North Shore New Year

After a couple of weeks of hanging around the house, celebrating Christmas, and getting back into a routine, we started to get a little stir crazy. We decided to space-a to Hawaii and take a little vacation for the last bit of Brian's leave. It took a couple tries, but we got on a flight on New Years Eve and celebrated Japan's New Year in the air! We landed at 0600 Hawaii time on New Years Eve (Groundhog Day, anyone?) and thought we would celebrate that evening, but after all the traveling, we were all passed out by 8pm!

We ended up finding a house to rent on the North Shore and it couldn't have been more perfect! The first night, we were actually in the honeymoon house of the property! Bet the honeymoon suite doesn't usually have the squeals of an 18 month old coming from it! It was only for the first night though, and then we had to move to the house next door, but it was still very nice!

This trip to Hawaii was totally different from any other time we've been. We just enjoyed the beach and layed around the whole time! We didn't sight see or set foot in a mall (shocking, I know!). And it was wonderful and relaxing. Brian surfed a little every day, except one day when the waves were too big. People were only surfing in one spot on this day, Waimea Bay. And they were the pros! TONS of people were lined along the bay watching them ride the huge waves. We even saw a couple of broken boards.

We had our own kitchen and outdoor grill, so we cooked almost every day. Foodland was right down the road, so if we didn't want to cook we could go there for a giant Boar's Head sub or a yummy spicy Ahi poke rice bowl! We went for walks along the trail and one time when Brian was walking along the trail to check the surf, he saw JACK JOHNSON riding his bike! He dropped his surfing helmet (guess he was injured when he was younger and so now he surfs with a helmet- smart!) along the trail and someone shouted, "Hey, Jack! Dropped your helmet!". So cool. Sad I missed it! Last time we went to Hawaii, Brian waited for him outside the KOKUA FOR JAPAN benefit concert and got him to sign his surfboard! Brian gets all the luck. :)

We even got a babysitter recommend from the house owner and went out on a date night! We went shopping in Haleiwa, dinner at Jameson's, and then drank wine on the beach. The babysitter was great, a girl who had moved to the North Shore to be a nanny for her brother's new baby.

Getting a flight home was a little tricky. We got on the flights just fine, it's just that the planes kept breaking.

Attempt #1: Tickets, check. Bags checked, check. Time to board, broken plane.

Attempt #2: Tickets, check. Bags checked, check. Boarded, check. Take off and fly for three hours just to land back on Oahu. Something about the auto-pilot not working. Eek.

Attempt #3: Plane didn't break! And the best part is that it was a C-5 and those ALWAYS BREAK. They were stationed in Fort Worth, Texas. So...THANK YOU, TEXAS!