General Conference

Please don't think less of us because of the horrible quality of an iPhone photo.  They wouldn't allow regular cameras into the Conference Center when we went to General Conference this afternoon.

Is it surprising/unusual that I have lived in Utah my whole life and this is only my second time going to General Conference?  I've been to plenty of Young Women's general meetings, a handful of Relief Society general meetings, and even quite a few Christmas Devotionals, but I get extra excited for General Conference.  And it was extra cool because we got to see Uncle Boyd speak.

Also of note, a temple is coming to Fort Collins!  Brad was so excited since this was the first area of his mission.  After celebrating he had to ask me what other locations were announced.  Funny boy.  Doesn't he know he's supposed to pay attention during General Conference?

Last Day in Paradise

Our trip to Hawaii came to an end too quickly.  We couldn't believe we were already leaving.  So we packed in all we could our last day.

We couldn't resist stopping by the beach one last time. There was an paddle boarding exhibition going on and the guys out on the waves were the best in the world.  No joke.  Here's the world champion.

We also went for a drive up Waimea Valley.  Does this look familiar to anyone?

What about this?

They filmed parts of LOST in Waimea Valley.  Not only did we get to walk around were they had filmed, but we stayed in the same hotel.  Yeah, we're that cool.

For those of you who have watched LOST, this is where Kate and Sawyer go swimming.

On our way back to Oahu, we stopped by the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  This was great for two things.  Pineapple head pictures and pineapple ice cream. 

Not so great were the disgusting koi in this pond.  Really.  They were gross.  There were tons of them and they would congregate at the side of the pool begging for food with piggy-like snouts.

And what would a day in Hawaii be if it didn't end with a beautiful sunset.

We loved our getaway for Brad's graduation.  Brad's parents were so nice to take us along.  We had so much fun taking lots and lots of pictures, sight seeing, and relaxing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Polynesian Cultural Center

Most relaxing: the canoe pageant.  We just sat back and watched the canoes float by.

Hawaii

Tonga

Tahiti                                       Aotearoa (New Zealand)                                  Samoa

Fiji

Most strange:  The nose flute from Tonga.

Most surprising: Samoan making fire from a coconut husk and a stick. Here's the proof.

Most delicious: While the luau was yummy, you can't beat a pina colada out of a pineapple.

Funniest: Brad called this guy the "diaper dancer."

Most exciting: The fire dancers during the evening show.  Didn't hurt that we were amazing seats.

Too bad photography wasn't allowed.  But to let you see how amazing this was, I thought I'd borrow this photo from the internet for you to get a taste of it.

North Shore

When we would ooh and awe at big waves on the Big Island, Doug would smile his Doug smile and say, "Just wait."

Right out the back door to our hotel on Oahu there were surfers.  We sat for quite a while watching the surfers ride some huge waves.  We thought surely this is what Doug was talking about.  Doug smiled his Doug smile and said, "Just wait."

Later we went beach hopping along the North Shore.  Brad was salivating over the huge telephoto lenses that other photographers were using to capture the surfers far out on the enormous waves.  There were some impressive waves with some impressive surfers.  Doug just smiled his Doug smile.  Doug was right.  It was worth waiting for.

Pearl Harbor

Both Brad and I have grandparents who are veterans.  Grandpa Packer fought in WWII as a bomber pilot and Grandpa Palmer served as a chaplain in the Air Force.  We are both very proud that they served our country and fought for our freedoms.  Going to see Pearl Harbor was very special for me because it reminded me of the many years these men served our country.

We were able to visit the USS Missouri.  We skipped the tour guide because of time, but met a few volunteers (mostly veterans) along the way who told us about the ship.  We were told by one veteran that this seat was one of the most important seats on the ship because whoever sat there made the decisions.

He also told us to look out for R2D2.

We  also had Doug to show us around.  Doug had been on the ship before and so he acted like our tour guide.  He told us things like why the walls for this room were two feet thick and. . .

. . . that this seal was the spot over which the peace treaty with Japan was signed.

But the neatest person we met on board was a veteran who actual served on the USS Missouri.  After the war, he had become a minister.  He recently retired and his congregation collected enough money to send him and his wife to Hawaii all expenses paid.  He had brought his "yearbook" of the ship and told us stories about the pictures.  Stories about how he passed the time on ship, his duties, and life aboard the ship.  And we got to thank him for his service.

Pearl Harbor was a beautiful memorial to our soldiers.  I hope to remember not only the sacrifices that our family has made for our country, but of the many veterans who have fought for freedom.