Ok, so Hawaii... where to start? I guess I should start with how we got there - and how we almost did not get there. Jake and I decided when he got back that we would try to hop over to Hawaii for free using Space-A. For my non-military readers here's what that means.... When a military aircraft has extra room on it they open it up for military and their dependents to ride. It's a very risky way to travel because more likely than not, there will be no room for you or the plane will get delayed or the flight will get rerouted, etc etc... Then if you actually get to your destination you have no guarantee that you will be able to get home. But being that it is FREE and that Jake and I were not about to pay $1000 each to fly to Hawaii we thought we'd give it a try.
When we showed up we found out that the flight we were hoping to get on had roughly 70 seats on it and Jake and I were numbers 70 and 71 on the list - Eek! We were really hoping a few people wouldn't show up for the flight. As they were calling through the roll, we knew we were cutting it really really close. Finally they called "Pruitt" and I jumped up and down with my hand in the air saying "Here!" and then the guy says "How many in your party? We have one seat left." My heart sunk! What are the odds! I was ready to head home but Jake wanted to wait and get the details of the next Hawaii flight the next day so we stuck around for a bit. As the passengers who were selected went through check-in, I noticed a group leaving from the line and headed out the door. I went up to the front to see what was going on and it turns out that someone in their party had forgotten their military ID so they would not be allowed to fly that day. Sad news for them I know, but GREAT news for us! They called our name again and I practically skipped up to the front to check in. That was a super close call but we made it! We were Hawaii bound!
We flew over there on a C-5 which was quite the experience! The seats all face backwards in the plane cabin, there are absolutely no windows, and the ceiling was barely high enough for us to stand all the way up. I'm not a claustrophobic person usually but that totally got to me! I just kept thinking "Okay, free flight, free flight...." and before I knew it we were in beautiful Oahu :)
On our first day there we decided to check out the base a little bit before we drove over to Honolulu to our hotel. The base was so pretty and tropical - definitely not a place I would ever complain about being stationed, haha! It even has it's own private beach that is gorgeous...
Then we went over to our hotel on Waikiki Beach. Jake had almost entire free week of Hilton points so our hotel stay was pretty much free!
After enjoying most of the day at the beach we decided to just cruise around Waikiki, look through all the fun shops, and stop over to the Yardhouse for dinner - YUM!!
The next day we went over to Ko Olina where my family has a timeshare because I wanted to go back to the spot where Jake and I got engaged! Just to refresh your memory, here are some pics of the proposal 5 years ago :)
And here we are visiting the same spot after 4 years of marriage! It was so awesome to go back there together. So many memories!
Next we went and had lunch at the same little beach grill where we celebrated after our proposal. Here's a picture from now...
And here's one from back then...
So fun to look back :) The rest of the day we spent at the beach and pool and then that night we went out to Duke's on the beach for dinner and drinks.
My drink was called the "Island Itch" and came with a back scratcher, haha! Too funny!
The next morning we did a little shopping and wandering around...
Then headed to the pool where I found an awesome giant bean bag floatie :) What is it about just floating around on the water that feels so amazing?
After that it was back to the beach! Life in Hawaii is rough haha :)
We made a pit stop for a happy hour drink at the Outrigger...
... and then just walked along the beach people watching for a bit - we love doing that!
That night we went to a karaoke bar on the beach and had a blast! Again, people watching is the BEST free entertainment. We met sooo many hilarious characters!
The following day we decided to explore the island a bit and headed to a few different beaches. This beach was AMAZING!!
But the best part of this beach was this guy and his dog...
Jake and I saw the dog walking on the beach and went over to pet it. Then the owner said hello to us and we saw that he had a picture of his dog on the front and back of his shirt - hahaha! He knew we would want a picture and told Jake to do the dog's "pose". Seriously, how do we always run into these people?! Ohh that was a good laugh :)
Next we headed over to Bellows Beach which is honestly one of the most gorgeous beaches I've ever seen! It was insane!
After our beach day it was time for a luau! We went to the luau at the Hale Koa (a military hotel on Waikiki) and it was an awesome dinner and show. I definitely recommend it!
They had all the married couples stand up and dance for one of the songs. I'll take any chance to dance with my handsome hubby! It doesn't happen often haha :)
On our last day we were planning to go snorkeling but it turns out that the place we were going was closed on Tuesdays... how random is that?! So instead we decided to hike Diamond Head. Everyone knows that hiking is not my forte (HA!) but Jake really wanted to go and I was actually very excited about seeing the gorgeous view at the top.
Here we are at the bottom...
Jake was so excited the whole way and he was practically running up the steep hills and hundreds of stairs in the muggy heat...
Here's how I felt about the steep, long HOT climb... hahahaha!
Just kidding!
I actually had a really great time, but Jake and I got a huge laugh when we loaded our pics onto the computer and saw the grumpy photo of me above.
The view at the top was AMAZING!!! Totally worth the climb!
That night we drove over to the North Shore to meet up with some of our friends from pilot training who are now stationed in Hawaii. It was so fun to see them and catch up and meet their sweet little boy! We had dinner right on the water and the weather was just beautiful.
The next day it was sadly time to head back home. We drove back over to base bright and early in the morning and totally lucked out because we easily got onto the first flight out to Travis. And even better, we were on a C-17!! I was so ecstatic to get to go up in Jake's plane. Then, when we got on the plane Jake went up and talked with the pilots and actually arranged for me to go sit up in the cockpit!! Taking off over Hawaii and landing over the Golden Gate in San Fran was easily one of the coolest experiences of my life!
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What an awesome experience and amazing trip! We had a great time and more than anything it was so nice to be back together again after so many months apart. So many great new memories :)
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