Arizona Trip

Our trip for March was a quick little jaunt to Arizona to visit my friend Anna and her husband Brad (remember when we went down last year and got engaged?  It was after their sealing), and to go to a few spring training baseball games.  We are super loving the Provo airport and its proximity and ease (and prices) for our traveling adventures.

Our friend Allison drove us to the airport after work on Friday, and a short hour and 14 mins later we were in a completely different climate.  Anna and Brad live seven minutes (not a joke) away from the little airport that Allegiant flies into so we texted right when we landed and they were there to meet us the second we walked out.

We headed straight to a baseball game and grabbed some food on the way there from a place called Raising Cane.  It was a place that served only chicken tenders with a special dipping sauce that Anna described perfectly as "pretty much just fry sauce with pepper in it." 

But enough of the reading.  Trips are better shown in pictures.

 The first game (the Mariners lost).

 We're trying to be better about taking pics together (sorry I look like death...can you blame us for not wanting to take pictures of ourselves? JK JK)

 Breakfast the next morning at Joe's Farm Grill which was a farm back in the day.  They turned the house into a restaurant and part of the living room is still standing in one of the eating areas.  We ate outside, though, since it was so nice!

 The waffles were superb.

 I stayed as far away from the trees as possible because, yikes, scorpions.

 Another attempt to take pics together (next we will work on my posture...)

And how can you be in 80* weather without going for a swim?

 With a dog...this is Anna and Brad's cute little yorkie, Pippa.

 The second game, different field.  Dillon bought me caramel corn :) And the Mariners won this one.

 Then some good old shaved ice, because, OF COURSE.

 And check out the Gilbert Temple!  So beautiful and such good lighting!

 Foliage, nice.

 Stunning, right?

 We finished off the day at this awesome place called San Tan Flat where you eat outside surrounded by little bonfires and live music.  The wait was a million years but that steak and the atmosphere was worth the wait.

 We ended the trip by flying out at 7am the next morning.  As Dillon put it, "Too early to fly." But it was worth it. 

 We had a great trip and I definitely said more than once, "Why don't we live here?!"

HAWAII!!!!

That's right, Dillon finally took me to Hawaii!  I don't really mean finally because it's not like he's been promising to take me or anything. But ever since I found out he has gone a few times already, and since he went on two cruises without me, I figured that the word finally was a little fitting.

We were aware that prices for plane tickets are super cheap on Allegiant Air during January and February because Dillon had wanted to go the two previous years and had kept an eye on tickets back then but had never gone.  So when this year rolled around we just planned on going when the prices dropped.  By October prices were pretty low so we booked!

We told Dillon's sister about the awesome deal we got and pretty much ended up inviting his entire family. It worked out great for everyone to come, even Dillon's other sister who had recently found out she was pregnant.  We were able to do and see a lot while we were there and stayed in a great house up on the North Shore.

Let the photo essay commence! (also, disclaimer, Dillon is the photographer, not me...)

 Our first stop was Punchbowl Cemetery, the resting place of soldiers killed in WWII in the Pacific.

 Our first official stop the next morning after breakfast at Papa Ole's was Laie Point.

 Then on to Shark's Cove for some snorkeling.

 After the morning at Shark's Cove we headed up to Pipeline beach.

 Check out that awesome water!

 My father-in-law, Steve, conquering waves.

 Then up to Matsumoto's for some shaved ice, wooooo!

 Sunset at Waimea Bay, except pictured here is just an artistic shot of the water coming in.

Here's the real picture of the sunset...

 Dole plantation the next day where we opened a few shells and got some pearls.

 Then, oh my gosh, best garlic shrimp of my life out of that truck right there. 

 And then some more shave ice.  Apparently, it's the best.

 Lunch at this bakery.  There were sprouts involved.

 And then more beach time!  A little cloudier this day.

 But still awesome colors. 

 Walking out to Goat Island that evening.

 It was a beautiful sunset out there.

 Yes, that is my skirt around my neck...and yes, I was wearing a swimsuit.

 SO gorgeous.

 And protected.

 Sunrise the next morning on our way down to Honolulu to go to Pearl Harbor and a swap meet.

 Presh.

 Pearl Harbor

After that we went on a hike. Here are views from the top of the Diamondhead hike.

 This is the one picture I took that trip...

 I married him because he's a rebel.

 This is the Laie Temple where we went the very next morning before going to the Polynesian Cultural Center

 One of the workers showing how Samoans make fire.  

 We saw lots of different cultures at the PCC that day and then finished off with a Luau that night.

 Our last full day we went to Hanauma Bay which is famous for its coral reefs for snorkeling.  It was fairly overcast which made for a less crowded beach.  It was still so gorgeous and nice to sit by the water.

 On our way to the bay we had passed a short hike so we went back and did it afterward.  At the top, on one side you could see whales breaching (or whatever it's called when they jump out of the water).

Another lighthouse.

After the hike we went on an adventure to get gas at Costco so the we could turn the rental cars in with full tanks of cheap gas.  This led to an even bigger adventure of getting some hula bread at THE sketchiest "bakery" and then finding a real bakery and getting some desserts there after stopping to get one last shave ice (also at a semi-sketchy loaction).  

Our second to last adventure that evening was to stop and swing on some banyan tree vines.

 haha those faces.

Our last adventure that night was to go to dinner (it was Valentine's Day!) to Kahuku Grill, which also had pretty dang good garlic shrimp.

 Dillon's last morning on the beach he found a sand dollar.  This kid, ha.

 Last stop/photo opp on our way to the airport.

We'll definitely go back!