SNORKELING!
We named these guys Brian.
Sea Turtles!
On the Catamaran.
I became obsessed with hula, naturally, so I wanted to learn more about it. Lucky for me there was a free class on the strip!
We learned a couple of different routines. A short one and a long one. Your arms get tired after a while.
Near the end of the class, our instructor said, "Ok, now turn around." Which put me front and center. With about 30 or 40 lovely Japanese backup dancers. Hilarious. Luckily, Fuzzy was watching and as able to get a video! Enjoy!
Here is me and my beautiful instructor.
Whew! Busy week! Here are more photos!
Everything was gorgeous. Mokolii Island.
I wanted to get in as many beaches as I could.
We saw people trying to wear this as a hat in photos, so we did, too.
Gorgeous!
The first place we snorkeled, Shark's Cove (no, Christopher, there were no sharks.)
Then we saw some basking sea turtles at Turtle Beach!
One of the turtles was HiwaHiwa!
Then she decided to move on. We got a video!
Rooster at Matsumoto Shave Ice (another post about this place to come)
There were kitties there!
This beach was like a postcard.
Seriously.
Oh my God, Project Runway made me cry about 10 times last night! AH!
I am going to throw down some spoilers, so only read the rest of this if you've seen it.
Continue reading I Need to Talk about Project Runway for a Minute.
The view from our hotel room.
Gorgeous!
Our first day at the beach! Sunday, Sept 12th
Cutie!
So pretty
My first fruity cocktail of the trip.
What a nice ad! (That beer was $10. We didn't know that til the bill came.)
This guy came out every night at sunset and blew in the shell while another guy lit the torches.
The aforementioned torches.
We saw a hula show that night on a little stage on Waikiki beach. This woman was my favorite. She was so filled with joy that you couldn't help but smile. They also had teenagers who danced (male and female) and then little kids 4-7 years old. One song the little ones danced to was about getting married and wearing high heels and a "pedicoat that is short short short." Umm....not only was it weird that they were so tiny, but there was also a boy in the group.
Duke Kahanamoku, The king of modern surfing.
Beach on the North Shore of Oahu
This is one of my new fave pictures ever.
This is how Hawaii made me feel. I kept saying "today is my favorite day" each day we were there.
Come on.
Aloha birdy!
I have a lot to say about our trip to Hawaii, but have been completely worn out this week and haven't had much energy. But I have to start somewhere, right?
Hawaii is as gorgeous as you think it might be. I don't think my eyes and my brain were ready for it. I was constantly saying "It really looks like this!" and "How is this for real?" Mountains, ocean, canyons, flowers...it really is paradise.
Fuzzy and I instantly felt at home there and a strong connection to the land. We loved it. I love the culture, the food, the beauty, everything.
We also fell in love with snorkeling. We loved it and snorkeled a lot. It felt like swimming in the tropical aquarium I have always wanted. The first time we went, Fuzzy put his mask on first, stuck his head in and popped back up right away. "It is incredible. I've already seen fish," was what he said. Amazing.
We saw a bunch of sea turtles. Some basking on the beach, some we swam with while snorkeling.
We surfed! Fuzzy was a natural. Our instructor asked me if he had surfed before because he was so good. Sadly this was the ONE TIME we didn't have a camera with us, so we have no photos. Let me tell you, though--surfing Fuzzy is ADORABLE. I liked it, too. It doesn't feel at all what you think it might feel like. You just feel like you are gliding in slow motion.
We saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal. We had seen all these signs about not disturbing but didn't actually see one until right at the end of our trip. We were at a beach and went to the car to get our gear. When we came back, there was a roped off blob on the beach (when endangered guys come to shore, they are roped off so idiots don't mess with them.) He or she was so precious!
I took a hula class! I fell in love with the artform--it seemed like a dance version of tai chi--very relaxing and zen. I took a free class, and it was hilarious and really fun. Stay tuned, there is video.
We went to the Hawaii 5-0 premiere in Waikiki on the beach! All the stars were there as well as producers, politicians, cast members from the original series, etc. The show is pretty good, too!
Ok, that is my real quick round up. As we put pics online I will post some here with commentary and more stories. Ultimately, we had a blast and I cannot wait to go back!
A few weeks ago, my awesome friend Philip and I filmed a promo video for the new Illinois voting campaign, Vote Naked. We had a total blast and I love the video. Here it is! (it is safe for work)
We've been featured now all over the news and the web, including the Huffington Post, CBS Chicago and Time Out Chicago. Both Time Out and the Facebook page have some really awesome photos.
Directed by Ky Dickens
Yellow Wing Productions
Edited by CJ Arellano
Camera Operator: Amanda Clifford
Sound by Ryan Logan
Produced by Ky Dickens
Sponsored by Equality Illinois, The Chicago Reader, Rock the Vote & Roosevelt University
Erica Reid
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