Maui

When our fabulous family vacation on Oahu came to an end and the rest of the family headed home, Chris and I took off on a much smaller plane headed to Maui -- the perfect destination for a mini lovers-cation. Chris and I have had a lot of fun and adventures so far in our marriage - from our honeymoon in Saint George, to exploring Alaska, and celebrating our first anniversary in a yurt in the Yukon - but we had never been somewhere tropical together before. And let me just say, the chick flicks got it right when they portray sandy beaches as the most romantic get aways. Though he might be hard pressed to admit it I even got Chris to agree that snow frosted eyelashes, flannel, and cozy mountain cabins can't compete with romantic sunset walks on the beach, hot sun shining on even hotter spouses in swimsuits, and salty kisses. Everything. Was. Perfect. But since this is a family and friends blog, we'll keep it G rated...

Our early Thursday morning flight to Maui gave us plenty of time to enjoy the day. The morning was filled with delicious breakfasts, buying fresh fruit from street-side farmers market (there is NOTHING better then fresh mangos!), and driving around seeing the sights and scoping out the shoreline for a perfect snorkeling spot. We arrived at our beach front home earlier than check in, but took the time to enjoy our mostly private and perfect beach. We used some boogie boards and played in the ocean, Chris caught a crab, and then we took naps on the nice lounge chairs. After checking into our room and cooking dinner, we enjoyed taking a long walk along the beach and a late night swim (which we never repeated once we learned that dusk is prime time for shark activity!).

We woke up early on Friday morning so we could truly seize the day! It was jam packed and included...

• Lots of snorkeling. In true Andrew fashion we hit the beaches well before the crowds in an attempt to see the most fish. Our first beach was a bit of a bust in terms of seeing the cool underwater world, but we were still able to take advantage of our favorites - sandy toes and salty kisses. The next beach we went to, Honolua Park, was our favorite snorkeling place on both islands. We saw another sea turtle, large schools of fish, more variety of species then anywhere else, and the most colorful coral yet. We spent hours here and loved every second of it. 
• More fresh mangos (yes, I'm obsessed) :-)
• Some oceanside hiking on Maui's North Shore to a lighthouse, Nakalele blowhole, and the famous lovers' "heart-shaped rock". We didn't find the lighthouse to be that thrilling, but Chris could not get enough of the giant blowhole. It was like a tropical Yellowstone!
• In the afternoon we ventured out to find one of the well kept secrets of Maui - the Olivine Pools, also known as the mermaid pools. There's no clear trail to the pools and after much wandering we finally figured out how we could scramble down to them. We were the only people at the pools and it was one of the most beautiful things either of us have seen in our lives. The crystal blues stood out against the dark rock, and you could see and hear the massive ocean waves crashing in the background. It was a lot of fun to be a mermaid. 
• We then spent some time tracking down the best shaved ice on the island, and spent some time pretending to be rich people at a fancy resort as we sat in their big-comfy-lounge-chair-shaded-bed-things overlooking the ocean. 

Olivine Pools

                       

Saturday began with an even earlier morning as we had big plans to drive the Road to Hana and fill it with as many stops as possible. The Road to Hana is a 64 mile curvy road through the wet rainforest on the east side of the island. With many beautiful stops along the road it is a must-do in Hawaii and the stunning views make every stomach-turning curve on the narrow road worth it. Some of our favorite stops along the road were: 

• The countless waterfalls - Some waterfalls were right on the edge of the road, and others involved some short hikes (a great way to stretch road-trippin' legs). 
• Black Sand Beach - The black sand and the blue water were surely a sight to behold! Also at this stop we got in a really nice hike across black rock that overlooks the ocean. The hike lead us through an ancient burial ground, and had unbeatable ocean views. We also enjoyed the large lava tube that went from the beach straight into the ocean. 
• Red Sand Beach - We still don't know which beach we liked better, black sand or red sand. But wow! The colors here couldn't be more spectacular. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sand and cooled off in the ocean.

Exploring the lava tubes at Black Sand Beach

Overlooking Red Sand Beach

Within Haleakala National Park -

• Bamboo Forest - Hiking through a bamboo forest was incredible. The slightest breeze would cause the bamboo to softly sway, creating a beautiful melody as each bamboo plant kissed another. If the forest itself wasn't impressive enough we arrived in a clearing at the end with an incredible waterefall over 400 feet tall. 
• Banyan Trees - These ginormous trees branch out and grow to incredible size. Chris sure had fun climbing on the large limbs!
• Seven Sacred Pools - This was the one thing we were looking forward to the most on the road to Hana but were super bummed that a flash flood made it illegal to swim in the pools the one day we were there. It was still fun to look at the Seven Sacred Pools, known to locals as Ohe'o Gulch. 

                       

On Sunday Chris wasn't feeling too good so we took it a little easier. We started our morning off right by attending a local church for our sabbath meetings. After church we drove up to Haleakala National Park. This National Park is home to the dormant Haleakala Volcano as well as a few species of endangered birds and plants. It was wild to enter yet another unique climate and terrain on the same island. The top of the volcano is the island's highest peak and from it you could look over the ocean and see the Big Island. We had fun exploring small trails and the visitor centers over the course of the day. 

The desert-like crater at Haleakala Nat'l Park

Monday morning we relaxed on the beach at our rental (we really couldn't have stayed in a better location!). We waited until the last possible moment to run in and shower before we needed to check out. We then headed to small hippy town of Paia where we frolicked the town, checked out a lot of neat shops, and had a great seafood lunch before heading to the airport in the late afternoon. 

Playing on our beach at Kihei

We had a sleepy flight home after saying goodbye to our perfect tropical vacation, and we still miss our Hawaiian sun. 

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Suntanned Andrew

Surprise vacation.....

First of all, Joseph returned from his mission in Brazil on Wednesday! We all went to the Grand Junction airport to pick him up after his exhausting 16 hour flight, and after lots of excited hugs and a drive home, he crashed for the night. It was fun to listen to him speak with a Brazilian accent, and to see his souvenirs he brought home.

The next day, Dani and I joined the family again for a drive up north, where the younger three kids were told that we were taking a "really long trip." Early in the morning they were still guessing our destination as we headed to the SLC airport, and they still didn't know where we were going until they were on the plane to Hawaii!!! Anna joined us from Alaska, and we all rendezvoused at the rental home we were staying at near the North Shore of Oahu.

When Dani and I arrived at our basecamp we quickly changed and took the three younger kids (everyone else were so pooped from the flight that they were napping) with some boogie boards to the ocean, a short 5 minute walk. As it was their first time to a beach, it was fun to watch them play in the water and sand. The water was so warm! The last time Dani and I had been to a tropical beach like this was when we were both teenagers, so we enjoyed rediscovering the ocean too.

It was incredible to see how different the landscape was everywhere you looked; the sunny, white-sand shore all along the coast line and then towering green cliffs inland, where rainclouds constantly fed hundreds of waterfalls through the rainforest.

On Saturday we were up before the sun was for the famous snorkeling at Hanauma Bay state park. We were not disappointed! This was another first for all the kids, including Dani and I. It was amazing to swim in any direction and see a new fish or sea creature! In Alaska Dani and I would see sea anemones, crabs, seals, and an occasional whale, but this time we were IN their world, discovering their habitats. One of my favorites were the parrotfish, nibbling on chunks of coral. Did you know that a single parrotfish can poop out one TON of sand per year, just from their diet of dead coral? Blew my mind.

After leaving Hanauma Bay we went to Waimanalo Bay for the body boarding. Dad, a So-Cal born-and-raised beach bum, went out with the younger kids to show them how to catch a wave and ride it back in. Olivia surprised us with her seemingly natural ability to catch the wave and ride it in, until she ate it hard and came back in tears. I was up next, as this was one of the things I was looking forward to the most. Dani and I were paddling out, ducking under the waves as they crashed down, but had a really hard time getting out far enough before the next wave pushed us back toward the beach. I finally started swallowing seawater as the waves seemed to get closer and closer, and I was getting pummeled. Despite dad's hollering to come out farther, I was exhausted and paddled back to the beach before I could get slammed down again. Let's just say that you won't be seeing Dani or I on the surfing channel of Extreme TV.

                                 

On Sunday we enjoyed touring Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri memorial there. Mom Brading sent us pictures of when she reenlisted into the Navy at the memorial! After catching church on our way home, we took it easy the rest of the evening, just enjoying family time.

The ancient banyan trees in the rainforest are GIGANTIC.

The next day the rest of the family went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and Dani and I took off to explore some waterfalls of Oahu - Manoa, Lulumahu, and Maunawili falls. Manoa Falls was incredibly tall but incredibly crowded, as it is the most popular waterfall hike in the area. Lulumahu was exciting to get to because the unmarked trail crossed private property and was a little difficult to find. Our favorite though was Maunawili. It was definitely the nastiest 2 mile slog through the mud to get there, but the destination was so worth it. The mountain stream crashed into two consecutive pools that were enclosed by tall rock faces covered in ferns. The refreshing water was deep enough to dive in, and we had the place all to ourselves. It was amazing.

                       

Tuesday the family headed to more snorkeling, this time at Shark's Cove, where we saw a green sea turtle! Swimming with it was the coolest experience - they move so leisurely and don't seem to have a care in the world. The massive underwater boulders were teeming with other sea creatures, and this snorkel spot was the family's unanimous favorite on Oahu. Later that day we drove to the Dole Plantation where we toured the pineapple farm and sampled the Dole Whip, a delicious sorbet-like pineapple dessert.

Discovering tide-pool creatures

The rainbow eucalyptus and its vivid colored bark.

On Wednesday the family called for more snorkeling, and one last trip to Shark's Cove. As it was our last day on Oahu, we had to run to Honolulu return the snorkeling gear in the afternoon. While we were on that side of the island Mom took the younger kids to the aquarium while Dad took the rest of us to hike the volcano at Diamond Head. From the top the view was amazing - you could see downtown Honolulu, the beach, and the reefs off the coast.

From the top of Diamond Head state monument looking toward the crater and downtown Honolulu.

Early the next morning we headed to the airport to say goodbye to our perfect family vacation. It was one of the most memorable experiences we've had, and it was the best way to welcome Joseph back from his mission.

Sea Kayaking

Let's start this post off with some good news - Chris finished his online math class!!!! Not only did he complete the class, but he got an awesome grade in it. I'm so thankful for the time and effort he put into this class, and that he puts towards his future career. He has a couple of weeks before his next math class starts, but don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to find something to pass the time.

As for adventures this week, the one thing worth mentioning (and it is definitely worth mentioning) was our epic day off which we spent sea kayaking around the ocean. The Wellings, a sweet family in the ward, lent us a double sea kayak and we spent the whole day on the water. Though we had near constant rain it was all-in-all a spectacular day. We paddled over 20 miles, exploring Gull, Sentinel, and Benjamin islands. The one thing I wanted to get a picture of but failed to was all the whales we saw swimming around. By the time I would put down my paddle and get out my phone they always seemed to be too far away to get a good picture (maybe this is a good thing, as they could surely tip a kayak). Sentinel island was one of the most interesting islands to explore with an old abandoned lighthouse.

We snuck up on this sleeping sea lion before it realized we were there!

The sea lion's graceful exit.

Who needs a selfie stick when you can have a selfie paddle???

We got pretty close to this pair on Benjamin island.

The picture never does it justice - this male sea lion had to be at least half a ton. We kept our distance.

Taking a paddle break on Gull Island.

After kayaking the Wellings invited us to join them in their home for some fresh homemade pretzels. We had a great time getting to know them better. They have a remarkable story, and are truly wonderful people. 

On Sunday our friends Brooke and Garrison Field had us over for dinner again. We had a great time catching up with them, but to be honest, Chris's favorite part was seeing Fynn (the dog we had watched for a week). Fynn even remembered who we were which made all of Chris's dogloving dreams come true.

The last couple of weeks Juneau has begun to smell pretty rank with the rotting salmon that have completed their spawning and life cycle. All the streams and rivers that are deep enough for a fish to swim up have been flowing with salmon, and now they are starting to die. We mused one night on our walk home from work if this smell is even close to the stench the Jaredites endured during their final days of battle, when they didn't have time to bury the bodies of the dead and they were left to rot (Ether 14:22-23). At least we have the luxury of being able to close the window and the smell doesn't keep us up at night. On that happy note,

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Gone Fishin'

After Chris's picture-fail of the bear we saw on Sunday we decided to head back to the glacier Monday morning before work. We once again walked around the little trails where people "supposedly" see bears allllll the time. After waiting for a bear to come with no avail we finally decided to hike East Glacier trail. We did this trail back in May and really enjoyed it. We found a small un-maintained trail that broke off the main path and decided to take it. With just a little bushwhacking we found Nugget Creek, an ice-blue river and a beautiful hidden beach.  We stopped at this peaceful, serene place and couldn't help but catch the river blues. Chris and I started dreaming and talking about the day when we will buy a raft and go on private rafting trips. There wasn't rapids, but it still just made us itch to be on the water. What can we say, once a river rat ALWAYS a river rat.

Our water adventures continued on Wednesday when we finally got in some real Alaskan fishing! The Sunderlands (senior missionary couple who took us gold panning) let us borrow some fishing poles and we went to the beach next to the hatchery to go snagging. Snagging is a type of fishing where you use a weighted, three pronged fishing hook and instead of waiting for the fish to bite the bait you just cast and then jerk it as you reel in. As you are reeling in you snag the fish (it can be in the mouth, on a fin, in the side - just anywhere) and just hope that you are strong enough to get these large, fighting salmon to shore. We caught SO MANY FISH! For those of you that don't know, there are five different types of salmon. Our sweet primary boys had warned us that you absolutely do not keep the chum salmon if you catch them. These salmon are referred to as dog salmon - as in you can feed them to your dog. Our hometeachers actually confirmed the advice our nine year old boys gave, and told us that the dog salmon don't cook well and are too mushy. With this in mind we quickly became snob Alaskan fishermen and only wanted to catch the good salmon. Unfortunately for us we caught about three dog salmon to every one good salmon! But all was not lost and we still brought home five good salmon, and a broken fishing pole (these fish are big!).

First cast, first catch. Chum salmon.

Wednesday's catch

Once we were home Christopher filleted the salmon as I hid in the other room because I couldn't handle the smell or the dead eyeballs staring at me. Once he had the fish looking like something you could buy at the grocery store I rejoined him (with a good smelling candle and open windows) and we cooked a great dinner. We even bought some Martinelli's sparkling cider to celebrate our catch and make our at-home date night all the more romantic.

As we talked about the day it didn't take long to realize Chris had caught fishing fever. He had a blast and can't wait to go again - next time on a boat and fishing for even larger fish. On the other hand, I realized my favorite part of fishing was watching the sea lions. My least favorite part was when I caught a fish and it was really hard to reel it in, and then when it got to the shore it looked hurt because I was mean and got a nasty hook stuck in it, and even worse if it was a good salmon Chris would barbarically hit a rock over it's head and kill it, and later he would gut it and pulled out all its' insides!!! One fish had gotten hooked in the side and as it struggled to get off the hook it tore open its side until all its' eggs were flying around! Needless to say, I think I'm a little too sensitive to be good at fishing, and Barbie Dani came out this trip. I'll just stick with the hikes. We did enjoy looking through the pictures from the day though, and hope you enjoy this collage we put together entitled "How Dani REALLY Feels About Fishing."

Thursday morning Chris went back out fishing again (he bought his "day-license" strategically and made the most of the 24 hour time limit), and I opted to stay home because, well because I broke my fishing pole on Wednesday.... Anyways, Chris went at an opportune time and caught eight more salmon that he ended up taking to a warehouse to get smoked. He also brought home a bunch of salmon eggs because the night before we had the crazy idea to try caviar. We looked up online how to prepare caviar (soaking the eggs in a salt water brine), and tasted this delicacy. These pretty orange pearls popped open and gushed strong flavors in your mouth.... ok, ok, ok the truth is we don't care how expensive caviar can be - this stuff is disgusting! We will not be eating fish eggs again any time soon. Ewwwww.

Thursday's catch

On Friday we went to the stake youth conference. Our boss Mel Perkins was released as the Anchorage Temple president not long ago and had been asked to speak on temples to the youth. He asked us to join him because his wife was out of town, and because he thought the youth would relate more to us as we had gotten our own endowments and had been sealed in the temple more recently. It was an amazing experience. We loved watching his presentation, and also having the opportunity to bear our own testimonies of the temple to three different groups of teenagers. We know the temple is the House of God. We know the Spirit that you feel in there is real. And we are so grateful for the work that we can do there, and for the opportunity that it gives families to be together forever. Part of the presentation was watching pioneer John Roye Moyle's story about sacrifice and dedication to build the House of the Lord.

Let us all strive to be those people who act, and not those who are acted upon. 

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

A Whale Watching, Gold Panning, Bear Viewing Alaskan Week

We had an awesome week full of fun and adventures, so let me just start by promising you that we actually do hold full-time jobs and Chris really is taking an online class. With that being said let me tell you about our whale watching, gold panning, bear viewing Alaskan week.

On Wednesday, our ever-blessed day off, our good friend Captain Ben helped us to get on a three hour whale watching tour. Wow. We tried to take pictures to show to you all, but it really is impossible to catch the majesty of these enormous creatures. Pictures just can't do it justice.

"Thar she blows!"

Called "flukes," this part of the tail is what you see when the whale dives.

Sea lions on the beach.

When Saturday rolled around we had the unique opportunity to go gold panning! A couple weeks back the senior missionary couple from the Juneau Singles Branch, Elder and Sister Sunderland, came in for dinner at the restaurant. They were so fun to talk to that they actually invited us to go gold panning with them on their P-day. This is a fun hobby of Elder Sunderland and we loved spending the day with him (his wife had flown down to be with their daughter) and learning from both him and a prospector who was by the creek when we got there. Though we were at it for a couple hours we only found a few tiny gold flecks that would add up to maybe a dollar once they are processed and any other minerals are removed. In fact, the flecks are so small you can hardly see them in the picture - but trust us, they are there! We didn't strike it rich, but we sure had a lot of fun.

After church on Sunday we went on a nice evening walk around the local college campus. We heard there was a giant totem pole there and we really wanted to find it. When we found it we were really amazed by not only the size, but also all the detail. It would take a lot of skill to carve something like that, and it is unfortunately a dying art.

Once we found our totem pole we headed out to the glacier to find some bears! Rumor has it you are most likely to see a bear in the evening - right when we work every night. We spent over an hour walking some simple trails and waiting for our epic bear sighting. We just knew we would see a mother bear scooping up salmon from the creek as her cubs wrestled in the long grass. But we had no such luck. We gave up and went closer to the glacier to enjoy the view. When we were walking back on the paved pathway to our car we saw a park ranger whistling and hitting his leg as if trying to get a dog to back off. We continued to walk forward and all of a sudden a bear comes strolling out of the grass to our side and walks right in front of us less than ten feet away! Taken aback it took a moment for Chris to grab out his phone and get a picture. If you take a look at Chris's great pictures (remembering he's the one who normally takes all the amazingly beautiful pictures on our blog) I think you can safely assume he was a little more frozen in one spot and startled then he would like to admit. Last week when he wrote the blogpost he was begging for a close up bear encounter, and when he got one, well, you can take a look at the pictures yourself to see how great he was at capturing this proud Alaskan moment...

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Alaskans-Andrew