Category: [ Travel | Adventures ]

San Francisco, CA: An itinerary that surely won’t disappoint.

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My husband and I love travelling and exploring, and simply, just being together. Every summer, we try our best to plan a trip with friends or a trip for just the two of us. This summer, we decided to plan a trip for just the two us to explore the fun, eclectic, and beautiful city of San Francisco, California. We have heard so much about the city, the bay, the attractions, and all the fun things you can do, so we decided to check it out for ourselves. Neither of us has been to California or spent much time out west, so we decided to book a flight and hotel and head west for a one week vacation/exploration to San Francisco, California.

My husband and I are planners but we like to keep our travel itineraries light with plenty of room to fill in the blanks. Now, don’t get me wrong, we always plan out the essentials: flight, hotel, and transportation. However, we leave the rest to curiosity and spontaneity. For San Francisco, we had a pretty comprehensive list of things we wanted to see and do, but as we ventured into one local place after another, we asked the locals to help us fill in the blanks.

We have since returned from our trip and had an absolute blast. My husband and I both agreed that we could not let the details of our trip go without being shared with others to also enjoy, so I’ve committed to sharing our updated itinerary with all the details and tidbits of information we learned from our trip on my blog. The goal is to build a running list of several itineraries we’ve created and experienced to share with readers, but to primarily share the raw and honest details that you don’t always get in your planning efforts.

Lombard Street

GG Bridge

 

The Good:

  • The weather is fabulous during the day!
  • It’s very easy to get around so there isn’t a need for a rental car. (Unless you prefer to have your own wheels! However, consider this a warning, parking is charged daily and is very expensive, so be prepared to pay a hefty price!)
  • There is so much to do and see that you could easily spend four days to a week and a half depending on what you pack into your trip. Needless to say, you will not get bored.
  • The people are wonderful and very welcoming. The residents of San Fran and nearby cities recognize and understand the city is a touristy place, but they very much appreciate the business and are happy to share details about their city and great local places to check out. You just have to ask!

The Bad:

  • The temperatures are colder in the morning and at night, so dress in layers! This can often be annoying if you plan on being out from morning through evening and don’t plan on pit-stops to your hotel or carrying a backpack. One minute you’re chilly and the next you are burning up. (See second bullet.)
  • The hills. The city of San Francisco is built on hills. What you’ve seen in the movies and on TV shows is no joke. The hills are often steeper than 45 degrees. That being said, you might be burning up walking up one of those steep hills, but once you are at the top and catch that wind you are instantly chilly.
  • San Fran is a very touristy city. There are people from all over the world that travel to the city for the same reasons we travel to the city: to see what all the talk is about. That being said, the crowds are often big, the sidewalks are busy, and depending on what you have planned there might be lines. (I’m not saying this is a terrible thing, it just requires patience and understanding.)

The Ugly:

  • San Fran is very expensive. I view San Fran as the New York City of the west coast. Like I said before, it’s a popular destination for tourists from all over the world, so prices are inflated in popular areas such as Fisherman’s Wharf, anywhere along the bay, and around Golden Gate Park. San Fran is sectioned off by districts and I recommend checking out Little Italy (North Beach) and China Town for reasonable prices on food, drinks, and souvenirs.
  • There is a lot of homelessness. I am certainly not saying homeless people are bad. However, homelessness is something that is conveniently left out of a lot of travel sites/blogs/etc. when describing certain travel destinations. Homelessness is an unfortunate reality for too many people, and I have found that homelessness populations are greater in high traffic tourist destinations and in places with more consistent weather patterns (i.e. New York City, Tampa, the Carolinas, and California.) All this being said, I think it is important to highlight that homelessness is a serious issue in San Francisco and it requires a level of awareness, understanding, and empathy when you plan to visit the city.

A few quick tips:

  • Weather (as told by the locals):

    • December-May is pretty chilly averaging around 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with colder temperatures in the morning and evenings.
    • June-August it starts to get a little warmer during the day averaging around 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with colder temperatures in the morning and evenings.
    • September-November is the best time to travel to San Fran because the temperatures are warmer during the day, the wind off the bay isn’t as cold, and the evening temperatures aren’t as chilly.
    • Overall, the weather in San Fran is beautiful with blue skies, mostly sunny, and very few chances of rain. Please keep in mind the Pacific Ocean is significantly colder than the Atlantic and Gulf. If you are used to the Great Lakes temperatures, then you will be perfectly fine. I just worry about the Midwesterners, Southerners, and east coast folks that are used to warmer waters. San Fran is on the bay (duh, I know!) and I say this only because the wind coming off the Pacific into the bay is cold and the wind can be ruthless. Be sure to pack layers and a wind-breaker if you have it.

  • Getting around:

    • Walking is the absolute best way to explore the city! Be sure to pack comfortable walking shoes or tennis shoes. You can certainly bring a cute pair of pumps or wedges for a nice evening out to dinner, but don’t plan on wearing those types of shoes during the day. For good foot health, I would also avoid flip flops or shoes without good arch supports. Like I said, walking is the best way to get around the city and you will do a lot of it, so you want your arches, your heels, and the balls of your feet to be supported and comfortable. Flips flops just don’t cut it.
    • Bikes are another great way to explore San Fran. There are several different bike rental companies spread out around the city with tons of different “drop off” points. My husband and I biked across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, and on a different day we biked the Golden Gate State Park to Ocean Beach, Lincoln Park, the Presidio, and dropped them off in the Marina District. We saw several people biking through the city, but I caution biking through the city because of the congestion, busy sidewalks, and smaller roads. It just becomes a little more dangerous. I recommend biking through the Golden Gate Park, along the Presidio, close to the Golden Gate Bridge (or across it), the Marina District, Fisherman’s Wharf, and along the Embarcadero.
    • The Pubic Transportation Systemà BART, MUNI, and Cable Cars. This takes a little self-direction and guidance, but it’s worth it. The BART stands for “Bay Area Rapid Transit” and takes you to limited places in the city because it primarily serves as a rapid transit for commuters into San Francisco and surrounding areas. The MUNI is the inner-city bus system that is your best bet for getting around if you aren’t into walking or biking. The MUNI will pretty much drop you off in the heart of the different districts of San Fran such as the Financial, Union, Mission, Civic, North Beach, etc. The Cable Cars, in my opinion, were hard to navigate and required standing in line because they are a popular tourist attraction. It’s worth getting on a Cable Car though just to say you rode one! Google Maps is your BEST friend when navigating the bus routes, stops, and streets you need.
    • To and from the Airport. On the way to our hotel from the airport, my husband and I took the BART to the Embarcadero Station on Market Street, which is one of the popular areas in the city. From there, we bought tickets for the “F-Line” (the street car) to Fisherman’s Wharf, which is where we stayed. From the hotel to the airport, we reserved a shuttle service with our hotel concierge that was relatively low-cost and took us directly to the airport.

Sunday, July 2

Flew from Cincinnati directly to San Francisco on Frontier. Frontier is not my favorite airline (that would be Delta for those interested in knowing, haha), but our tickets were priced well and it was a direct flight there and back. For us, Frontier worked out for this particular trip but in case you didn’t already know, Frontier charges $45 for checked bags AND carry-on bags so be prepared when they nickel and dime you.

We arrived to San Francisco, took the BART, MUNI, and F-Line (Street Car) to get to our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Fisherman’s Wharf on Columbus Avenue because we got a good rate. I would recommend checking out Groupon, Living Social, AirBnB, and other travel booking sites for competitive rates.

After getting checked into the hotel, we spent the evening walking around Fisherman’s Wharf and indulging in an infamous clam chowder and sourdough bread bowl for dinner.

Financial District/Union Square

Chinatown

Monday, July 3

We wanted to grab breakfast at the Hollywood Café but the line was wrapped around the block with no end in sight so we ended up at Darren’s Café, which was very tasty and had great service!

We walked the entire city! No joke. My husband and I walked just over the equivalent of a half marathon on our first day in the city (13.66 miles). We started out in Fisherman’s Wharf and made our way to the infamous Lombard Street (“Crookedest” Street), walked through Russian Hill and then over to China Town. From there, we walked through China Town making our way towards the Financial District, Union Square, the Yerba Buena Gardens, and the Civic Center. After the Civic Center, we walked to the Mission where we stopped for dinner at El Techa (a great rooftop bar) and a few beers at Zeitgeist (see comprehensive list below.) After dinner and drinks in the Mission, we headed for a quaint little bar called “CC’s” just south of Pacific Heights or “Pac Heights.” At CC’s, we experienced the California Special which is a shot of Fernet. I strongly advise anyone and everyone to avoid this shot at all costs. The bartender and a few patrons at CC’s recommended we check out a pizza place around the corner and then head to “Buena Vista” for a famous Irish coffee, so we followed their directions! The pizza place we stopped at was okay, but not good enough to remember. However, the “Buena Vista” bar famous for their Irish coffee earned our business four of the six nights we were there. Again, see bar list below.

Tuesday, July 4

We rented bikes close to Ghirardelli Square and biked the perimeter of the bay following the pathway to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, we biked over the Golden Gate Bridge, which I highly encourage if you’re up for the challenge. It’s actually not too bad of a bike ride, but there are a few hills you have to tackle. The view from the bridge is absolutely spectacular, but you have to see it for yourself to truly appreciate its beauty. After crossing the bridge, we biked down the hills into Sausalito, which is a quaint little town along the bay with a fabulous view of the city of San Francisco. Restaurants, breweries, and shops decorated the main strip of Sausalito, so it’s safe to say we also enjoyed our time on the other side of the bridge.

We were going to take the ferry from Sausalito back to Fisherman’s Wharf, but the ferry schedule was limited and delayed due to the 4th of July holiday. We ended up grabbing a taxi back to the Wharf, due to timing, because we booked a 4th of July Bay Cruise for that evening. The Bay Cruise was a bust because the fog was really bad that evening so we couldn’t even see the fireworks. That’s okay though! It was a gamble that we took.

Wednesday, July 5

We booked a Muir Woods/Sonoma Wine Country day tour that took up the majority of our day on Wednesday. Muir Woods is a must see if you are making the trip out to California! The redwood trees are God’s work right before you. They are so beautiful and so mysterious at the same time. The only logical explanation is God’s craftsmanship.

After our trip to Muir Woods, our tour bus/guide drove our small group (12 people total) to three wineries and a short trip to the town of Sonoma. Overall, the wineries were great. I mean, it’s wine, right? How can you complain about that? However, Benjamin and I live in Bourbon Country where spirits have a rich history and deep family ties. In my opinion, the particular wineries we visited lacked the history and identity we were expecting or hoping. Our favorite winery we visited was Jacuzzi! If you are making your way through Sonoma, I would strongly encourage you stop at Jacuzzi and check it out.

Thursday, July 6

Thursday was a pretty relaxed day! We were exhausted after three longs days of adventuring and excursions. We slept in and eventually made our way to Starbucks. From there, we walked to the Golden Gate State Park from Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a pretty lengthy walk. Once we got to the park, we rented bikes and biked the monstrosity that is the Golden Gate State Park. The park is enormous with so many different attractions. We took the bikes from the far east point of the park all the way to Ocean Drive. We followed Ocean Drive up to the Cliff House and just kept going. We ended up biking all the way back to the Marina District where we returned the bikes. We staked out a quaint place to take in the gorgeous sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Friday, July 7

We were completely wiped out by Friday so we spent the entire day hanging out in the Little Italy and Chinatown districts just drinking and bar hopping. There is a spunky bartender at Northstar Café in the North Beach district (“Little Italy”) that gave us a laundry list of bar recommendations for that afternoon/evening. We followed suit. Comstock was one of the bar recommendations because on Fridays they give you a free lunch with a purchase of a beer. Granted, you only get one lunch option, but it doesn’t matter given that it’s free. There isn’t much to elaborate on for Friday because the whole day was spent drinking and hanging you at different bars talking and getting to know San Franciscans.

Free Lunch at Comstock!

Saturday, July 8

On Saturday, we bought tickets for the cable car so we could closeout our San Francisco experience. Our flight left San Francisco early evening on Saturday, so the day was spent walking around Fisherman’s Wharf for the last time, eating the last of the grub, and packing up all our souvenirs.

Riding the Cable Car

What we missed:

Monterrey Bay

Yosemite

Bars:

The “42 Must See Bars in SanFran” (copied below) became a city guide for us. We planned our day around the districts we wanted to visit and the bars in those districts we had to check out. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed. We shared this list with every bartender we talked to because we needed confirmation that these places were worth our while. The bartenders put their stamp of approval on this list and agreed this is a comprehensive and impressive list for drinking enthusiast.

42 Must See Bars in SanFran 

Food:

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Comstock

The Main Attractions:

Ferry Building
Alcatraz
Golden Gate Bridge
Pier 39
Fisherman’s Wharf
Ghirardelli Square
Golden Gate Park (deYoung Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Rose Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, AIDS Memorial Grove, Conservatory of Flowers)

Ocean Beach
Alamo Square Park & The Painted Ladies
The Mission District
Ride on the Cable Cars and Street Cars
Chinatown
Japantown
Haight-Ashbury District

Duboce Park
Dolores Park
The Castro (Castro St from Market to 18th; birthplace of the LGBT Civil Rights Movement)
The Women’s Building
Murals in the Mission (Clarion Alley)
The Embarcadero
Muir Woods
Point Reyes
Monterrey Bay & Aquarium

 

Running for the Ability Experience: Please help me reach my fundraising goal!

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One of my dear friends, Chelsea Ball, started working for the Ability Experience last year and has inspired me and one of my best friends, Jennifer Jane Farinella, to get involved with the organization and its mission. The weekend of November 10-12, 2017, we will be running in the Geico Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon event raising funds and awareness on behalf of people with disabilities. I am taking on this challenge for many reasons, but primarily to support a dear friend and an organization and cause I care deeply about, The Ability Experience.

Everyone runs for different reasons, but I feel inclined to share with you why I run. Every time my feet hit the pavement, I run in honor of my big brother, Larry E. Tipton (LT2). My big brother suffered and he hurt deeply, and I run in hopes of taking away even the slightest of his pain. I run to be close to him. I run for him and I run towards him. I pray he is with me in every step, in every breathe, and in every beat of my heart. When I run, his pain is my pain. For this particular race, I not only run for him, but I run for people near and far that suffer from any form of pain or disability.

I run for my cousin Kaydin with down syndrome, I run for my cousin Carli that suffers horrible juvenile arthritis, and I run for two of our family friends, the Walters and the Barrs. No matter the pain or disability, emotional/mental/physical, I run for you. I will channel your spirit, your adrenaline, your strength, your love, and your happiness. You are worth it and you are able, and I run for you.

Funds raised by our team will go towards helping athletes with disabilities get the opportunity to experience endurance events like the one in which I will be participating. It is our team’s goal to raise over $25,000 through the Geico Rock ‘N’ Roll event, but I need your help and support to reach my personal fundraising goal of $800.

Together, we can create a community, one relationship at a time, where the abilities of all people are recognized and valued. If you feel in your heart this is a cause you wish to support, I encourage you to donate not only to help me reach my personal fundraising goal but to contribute to a cause that empowers. If you could, please take a moment to make a tax-deductible contribution in support of my half marathon and witness first-hand how your gift will impact the lives of people with disabilities. Please click on the donate button below to be routed to my personal fundraising page.

On behalf of The Ability Experience, my fundraising team, and people with disabilities whose lives will be impacted as a result of your support, I sincerely thank you.

An un-BELIZE-able trip to Belize!

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As I reflect on my trip to Belize, my heart turns to scripture because what I learned and experienced on my trip can only be translated and felt through His word.

Philippians 2: 3-4

Family and friends have been asking me about my trip and it’s been difficult extracting the highlights of my trip because, to me, everything is worth highlighting. I went to Belize with the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville as part of an international learning experience trip for our education majors. Our team was comprised of 18 of our best teacher education students, two faculty members, and three support staff. We left early on Saturday, April 29th and returned in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, May 12th. It was a very long and emotionally and physically exhausting trip, but it was a truly life changing experience.

Our group at the Louisville airport anxiously awaiting our flight to Belize!

I wanted to share a screenshot of Belize on GoogleMaps for a frame of reference. See below:

Belize (Big Picture Location)

The Country of Belize

Our first few days in Belize were excursion days. We crossed the border into Guatemala to visit and hike the ruins of Tikal in the Tikal National Park. The Tikal National Park is one of the largest archaeological sites of the Mayan Civilization. The structures were so advanced and it was amazing to see how progressive and intelligent the Mayan Civilization was for its time.  It reminded me of Pompeii in Italy. If you’re interested in reading and learning more about Tikal and the Mayan Civilization, I recommend checking out this website: http://www.tikalnationalpark.org/

We did a little shopping on the Guatemalan and Belizean border before heading to Cardie’s (our hotel) in Independence, Belize. My days are running together as the weeks have passed since our return, but I think we arrived in Independence on Monday, May 1st. Independence is a bustling little town. There is one main road that runs through Independence with several breakaway neighborhood streets that lead to supermarkets, schools, and other local businesses. Our hotel, Cardie’s, was a modest place with only enough rooms for our travel group. There was an upstairs dining facility where we enjoyed homemade breakfast and dinner every day throughout the week. The wonderful ladies that worked in the kitchen also packed our lunches each day we traveled to the schools. Needless to say, we completely took over Cardie’s for the duration of our stay. Several us enjoyed our evening jogs to the port and rickety wooden dock overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Tuesday, May 2nd was our very first day in the schools. We divided up into two groups; Group 1 was assigned to teach in the  Village of San Pablo and Group 2 was assigned to teach in the Village of Red Bank. See image below. For our first two days in the schools, I went with the San Pablo group where I completely fell in love and left a piece of my heart. The Village of San Pablo is tucked approximately 10 miles into the rain forest surrounded by hundreds of acres of banana farms. The drive into the village is a long, narrow, and bumpy drive down a dirt/dust road, but the stretch of banana farms along both sides of the road is hands down a site to be seen. I learned that the working conditions of the banana farm workers is terrible. It’s a physically taxing job in the unbearable heat of the tropics that pays very little. Now, every time I eat a banana I think about the workers in the banana fields on the way to San Pablo giving it everything they have to make it through the day.

The backdrop of San Pablo was breathtaking. I mean, God’s canvas just came to life as I was staring up at this mountainside soaking in the vibrant colors of the trees, flowers, birds, and skyline. It reminded of a scene from Jurassic Park and I was just waiting for a T-Rex to come barreling down the mountainside.

The backdrop of San Pablo. This picture does not do it justice.

Looking down into the village.

School Building

School Building

School Building

The three pictures above listed as “School Building” are just that…the school buildings in San Pablo. In Belize, free education only goes through our equivalent of 8th grade. If the Belizean students wish to continue onto to high school, they have to pass all their standard exams, seek approval and support from their family, and find/work for the money to continue seeking their education (similar to how we pay to go to college). A lot of families expect their children to make it through the 8th grade and then start working in the banana fields (or other labor intensive jobs) to help contribute to the household income.

What I loved most about the children in the schools was their excitement and enthusiasm to learn. I feel like students in the states enjoy being at school for the most part, but lack the enthusiasm to learn and expand their minds. In Belize, the students have a genuine appreciation for learning, for being and learning together, and for the opportunity to have an education. On Mondays, the school day always starts with worship in the church building. From there, the standards (grades) break up and go to their respective buildings. Each standard (grade) shares a room and teacher (1 shared with 2, 3 shared with 4, 5 shared with 6, and 7 shared with 8). Can you imagine our 5th graders being in the same classroom with our 6th graders? The learning disparity between the grades is significant (at least in the States), but unfortunately in Belize that’s their only option due to resources, space, and money. I was thoroughly impressed with the teachers and their ability to make the absolute best with what little they have.

Anyways, as I said, I spent the first two days at San Pablo, and then went to Red Bank with Group 2 on the third day. I’m not going to lie, I was really frustrated about going to Red Bank because I didn’t want to be anywhere but San Pablo loving on those kids. However, my experience at Red Bank turned out to be just as wonderful. I ended up assisting one of our UofL students in a Standard 1 and 2 classroom (I think those were the standards). The two of us were in charge of 40-50 four and five-year-old students. I say “in charge” but those students ended up being “in charge” of us. We tried teaching them their numbers but we couldn’t get them to sit still and pay attention unless we bribed them with Skittles. Finally, my student and I decided to take the kids outside to play duck-duck-goose, which turned into a chasing game. Teachers versus kids. There is a video out there somewhere of me being chased by 50 four and five-year-old kids that inevitably ended up with me being tackled to the ground and mobbed by the crazy firecracker energy of these sweet babies. Here are a few photos from my time at Red Bank:

Red Bank School Buildings

Just some funnies with the kiddos.

Alexander (4-yrs-old) brought me this homemade basket as a gift when he returned from lunch.

Walking Alexander home.

That weekend our group took a day trip to Placencia , a tourist town, to go snorkeling, shopping, and to gather our physical and mental energies to tackle the week ahead of us. It was certainly refreshing to have the time to relax, but all of us were anxious to get back to the schools to spend time the kids. For me, I wrestled with sincere guilt being in Placencia “relaxing” knowing the families and kids in the villages we were serving didn’t have the same opportunity. The families and kids deserved the time to relax much more than I did, but I enjoyed reflecting and being in raw thought nonetheless.

I returned to San Pablo for the remainder of our time at the schools (Monday through Wednesday) and tried to enjoy and appreciate every last second I had with the precious children. It was a bitter sweet experience getting to know and love these kids knowing I would leave them at the end of the week. Wednesday, May 10th was our last day in the schools and there was a somber feeling in the village knowing the seconds were counting down to goodbye. If you know me, you know I’m not much of a public crier, but saying goodbye to those precious souls brought out every possible tear stored inside me. My heart was so full having met them, gotten to know them, and shared invaluable moments together. There were a handful of kids (you can probably tell which ones based on my pictures below) that easily hugged me goodbye ten times. I told a few people that asked about my trip that I have never felt a hug the way I have felt their hugs. When they hug you, they mean it! In closing, it is safe to say that I had an unBELIZEable time and a very humbling life changing experience.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

Our San Pablo Group

Oscar

My Farm 14 Crew ❤

A little Carolina shout out! I gifted my USC water bottle to Kaitlyn (center) because she didn’t have anything to drink water out of like some of the other kids.

The end.  ❤

 

 

Louisville On My Mind

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Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, KY

A summer of love, friendships, and learning opportunities in the city that stole my heart.

Oh, Louisville. What have you done to my heart? I arrive to your city with just a couple of suitcases to get me through the summer, and now I find myself perplexed as to why I ever had to leave. Who would have thought two and half months would change my life forever?

But you, Louisville….you did.

Every morning since my return to Carolina, I wake up wishing I could walk along your river’s edge. My mind always floats back to the memories of strolling along your pedestrian bridge, or walking along Main Street and soaking up the glory and culture of your city and its love. I long for the friendships and people that I met within the walls of your fortress. You created a safe haven for me to discover the old me that has been buried deep inside for far too long. Your welcoming skyline is in my dreams each night. And on my worst days, I go back to those unforgettable moments driving through your countryside; the place I wish to someday call home. And when I just can’t take the pain of missing you any longer, I smile… because in that moment, your smell, your noise, your looks, your touch, and your taste all come rushing back to me. They wash over me and flood my heart with nothing but love, appreciation, and comfort for all that your city has instilled in my heart.

You’re on my mind and in my heart sweet Louisville. I just sure hope I’m on yours.

My Journey

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I am ashamed of my lack thereof blogging behavior! I haven’t posted anything in what seems like ages. Regardless, now that it’s summer, I am looking forward to getting back into my blogging groove.

In the meantime, I created this little picture tonight because I was thinking about all the places I’ve been in the past five years. Hope you enjoy! Please be on the look out for an actual writing piece soon. 🙂 Cheers!

My Journey

My Hawaiian Adventure

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Aloha!

My mom and I just returned from a ten day trip in the heavenly state of Hawaii. 🙂 For my college graduation gift, my wonderful mother planned a mom-daughter trip to the Aloha state. The following pictures, captions and stories are from our Hawaiian adventures. 🙂 The purpose of this post is to share with my readers my trip down memory lane as my mom took me back to the places I used to run and splash around as a baby.  I hope you enjoy the post, or at least find it somewhat entertaining.

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Mom and me before we take off on the 10 hour flight from Atlanta to Hawaii.

I believe she is getting her last words in with my dad before they are cut from all lines of communication for 10 hours. Haha

The flight was gruesome. Well, I might be exaggerating a little bit. The flight consisted of sleeping, movie watching, reading and wine drinking. I guess it wasn’t too bad other than the fact that my butt and back were killing me by the time we landed. Not like I had room for complaints.

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This is the very first view I had of the islands from the plane. 🙂 I was that rebel that turned my phone on while we were still in the air. I couldn’t find my freaking camera and I wasn’t about to let that view go un-captured.

Our first five days of  our Hawaiian adventure was spent on Oahu. Fun fact about Court, I was born in Kailua, which is a quaint town tucked into the mountains on Oahu. My mom and I lived in Hawaii until I was four, then we moved back to Ohio. Well, I take that back, my mom moved back to Ohio and I moved to Ohio. Just to be more technical. Anyways, we stayed in Waikiki, but spent most of our days venturing around the island of Oahu.

Our second day in Hawaii, we took a stab at surfing. Haha. If only we had a water proof video camera- we would have definitely made Youtube’s Top 20. We were smart about it and took the lessons so we didn’t make complete fools of ourselves, but my mom had this bright idea to have our surf instructor, JP, snap pics of us with the cheap water proof camera we bought at the ABC store. lol. Needless to say, JP is the worst photographer on the face of this earth. **JP, if you are reading this post please know that I am not attacking you personally. I am only attacking your crappy photography skills…if you want to call them skills.**  JP got the most unflattering photos of us, but of course didn’t get the great pics of my mom and I actually riding the waves. Oh well.

For those surfer enthusiasts out there, I am thoroughly impressed with your abilities. It takes a lot of strength to paddle yourself out and balance on those boards…. Let alone catch those crazy waves that are bigger than Texas mansions.

After surfing, mom and I went to the famous Dukes restaurant that Jimmy sings about in his song “Dukes on Sunday”. The picture below is me before I stuff my face with fish tacos. 🙂

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Mom and I about to take in the sunset at Waikiki Beach.

Might I add, right before I snapped this pic, we were watching the cutest little island boy with his long sun bleached hair looking out at the waves from the rocks while he ate his bag of chips. Super cute. See below. (I know I am a total creepo for taking a picture of this little kid without him even knowing, but I really couldn’t help myself.)

The next picture is of Hanauma Bay. Hanauma Bay is a natural pool that was formed in a volcanic crater thousands and thousands of years ago. The more incredible part of this natural pool is that it is home to a diverse family of sea creatures. Because the Bay is a safe haven for several different sea critters, it inevitably is an extremely popular tourist destination. Why you ask? Well, the snorkeling is phenomenal. I went snorkeling for the first time at Hanauma Bay and there are no words to describe the beauty of the Pacific underwater. The fish were just little swimming canvases of color. It was breathtaking.

I would like to take a short second to credit the state of Hawaii and their preservation efforts of the land. Before entering Hanauma Bay, it was mandatory that guests watch a ten minute video of the history of the Bay and how to protect the sea creatures and the land. At first you’re a little annoyed because you just want to run to the beach and jump into the crystal clear waters, but after watching the film you have an entirely new perspective and respect for the Bay and the entire state of Hawaii. Sorry for the tangent, but I just wanted to share how happy it made me to see the Hawaii government regulating, educating and preserving Hanauma Bay.

The Polynesian Culture Center.

Trust me, you aren’t losing your mind. There really is two men climbing the palm tree. As a witness, I will testify that these two men climbed that tree with nothing but their hands and feet in less than three minutes. Looking at this picture, I am still amazed. My mom and I went to the Polynesian Culture Center, which was by far my favorite experience of Hawaii. The Polynesian Culture Center opened to the public in 1963 and has dedicated its time and efforts educating and sharing with the world the cultures, diversity and spirit of the nations of Polynesia. Those nations include Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Easter Island. The most interesting part of the PCC is that it is ran by the Brigham Young University in Hawaii. BYU-Hawaii offers scholarship and internship opportunities for students from the Polynesian nations to come and work at the PCC. Other students that attend BYU-Hawaii are offered opportunities to work at PCC also. The PCC is made up of  different island villages representing the different nations of Polynesia, museums of artifacts, gift shops, a water parade,  music and dancing, tasty and entertaining luaus and an evening show. Everyone at the PCC is more than welcoming and burns of passion for their culture and heritage. It was so inspiring. (On a side note, I will say that the men are extremely muscular, friendly and attractive. Also, the women are unbelievably gorgeous. I have never met a group of people with such flawless skin, awesome bods and beautiful hair. Makes me wish I was Polynesian.) I have attached more pics from the PCC below.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that my mom volunteered to go on stage and Tahitian hula. Haha. Fun fact, she did the same thing 20 years ago when I was in her stomach. Technically, my mom has taken me to the PCC twice. My first time, I was still a baby in her belly. The second time was a few weeks ago… I was 21 years old. Matter of fact, when my mom took me to the PCC before I was actually born, one of the Hawaiian natives gave me a name. I can’t for the life of me remember how to spell it so I am going to share what it means. My Hawaiian name means “dances to the beat of the drum”. Anyways, this is my momma below doing the Tahitian hula. 🙂

And this kid, he stole my heart. He is the cutest kid I have ever seen. He was part of the Fiji village and did a Fijian dance for the crowd with two other guys. It was so cute because I think one of the guys dancing with him was his dad.

Beautiful Maui.

Maui, unlike Oahu, is completely serene. On Maui, you’re able to experience and enjoy true Hawaii- not the touristy obnoxiousness. The picture below is at the top of Mount Haleakala. Haleakala makes up almost 75% of the island of Maui. It’s tallest peak stands at 10, 023 feet. Matter of fact, Mount Haleakala is the world’s largest dormant volcano. There is a road that takes you all the way up the mountain to look over the 7 mile-wide crater. Mom and I drove all the way up, which wasn’t enjoyable to say the least. I have a small case of car sickness and a large case of MaryBeth’s driving sickness. Needless to say, when we reached the top I wasn’t feeling the greatest, and the 40 mile per hour winds didn’t help my queasiness. The temperature dropped at least 40 degrees from the bottom the mountain to the top, too. Nevertheless, the view was breathtaking. We were above the clouds looking down into this grand canyon-like crater. Absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy the pics below. 🙂

Yea, that’s right! I survived.

Not trying to make this post super packed with information, but this is really interesting. Approximately 90% of Mount Haleakala’s flora is only found in Hawaii.  Including this beautiful Silversword plant.