Hawaii-- Day #6

Sunrise, Day #6

We stopped for breakfast on our way to North Shore at a cute place called "Coconut Market". With a name like that how can you NOT stop??

I ordered a short stack of banana pancakes with coconut syrup... they were SCRUMPTIOUS!! I'm thinking coconut syrup needs to become a staple on the breakfast table from now on.

We stopped at several really pretty beaches on the way up to North Shore... just to take pictures (not to soak up the sun... it was a little cloudy for that!)

This "Ivy on Steroids" (as John calls it) was everywhere and so pretty.

I learned a new fact while in Hawaii... their state bird is the chicken!?! Isn't that wild? They roam everywhere and run around and peck at everything. They were walking around the restaurant we ate at breakfast this morning, they are walking in and out of our (very open and breezy) hotel lobby, and all around the beaches... it was crazy.

Tarzan at the start of our hike. We found these cool vines hanging all over the place.
I was a little frustrated at something all morning and I couldn't pinpoint why. After a long drive up the coast and talking it through over banana pancakes, I realized I didn't want to spend our last day in Hawaii hiking. All I really wanted was one more day being really lazy and lounging at the beach. Is that so bad of me? I was bugged that hiking would result in sore muscles, no sun, energy output instead of input, another book on my shelf that hasn't been opened, ... I feel like such a brat even thinking those thoughts... I should have been SO grateful to even be in Hawaii, it shouldn't matter what we're doing!! (Don't get me wrong, I was VERY grateful to be there. We were having a blast!) As I sorted through my feelings and tried to change my perspective, we started the hike. Not long after we started, we came around the corner and saw this...

My frustration was very quickly dismissed with yet another "take your breath away" moment. I took back all those thoughts and realized that this hiking experience could be far more "rejuvenating" that just sitting on the beach, as long as I let it be... and it was. It was amazing!!

We made it!!

We had this river to cross. We debated for a while whether to take our shoes off and just walk across, or try to rock hop... we chose the latter. It was a little scary and slippery but we made it across with 4 dry tennis shoes.

We stopped for lunch at Bubba's Burgers. The teriyaki burger with a slice of fresh pineapple is a MUST (if you ever eat here.) It was greasy goodness!

These gorgeous birds (red-crested cardinals) were flying all over the place while we ate outside on our picnic table. I was so intrigued by these birds I Googled them when I got home and turns out they are found only in Hawaii and various parts of South America.

On our drive home, we searched all over for one more shaved ice place but it was failed attempt... John was very sad. We stopped at Hilo Hatties for a few more souvenirs for the boys before we returned our rental car. Sweet John (being sensitive to my frustrations earlier in the day) forced me to simply lay by the pool at the hotel and read. So, that's what I did for an entire hour while he returned the car all by himself. He's so thoughtful and always so good to me!

That evening we took full advantage to being "stuck" at the resort. After the sun set, it got too cold to stay pool side and when the hot tub was too hot to handle, it was time for dinner! We were going to order room service... but when we accidentally walked past the fancy restaurant at the hotel, we knew there was no going back. They were serving ALL YOU CAN EAT prime rib, king crab legs, salmon, shrimp cocktail, pulled pork, purple mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, Caesar salad,... oh and about 10 different desserts (fruit tarts, cheesecake, pineapple upside down cake, apple crisp). We simply couldn't turn it down!! We enjoyed our lovely meal outside on the patio with the ocean breeze tickling our face and the only light was the full moon and a single candle in the middle of our table. After we ate all that we possible could we STILL got a soft serve ice cream for the walk around our beautiful resort. It was the best dinner I'd had in a LONG time. It would have been fun to get all dressed up to eat at such a nice place but we honestly thought we were just going to order a pizza... So I went with no make up, no curls, no jewelry. Plain and simple, just the way we like it! (Except for this adorable headband that Ashlyn made for me. I love it!!)

As we walked around the grounds of the Kauai Beach Resort everything was lit with tiki torches. The setting was absolutely perfect. There was a cement walk way (lit with the torches) that ended where the sand from the beach started. We walked out to the beach and just sat there. We had one of those uplifting/strengthening/fabulous/spiritual conversations that seem don't come often enough in the everyday hustle and bustle of life. We just sat under the moon light and talked and talked and talked. I love being married to my best friend. Hawaii was... Magical.