Washington 2012

Last week, Dwight and I visited the Northwest.  It was nice to see family and some of the beautiful Washington landscapes.

We stopped by Snoqualmie Falls on our way in.  It was beautiful.

Our second day in Washington was the highlight of the trip for me.  We met Dwight's Mom and Grandma for lunch and then we met Dwight's Sister and our Niece at the Seattle Temple.  Our Niece turned 12  the day before, so we were able to go with them into the Temple.  It was a wonderful experience.

On Wednesday, we took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and drove through Poulsbo and Port Townsend.  We also visited Sequim and got a sneak peek of the lavender fields.  The lavender festival started the day after we visited.

 We were hoping for clear weather on or visit, but things didn't look very promising.  When we awoke on Thursday, the day we planned to visit Mt. Rainier, it was very cloudy.  We decided to drive to Enumclaw to see if it would clear.  We had lunch and  then decided to head up the mountain.  I was thrilled when we rounded one of the corners and  caught a glimpse of the majestic mountain.  We hiked  to spray falls and then continued on to spray park.  We were amazed with the amount of snow still on the ground.  We got to the top of the trail (which was very hard to find with all of the snow) and encountered a thunderstorm.  It was a powerful experience to be standing in the open with a storm brewing around us.  The storm cleared and we watched a transformation  take place on the mountain.  It was beautiful to see the clouds part and the sun light up the mountain.

On our way out, we stopped by the Seattle Seahawks training facility.  Dwight is an avid Seahawks fan and has read about the amazing facility.  We were able to look at the indoor field through the main office building.  If we had gone a week later, we would have been able to watch them train.

Souteastern Utah

Last week, Dwight and I took a trip to Southeastern Utah. Neither of us had been to some of the National Parks there, so we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and head out to see some beautiful places.

Our first day we visited Arches National park. It's on our must-see-again list.

Arches National Park

On day 2, we went to Canyonlands National Park an Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point

Canyonlands National Park

Day 3 was spent at 4-Coners and driving through Monument Valley and Capitol Reef.

4-Corners (the only place in the US common to 4 State Corners)

We got to be in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico at the same time. Where else can you be in 4 places at once? Now I can add New Mexico to the list of states I have visited.

Monument Valley

We drove through Capitol Reef in the dark. It was the perfect time to see it for the first time. We stopped in one of the pull-outs and could see the silhouettes of the towering cliffs and the incredible starlit sky. It was breathtaking. We could see satellites moving through the sky and had a clear view of the Milky Way.

On our last day, we hiked around Capitol Reef.

Capitol Reef National State Park

Hawaii 2010

Last week Dwight and I were exploring the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii with my sister Jessica and her husband Justin. It was a wonderful vacation.

Our vacation started with a trip to Seattle. We flew to Seattle, spent the evening and flew to Hawaii the next morning.































We went to Pearl Harbor on day 1.

Day 2 was spent snorkeling in the beautiful Hanauma Bay and driving up part of the Windward Coast. I had a few panic moments while snorkeling, but thoroughly enjoyed lounging on the beach.


On day 3 we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We stayed for the Luau and the Evening Performance, which had some spectacular fire scenes.

We went to the Dole plantation and to the North Shore on day 4. I had no idea there were so many varieties of pineapples. The waves on the North Shore were unbelievably huge. I can't imagine what they look like in December during the windy season.













Day 5 began with another trip to Hanauma Bay. We got there early, so it wasn't as crowded. I had a much easier time snorkeling and once again enjoyed the warm sandy beach. We visited Honolulu, Waikiki and a the beautiful National Cemetery of the Pacific.
























On day 6 We drove up the Like Like (I think it's pronounced Lee Ke Lee Ke) Highway. We drove along the Windward coast and visited the LDS Temple. It had just been renovated, so we were able to attend the open house. We drove back through the North Shore and spent time gathering shells on one of the beaches.












On our last day we figured out what the black ship was in the Marina by our Condo. They are filming Pirates of the Caribbean in the area and the Black Pearl was docked in the Marina. We walked over to get a closer look. It's a real ship!















We then went hiking to the Beautiful Manoa Falls and walked through some gardens to Waimea Falls. On our way home we drove along the North Shore once again, hoping to see a sea turtle. We were in luck. We saw two of them warming themselves in the sand.















Manoa Falls

Waimea Falls

I'm so glad we had the chance to see such a beautiful part of the world.

Thanks for letting us use your Condo, Dad!