A hui hou!

As she drove me to the airport (to go home, sad), Jen asked me for my Top Five, in no particular order.

  1. Kailua Beach

    Kailua Beach

    Kailua Beach

    This was the first beach that Jen and I visited. The tide was pretty high along this beach, so our towels got drenched right away. Oh, well! This was my first time swimming in an ocean (I’ve waded around both the Pacific and Atlantic before), so the waves knocked me over on my first try. On my second try, I dove in head first and managed to make it past the break and float around for a while.

  2. Kaena Point

    Jade and Jen at Kaena Point

    Martin at Kaena Point

    Jen’s friends from her previous home (in Bellingham, Washington) joined us a for an overcast afternoon at Kaena Point. We saw critters here: tiny sand crabs, larger crabs in the waves, our first Portuguese Man o’ War, and even a sea turtle. Jen and Martin jumped in the water while Jade and I watched from the beach.

    Kaena Point
  3. Spam Musubi/Shrimp Truck/Motsumoto Shave Ice

    We ate these within a reasonable time period so I’m considering these one meal — three courses!

    Spam Musubi

    Shrimp Truck Plate

    Me with my Shave Ice

    To sum these up in one word: ONO! (which means “delicious!”)

  4. Japanese Garden at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

    Koi in the pond at the Japanese Garden, U of Hawaii at Manoa

    I suppose all of the student were either in class or still sleeping, because I had this whole area to myself. It was peaceful and lovely.

  5. Lanikai Beach

    Two Sisters at Lanikai Beach

    Tourists at Lanikai Beach

    Me and Jen at Lanikai Beach

    Don’t you love our glasses? I do.

    Lanikai Beach

    Even though I cut my foot on coral here, it was the best beach for swimming. It wasn’t crowded, the sand was very fine, and the water was clear. The Portuguese Man o’ War littered this beach, however, so we had to watch our step!

    But, Jen, how can I stop at 5?

  6. Magic Island Barbecue

    Playing Music on Magic Island

    View of Downtown Honolulu from Magic Island

    Off the Coast of Magic Island

    Magic Island

    Jen’s classmates invited us to barbecue on Magic Island at Ala Moana. It was a great, sunny day until the clouds rolled in around sunset – but they were so beautiful and photogenic, that I didn’t mind too much.

  7. Green Tea Ice Cream with a Candle for my Birthday

    Terry, me and Jen

    I'm making a wish before blowing out my birthday candle!

    A jet-lagged Terry (who had just flown back from Minneapolis!) joined Jen and me for dinner. We got three very yummy sushi rolls, a huge bottle of Kirin to share, and the waiter surprised me by putting a candle in my complementary ice cream. I had a wonderful birthday.

  8. Chinese Cemetery

    Chinese Cemetery tombstones

    Chinese Cemetery flowers on a dead tree

    Chinese Cemetery zodiac boar statue

    I only visited the smaller half, too. The plants here were incredible (colorful and out of control) and I loved the zodiac animal statues.

  9. Lunch at the Kona Brewing Company

    Me and my Birthday Mai Tai

    It took me a day and a half to find this Mai Tai.

    Fish Tacos at Kona Brewing Company

    The View from Kona Brewing Company

    For a moment I forgot that I was in Hawaii with Jen — it felt like a wonderful Minnesota summer day! I loved sitting on their lanai (porch) overlooking Kuapa Pond

  10. Seeing Jen

    Jen in China Town

    ‘Cause she’s so funny and pretty, you know? (Mahalo for hosting me, darling!)

I could probably make a list of my top 100 and still not cover every awesome little thing, but I feel I should have a few more honorable mentions: downtown Honolulu, seeing Coco Head (and most of the rest of the island) from a convertible, getting flowers from Jason on my birthday, the cats of UHM (at night!), seeing Jen’s current show, and people-watching at Waikiki.

I posted a ridiculous amount of photos on Flickr and a few videos on YouTube.

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