June Hawaii Bound!

Hawaii here we come!  I told Lloyd after last summer in Alaska that I wanted to go to Hawaii.  It has been on my list of places to visit for way to long.  I have done quite a bit of traveling but I have never made it to Hawaii!  Lloyd had been there quite a few times before we were married.  I want to make a list of all the places i have visited just for my records. . . Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, California, Colorado, Canada, Idaho, Montana, New York, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming (Jackson Hole), Washington DC, Japan, China (Tibet, Xian, Guilin, Urumqi, Beijing...) Korea, Chile, Peru (Machu Picchu), Mexico (Rocky Point), The Caribbean (Jamaica, Cozumel, The grand Cayman Islands. . . I feel like I am missing something, but that was more than I thought! Making a list was a good Idea.  I love to travel and want to explore all I can before my time is up.  Europe, Australia, and Africa are my next stops!  There are many adventures to be had out there!  I LOVE to travel and spend a few months at a time to get the feel for the place.  When I stay for a while I feel like I actually know what it is like to live there and get a feel for the culture instead of just hitting the tourist traps.

When I told Lloyd that I wanted to go to Hawaii I didn't actually think it would happen so quickly.  He figured out a way and made it happen.  I feel like he is capable of doing anything he sets his mind to.  

Heather and Corbin got married right before I left for Hawaii.  I stayed behind to their wedding and a few others Weddings that I had committed to before I knew we were going to Hawaii. . .

Jacey and my Mom at Heather and Corbins Wedding.  She is such a fun grandma to Jacey.  She watched Jacey while I was taking pictures.  Thanks Mom! 

Grandma Anderson.  I had to beg her to let me take a picture of her at the wedding.  It turned out pretty good.  She is such an amazing lady!

On the 7th of June Jacey and I headed for Hawaii to meet up with Lloyd.  I was so nervous to travel with her.  She did awesome.  She only cried once on the way there for two seconds.  I just sang in her ear and she stopped and then fell asleep.  The flight was full so I had to hold her in my arms the whole time.  I just laid her across my lap and she slept most of the way.  Lloyd bought me an Ipad2 right before I left.  It came in the mail just before it was time to go. We lucked out!  I loaded it up with movies so I wouldn't be bored.  The flight was great.  Jacey makes a good travel partner.   

Now for the wig story. . .

It all started 10 years ago. . .with Brittany Spears.  I think Lloyd used to have a secret crush on her.  What boy didn't back then?  I consider her to be a blond. . .  Jokingly I would ask him if he wanted me to bleach my hair blond.  I actually did is once for a change and it turned out to be a disaster!  I looked awful!  From then on Lloyd would say things like I wish I had married a blond, or I would like you more if you were blond.  The list could go on and on.  Ha Ha.  Lloyd likes to push buttons and since my hair turned out so ugly blond he enjoyed himself teasing me.  To get him back for all the teasing I went a bought a blond wig.  He had no idea that I had bought it.  

Jacey and I got on the flight at 2:00 pm Utah time.  We were on our way!  We arrived in Hawaii about 9:00 pm.  I waited until I was off the plain to call Lloyd and let him know that I had landed.  He said it would take a half hour to get to the air port from where he was at.  That gave me plenty of time to get ready... I went strait to the bathroom.  Juggling Jacey in my arms trying to put a wig on my head, fixing my map-up, I am sure it was a pretty funny sight to watch!  Can you imagine!!  I only wonder what people were thinking, "is she kidnapping that baby." 

"Why is she putting on a wig? Is she a fugative?"

It was a joke.  I had no car seat for Jacey so I literally had to hold her while I was getting ready.  There were tons of people in the restrooms.  All staring at us.  (this better be worth it i thought!)  The floor was discussing and there were no counters, just sinks... I finally was ready with some help from Jacey playing in the make-up.  Then I stepped out to baggage claim.  There was no one there and the belt had stopped.  My bags were not there.  I was the last person to arrive to get my bags.  I had had this happen before so I knew to go to the little office were they take the bags when no one claims them.  I saw a door that looked like it could be the secret room with unclaimed bags, and I was right.  I knocked and they answered.  I saw my bags right away.  I didn't have a cart so I had to leap frog all my bags out to the curb.  Yes still juggling Jacey... Lloyd was on his way, but it was taking forever.  I was the only one in the airport except for one worker.  He was watching me leap frog my bags one at a time to the door.  ha ha.  When I was almost done he came and helped.  He smirked I could almost tell what he was thinking.  I finally got all my bags out to the curb.  It was hot outside.  It was a big change from Utah's still cold weather in June.  A few minuets later I saw a goldfish silver  HHR drive up.  He had mentioned that it looked a lot like a PT Cruiser so I knew it was him.  He drove up to the curb right past me.  I was the only one there waiting.  He was looking intently (really he is just blind and won't ware glasses).   He started to slow down and came to a stop.  He looked back once, twice... The third time he was squinting.  He then backed up the car to were I was standing.  He got out and sheepishly said, "Why are you blond?"  Ha ha is was priceless.  He didn't recognize me at all.  He only knew it was me because of Jacey's car seat.  What an awesome prank.  He hasn't teased me about being a blond since.  All that work was totally worth it!

Jacey on the airplane.   Me right after we arrived at the house with my wig on.

Jacey and I at the pool were we lived.  Enjoying the sun the morning after we arrived. 

That night Lloyd Mike Sammi the girls and I headed to Ewa Beach.  It was close to our house.  This was Jacey's first time as the Beach.  She was asleep in her car seat... 

When we first got there we didn't have a bed for Jacey.  I improvised and made a bed out of my suit case.  She barely fit.  It only lasted a few nights.  I got on crags list and got a bed right away.  

The snails there are HUGE!  There were bigger ones than this.

The town home we lived in.  It was located in the new part of Ewa Beach.  

Our swimming pool

The grounds around were we lived.  Always so pretty. The gardeners worked every day.  There was no time to take a break everything grows year round on the equator... 

Mike and Lloyd in their matching rental cars.

Goldy our gold fish.  She was left at the house we moved into.  Mike and Lloyd kept hopping she would die.  When I came I started to clean the tank and feed her regularly.  She was our little pet while we were there.  

The Hawaii Temple

Mark Eubank the weather guy from channel 5 was on a mission in Hawaii with his wife.  Lloyd and Mike had to get a picture with them.

Lloyd and I in front of the temple.  We met a bishop of one of the wards there in La'ie and he said that they deal with a lot of cultural differences in the wards.  We talked for quite a while.  He is actually the one that ended up taking our picture.  

This is the hymn that they sing in when a member leave the ward.  It is a beautiful song.  The person that was leaving would stand up by the pulpit at the end of the meeting.   People would bring lays up and put them around their necks.  

They would also say Aloha at the beginning of each sacrament meeting and then everyone would say Aloha back.  It took a while to get used to.  

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center before we left Hawaii.  There was so much to see there.  I love learning about other cultures.  Both Lloyd and I enjoyed ourselves.  Lloyd got us the full package so we spent all day there.  We were able to visit each Village.  We Played some cultural games, watched the shows at each stop, and saw the day time show on the canal.  It was pretty awesome.  Later on in the day we went to the luau and the night show.  It was one of my favorite activities that we did in Oahu.   

Me in front of the Totems at the PCC.  Lloyd actually met the guy that made these.  I was disappointed to find out that they were made of styrofoam and not wood.  The guy said they are easier to maintain that way.  Wood wares out to quickly in the sun... 

This was one of the shows that we watched.  This guy was really funny.  He showed us how to make fire without a match.  He also showed us how to milk a coconut.  He told us that men in Samoa do all the work! They do all the cooking and everything.  The women do nothing.  They have to start cooking the pig at 4 in the morning so that it will be done in time for dinner.  It is a lot of work to roast a pig.  They have to dig the hole, make the fire, gather the banana leaves, prepare the pig... Sounds like a good arrangement to have the men do all the work ;)

They demonstrated how to climb a coconut tree.  They put a piece of cloth on their feet to help them grip the tree.  Pretty cool to watch.  He climbed it really fast.    

Lloyd and Jacey playing one of the cultural games.

This is their air conditioning system.  It sucked the air in and made a breeze out the other end...

Lloyd and I by the easter island statues.  Their hair represents power.  The one on the right is without power :(

One of the statues lying down.  They are huge in real life. 

This tree started growing on one side of the canal then it grew over and then under and came back up the same side making a complete circle.  Elvis filmed a scene from one of his movies here by this famous tree. 

This is poi.  It is a root vegetable that grows there.  The mass is up and eat it like this.  It is really starchy and is a lot like potatoes.  They also make bread and other things from it.  

This is the Noni fruit.  It taste terrible but it is used for healing.  There is a company in salt lake called the Tahitian Noni... They use this fruit to make their products.  

This is the palace of the King in Fiji.  There were 4 doors of entry... If you went through the wrong door you could be killed.  The one on the North side was for the king only to enter into.  The door on the east was for family and the door on the south was for guests... I guess that leaves the east door for his wives?? ok I don't really remember what door to enter into.  I could have been killed. ahhhh I better find out before I go back. 

His bed was made up of hand made woven mats.  His bed was the size of two king sized mattresses pushed together.  He slept on it alone.  There was a space right next to his bed with a mat laid out.  Guess who that was for... his favorite wife.  

This is a picture of men from Fiji.  Their hair is their power.  You can see below some example of how important their hair was to them.  above you can see their pillows... nope not pillows at all they are wood cradles for their head.  They put their arm through and under it and sleep on their hand supported by the wood cradle... All that just so they didn't mess up their hair.  Sounds pretty vain to me. :) 

The roasted pig just pulled out of the ground for our luau 

Lloyd eating at the Luau.  The roll he is eating was made from poi.  That is why it is purple.  

This is a clip from the day time show in the canal.  This was my favorite dance.  It was Tahiti I believe.  It is not to be confused with the Hula.  the Hula is slow and from Hawaii...