Our hotel, The Sheraton Princess, was awesome. We weren't supposed to be able to see the ocean from our room, but we could!
On Sunday, we found the local ward so that we could attend their Sacrament meeting. We got a little lost. We passed right by the church plenty of times. But I told Jakob I couldn't see it anywhere. Only another Christian church with a gigantic, Jesus mural on the front. Well, I'll be darned, but that was the LDS Building! Sometimes I think I don't even know my religion!It was an absolutely gorgeous chapel, but I'm pretty sure that it once was the chapel of another faith based on the cruciform ground plan with a nave crossed by a transept. But, then again, the giant Jesus sculpture threw me off, so I could be wrong. The grounds were gorgeous with so many different flowers and a beautiful fountain.
And there was this ancient monster of a tree that Jakob was fascinated with. I can't believe that things from so long ago still exist. Can you believe at one time this tree was just a little seedling? The earth is old.
We drove around and saw the beauty of Hawaii.
Then we ate the BEST breakfast EVER! We had Banana and Macadamia Nut Pancakes with a special Macadamia Nut sauce at "Boots & Kimu's". Jakob's siblings told us to go, and it was so worth the wait. Yummy!
Then we decided to venture out to our first beach. The beach was called Lanikai, and words can't describe. I just wish that it hadn't been our first beach. I'm the kind of person who always likes to go from worst to best with life. Eat all the vegetables before the yummy chicken, etc. So as much as I enjoyed Lanikai, I just didn't understand how special of a beach it was. The sand was white and soft as silk. The water was beautiful and clear.
The only bummer is that we went on a weekend, so there was tons of people there and it is a smaller, secluded beach. I wouldn't have minded, if we didn't just happen to be right next to a woman who decided to go topless and her drunk boyfriend who kept yelling for everyone to look. I think it was our punishment for going to the beach on Sunday.
We didn't spend any time on Waikiki during the day, but we did walk the beach at night and it was so pretty. All the city lights and the gorgeous beach.
We also took advantage of the opportunity to try authentic Hawaiian cuisine by eating at 'The Cheesecake Factory'. I was so happy they had one. It made my day.
After my fake Fiji ink tattoo, I was super antsy to get more fake tattoos. Right outside our hotel there was a little stand where this girl was doing Jagua tattoos. It's like henna, but the color is black, so it looks more like a real tattoo. I was so excited, so I got my boys' names on my wrist. Here they are while the ink is still on them drying. She definitely wasn't a perfectionist, so I'm glad they weren't the real deal. But I was so excited. I was giddy.
And here's the end of another full day. Falling asleep at dinner. I'm such an old lady!
Our first day in Oahu, we made our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center. The PCC is owned by the church, so we wanted to go there anyway. But all the Hawaii guide books say it is an experience not to be missed, so we were really excited to see what it was all about.
It was a full day adventure. There were so many things to see there and we tried to fit as much in as we could. It is so beautiful. They highlight all of the different Polynesian cultures, so it was a great experience to have at the beginning of our trip. I am very ignorant in all things Polynesian, so all of the information was very new and exciting.
We didn't come with a group or pay extra for a tour, so we just kind of wondered around aimlessly at first. Had our first Hawaiian snowcone. Then we saw how much fun all the groups were having and how the tour guides knew so much, so we kind of group-hopped after that. Some of my day highlights were:
Watching Jakob learn the hula.
Being a total rockstar with the Poi Balls.
Lovin' Jakob's 'never-say-die' determination with the Poi Balls.
Watching the boat show on the river where they highlighted all of the different Polynesian cultures.
Except, did you know, that men like these dancers who shake their hips wildly for different reasons than women do? Call me super, duper naive, but I thought we all thought they were cool because it's so amazing that they can shake their hips that fast. But I learned later, when Jakob and Dane (later post) were having a "Gentlemen's Club" laugh about it, that it's entertaining to them in a "I-love-that-I-can-watch-this-and-still-hold-a-temple-recommend" kind of way. Jakob later said that he only thinks it's sexy if I'm doing it (2nd and 4th Thursday of the month). But I just think that boys are gross. I understand they have to be made that way so that procreation can occur and the world can continue, but I don't have to like it. I can't believe I contributed four more boys to this world.
But my all time favorite part of the day was when we got these fake tattoos from the Fiji section of the PCC. It was thrilling. I loved it. They were just rubbed on with ink. Jakob got one around his forearm and I got one around my ankle. It lit a fire in me that continued throughout the entire trip. More on that to come......
We joined the sister missionaries for a little tour of BYU Hawaii and the Hawaiian temple. We were super bummed the temple was closed for renovations because I would've loved to do a session there. But it was fun to walk the grounds.
At night we went to "The Best Luau on the Island". It was super fun and quite the experience. I do see how it's probably the best luau on the island because it is so well done and detailed. But Jakob and I observed that it felt an awful lot like a gigantic ward party. From the drink ratios (1 pitcher of fruit punch to 5 pitchers of water) to the organized buffet lines ("Everyone has now been served, so if you would like seconds, you may make your way back up to the buffet."). But it was fun.
After all of these events, we still had a show to attend in the evening. I was so exhausted. I couldn't even eat with my eyes open. Realization #3: I am an old lady now who suffers terribly from jet lag. I am not the most fun travel companion.
We took a quick power nap in our car.
Then it was off to the show "Ha! The Breath of Life". It was a super incredible show full of dancing, costumes, and fire! 
My only distraction? The few, pale, RM's sprinkled throughout the cast. (I wish I had a better picture because sometimes they were in the front row.) Bless their hearts. You know they work out every day for hours at the gym. But you gotta accept what God has given you, and he did not give you this: 
It was a wonderful day and a great way to kick-off our trip!
Okay, I am going to start blogging about our "10 Year Anniversary Incredibly Fabulous Romantic Hawaiian Trip of a Lifetime". But I have been so stressed about how to divide the trip up into posts. Days? Themes? Events? I still don't know what's best. So it may be a little of everything. But this I do know: I have A LOT to say.
Here we are at the airport. The first picture of the trip snapped by my mom. My mom flew out to watch my boys for the whole 10 days we were gone. She is a saint. Thanks, Mom!
Here we are on the plane. Alone at last! So excited but also.........
Feeling some tremendous sadness for leaving my children. And a ton of guilt for not being the best mom, not spending more quality time with my children, yelling at the boys instead of just listening to why the gallon of milk spilled on the floor, etc. Tons of guilt. Isn't being a woman fun? The very "hormonal gifts" we are given to make us nurturing mothers also make it nearly impossible for us to forget that we are not perfect mothers.
But it was a short emotional breakdown. And then I was so ready for the romance to begin. (And so ready for a nose job when I saw this picture.)
The next morning, Saturday, I was feeling much better. And very hungry. And wouldn't you know it? There is an "Original Pancake House" in Oahu!
The same breakfast we ate on our honeymoon:
And it was even more tasty eating it in Hawaii.
After breakfast, we were off to the Polynesian Culture Center. It was about 1 1/2 hours away, so we had a beautiful drive to get us more acquainted with Oahu. 
We couldn't stand that we still hadn't felt the sand or water yet, so we pulled over and tested it out. Wonderful. (However, I must say it wasn't "warm" like everyone said it was. It was pleasant and not at all chilling. But I was surprised when the water didn't feel like a bath. I guess I'm not familiar enough with ocean water to know what "warm" means in an "ocean" context.)
Walking back to our car, we came across a bunch of lovely, dead eels on the shore. They freaked me out. And they were on the shore. Which means they must've been swimming pretty close to shore. Which did not make me any less nervous that we were going to try snorkeling in Maui.