Hawaii Highlights

Some memorable moments from my February family vacation to Oahu...

First turtle sighting! It was huge! I thought it was a boulder.

Our first sunny morning was beautiful and so, so welcome!

Snorkeling & swimming with a sea turtle at Turtle Bay!

Locally produced coconut ice cream...the best thing I ate all week!
And that is saying something, because there was a lot of good food around.

Showing some Canadian pride when our women's hockey team
won gold at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics!

Boogie boarding...a.k.a watching my brothers get trashed by the brutal waves.

Hiking through a jungle-y rainforest! 

Non-highlight: I should also make a confession...please try to understand.
I...I forgot Regis at home. Trust me, I realize that is practically heresy. After all, the blog is named after him. He has been on practically every trip I've taken in the last 4 years. I don't have a good defense, just the fact that I was in the middle of mid-terms when we left and my brain was elsewhere! Please forgive me, Regis...

Stormy Weather

Look at these fresh, innocent faces.

Off to Hawaii for the first time. Spirits and hopes are high. 

Surf, Sand, and Sun, here we come!

Little did we know, the forecast for our week in Hawaii included a LOT of fog, wind, and rain! 

Feeling brave and venturing out of the beach house for a walk...

Returning in 10 minutes, drenched. 

The good news is that we had renewed appreciation for the sun when it finally came!

Hawaii Snapshots

Apologies for vanishing from the internet these last few weeks. What can I say except I am trying to keep on top of schoolwork, as well as look into my options for the Fall, and prepare for my quickly-approaching spring/summer job! Time management is not really my strong point, so I decided to scratch out a couple things that I know distract me, like Facebook and blogging :)

View from the top of the Hauula Loop Trail

Right now, however I needed a quick break from studying State Repression of Labour and the Left in Canada from 1914-1920, so I thought I would share a couple snapshots from my family vacation to Hawaii!

The boys loved boogie boarding at Pounders Beach!

We stayed at a great beach house in Hauula, the North point of Oahu. We had a fair amount of windy/rainy weather for the first couple of days, but it was still warm and wonderful to wear shorts and t-shirts, and go swimming in the ocean in February! Once the sun came out, we appreciated it even more!

The beach house lanai...right on the water!

The neighborhood we stayed in had that weather-worn look and laid-back feel that was totally different from the touristy South, in Waikiki or Honolulu.  We loved it because we really felt like we were in a totally different (non-North American) country, but it was still so convenient because we already knew the language, currency, etc. 

Family swim time!

 Another advantage to the north end was uncrowded beaches! We were basically the only people at this particular spot. Of course, that might be because of the waves and rocks...but it was still awesome!

I really enjoyed seeing some wildlife, including lizards hanging around outside. They were pretty cool, and super quick! At one beach we saw a huge 50 year old sea turtle (photo to come), and when we went snorkeling at Turtle Bay Resort we spotted another turtle and followed it around for a while! That was really fantastic...I even touched its' shell quickly...it was a little slimy :P

But that is all I have time for right now! Maybe I will be able to post more after exams, before I leave for PG. So soon! AHH!

"Reading" Break

So, last week was technically Reading Break: that time of year when university students are meant to be catching up on their homework and preparing for midterms. I, however, evaded my academic duties in favor of my first ever tropical vacation!

I have no regrets, but due to a need to catch up on said academic duties, posting may become a bit irregular! As well as a few photos from the vacation, I will still be finishing up the Prague posts, and eventually NYC :)

I should also tell you that I am in the very beginning stages of applying to do a semester abroad next school year! Everything is still very much up in the air, but the adventures of Regis & co. are far from over!