Aloha!Okay, so this is going to be a long entry, I mean you can't go to Hawaii for 7 days, and not have a lot to show. So, we started on our long journey leaving Japan. Little did we know that we would have to wait in the airport for 14 hours before our flight left. We were exhausted, as you can tell.
Yet, right before we left, we were extremely excited. 
Upon arrival in our new found PARADISE...we went to Honolulu/Waikiki Beach. It was so beautiful there. We ventured out on the beautiful beach and played in the water. We then got sand EVERYWHERE! I mean EVERYWHERE. The waves were just pushing the sand into our ears, bathing suits, etc. But, it was fun. 
Of course, you cannot go to Honolulu and not visit The Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona Memorial.
It was amazing to see that the USS Arizona was still leaking oil, as you can see in the photo below. 
It was a incredible experience and a great way to pay our respects. 
The next day we boarded our cruise with Josh's family that sails to all the islands.
Brigette and I. 
Jade and I.
Josh and his mom. 
We had to go through life jacket training.
Josh and I on the cruise.
First on our journey was Maui.
While in Maui, we saw some beautiful sights, shopped A LOT, went to the aquarium, and even seen a movie. I know it sounds crazy to say we went to the movies, but we have been wanting to see IronMan, and thought, might as well see it here. We say that was our most expensive admission to the movies ever, if you include our traveling cost to Hawaii from Japan. Hahahaha!
We also saw this sign that said "BAD ASS Coffee Co.", well of course we had to stop and try it, and it lived up to it's word, it was BAD ASS! 
Oh, did I mention the best part, there was a WALMART....did you hear me, a WALMART. Okay, so I got extremely excited because living in Japan for 2 years without a walmart makes you really appreciate the things you don't have.
Next on our cruise destination was Hilo. In Hilo we kayaked on a tour to some waterfalls. Talk about a great adventure and a true tour to paradise. When we reached the waterfalls, the instructors let us play in the waterfalls, so we did. Of course after about 3 times, one of the waterfalls finally flipped us over. I lost my sunglasses and Josh lost one flip flop. Needless to say, we had to go shopping again for some replacements, but we didn't mind. We did a lot of shopping while on vacation.
On the way to our next location we got to see an active volcano erupting one night. We saw this from the deck of the cruise ship at night. We could not get any good pictures, but it was a memory definitely worth sharing. Our next stop was Kona.
In Kona we did a good bit of shopping and of course I had to buy some famous Kona Coffee. My bosses at work really appreciate the coffee, as we usually all have one cup a day. At Kona was the only island where we could get a good photo of the ship out on water.
Finally, we went to Kauai. 
We decided our adventure of the day would be snorkeling...and so we did it. Oh, it was a lot of fun, however when we got out of the water, someone told us that this beach was most famous for their shark attacks. I thought, oh nice time to tell us now.
Josh learned a huge lesson this day also, Sunscreen is NOT waterproof. I re-applied my sunscreen, but Josh said he was okay and did not need more, well, all I can say is, I'm not sunburned. :) Poor Josh, was burned so bad, he looked like a lobster. After leaving the beach, we ventured to see some waterfalls. 
There was a rainbow at the end of this one. 
Although I was hoping to see someone famous while in Hawaii(I mean hello, this is where all the famous people go, right?), I did not see anyone. But, this was definitely the best vacation we have been on, in that little world we now call PARADISE.Aloha!
May 11th was Josh's 26th Birthday. We got some friends together and went to eat at Yoshinos. We had such a good time and the food was great!
Then we all decided to go bowling later that night...It was a lot of fun.
We had fun playing with the camera. 
Josh wanted to take a bunch of pics of me, but did not want any of him by himself, but I snapped one...and I think it is cute. :) 
Yes, this is me eating a chocolate covered banana on a stick, it was so delicious. 
We enjoyed seeing the all time famous Hirosaki Castle. Many people venture out to see this castle, and we feel very lucky to have had the chance to see it while stationed here in Japan. It was truly a magnificient experience. 
A co-worker sent me this photo of what Hirosaki normally looks like when the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom....too bad we missed out, but all in all, it was an unforgetable experience. 
