couldn't do any snorkeling tours. It is always nice to not have to work. So I hung out with my work friends and we went up north to swim at Tunnels beach. At this beach, there are tons of tunnels you can swim through. We spent hours diving around. 

This picture was taken on my Napali coast tour. It's in the open ceiling cave and it's the exact shape of Kauai which is kinda awesome! The coast might be one of the prettiest views I have ever seen. 

Gavin also won a free Cabana from a golf tournament. So we enjoyed a pool day on one of our days off. We swam, played cribbage, and ordered expensive food. It was honestly so nice and relaxing. We don't have very many days off together. So when we do we always make sure we do something fun. 

San Diego and Disney

Gavin and I headed to San Diego for Dartanyan and Acacia's sealing. They were married last August in Utah and now are getting sealed to each other. Gavin and I took a red-eye flight to San Diego. Feels like we are always doing these Red Eyes... When we landed, Dart picked us up and took us to the famous frisbee golf course they have in the city. This was my second time playing frisbee golf so I wasn't the best star. Gavin on the other hand so much fun playing with Dart and his groomsmen. They both played on this course growing up so it was great to see them back on their old playing grounds. 

Loana was so nice and brought us some very yummy breakfast burritos. We played for a couple hours before heading to the church for the wedding rehearsal. I'm not sure what went on during the rehearsal I didn't have a part so I found a nice shady patch of grass and took a nap it was lovely. After we went to one of the best-frozen yogurt places in San Diego. The cups were HUGE I feel like 6 people could have shared one. But we all go on our own. We feasted on that rest of the night until we met with the whole wedding party for bowling! 

Bowling was great we had several lanes for ourselves. I think Gavin had a lot of fun just catching up with his cousins and friends. I enjoyed listening to them talk story and whatnot. I'm not going to lie though. I was so exhausted I might have fallen asleep on the bowling chair for an hour. 

The night was not over after blowing through. As soon as we finished we headed to visit Gavin's first-grade teacher Madam Royer. They had a special bond. It was great to finally meet Madam Roya who made such an impact on Gavin's life. 

We finally were able to get to bed and boy were we tired. I feel like as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out. 

The next morning we woke up to get ready with Acacia and Dart at the hotel. Mya and I were there doing our hair and makeup while the make-up artist worked his magic and made Acacia look stunning!  

Ben and Courtney were there taking video and they were switching in between rooms getting footage of the men and women. Ben was making me laugh so hard because he kept announcing when he was coming and leaving but nobody seemed to listen or respond but me. We had our own little joke going on that morning. 

The temple sealing was wonderful! This was the first temple sealing I have ever been to besides my own. It was really neat to see them be sealed together. 

The night ended with a wonderful ring ceremony and vow exchange on the church lawn. Acacia sure had everything planned out so well. The place was decked out in flowers and everything looked so nice. She had a candy station, dance floor, seating chart, catered taco bar, lawn games, and card table. The whole sha-bang! It was beautiful! 

Honestly, my favorite part was the cake. I am a sucker for cake. When I asked her where she got it from she said it was just boxed cake from the store. I couldn't agree more that store-bought cake is some of the best cakes! 

The Bakers sure do love to dance. I think they were on the dance floor for a couple hours shimmy and shaking all night. I enjoyed watching them while eating cake and talking to some of the cousins. 

The night wasn't over because after the wedding we drove up to Disney because we were going to go to Disney land the next day! 

The wedding was lovely and so much fun. I feel like I have missed a lot of weddings living in Hawaii and I really do enjoy weddings so this was a great start to our summer! 

Disney, here we come! 

The next day we got up for Disney around 6 am so that we could be the first people in the park that day. Gavin's family had a fun tradition of going all the way inside and waiting in front of one of the lands for the rope to drop. We started off the day with Fronteer land! We went on basically all the rides in the first hour so that was awesome! 

Dart and Acacia came later to surprise us at Disney! Gavin, Gus, and Mya were pretty happy that they had decided to come to Disney land and party! One of my favorite rides is Pirates and it was closed. I texted my mom to tell her that and she said "It's probably Ambers's fault" the whole trial with Jonny and Amber has just been horrible. My second favorite ride is Indian Jones and was able to do that one three times! 

Bob's wheelchair sure came in handy. We didn't have to wait in any lines with him. Instead of waiting in line they would give us a ticket and would tell us what time to return. While we waited for the return time we would go on another ride with a ticket we received earlier. It was awesome! Bob also go into it and really make it look like he was struggling. He was keeping me laughing 

Another popular ride we rode on was Mellenial Falan. This was the new ride in Star Wars. I had never seen Star Wars so I didn't think it was that cool. But I kept seeing everyone take pictures by this huge ship that I'm guessing was pretty cool. I'm sure it was right? Go Star Wars! 

We ran around the park until midnight. I was exhausted. I stopped to get myself some food and enjoyed the music and smells that Disney brings. The park really is a fun one for all ages. Gavin, Gus, and Mya ran all the way until midnight getting in any last-minute rides they could. We ended with our knuckles hanging low and baggy eyes. Time for bed! I was so excited to rest because the next day we were going to be flying to HNL for another wedding! But hip hip hooray for Disney!