June 16, 2022

Mom/Dad Visit Oahu



June 14, 2022

The parents arrived in Oahu in the afternoon.  Knowing they'd be tired and hungry from traveling, Bill insisted I not pack the schedule on the first day so they could settle in and relax.  We grabbed take out at Makoto (giant sushi rolls) for lunch, walked the dogs to our sentimental tree in Aiea, and ate Rangoon (Burmese) take out for dinner.  We typically eat outside, and the parents loved the 30 degree temperature drop compared to the mid-summer Texas weather they had just left.  We ended the night with an episode of Shmigadoon (Mom and Bill initially objected, but they couldn't help but love it).

Sesame, Anna, and Bella's Tree

All of Us

Loop-de-loop Tree

Mama

June 15, 2022

We saw 3 rainbows today!  The morning started off with a muddy morning hike at Aiea Loop Trail and then we headed to the North Shore.  I figured 2 hours would be enough time to explore Waimea Valley botanical garden, but we actually ran out of time because I always forget how gigantic it is (52 gardens and over 5000 plants).  We enjoyed Toa Luau, which had a pretty impressive coconut tree climber, a good lead fire dancer, and an adorable 9 year old fire dancer.  On the way home, we stopped by Laniakea Beach where we saw at least 8 turtles.  We ended the night with 2 more episodes of Schmigadoon.  

Morning Rainbow

Aiea Loop

Newly Hatched Butterfly

Camera Happy

Blue Jade Vine at Waimea Valley

Coconut Climber at Toa Luau

Honu!

Evening Rainbow

June 16, 2022

There were another 2 rainbows today!  Bill went on a run while the rest of us enjoyed a lazy morning.  We went on a short walk at Ala Moana Beach park and then took Mom & Dad on their first parasailing experience.   Lunch was at Marukame Udon per Dad's request, followed by a quick stop at my favorite Vietnamese market New Cholon.  Mom & Dad took a nap while Bill & I walked the dogs around the neighborhood.  We enjoyed a splurgy multi-course dinner at Casablanca (Moroccan), which has the best rack of lamb any of us has ever had.  We ended the night with another 2 episodes of Schmigadoon.

Ala Moana Beach Park

Dad & Lien Getting Ready

Dad & Lien Taking Off

Dad & Lien Parasailing

Dad & Lien Getting Dipped

Bill & Mom Getting Ready

Bill & Mom Taking Off

Bill & Mom Parasailing

Bill & Mom Getting Dipped

Bill & Mom Getting Soaked

June 17, 2022

We had another 2 rainbows today (for those of you keeping track, that's 7 rainbows in 3 days which is a lot, even for us)!  We visited our special tree again this morning.  The rest of our morning was spent in Kaneohe: we did a short 400 foot zipline at Bay View (Dad's first zipline!), fed koi at Byodo In Temple, and then returned to Bay View for a round of putt-putt golf where Mom destroyed the rest of us.  We headed back to Aiea for lunch at Build Your Own Ramen.  Mom & I attended 2 tap dance classes (a first for Mom) while the boys went on a run and picked up dinner at Poke & Box.  We met up at Ala Moana Beach park to eat poke and watch the Friday fireworks show.  Before bed, we watched the last episode of Schmigadoon.

Visiting Sesame, Anna, and Bella

H3

Tree House

Mom & Dad Ziplining

Big Smiles from Mom

Big Smiles from Dad

Byodo In Temple

Mom & Dad

Koi

Putt-Putt

Dessert at Make Your Own Ramen

Tap Dance


June 18, 2022

We hiked Hawaii Loa Ridge, one of my favorite hikes in Oahu.  Mom & Dad tried their first kouign amanns, a decadent pastry Bill & I go crazy over.  Mom made us a Vietnamese lunch that had fried tofu, something like spinach that isn't spinach, and huge chunks of garlic.  We ate dinner at Tane (vegan sushi), killed some time at Leahi Millenium Peace Garden, and were joined by Cynthia & Mayur for a local production of Waitress at Diamond Head Theater.

Gotta Love Those Ocean Views!

Climbing the Ridge

With the Pups

Rain Clouds

Can You Spot Zoltan?

Mom

Mom Re-enacting Her Fall (she was okay)

The Whole Group

Leahi Millenium Peace Garden



June 19, 2022

Today was Father's Day.  Raquel joined us in the morning for a doggie play date at Kuliouou Beach, where we saw a dead baby hammerhead shark on the sand.  Afterwards, we dropped the pups off at home and headed to Waimanalo.  We bought fresh fruit from Frankie's Nursery, ate a grilled sunflower head at Waimanalo Country Farms, and frolicked in the waves at Waimanalo Beach.  We barely took a break at home before heading out to the State Fair to enjoy some rides (Ferris Wheel with all 4 of us, The Zipper with me/Mom and then again with me/Bill, and Seven Seas with me/Bill), a funnel cake, a petting zoo, a dog show, and a circus performance where Bill was called up on stage.  Perhaps the highlight of the entire trip was hearing Mom scream throughout the entire Zipper ride.  Dinner was at Pho Vietnam in Chinatown.  We had no more Schmigadoon to watch, so we finished off the night drinking kava while watching Wallace and Gromit's The Wrong Trousers.

Kuliouou Beach

Dogs Love Grandma

The Only Water Depth My Dogs Tolerate

Dogs Temporarily Behaving

Waimanalo Country Farm

Waking Up

Mom

Bill

Lien

Couple #1

Couple #2

Father & Daughter

Feels like Lan's Missing in this Picture

All 4 Of Us

Grilled Sunflower Head

Adorable Piglets

Waimanalo Beach

Fathers on Fathers Day

The Zipper!

Taking Off

Adrenaline Rush

Bill on Stage at the State Fair

June 20, 2022

On our last day together, we took the dogs on a hike to irrigation tunnels in Waimano where we saw our 8th and final rainbow.  We indulged in massages; all of us but Dad got hot stones, and Mom had her back walked on for the first time.  The 4 of us intended to go to Dole Plantation but it was so crowded in the parking lot that we decided to bail.  We swung by Green World Coffee Farm and then ate lunch at Thai Lao.  We had Guinness floats and relaxed at home until it was time to drop the parents off at the airport.  Until next time.

Trying a new fruit (abiu) during breakfast

Pink Pineapple & White Pineapple

Pink Pineapple

Last Rainbow

Last Hike

Waimano Irrigation Tunnels

Green World Coffee Farm

Mom's Nails



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