Weekend Getaway to Kona

 Erin and I don't have the same work schedule, I work M-F and she works Sun-Thurs, so we only have one day on the weekend to go explore. We decided to ask to switch schedules to be on the same schedule one week so we could go to Kona for a long weekend and our wonderful boss let us! So this weekend we had Friday through Sunday off to go explore and relax! Erin's dad's friend let us stay with him in Kona, which was very generous of him, so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. We drove down Friday morning and went kayaking at Captain Cook. We didn't take any pictures while we were out on the kayak due to fears of dropping our phone in the water. Once we got to Captain Cook cove, I got out and snorkled which was a blast! We got to see some dolphins swim less than 100 feet away from us in the kayak. It was hard work to get from point A to point B, but we did it and got a good tan doing it! :) Then we went to eat in Kona and shop. The picture of the stairs was going up to the restaurant and we thought it was cool.

Saturday we got up and went to the private beach of Mauna Lani resorts. We had a cabana to sit under and then we would lay out until we were too hot and then got in the ocean. The water was so beautiful and it was a relaxing morning. That afternoon we went shopping some more and then Peter, the guy we stayed with, took us out to dinner at Tommy Bahamas and after dinner drinks at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse before going home.

Sunday we got up and headed back to Hilo. The weekend was a great getaway!

 

Hurricane Iselle

 As you all know we had a threat of 2 hurricanes coming towards the big island a few weeks ago. Erin and I, and the town of Hilo really didn't start worrying about it until a couple days before it was going to hit. We had to work on Thursday, the day it was suppose to hit and we pulled up a picture of what it looked like on the map and that is when we really started to be concerned. Wednesday night we went shopping to get some supplies in case the electricity went out or if we were without water. We filled buckets and trashcans and bathtubs with water. Thursday we worked till 330 and then came home to wait out the storm. It started raining some around 9pm but nothing out of the ordinary for Hilo. It rains everyday here! So we went to bed and during the night we heard some strong winds but nothing too bad. We got up and it was raining a little bit but the wind was pretty much died back down at that time. We were lucky to not get hit like we thought we would. Just south of us, about 30 miles away, trees were down, electricity out and without water. The electricity was out for a couple of weeks before getting turned back on and there are still places that don't have it. Well we were well prepared but thank God nothing happened where we were! Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts sent our way!

 

Downtown Kona Hawaii

 After going over to Waikoloa, the next weekend we decided to go over to Kona to shop, lay out and eat at Outback. I have been craving a good steak and when I found out there was an Outback on the other side of the Island, I had to go! We laid out on the beach for a few hours and then went shopping in downtown Kona before eating at Outback to end the night. As we were walking to the restaurant, there was a dog sitting on the ledge just hanging out while his owner was sitting at a table. It was so cute I had to take a pic :) It was a great weekend!

 

Waikoloa Hawaii

One weekend we decided to head over to the other side of the island and see the beaches over there. On Hilo side there are no real white sand beaches so when we got to Waikoloa, the beaches were beautiful! We had a great day just laying out on the beach and getting a tan!

 

Dogsitting

A few weeks back Erin and I were able to dog sit a coworkers dog. Everyone that knows me knows how much I miss Abby back at home. People at work heard me talking about missing my dog and a coworker came to me and asked if I could watch her dog for the weekend. Of course I said Yes! I was super excited! The dogs name is Yuki! I am not sure what mix he is but he is absolutely adorable. He loved to cuddle and he reminded me of my first dog Frosty! It was a great weekend hanging out with Yuki. We took him everywhere we went and he loved to hang his head out of the window just like abby! I can't wait to get home to see abby but this was a good dog fix for me!

 

 

ATV Adventure

 Saturday Erin and I went on an ATV ride on the north part of the island. We drove through Honoka'a where we stopped and got a malasada :) Then we continued north to Kapa'au where we went to ATV Outfitters to start the adventure. We had a blast riding on so much land and so close to the cows and stopped at two waterfalls. The first waterfall we just stood from a far and took pictures. The second one we got to hike down the mountain and swim. Erin didn't want to swim so I went alone because I was only going to be there once and had to say that I did it. It was freezing cold but after a while it was actually refreshing. The overall tour was 2 and a half hours long. We rode through sun and also got rained on at times. Here are a few pics of the trip. We had a blast! 

 



 

After the tour we drove to the Pololu Valley Lookout. Here are a couple of pictures of the amazing view. You can hike down to the water where there is a black sand beach but we were exhausted so that may have to be another day. 

 

 

On the drive home we saw a rainbow over the mountain :-)

 

Adventures in Hawaii

 

Hawaii is still going great! Here is a pic of our potluck we had for when two of our therapists were leaving. I made pasta salad and Erin made fruit pizza. We definitley stuffed ourselves and enjoyed socializing with everyone at lunch.

 

 

Last weekend we ate at Hawaiian Style Cafe. We were told about how big the portions were but I was shocked on how big the pancakes were! The food was great and needless to say, I had plenty of leftovers to take home!

 

 

And I know some of you guys think we don't work here in Hawaii so here is a pic of us at work :-)

 

 

On Wednesday we went to the Kalapana Night Market with a few co-workers. It was about a 35 minute drive down south of Hilo. Before we explored the market, we went to the Kaimu Black Sand Beach which is just to the left of the market. Before it got dark, we walked through the lava rock to get to the beach. The view was beautiful. The tide was high so the water came all the way up to the rocks that we were standing on. They said when the tide is low, that you can walk on the beach. There is a picture that shows some of the black sand. It was very peaceful! We then went and explored the market. It is like a farmers market with music, entertainment, shopping, and lots of food! We had a blast looking at all the booths and eating some great food! We will probably be visiting the market again soon! 

 

Saturday morning we went to Honoka'a. We had heard that there was a store named Tex Drive In. They are known for their Malasadas. They are amazing donuts and you can get them filled with different flavors. I got one without any filling and then one filled with strawberry! They were delicious. Erin had one plain and one with apple and she said hers were great too! It was definitely worth the hour drive.

 

 

 

After stuffing our faces with Malasadas we headed up to Waipio Valley to see the amazing view we have heard so much about. It was a great view and so peaceful to look out over the water. I am glad we went!