Hawaiii : Hawaii Five-O and Extras

While in line at the USS Arizona, a man asked us a random question: "Do you two watch Hawaii Five-O?" Surprisingly, no. We watch a lot of tv shows, but that's not one of them. "Oh, well, they're having this event at Waikiki Beach called Sunset on the Beach tonight. They will screen the premiere of Season 3 and the celebrities will come in on the Red Carpet. You should check it out."

So we did. 

It was super cool. The beach was packed. Tons of locals / "extras" in the show were sitting among the crowd. People even brought their pet birds. What?! 

Several opening acts went live, including pop sensation, kid-Hawaiian prodigy Aidan James with his ukulele. He played U2's "All I Want is You" at the opening...

Hawaii Five-O was interesting. The antagonist was the host of Iron Chef (a fave of ours) but he wasn't present at the premiere. Bummer. Groups of people would start cheering in the most random and inappropriate parts of the episode (i.e. murder scene), so we knew there was an "extra" in our presence. 

Are you an avid TV watcher... what's your favorite show?

Our top faves are: Parks & Rec, Duck Dynasty (I guess it's a southern thing), Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Parenthood, and The Office

However, we are heavily considering getting rid of cable in December. 

What are your thoughts on TV? 

A waste of time or a way to relate to the community around you?

Hawaii : Aloha Flea Market, the Wonderskirt & a Vintage Scarf

Welcome to the Aloha Flea Market (aka Swap Meet @Aloha Stadium).

One word: DEALS.

When I hear the words "flea market," "antique market," or "thrift store".... I'm there. Fortunately, my husband enjoys these things too. {sigh of relief}

The Aloha Swap Meet is fairly different from most markets.

Mostly because some of the tents sell coconuts. The vendor chops the nib right off the top, gives you a straw and you drink up. Mmm! Fresh coconut juice. Refreshing.

Vendors set up booths around the entire perimeter of the University of Hawaii's Aloha Stadium. The Swap Meet is the prime spot for all things cheap, Hawaiian souvenirs - and some

inexpensive

not-so-cheap stuff too. Do not hesitate in making negotiations with the vendors.

Here are a few things we bought....

A wonderskirt.

This thing is a.maz.ing!!! There are like 100+ ways you can wear it, plus it was only $15. You better believe I wore it on the plane ride home. It was the most comfortable plane attire I've ever worn. And it was cute. No more sweatpants for this girl!!

JD picked out a few goodies from the farm booth...

chipotle ranch dressing, coconut peanut butter, and pecans

. We also got him a few

Hawaiian button-down shirts

for his Casual Friday work attire. Does he wear one every Friday? Yes. He most certainly does. And he sports each one like a champ. 

A vintage scarf. 

I was super pumped to try it out for the first time. As soon as we got home, I bobby-pinned my hair, twisted the scarf and did a little up-do. My inspiration was from Pinterest via 

Girl Obsessed

. Her blog is filled with amazing fashion, so check it out. :)

So, readers, we (mostly I, Whitney) would like to know:

Do you love flea markets, thrift stores, antique markets? 

What is your most favorite find?

Do you wear vintage scarves? Which way do you sport it?

Hawaii : Makapu'u Lighthouse of Oahu / Adventure Is Out There!

After our spontaneous adventure, we continued on our hike up to the Makapu'u Lighthouse. 

There is no way this lighthouse could ever be hidden. It's a pretty clear picture of Matthew 5:14-16.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." 

Isn't it beautiful...

The entire path lasts about two miles. Apparently, it is the prime spot for whale-watching on the island from December to April. Maybe we'll get the opportunity to see the migration one season!

In the meantime, the lighthouse proves to be a fantastic sight to behold for now.

Do you see the white fence that leads to the lighthouse? 

Well, we found it and tried to follow the trail. Instead, an electric, locked fence denied us of entering. 

Booooo.

We explored a few more paths along the way. As I was taking more photos of the lighthouse, JD was being adventurous. A little tooooo adventurous for my taste.

My heart practically beat out of my choice when I turned around and saw JD sitting on this rock (aka the top, outermost point of a 500-ft cliff). I took a few photos as I walked closer to him (in a quiet panic) and asked him gently to please get off of that rock before the wind blows him off. 

In my defense, it was insanely windy. 

Whew. Fortunately, he somehow maneuvered a safe dismount and we got some incredible photos from it. Just looking at this photo makes me queasy. Haha! I really wish I had the boldness for adventure that he has. Gosh, he's awesome.

We hiked several more of the trails and headed back to the parking lot. The ole' Subes was awaiting our arrival. We couldn't have asked for a more fitting rental car than a Subaru. Have you seen those commercials!? The commercials alone make an adventure-seeker want to drive one.

If you decide to take a stroll to the lighthouse, check out the other paths but be careful. Most people were only walking the paved road to the lighthouse. They missed the adventures hidden among the off-course dirt paths. As we were walking, JD said, "Life is really what you make of it." I replied with, "Adventure is out there!!" 

Have you ever been on an adventure (physical, emotional or mental) that challenged you?? Was it worth the risk?

Hawaii : A Stroll Down the Danger Zone.

Linking up with Molly & Carly for #YOLOMondays! We felt this was, certainly, the most fitting post for "You Only Live Once."

We packed our backpack for the not-so-strenuous 2-mile paved road hike to the lighthouse. About half-way up, we stopped at this ledge to take a photo or two. We thought it would be a boring hike until we saw "DANGER" signs and found a steep off-road path to the Pacific Ocean, tidal pools and blowholes down the mountain.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Please check out this view. THIS is what we saw when we looked down...

Of course, JD started venturing down and I scurried behind.

We walked slowly and steadily down the mountain. 

As far as I'm concerned, we were borderline-bouldering at some points of our hike.

JD walked ahead of me, smiles and all.

Until we got further down the mountain... obviously, he went into protective husband mode as the path turned a little more treacherous. 

"Whoa. Be careful, Whitney." 

He worries about me sometimes. I am terribly clumsy.

I thought, for sure, I was going to slip on a loose rock and tumble into the sea. 

But I didn't.

I like to think that I'm incredibly brave, but when it comes down to it... I'm not. 

Fortunately, this barrier in my life has been gently broken down by a sweet husband who reminds me that the Lord is our strength and our shield. Then again, Christ has given JD the blessing and tough task of protecting me as much as humanly possible.

Very few people followed us on the path and we only met one guy on the way down. He had gone down about halfway before he decided to turn around and head back up. It gets pretty steep towards the bottom so he made a wise decision to not walk down further by himself. He encouraged us to continue on since we had each other in case something happened to one of us.

And it was the most incredible thing we've seen. 

Ever.

We had never seen a blowhole up to this point. To say that we were mesmerized, would be an understatement. JD had a lot of fun standing between the two blowholes and directing the water as if he were Poseidon. He was victorious in playing that role. 

Exploring.

Laughing.

Living.

Gazing out at the endless sea.

What more can a couple of newlyweds ask for?

We have found that the best moments are those you just happen to stumble upon; in the words of Robert Frost, they are most often experienced on the road less traveled.

I hate to think that I would've missed out on all of that beauty because of fear. I'm forever thankful for a husband who challenges me and believes in me. He knows my limits and he recognizes my potential.

Who do you feel challenges you and believes in your potential the most? 

Hawaii : Kualoa Ranch... Movie Sites & Ranch Tour

Happy Election Day!!

Welcome to

Kualoa Ranch

, home of MANY movie and TV sets. 

The Kualoa mountain range stands tall behind the main ranch house. The ranch was a sugar cane plantation at one time... until they realized sugar cane did not grow well on the land. Now the Kualoa Ranch is home to lots of cattle and movie sets.

The steers under the tree were featured in the movie Run Down. 

We signed up for the Movie Sites & Ranch Tour as well as the Jungle Expedition Tour.

With a half-full bus and open windows, we began driving down the road where Adam Sandler tried to get Drew Barrymore to stop for him in the movie 50 First Dates. 

First site stop?

Yeah. This will most likely be our 2013 Christmas Card...

Do you remember this tree from Jurassic Park?

Jurassic Park was supposed to be filmed on Kauai but a hurricane hit, so they filmed it on Oahu instead. 

This is the most famous dead tree you will ever see.

Then we drove by Godzilla's footprints...

...and the garage from the movie Mighty Joe Young...

...and then we stopped inside of the Pearl Harbor bunker to see the Kualoa Goes to War / Kualoa Hits Hollywood museums.

The Kualoa mountains are the background from most of the scenes in the film Journey 2. Remember the

Waimea Waterfall

? That was in the movie too. (We watched Journey 2 for the first time on the plane ride home. It was pretty cool to notice places throughout the movie that the tour guide didn't even mention.) 

The view from the Pearl Harbor bunker. We {heart} Hawaii.

The original tikis from the Biggest Loser TV show.

When we say MANY movies were filmed here, we mean it. Here are just a few of the other ones we jotted down from the tour:

TV shows: 

Lost

Gilligan's Island

Hawaii Five-O

Birds of Paradise

Movies:

Aztec Pyramid

You, Me & Dupree

Wind Talkers

Pearl Harbor

Battleship

George of the Jungle

Do you remember any of the scenes from these movies?

Hawaii : Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri

Happy November!! Hope y'all had a wonderful Halloween!

After visiting the

USS Bowfin

, head over to the loading area and take a bus over to the massive USS Missouri. 

This battleship, the site of the Japanese surrender during World War II, is certainly a sight to behold.

The bus ride lasts a few minutes. Oddly enough, the USS Missouri is right beside the Arizona Memorial on the water. 

The floorboards are made of teak wood, making it basically indestructible. Teak wood is rare worldwide. It is mostly produced in India, although there are endangered varieties found in the Philippines and Myanmar. 

Photo Credit to Kamikaze Images

You have to look pretty hard but do you see the fighter plane that is in the top left-hand corner? The Japanese Kamikaze pilot actually crashed into the USS Missouri on April 11, 1945, in Okinawa. There are still dents, to this day, on the starboard side of the USS Missouri.

Chillin' and chattin' in the Captain's Chair.

One of my favorite jewels on this ship was the antique or vintage items lying around. We're fans of Coca-Cola but this Pepsi-Cola dispenser held a retro vibe that I fell in love with!

The "Mighty Mo" docked at Pearl Harbor infinitely on 1992. What made it so significant to Pearl Harbor? The USS Missouri was the gathering place of American and Japanese soldiers as the Japanese chief signed "The Instrument of Formal Surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers", thus ending World War II.

Guided by a Veteran:

You won't find a lazy tour guide here! The only guides on this battleship are retired military veterans who have a passion for history and service to their country.

Time Crunch:

Try to allot a fairly sufficient amount of time to tour the battleship, maybe between 1 to 2 hours. The ship has special nooks and crannies with lots of info about the ship, military officers and history of its fights. 

USS Missouri Stars in a Movie:

Have you ever seen the movie

Battleship

? Most of it was filmed on this ship. How crazy is that!? JD and I had never seen this movie prior to the tour but we watched it on the flight back home. 

Hawaii : Pearl Harbor, USS Bowfin

Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Bowfin...

aka: The Pearl Harbor Avenger

From the USS Bowfin website: 

USS Bowfin (SS-287) is a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific during WWII, and helped to make famous the term, “Silent Service.” Bowfin was launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was nicknamed the Pearl Harbor Avenger, so it is fitting that she is permanently homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

It looks huge from these external photos, but you will learn that it is only a mirage once you get inside. 

God Bless America.

Watch your head when walking into the

entrance

exit. Yeah. We started the tour on the wrong side of the submarine. Whoops! Oh well. JD is rockin' that tour guide headset. 

The USS Bowfin is a super small submarine (I guess all submarines are tiny on the inside though). JD, being the studly tall man he is, would've never been able to work in there. I, on the other hand, strode through that submarine like a pro (being short does have it's advantages after all).

The door was half the size of JD. Would not have bode well in an emergency.

There is something I just love about these meters. They look so classy, vintage and cool. Don't you love them? Maybe I'll enlarge one of these and frame it. 

Keys to the chief's quarters.

Tour Tickets:

You can buy combo tickets for the USS Bowfin and USS Missouri. The Aviation tour is included but we didn't have time to go there.

Audio Tour:

A headset and handheld tour guide is included in the price of the package. There are two versions you can listen to - an adult and a family-friendly version. The adult version includes interviews from Bowfin veterans while the family-friendly version vividly describes historic scenes of what each part of the submarine was like when in action. I must admit, I

kind of

enjoyed listening to the family version just as much as I did the adult version.

Get the Picture:

Almost any tourist place or restaurant you visit will have a "house photographer". While most places have the typical cardboard layout, the USS Bowfin prints your photo onto the front page of a newspaper with info about the Bowfin. That alone makes the USS Bowfin a memorable experience. This is the one and only photo we would actually recommend you purchase. 

Hawaii : Waimea Valley Waterfall

The Waimea Valley Botantical Gardens are pretty extraordinary. The entrance was bland and somewhat dead, most likely due to the season, but the rest of the walk was magical. 

Like Willy Wonka Magical.

Don't forget to wear your bathing suit, as the secret of the Waimea Valley is the waterfall at the end of the gardens! Sadly, most people walked right past the abundance of beauty hidden on the trails of the gardens.

This flower reminded us of the tree tops from The Lorax.

You'll eventually walk past this sign...

And you've made it!! 

Unlike the other Hawaiian islands, Oahu only has a couple of

legally

accessible waterfalls. The Waimea Valley Waterfall is worth checking out. 

You can rent a noodle or life jacket for $2 and swim in the frigid pool over to the falls. If you're lucky, one of the lifeguards will happily paddle out to you and take your photos on his stand-up paddle board. 

The entrance fee for the Waimea Valley is $15 for adults and $7.50 for children. Some days the gardens restrict access to the swimming hole and falls. Be sure to call ahead the day of your visit to inquire about swimming conditions.