We started the week on Oahu-- as touristy as it is, we couldn't resist the tempting draw of Waikiki Beach + Pearl Harbor (plus it was cheap :) On Christmas Day, we took a 30min plane ride to Kaua'i-- known the "Garden Island" for the last four days. Stunning sights + lazy pace-- this place was Utopia.
Excited to share our *just a few of our favorite pics:
Waikiki Beach and our floaty. I thought it was a fabulous idea for enjoying the ocean, and after the two hours it took our poor lungs to blow it up... it was as wonderful as I hoped!
Hiked about 1/2 way up Diamond Head crater and then learned it was closed for the day. Sweet. So we jumped the fence and poked around the national park area for a while until I got too nervous, then we left. 
Christmas Eve. Bought these Santa hats before we left-- I was totally jazzed about taking a pic with them to forever remember Christmas 2010- Hawaii style! Dan was not so stoked about the idea. Lucky for me, he was a trooper anyway :)
A small preview of Waikiki Beach + hotels dressed for Christmas. We celebrated the Holy Night with a little Christmas carol hula and walk on the beach. Bottom left is a GIANT gingerbread town... very impressive!
Pearl Harbor. Admittedly, I thought it would be cheesy and didn't really want to go... so glad Dan wouldn't take no for an answer. It was awesome. Learned more than we imagined we would and {in a nutshell} gained a much greater appreciation of soldiers, war, our government and President Roosevelt.
Check out the battleships and Dan's big guns.Hardee har har.
Made a second *successful trip up Diamond Head crater to take in the spectacular views of Honolulu and the rest of Oahu. 
Snapshots of our time on Oahu!
Our last day at the dreamy beach. 
Up bright & early for our trek to Kaua'i.
Arrived at the resort a little before 10am and we spent the whole day pool + beach bumming.Broke out the Santa hats again :)
Fun fact about Dan: he loves birds. Not joking. He loves bird watching & then talks/speculates about what type they are, where they came from, and so on. A 27 year old bird- obsessed old man. Much to his delight, the island is filled with chickens (a hurricane blew the roof off a chicken coop a few years ago and they gave up trying to re-recruit the chickens). Numerous times a day I would hear,"Whoa! Amber, look at that bird! Do you see that? Give me the camera." So here are 2 of about 40 bird pics he proudly took. 
Enjoying the pool, spa and fake waterfall. 
Our {wonderful!} Christmas present from Dan's parents was some mullah to do something we wouldn't have splurged on ourselves... so we took a day catamaran tour up the Na pali Coast for stunning views and whale watching. Check out the link... our inferior camera and ill-timed overcast clouds made it impossible capture the splendor. Bottom right: dolphins were playing/surfing in front of the boat. So fun! We did see whales, but weren't quick or skilled enough to snap a non-fuzzy pic :(It was awesome... thanks Todd & Sheryl!
Hoped to go on a kayak & waterfall adventure the next day, but rainy conditions filled the river 2,000% so we were out of luck. Spent some quality time on the beach instead! 
My parents treated us to a Hawaiian lua'u for Christmas. Again, it was a little rainy that evening, but fun nonetheless! When in Hawaii, do as the tourists do: a lua'u is definitely a cheesy-must do activity when you're in Hawaii. Traditional pig roast, open bar and impressive show...we had a blast!
Thanks to you, mom & dad!
Zip lining on our last day over the canopy... 
Our blissful week came to an end.Although we had a rockin' good time this season, it's no replacement for some quality time with family and friends. We're hoping to make a trip home soon!
Otherwise, if you have an itch to visit the city by the bay, or you just want to see our smiling faces, we'd love to have you!
The Bakke B&B is open for business... so book soon and stay as long as possible :)
Hope your holidays were full of joy & wishing you the Happiest of New Years!
