And now for Part 2 of our “May West Trip,” the week in Hawaii!
Ahhhhh Hawaii. I love it so much… for so many reasons. This was our second trip to Hawaii, last December being the first. This time we spent time on the island of Oahu, staying in the iconic Waikiki Beach area. We also bought a three day GO Oahu Card, which got us into a lot of attractions. It was a perfect way for us to pack in some awesomeness on the trip and feel like we were saving a little money. I highly recommend it. We also brought the Oahu Revealed book along with us. It is by far our favorite Hawaii travel book. We have one for Maui too and it was like our bible last December. Do not be caught without this when you plan your own trip to paradise. Trust me…
Dan scored a ridiculously reasonable hotel within short walking distance of the beach. Our view was of the mountains which was actually quite nice! Here is the view and also an obligatory palm tree shot! 
The FIRST thing we did was walk down to the beach and get acquainted with this famous place. I’ll be honest, when I saw this statue I cried. I was just so happy and so thankful to be there. I had a moment where I was able to really see what a blessing it was to be there, to be hired by two sweet people to photograph their wedding, having been flown across the earth to be there. I’ll elaborate on the significance of that another day but suffice it to say I was overwhelmed and so so happy.
Damn what a good looking place eh? We went swimming a couple of times there, which is actually rare. Whenever Dan is in the ocean, he is doing some sort of sport. I can never get him to stop surfing for any amount of time to just float around with me. The fact that he did not have a surfboard was all that stopped him. He did eventually rent one for a few sessions but that was after I got my rare swim time. Clearly I felt a strong need to document the crap out of it. Here is a small percentage of the photos I took of that rare occurance, thanks to my LifeProof case and my iPhone 5s.
My sweet Dan. I love his man so much.
Before Adam and Sachi’s Post Wedding Session (coming to the blog TOMORROW), Dan and I scouted out places to take them. They wanted less beach and more woods and plants for their session, so we took a couple of hours one day to find the perfect spots. Let me just say, I am so so happy they asked for that. I think otherwise we would have just beached it up (since we are complete beach people). Instead we found this MAGICAL spot: Puu Ualakaa State Park. Holy. Moley. LOOK AT THE VIEW! (yes Im yelling) You’ll see how it turned out with them. I died inside with happiness.
One of the days we went to the North Shore to see some famous surf spots and we also hit up the Dole Plantation. What a tourist trap! Personally Im all about trouisty things but this was a bit excessive. Most of the place was a store and the rest was just attempts at getting you excited about things to buy at the store. That being said… I learned that there are a TON of varieties of pineapple and that they are “wittle tiny babies of cuteness” as they grow. Also… Dole Whip: the most perfect treat ever, soft serve pineapple ice cream. I thought you could only get this at the Dole Plantation and The Magic Kingdom in Disney World however that myth has officially be debunked. I saw it being served outside of the Sheraton Waikiki AND I know its at the Polynesian Resort at Disney World.
I think Dan looks super handsome here. I know he’s kind of grimacing but it was a sweet moment. We walked to Pipeline (small day… no monster waves) and we were just staring at the ocean for quite a long time. I was taking some photos (as always) and he turned to look at me, squinty buy handsome.
Pipeline Panoramic
We headed back to the hotel and then this happened out our window. Again… I cried. And Spazzed.
The number one thing we wanted to see and do on our trip was see Pearl Harbor and all the historical things they wanted to show and teach us. It was a bucket list item for both of us nearly all of our lives so… clearly we went. It was unbelievable and hard to put into words. You need to go and you need to wear good shoes. ha! Also, bring tissues, your camera, money for coffee (because it’s exhausting). Also… the USS Missouri is a must see. I dont think I really have the right words to describe the experience so I will leave that to you when you visit.
 A somewhat logical step after that is the Byodo-In Temple. From war to peace.
Another beautiful night in Wakiki. We just sat and watched the sunset on this bench. That is what I call a perfect evening.
Other things we did? The Bishop Museum, which was SUPER educational and totally worth the stop. We also stopped in at the HE>i shop, where we got a sweet decal for the car. #heisgreaterthani
OF COURSE we went to a Luau! How could we not?
We had a farewell swim the gorgeous waters of Waikiki, just hours before we met Ashley and Marshall for dinner and a mini-photo session. She blessed us with her energy and skill on a few rolls of film. I am dying to see what the images look like!! It’s been so long since we have had our photos taken and this was absolutely perfect timing in our lives. #happy Make sure to check out her work: Ashley Goodwin Photography
Then it was the LONG trip home time. We fly from Honolulu to Portland Oregon to Seattle to Boston and then took the bus back here to Portland Maine. Not pleasant… except for three VERY pleasant details. Free drinks on BOTH of the two first legs of the trip and then on the Seattle to Boston flight we had an empty seat between us. OMG!! 
You know you are living in the right place though when you are just as happy to be home as you are in “paradise.” I would say we went from Paradise to Paradise.
