bumpmoon

I can't believe it's been over a month since we got back from Hawaii. Time flies when you are busy growing a tiny human.

I'm pretty sure we've already talked about how fun the flight was for this momma, but I would do it again today if the end destination was somewhere as amazing as Hawaii. I know it sounds like a cliche destination, but it's such a wonderful place. I'm not sure it could ever disappoint any traveler. I was there for all of 5 minutes before I was glad we chose an island getaway over a city. Someday, I will get to Paris, but now was not the time.

Jon had never been to Hawaii, and it had been years since I had been. We flew into Honolulu and spent 2 nights there. It was a good way to get over any jet lag and ease into our vacation - Honolulu is also home to some of the best restaurants on the island so we took full advantage of that. Our only must-do was Pearl Harbor, where we spent almost an entire day.

After our brief stint in Honolulu, we moved on to the main event: Kauai. I'm not going to do a day by day recap because I'm pretty sure that would be beyond annoying. I'll hit some photos highlights, but you can just assume everything else was a wonderful mix of beach bumming, pool relaxing, spa lounging, sunset gazing and general vacation bliss.

the view from our hotel balcony in honolulu

surprisingly put together after 8+ hours on a plane.

submarine tour at Pearl Harbor. it was really hot that day. i spent a good portion of the day sitting in the shade with all the elderly tourists. #noshame

this jeep was courtesy the baby bump. there was a little bit of a wait at the car rental place for midsize SUVs, which is what we had reserved. the guy took one look at me and gave us this Jeep which was ready to go....and it was a good thing because we needed it on more than one bumpy beach access road. 

baby bump waiting for the sunset.

the helicopter tour was the highlight of the trip. i got a little nervous when a guy coming off the tour before us was holding his air sickness bag, but baby and I took it like champs. much of the island isn't accessible by car so unless you want to hike for days (we didn't), this is the best way to see everything. it did not disappoint. 

this baby looks huge. focus on the pretty canyon beyond us. 

i took one step on this swinging bridge before deciding it wasn't meant for me. jon liked it, though. :)

fact: i don't love the beach. i usually make it about 20 minutes before i need to find shade.

peeking out the lighthouse.

And here are some really pretty scenery photos. Like I said, I don't think this place could disappoint any traveler.

And some food porn:

this lady makes amazing malasada (Portuguese fried dough) from a tiny cart outside a kmart. best. find. ever.

coconut shaved iced with coconut cream topping. be still my heart. i had this twice even though it was 30 minutes from our resort.

tropical hot dog - also had this twice on both sides of the island. :)

traditional hawaiian plate lunch. best pulled pork of my life.

a fine dining version of cotton candy. also know as a cloud of yumminess.