Hawaii: Thursday and Friday

On Thursday morning the boys headed down to the pool for a  quick swim and then we headed into downtown Kona to do some more shopping. Austin had been so patient and he was so excited to get his ukulele case, he knew exactly which one he wanted.

Earlier in the week we had booked a Fair Winds snorkeling cruise and Thursday afternoon was the day. We had absolutely gorgeous weather every day but Thursday afternoon as we boarded the boat the clouds came rolling over the side of the volcano and the sun was totally blocked for our snorkeling adventure. It was really unfortunate too because that reef was one of the most beautiful reefs I have ever seen. To mix things up a bit for the boys we decided to sign them up for Snuba. It’s like a beginners scuba. Well actually it’s totally scuba diving. The only real difference is that they don’t hold the tank on their back, it floats along on the surface on a little raft while they swim below. This allows them to controls how deep a person is able to go. They loved it! Austin especially. Austin is so much like Jaren, he thinks the underwater world is amazing and he can’t get enough of it. It was his favorite part of the whole trip! 

Our plan Friday was to end our day at Hapuna boogie boarding, then do a beach BBQ on the beach, grill Hamburgers and hot dogs and eat them peacefully as the sun set behind the ocean. I was super excited! That sounded so fun. But since we didn’t want to spend the whole day in the sun we decided to hit the tide pools and lava tube first and then grab some lunch on our way to the beach. The morning went exactly as planned. The tide pools were full of life and all sorts of creepy crawly critters.

The lava tube was like three or four times bigger then the one at Volcano National Park. The boys wanted to follow it all the way to the end but eventually we had to call it and turn back around.

Lunch was good and the morning went exactly as planned. The afternoon however didn’t go as planned at all. It wasn’t terrible, it just called for constant plan B’s. The first plan B came when the wind was so strong there were no waves to boogie board. It was weird. I guess the wind had some sort of effect on the waves. The boys tried to boogie board for a while but they really couldn’t because the waves were so small. Eventually they threw their boards onto the beach and plan B was Jaren and Ron teaching them how to body surf.  The second plan B was yet again caused by the wind, sitting on the beautiful sand beach was like getting hit with tiny glass particles, plan B was to set up camp in the grass right by the dinner pavilion. Number three, we had no soap and had to use shampoo to wash hands after making hamburger patties. Number four, the lighter we bought did not work at all so Ron and Lisa walked to the hotel to buy matches so we could light the charcoal. Number five, because of the match situation we ate in the dark instead of peacefully eating while the sun set. But in spite of all the plan B’s we had a great time. Once off the beach we could sit and read books peacefully while the boys learned how to body surf. The sunset was still beautiful and nobody let the shifting of plans derail their mood. Honestly, I think because of it all we’ll be able to look back and laugh about how poorly everything came together but how wonderful of a time we all still had. 

Aloha Hawaii! I don’t know when or if we’ll be back but thank you for the wonderful family vacation and the cherished memories!