Home Sweet Home

I am the happiest girl in the world! I'm reunited with my family in the prettiest place on earth and enjoying a second honeymoon of sorts with the greatest husband on earth! Jeff and I landed on Oahu at 2pm Friday afternoon. We crashed into bed at 10pm and woke up at 6:30 this morning. After tanking a couple of cups of coffee, Jeff convinced me to hike the Manoa Falls trail which leads to a waterfall, just five minutes from my parents' place. The hike was gorgeous--it was like traveling through a floral fantasyland. I wish I could post lots of pictures but they're not loading properly to the computer...

We returned around lunchtime to feast on Hawaii's specialty--poke. This island is a seafood lover's dream--a true favorite of the locals is a dish of fresh fish--eaten diced, raw, and marinated in special spices you can't find anywhere but on Hawaii. Delish! Jeff and I are in heaven. We could eat this by the pound but it's pretty pricy!

But the experience of Hawaii is priceless. Jeff and I spent the afternoon at Waikiki beach so he could ride the waves. He actually caught 6 or 7 waves, I was so proud of him, even though he hadn't been on a surfboard in years! He had a blast. Between hiking and surfing, he got more exercise today than he had in the past month. If we lived here, I bet it would raise our lifespan because we'd be so active. Meanwhile, I burned off calories by shopping! Hopefully the kids will enjoy their gifts.

We ended the evening at a fabulous restaurant called Prince Court in the Hawai'i Prince Waikiki Hotel. My parents took us out to the best buffet dinner of our lives, complete with five types of fish, crab legs, oysters, mussels, clams, shrimp prepared every way imaginable and a dozen desserts. I think I ate four plates full of seafood, it was delish! Jeff said he enjoyed the best drink of his life--a Mango Mojito.

Eating coconut cream cake, bread pudding, and chantilly cake was a sweet way to end the day. Chantilly cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts but it's apparently a Hawaiian specialty. I always thought it was a mainstream sweet but just realized today I hadn't seen it anywhere else. Jeff said he's never heard of it. Well, I'm determined to try out recipes to bring this piece of the island home for my loved ones. It's simply the best.
Well, it's only been a day and we've got many more adventures in store...We'll be going to a luau, we're going on a whale-watching cruise, and tomorrow we're headed to the North Shore to kayak and catch some more waves. TOO FUN!!! We're having the time of our lives and will try to update the blog occasionally before we go to bed to keep our loved ones on the "mainland" informed of our happenings! Love you all and wish you were here...