Hawaii in a nutshell...hehe

Way too much to tell, so I'll do my best!

Day 1:
-Almost missed our flight in SLO, nugent party of 3, alderton party of 1, last call..haha
-Found out we were going to the big island, flying into Kona (it was a surprise!)
-Christy met us at LAX (was supposed to be a surprise, but i kinda knew, nevertheless, i was ESTATIC!)
- We got to Kona about 11:30 am, hit up costco and the grocery store, settled into the condo, and slept!
- spend hours trying to figure out why hawaii looked more like a desert than a tropical island...gotta love the lava rock!
- settled into our condo in Waikaloa
- I honestly dont know what happened the rest of the day haha

Day 2:
- went snorkeling at Kaphu'u beach, or something like that
-soooooooo awesome, snorkeling is so cool, and we saw tons of fish
- hung out the rest of the day at the pool and condo

Day 3:
- sooo sick, not cool
- we went to a private beach, where only 25 outside cars are let in
- it was awesome, but i was sick, so i didnt really get to enjoy it, no good
- went to downtown Kailua-Kona with Christy, trying to find the "Scene"
- apparently people dont go out on Mondays, no luck, haha
- did tons of shopping though!

Day 4:
-took a drive to the other side of the island, Hilo
-it was much more tropical, swam in a waterwall, hiked to a few others, and bought a fresh, ice cold coconut from a cute hawaiin boy
- we also went to the hilo zoo for 15 minutes, because it closed at 400 and we got there at 345 haha, turbo tour, otherwise known as the blair zoo project on my video camera!
-went to a park in hilo and just enjoyed that side of the island

Day 5:
- probably my favorite day in hawaii!
-in the morning we went to the pool
-then, Christy and I went parasailing!
-we went up to 1200 feet! if you know me, thats a big accomplishment.
- I saw a group of about 15 dolphins, soo lucky!
-boat drivers definitely made the trip even more fun, good times!
- that night we went to a luau at the marriot(we= Christy and I)
- it was awesome. awesome food, awesome show, awesome company
- our table was a lot of fun, although the host guy couldnt find us 2 single guys! :o(
- Snuck into the marriot pool, then called it a night hehe

Day 6:
- kayaking! we all rented kayaks and kayaked a mile in the ocean to a prime snorkeling spot
- the snorkeling was great, and the kayaking was hard work, but wow Benjamin did awesome!
- on the way out, christy and i got stuck on a rock, hilarious, but we got out!
- took the kayaks back to the Kona Boys, and got ready for dinner, after some home made macademia nut ice cream!
- we went to a nice dinner at Cafe Pesto...yummy!

Day 7:
-we went out to the beach at the mariott resort!
- not great snorkeling, but the waves were a good size for benjamin
- talked to a fireman(got paid 5 bucks haha), who tried to talk me into moving to hawaii to teach, apparently theres a good job market
- after my credential is cleared, i will seriously consider it! ( you all have 2 years to save up to visit me in hawaii!)
- Katie and Tim took a snorkeling cruise, so christy, benjamin and i headed over to the hilton to see the dolphins and sneak into the amazing pool! haha
- that hotel is AMAZING, you have to take a tram to get around it!
-we packed up the car and went to bed early!

Day 8 (last day) :o(
-left really early to turn in all our gear, and head to the other side of the island
-we headed for the Hawaii Volcanoe national park. We saw craters, went in pitch black lava tubes and took a 3 mile hike to a crater.
- Did i mention there was an active volcanoe directly in front of us? It was awesome!
- Drove back around the hilo side, and stopped at a stand and had white pineapple, soo yummy!
- went to the firestation to buy a shirt, no one there :o(
- dinner at the beach front hard rock cafe, then off to the airport!
- Our flight, which was supposed to leave at 10 pm, didnt leave til 12 am!
- It took us a few hours to check our luggage!
- We got to SLO around 1130 CA time, i took a nap, did some laundry, then headed up to oakland for traning!


That's where i am now. I'm staying at a friend's house in Pleasaton, until thursday, then a hotel thursday night. I am going on my 3rd day of training. It's not too bad, im just stressed that I am here and not in my classroom where I should be! I talked to my new mentor teacher and the new principal. I think I am going to be richly blessed in that area. I have heard great things about both! yay!

I hope to upload some more pictures once i get settled in! Hope everyone is doing well!
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