Updated Blog

Hey all, I have gone back and edited prior posts to put in pictures and add detail!!

Thursday

We went to a sales talk and the guy was not too pushy...amazingly enough...I even practiced my "NO!". I did some shopping and had lunch with Dianne while the others went snorkeling. We met up at the Hula Lamp store..pretty cool place...and we went to downtown Kona for some shopping and our almost daily trip to Walmart--underwater camera developing and those who actually use real film (and do not own cell phones, who really??). I made my second trip to Bubba Gump's with new dinner company and we watched our waitress try to coax her eel(yes, eel named Angela) from underneath a rock with saltine crackers. She was unsuccessful, but a smaller eel took the bait. We did a little more shopping at the stores near our resort...I thought Ken and Dawnell would never make a decision about which lizard to buy to put on their entertainment center.

Finally we got back to our room and we started packing up. Tomorrow should be interesting...we are going to snorkel in the morning, then check out of the resort and take Rebecca to the airport, then we are going to hang out for 7 hours until we have to be at the airport....maybe a little driving range and some more snorkel, a little lunch, some light shopping...I am sure we can fill our time, even if it is just sitting on the beach or at the pool watching the waves roll in!!! This trip has been amazing. Even thought we have done a lot of things, we have not been rushed for time and have not jampacked our excursions. mmm, this is what a vacation should be like!!!

Luau

The Luau was amazing from the food, drinks, company, entertainment to the part that a big guy pulled me up on stage to dance...crazy fun!! We got all ready to go and caught the shuttle to where the Luau was to be held. The grounds were beautiful and had a great view of the sunset. We actually got front row seats (which had its pros and cons...ok all pros)just to one side of the stage. The food was amazing and I tried almost everything-even the mahi mahi...once was enough for me and Poi!

Melissa H., I got my first Blue Hawaii of the trip, not the same without you!!--I got carded and forgot my license, but I think when the guy saw Rebecca's ID he thought that maybe I was okay, but I did not go back to the bar again!

The entertainment was awesome, but I got pulled out from the crowd...but who am I kidding, it was one of the funnest things I have done this past week!! It was such a nice evening that we decided to walk home.

Wowwie Wednesday!

Wowwie Wednesday! What a day...Ken and I started our day parasailing--boat take off and landing(Ken at 1200' and me at 800'). While we were in the boat, we could see whales playing and we saw some dolphins. While we were in the air, it was so peaceful and serene. They let us free fall until we almost hit the water (made me want to sky dive even more)and then they would speed up again. Definitely something I would recommend to anyone, even you mom! We met Dawnell and Rebecca at the beach to snorkle and again we saw turtle and lots of colorful fish. This time it seemed as though the fish knew they were in control--they got so close that I had to get out of their way and Ken actually had a fish peck his goggles. I swear some fish want their picture taken. We had lunch and then went to another beach to snorkel some more (I chose to bask in the sun). Then we headed home to get ready for the Luau...

Aaahhh, a relaxing vacation at last!

Monday was a relaxing day at the beach and hotel...even had time to nap...mmm..Ken and I found the resort golf course and hit some range balls. I was scheduled to do a golfing clinic the next morning so I thought it would be a good idea to hold a golf club beforehand. The course at the resort only charged us $12 to hit unlimited golf balls and they even supplied us with tees, let us borrow clubs, put us in a golf cart to get to the range and gave us waters on ice attached to the cart....SCORE!

A Hard Rock Day

We snorkled at a new location this morning where the fish were really close and turtles were basking in the sun. We had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe...and yes, I got my collectible glasses and some other smaller glasses as well!! After lunch Sunday we hit the streets of Kona. We hit the farmers market and the local shops. I found some great bargains and walked off lunch!

A Day with the Pastorino's

Saturday we started the day snorkling at Mauna Kea and met up with Dianne P. The beasch was a great white sand beach and very clear water!! I spent the rest of the day with her touring the North side of the Big Island and going to Waimea, where she lives. We watched the sunset and had dinner at Bubba Gump's....I loved the gift shop--it had t-shirts with sayings like...stupid is as stupid does and Momma always said life was like a box of chocolates...

Snorkel Adventures

Friday we made our way to the other side of the mountain and had our first snorkel adventure @ City of Refuge. I was a little raw with my new snorkel gear and drank a little sea water. We saw so many beautiful fish!! We stopped by a black sand beach where turtles were basking and then ate lunch at a beach near Kona and headed for our resort. We ended the day with ken on the grill and us girls in the hot tub.

Our last adventure on our first full day on the big island was a trek across the lava at night. It was awesome! We hiked out to a spot where we could see the glow of the lava in the distance. We could hear the waves crashing against the rocks below and feel the light breeze (and the occasional rain spurt) on our face. Paradise...
Looking through a telescope we could see lava dripping into the ocean.--

We went to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Farm on Thursday afternoon. We left with samples, pictures and souveniersm but mostly snacks for the driving.

So maybe you all are wondering what happened to the blog...my phone is not wanting to send pictures so I will post text until I get it fixed.

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Volcano

We went to the volcano today. Started at th visitor center, then the observatory, and finally the Lava Tube. It was pitch black and we got good use from our flashlights.

Mai tai

We ate dinner at Stinger Rays and had great food and an excellent Mai Tai!

Missing our plane...

We got to the airport plenty early...checked in and got through security...we got some lunch and then went to sit at the gate...after a few minutes we heard "Last call for Flight 217 to Honolulu". It was a continuation flight that was early.... we did make our flight and did not have to wait very long to take off.

Testing the gear

I wanted to make sure my gear fit before packing it!

I am a Blogger

I am setting up this Blog so you, my friends and family, can keep up with the adventures I am taking. Tomorrow starts the journey to The Big Island of Hawaii! Stay tuned for posts and pictures.