Hawaii

Loren was lucky enough to have a conference in Kona, Hawaii, this year.  Because it was also our 10th anniversary this summer, I decided to tag along.

Loren always wanted to see this waterfall, it is Akaka Falls by Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.  We also went to a few farmers markets and tried unsuccessfully to find a black sand beach.  We had fun running around the island trying to find it, though.  The Big Island is where the Iron Man is run and we saw huge fields of lava, desert, and rain forest. It was crazy and beautiful.

 A lava tube!  Right next to the highway! We had dolphins and sea turtles at our resort, and I tried to make friends with the resort cat.

While I was stuck being seen by the airline medic Loren took some friends deep sea fishing.  They caught a few marlins, but let them live to swim another day. 

During the conference I went to the Kona Temple, which was small but beautiful. 

After the conference we ran over to the island of Oahu.  We went kayaking and snorkeling, and spent some time at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We didn't see much fish, but we still had fun.  My favorite part was when we went swimming with the sharks on the North Shore.  It was amazing, we had 30-40 sharks around us, and Loren was able to touch one.  

We did some shopping and enjoyed dinners without children.  We are so grateful for Loren's parents who watched over our cute little ones.  We had a wonderful time, what a great way to celebrate!