temple trip

One of our favorite things about Kauai is that there isn't a temple there, which makes it so much more special when we do go. We have to really plan for it, have either an over night or all day babysitter, and make sure Paul has enough time off work if it's not on a weekend. This time, we headed to the Big Island.

As soon as we got there we headed for Honoka'a. A beautiful small town on the cliffs above the ocean. We ate lunch at a pizza place that spun the dough in the air, which is always fun to watch.

We drove around thinking about, what if we moved here?! Picked our favorite houses, and went sightseeing like tourists.

Then we headed to the temple that afternoon, and stayed until night. It is a very small temple, and very special. We did baptisms, and loved our time there.

That night we stayed, in what I can only hope will be our ONLY stay, in an Air B&B in Kona. The strange lady we stayed with (and shared a bathroom with), was a little on the creepy side. We're pretty sure she was watching us. Yikes!

We left her house as early as possible, and headed to breakfast.  We went to a vegan place and LOVED everything we had. It was super good.

Kona got hit with lots of vog while we were there, so we didn't get to see the beautiful beaches it boasts. This is all we saw...

So we took a long drive down to Pahoa, to Vacationland to see Hollie and Chris and their family. It was well worth the drive because that is the best part of the whole island! Their house was gorgeous, with tide pools in their backyard for the kids to play in, and their pet ducks to swim in. It was amazing.

Chris walked us down the road to more tide pools. Paul had been there before, but I hadn't, and I loved it!

I did't have an underwater camera with me, so I didn't get any of what was under there, but it was the most spectacular corals and fish I have ever seen in a natural setting. I was SO happy to have seen it.

Chris escorted us out so we could see the mango tree road, and some other beautiful places before heading back to Kona to fly home. I'm really glad we got to spend this time, because sadly, about a month and a half later all of that was gone. When the fissures opened in Leilani Estates, and the lava came out, it cleared out this mango tree road, and took out Hollie and Chris's house, and those tide pools. They're gone now, under 80 feet or more of lava. Their family is safe, but what a tragedy!

Shar wrote Sully a note, and Lanna sent a little gift for Lullaby. So when we got to Kauai, they were more excited to get those things than to see us. Ha ha. Amy and Andy took great care of them while we were away. Thanks guys!