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Hawaii- Oahu
This was a day that I want to hit the rewind button and play over and over again. Chelsea and I awoke at 5:00 a.m. bright eyed and bushy tailed to begin our Oahu vacation. We decided to get an early start and do some snorkeling in a popular nature reserve known as Hanauma Bay. As we drove into the reserve, we saw several signs that read “Bay Closed due to Jellyfish”. We took advantage of the early hour to enjoy a sunrise at a lookout point not far from the parking lot. My friend, Cameron Beckham was also in Oahu with his mom, Vicki, and his 7 month pregnant wife, Stephanie. We met them on Waikiki beach. I had been planning on surfing along with Cameron and Vicki and as we spoke with the rental hut, Vicki urged Chelsea to also consider taking a surf lesson and she agreed! Some of the other surf bum instructors commented on my full bodied wet suit and said that I must have been a boy scout (“be prepared”). I admitted to being a boy scout, and was grateful for it so that I wouldn’t get a sunburn or board rash on the first full day of vacation. It was a surreal experience surfing on Waikiki. One of those, “I can’t believe I’m here doing this!” moments. Chelsea had an awesome time and was all smiles. We all had a lot of success in getting up and enjoying the ride. I even caught a couple waves myself. After our surf lesson, Chelsea and I took to the trail (on a recommendation from Natalie Horrocks) to hike to a waterfall in the middle of a jungle. We got lost on the drive to the trailhead and ended up at the entrance of a fancy country club and saw a wild pig walking around. We eventually found the trailhead and found ourselves in the middle of a dense jungle. The hike took us across a stream about 4-6 times and through muddy, clayey soil. Many times, the trail wasn’t clearly marked and we had to do some backtracking to get back on the trail. After one hour of strenuous hiking we arrived at our destination, a secret waterfall and pool of water. We made our way out of the jungle just before dark. We ate dinner at a great place called the Hula Grill, located in the Royal Hawaiian shopping center. We sat in the family friendly bar area and had a wonderful meal of coconut shrimp and fish and chips while being serenaded 
by an extremely talented young Hawaiian man with his guitar and voice. It was a magical moment sitting there enjoying a great meal in a wonderful environment and listening to him sing “Somewhere over the rainbow / What a Wonderful World”. Chelsea and I walked back to our hotel just floating thinking about the wonderful day we had.
This was a day that I want to hit the rewind button and play over and over again. Chelsea and I awoke at 5:00 a.m. bright eyed and bushy tailed to begin our Oahu vacation. We decided to get an early start and do some snorkeling in a popular nature reserve known as Hanauma Bay. As we drove into the reserve, we saw several signs that read “Bay Closed due to Jellyfish”. We took advantage of the early hour to enjoy a sunrise at a lookout point not far from the parking lot. My friend, Cameron Beckham was also in Oahu with his mom, Vicki, and his 7 month pregnant wife, Stephanie. We met them on Waikiki beach. I had been planning on surfing along with Cameron and Vicki and as we spoke with the rental hut, Vicki urged Chelsea to also consider taking a surf lesson and she agreed! Some of the other surf bum instructors commented on my full bodied wet suit and said that I must have been a boy scout (“be prepared”). I admitted to being a boy scout, and was grateful for it so that I wouldn’t get a sunburn or board rash on the first full day of vacation. It was a surreal experience surfing on Waikiki. One of those, “I can’t believe I’m here doing this!” moments. Chelsea had an awesome time and was all smiles. We all had a lot of success in getting up and enjoying the ride. I even caught a couple waves myself. After our surf lesson, Chelsea and I took to the trail (on a recommendation from Natalie Horrocks) to hike to a waterfall in the middle of a jungle. We got lost on the drive to the trailhead and ended up at the entrance of a fancy country club and saw a wild pig walking around. We eventually found the trailhead and found ourselves in the middle of a dense jungle. The hike took us across a stream about 4-6 times and through muddy, clayey soil. Many times, the trail wasn’t clearly marked and we had to do some backtracking to get back on the trail. After one hour of strenuous hiking we arrived at our destination, a secret waterfall and pool of water. We made our way out of the jungle just before dark. We ate dinner at a great place called the Hula Grill, located in the Royal Hawaiian shopping center. We sat in the family friendly bar area and had a wonderful meal of coconut shrimp and fish and chips while being serenaded 
by an extremely talented young Hawaiian man with his guitar and voice. It was a magical moment sitting there enjoying a great meal in a wonderful environment and listening to him sing “Somewhere over the rainbow / What a Wonderful World”. Chelsea and I walked back to our hotel just floating thinking about the wonderful day we had.
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