Everyone deserves a break once in a while, especially after spending the majority of their summer taking engineering courses. Initially we had planning to go to Hawaii with Landon's family - for his sister's soccer tournament and some fun times with the clan, but our professors didn't like the idea of us missing 5 days of class (equivalent to 10-12 days in a normal semester) and a midterm exam. So... we pushed our flights back to the day following finals and it dangled over our heads like a carrot on a stick. I don't know what could have made a better reward for passing our classes! 

3 suitcases, 2 backpacks, and 1 camera bag later we were on our way. Our first flight was leaving out of Boise which meant we started out with a road trip. While stopping to fill up on fuel and feeling way ahead of schedule, I mapped out our route to the Boise Airport. Google Maps gave me and estimated travel time of 5 hours 40 minutes, however our flight was leaving in 4.5 hours. Oh no. We sped right out of there. By the time we made it to Tremonton and began heading north, we realized that were making really good time (only going 5 over). It seems that Google maps calculates an ETA using a speed of 65 mph the whole way even though the actual speed limit is 75. Needless to say, we made it with plenty of time to spare. I even stayed awake the whole time. Landon was so proud - haha. Everything else went smoothly and off we went. 

Flying over Seattle was really incredible. I'd never seen it from the air. The mountains were very majestic and covered with trees. Something about the fog blanketing the ground made everything super eerie. Though it was beautiful, Landon finally decided that living in Washington (Bangor was one of the two Navy Bases we were interested in being stationed at) might not be as cool as he had expected. It is always cloudy and rainy, meaning you only see the sun 2 or 3 times during the year. Definitely not my kind of weather. 

Ironically, we flew on Alaska Airlines to get to Hawaii. The weird part was seeing the airplane covered in colorful Hawaiian flowers with the word Alaska written over top. You travel anywhere else in the world and the airplanes are usually all pretty similar. Size may vary but everything else is the same. Travelling to Hawaii is a different story. They go ALL OUT. The plane is painted with flowers, the flight attendants wear floral shirts, leis around their neck, flowers in their hair, offer special tropical drinks and pineapple snacks, and play relaxing Hawaiian music. I felt like I was in Hawaii before I even got there! 

The plane ride was long, though not as long as going to Tanzania thank goodness. We had a fun little 4 year old sit next to us. His family lived in Hawaii and he totally looked like a little surfer boy - shag and all, but told us he didn't even like the beach. I asked what his favorite thing was to do in Hawaii. He thought hard and then said, "color." We stayed pretty entertained as he displayed his many masterpieces throughout his 5 Superman coloring books. According to him, a good coloring job meant no more white showing..and staying in the black lines. He colored a little more and eventually we all fell asleep. 

When we arrived, it was pretty late so everything besides the city lights was dark. In the morning I woke up and looked out the window to find this pretty sight. Paradise. I love when the water fades from the beautiful turquoise into a deep dark blue. The first few days we stayed in downtown Honolulu at Hale Koa (a military hotel), right on Waikiki Beach. From our room we had an excellent view of both the ocean and the city. We enjoyed staying at Hale Koa, but decided being downtown wasn't quite our style. It was far to busy and fancy for us. But wow it sure felt great to get away and finally be free of homework and studying.