Today was absolutely incredible! We began the day packing and checking out of our condo. It was a bit sad to leave, but exciting at the same time because we will get to spend a bit more time with Adam and Jenni by staying with them in their apartment and being on the north side of the island where they are. Ko Olina has a wonderful thing called "linger longer". We have to check out at 10:00 a.m. but many people don't catch their flight until late in the evening and so they give you a new key for the day and we were able to use the pools, showers, and anything else on the facilities that we wanted. So we played in the pool until lunch, ate a wonderful lunch around the pool and then headed to the marina. We had tickets for a 1:00 catamaran ride.
This is the cat that we rode. It was amazing! Things got a little tricky right off because they didn't tell us to be there at 12:30. So we almost missed the boat. Because we were trying to run to the boat, I forgot the camera. But luckily for us, we boarded at the very last minute - they actually held it for us while the condo took us there in a golf cart!
They also didn't tell us that it was a 3-4 hour trip and that we were going out into the ocean to SNORKEL! Due to the strength of the ocean currents, I had NO intentions of snorkeling in the ocean - and no way was I going to snorkel OUT in the ocean (as opposed to along the shore!) however, there were 14 of us on this trip with 3 divers. They gave us "state of the art" equiptment that fit perfectly. They got in the water with us with life rings and they took us to the PREMIER spot to snorkel on the whole island. We were in the area where they film commercials and film etc because there is so much wild life to see.
So seriously at $120 each, the best spot, and wonderful guides how could we resist. However, the other problem was that the lady who signed us up for this trip didn't tell us that we were getting IN the water and that we should wear our suits. . . we thought we were going to WATCH! So, after a bit of debate about garments and the ocean. . . we decided that this was a once in a life time opportunity and we should just GO FOR IT! In we jumped - ocean here I come!!
This is a moorish idol. We saw lots of these. It is a type of angel fish.
This was bright purple and green fish called a parrot fish. These were really large and beautiful.
This long skinny fish is called a trumpet fish. There is also a smaller one called a cornet fish. We saw several of both kinds. This photo from the innernet doesn't do this fish justice. They are long and beautiful. The ones I saw and swam with were about 2 feet.
This black, white, and yellow stripped fish is called a convict tang. We saw hundreds of these and I fed one of them a tiny bread crumb from my hand. They swam around us, over us, under us in huge schools of fish.
The photos of us and the boat above were taken AFTER we returned and docked and I went to the car to get my camera and then went back to the boat. We did get two photos on the boat - we traded our drink (alchohol) tickets to a guy who agreed to take our picture and e-mail them to us in a week or two. We'll see if he really does it. Any way. . . we saw hundreds of fish! These photos were taken off the internet but they were even more beautiful in person. We saw many more kinds but I can't list them all there. They were bright, beautiful colors and amazing shapes. They were all around us close enough to touch. We saw puffer fish, trumpet fish, yellow tangs, several kinds of coral, moorish idol, etc. It was breathtaking and once again caused tears of joy. I can't even begin to tell you. . . how amazing it was. We were in the ocean for an HOUR and then we boarded the cat again and they had a beautiful dinner for us. We continued to sail about another hour and then returned to dock. I am SO GLAD that I took this opportunity and didn't chicken out. It was the most amazing experience of my life to swim with the wild, beautiful fish.
Kyla and Kyrstina at Courtney's birthday party.
Kyler and Grandpa celebrating Courtney's 7th Birthday.
We spent a relaxing day today enjoying the Sabbath. Adam and Jenni gave us a tour of BYU-Hawaii campus and then we spent time at the Hawaii Temple grounds and the visitor center. The temple is closed for reconstruction but it was still fun to see. This photo is the road leading up to the temple.
This is a beautiful mosaic on BYU campus. It depicts David O. McKay and his dream to build a school here. 
This is a statue at the temple visitor center. It depicts Lehi conferring the priesthood upon Joseph. 
The yellow Hibiscus flower is the state flower of Hawaii and this is a pink version of the same flower. They are everywhere and they are beautiful!
We also enjoyed slowing strolling along the beach together. This is Temple Beach. It is straight across the street from the temple and has a beautiful sitting area for meditation. The church as also provided a beautiful grassy area, small secluded parking area and a shower to wash the sand off. It is very nicely landscaped. Your tithing dollars at work :).
Doesn't Jenni look cute here!! 
Today was absolutely incredible! We began the day packing and checking out of our condo. It was a bit sad to leave, but exciting at the same time because we will get to spend a bit more time with Adam and Jenni by staying with them in their apartment and being on the north side of the island where they are. Ko Olina has a wonderful thing called "linger longer". We have to check out at 10:00 a.m. but many people don't catch their flight until late in the evening and so they give you a new key for the day and we were able to use the pools, showers, and anything else on the facilities that we wanted. So we played in the pool until lunch, ate a wonderful lunch around the pool and then headed to the marina. We had tickets for a 1:00 catamaran ride.
This is the cat that we rode. It was amazing! Things got a little tricky right off because they didn't tell us to be there at 12:30. So we almost missed the boat. Because we were trying to run to the boat, I forgot the camera. But luckily for us, we boarded at the very last minute - they actually held it for us while the condo took us there in a golf cart!
They also didn't tell us that it was a 3-4 hour trip and that we were going out into the ocean to SNORKEL! Due to the strength of the ocean currents, I had NO intentions of snorkeling in the ocean - and no way was I going to snorkel OUT in the ocean (as opposed to along the shore!) however, there were 14 of us on this trip with 3 divers. They gave us "state of the art" equiptment that fit perfectly. They got in the water with us with life rings and they took us to the PREMIER spot to snorkel on the whole island. We were in the area where they film commercials and film etc because there is so much wild life to see.
So seriously at $120 each, the best spot, and wonderful guides how could we resist. However, the other problem was that the lady who signed us up for this trip didn't tell us that we were getting IN the water and that we should wear our suits. . . we thought we were going to WATCH! So, after a bit of debate about garments and the ocean. . . we decided that this was a once in a life time opportunity and we should just GO FOR IT! In we jumped - ocean here I come!! 
This is a moorish idol. We saw lots of these. It is a type of angel fish.
This was bright purple and green fish called a parrot fish. These were really large and beautiful. 
This long skinny fish is called a trumpet fish. There is also a smaller one called a cornet fish. We saw several of both kinds. This photo from the innernet doesn't do this fish justice. They are long and beautiful. The ones I saw and swam with were about 2 feet. 
This black, white, and yellow stripped fish is called a convict tang. We saw hundreds of these and I fed one of them a tiny bread crumb from my hand. They swam around us, over us, under us in huge schools of fish. 
This is the tree that grows the flowers Adam and Jenni made my lei from.
Photo session at Ko Olina with Adam and Jenni on our way to our activities today.
Today we enjoyed spending time with Adam and Jenni. They spent the night in our extra bedroom and this morning, after sleeping in a bit, we toured some places together.
Today was a variety of things. First in the morning we got up early and headed to the resort sales office for our regular sales pitch. It was actually a wonderful visit and we learned a lot about our Marriott option and how to better take full advantage of being an owner. Then we headed to the swap meet. My friend Marianne told me not to miss it and she was right! We had such a fun time spending way too much money to bring back gifts for all the kids and grandkids. It was a blast but of course too long for Kerry's taste, althought I seriously could have stayed another 3 or 4 hours! Then we decided to explore the other side of the island. Each time we have gone from South to North and back again (for dinner, to see Adam & Jenni, to visit the PCC) we have always gone around the West side of the island. This time we decided to go toward Honolulu and then up more toward the East side of the island. We drove through the most beautiful part of the island and through a couple of tunnels. We explored a few beaches and went back to the PCC for a couple of hours. Here is just a few photos of our beautiful day.
Another day of breathtaking beauty and culture. We thoroughly enjoyed the PCC. It was an amazing experience. The spirit was strong there and brought tears to both Kerry and my eyes. This is such an incredible experience and another thing we wish we could share with our children and grandchildren.
