I've Moved!

Hello!

I've moved my blog over to Word Press, so head on over to join me on the other side!

www.lauralikesdesign.com/blog

Crossing Over to the Brighter Side

Hey guys, I'm working this weekend to transfer my blog over to WP, so if I lose you in the process, hang tight--I'll be back!

Turkey Day

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving spent with family and friends! Have a great day!

Honeymoon Part II: The First Full Day

Hi there and happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I've never been one for the Thanksgiving Eve celebrations, as none of my family flies/drives in from out of town, spends the night, and then wakes up together in the morning for a big brunch. I wish we did that--how fun would it be to have a huge sleepover with your family? Therefore, tonight will be spent hitting the gym and then relaxing with Andy. I love long weekends--especially when they involve holidays!

I found some jeans last night--not just one, but 3 pairs! This is a rare find in my world since I have the hardest time finding pants and usually can't wear them until they've had a trip to the tailors'. Luckily boots are in season so I can stuff my unhemmed pants into them and get by until next week when I have a chance to drop them off.

Honeymoon Part II

For those just catching up, you may check out my previous recap here.

On our first full day on the island, we headed to the beach directly after breakfast. I've seen the ocean before when I went to California a few years ago, but had never been in the ocean since it was winter and freezing cold!

The sights around us were spectacular! We wandered around the beach at our resort before hiking over to neighboring beaches. 

First up, a black sand beach! This was so neat in contrast to the tan, fine sand beaches that we went to throughout the week. This sand was composed of coarse little pebbles that were red and black in color. It was an interesting sensation to walk on, that's for sure! 

As we waded along the shoreline, snapping pics and taking in the moment, we almost got taken out a few times by some surprise waves that crashed upon the shore! Our clothes got a little wet but it was definitely worth it!

The water was so crystal clear and beautiful--especially with the black sand shining through. It was a perfectly sunny day with temps in the high 80s. A little humidity ran through the air, but the ocean provided a nice, refreshing breeze--making the temps perfect for scurrying around on an adventure.

Next up was "Big Beach" as the locals call it. This is a very popular swimming beach due to the huge stretch of coastline, perfect sand, and excellent swimming spots. Ironically, as soon as we arrived, it was being evacuated due to a recent shark sighting with is pretty rare since the water depth was only about 6 feet in the designated swimming area.

We had fun playing in the sand, wading by the shore, and walking barefoot on the beach. It felt so great to take each day for what it was worth and just fly by the seat of our pants rather than have a planned out agenda.

Later on in the week, we went swimming at big beach and had so much fun just standing in the huge waves and being pulled out to sea and then back again. I didn't follow Andy's advice about not turning your back to the ocean and definitely wiped out by surprise a few times!

On our way back to the resort to change and grab lunch, we saw a lot of food trucks on the side of the road. Most of them advertised fresh fruit and fish tacos, but when we saw this bright bus, we just had to stop! The owner of this truck was a true hippie surfer and ran this truck to support his surfing passion.

A lover of popsicles, Hawaiian shave ice is right up my alley. I chose the Pink Lemonade and Watermelon flavors while Andy enjoyed a root beer float while we walked the remaining stretch back to our room at the resort.

This stuff was amazing! Seriously, one of my favorite things that we enjoyed that whole week!

After a quick lunch in the room, we decided to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon relaxing on the beach to combat our jet lag. I relaxed with a few magazines while Andy snapped pictures of the ocean, waves, and surroundings.

This definitely beat sitting at the office on a Tuesday afternoon! The sound of the waves and the warm sun on our faces was so relaxing--especially after the wedding craziness that took place the week prior.

After awhile, we headed back inside to shower and change before setting out for an outdoor mall to grab dinner. Most of their malls in Hawaii are open-air and it was so nice to be outside while you were "inside!" Definitely not an opportunity that could be had in Minnesota, where it is winter basically 8 months out of the year.

This mall was filled with all kinds of fun shops and restaurants--including a few we had never even heard of.

I was ecstatic when we found a ROXY store! I love this brand and later on ended up purchasing a shirt on our last day when we revisited the store.

We enjoyed a relaxing dinner at a cheeseburger joint. Grilled cheese and chicken wingsfor him, and a salad for her!

This cobb salad was exactly what I was craving and we ended up going back to this restaurant later on in the week for the same dinner round two--it was that good! We actually had the same waitress the second time and she remembered us--haha!

We ended the evening with a sunset walk on the beach--taking more pictures and reflecting on our day. It was a great first day and were were so happy that we had many more days of our vacation to follow!

Stay tuned for the next recap! 

Until then, enjoy your day relaxing if you have it off, otherwise, enjoy your "Friday" today! I work today but I'm hoping we maybe get let go a little early due to the holiday and the fact that most people are out of the office today--clients included. Hey, a girl can wish, right?!

Do you have the day off today?

What are you most looking forward to about Thanksgiving? I'm so excited to see my cousins and Andrea's new puppy!

Do you have a hard time finding jeans?