Waikiki (Day 4)

Aloha friends!  The island of Ohau has been a treat since the day we arrived.  Day four has been nothing less than a amazing!  

The day started with a dolphin swim at Sea Life Marina.  Jessica and I got an opportunity to see sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, rays, sea lions and other fish.  We also got to get in the water and have an interactive swim with the dolphins of Hawaii.  This was a great experience and I would suggest this activity to any person vacationing the area.  There were also more breathtaking 

views of the ocean and small islands where the movie "Jurassic Park" and TV series "Lost" were filmed.

After our Sea Life adventure we decided to relax on the beach of Waikiki.  Of all the beaches we visited, Waikiki is one of my favorite.   There were swimmers, surfers, para sailors, boogie boarders, boaters, and beach bums all enjoying the Hawaiian waters.  As evening came a great artist, Tahiti Rey performed songs on the Hyatt stage.  Her music was a great and she even did a special honeymoon song for Jessica and I! 

We also were able to say hi to our families using the live Waikiki Webcam:  View the Waikiki Webcam

This was such a great day to go along with a great week!  Our vacation is nearing the end but I look forward to bringing this beautiful marriage back to Kansas.  I've always prayed that Jessica and I would be ambassadors for love.  Not just the feelings, but also in the way we treat, respect, care and provide for each other. When you build something great (like a computer) it just works. Sometimes it will require some updating or maintenance but it just automatically works.  

What Jessica and I have built is much like a computer... Together we just work!  In the years to come we may need some updating or maintenance and as long as we keep God first we have the best anti-virus on the market!

Thank you for allowing us to share another small part of our beautiful story.  We are now signing off from Oahu!

Day 3 Pictures

Discovering Oahu (Day 3)

For those of you waiting for a post - HERE IT IS!!!!! Mardell left me in charge of yesterday's blog so of course that means I'm just now getting to it (there will be a new one after todays activities).  

The day started out bright and early with a great breakfast by the beach.  While eating we decided that we would spend the day exploring the island and would start by visiting Pearl Harbor.  When we arrived back at the hotel our silver Mustang Conve

rtible was waiting for us with the top down - with a quick glance at the map we were off.

Pearl Harbor was an amazing experience.  Mardell and I decided to visit the Bowfin Submarine, the Aviation Museum, and the

 Missouri ship.  It was unbelievable and amazing to see the history that remained on those ships and to see the memorabilia showcased in the museum.  After spending a few hours exploring we decided to move on with our day - but will hopefully make it back before we leave to visit the Arizona Memorial.

After leaving Pearl Harbor we drove up the road to the Aloha Stadium where there was an amazing flea market - which I definitely enjoyed much more than Mardee!!  I tried to remember there wasn't much room for souvenirs to keep myself from buying up everything... and Mardell was just ready to get back to driving the car.

When Mardell finally got me away from the flea market we went towards the middle of the island to visit the Dole pineapple plantation.  We opted not to do the worlds biggest maze and settled for a train ride around the plantation where we saw all of the pineapples, banana trees, and many different BEAUTIFUL plants.  Lucky for us we choose the train because by the time

 we returned to the train entrance it was raining and had we went into the maze we would have been soaked and not even half way through.

The rest of the evening was great.  We completed our way around the island - stopping at many different beaches where we searched for shells, discovered local villages, enjoyed road side fruit stands, and took in the amazing scenery.  Everything about the day was perfect - back home Mardell and I often dream drive and it doesn't get any better than dream driving in paradise.

We've Finally Arrived (Day 2)

Aloha! Greeting from Honolulu, Hawaii.  Jessica and I have had a full two days of travel but the beauty of paradise makes it all worth it!

Our day started at 4am to catch a flight to Chicago and then we boarded another flight, which lasted 8 hours to Hawaii.  Nevertheless, we had a successful flight and we're enjoying our ocean front view of Waikiki Beach.   

Because Jessica and I lost a day of vacation we had to revamp our entire trip.  So when we arrived in Hawaii we decided to walk and discover the sights of Waikiki.  On our exploration we found one of our favorite restaurants... THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!!  This was not any ordinary cheesecake factory.  The seafood was much bigger and more fresh then what can be found in Kansas.  Also, the portions of cheesecake served was much larger!  So we learned very early that we would eat very well while in Hawaii.

The day ended with a slow walk on the sandy beach.  Jessica and I didn't talk much while on the beach.  We were so "in the moment" that it was like having a conversation without any words.  This peaceful silence led me to look up the word "honeymoon".  The dictionary defines the words as: An early harmonious period in a relationship.  To be in harmony is to be in agreement in feelings or opinions.  When love is truly in sync or in harmony it can be a satisfaction that words can not describe.

Today I take pleasure in being in harmony with my new wife.  

Honeymoon Day 1

Hawaii it is!  Thank you to everyone that voted and helped us pick our honeymoon destination.  Now that the wedding day is over it is time for some relaxation and fun in the sun.

Our day started bright and early at MCI airport for our much anticipated flight to Hawaii. Our bags were quickly checked in and our airplane was waiting to fly us to paradise. We boarded the plane and everything was going as scheduled... UNTIL.... the pilot announced that the plane was having mechanical problems. Jessica and I assumed that the problems would be easily fixed until we sat in our seats without moving for 45 minutes!!!

Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, an airline representative announced the flight had been cancelled. Yes... CANCELLED!! In addition, we couldn't get a flight out of Kansas City to Hawaii until the next day. We both were very disappointed but decided not to let the circumstances hinder our honeymoon. So we went out to lunch and quickly readjusted our plan.

Sometimes life throws curveballs, but we definitely were not ready to strike out on this honeymoon. So the best way to cheer up is to spend a day at Worlds of Fun! Jessica and I had a blast riding roller-coasters, water rides, and spending quality time together.

So the moral of today's story is... its not important where we are but that wherever we are, we are together. See you all tomorrow!

Wedding Day

So here we are... a new chapter to this fairy tale has been written.  Jessica and I are now married and our wedding ceremony was BEAUTIFUL!  I could type all day about how great the ceremony was but I'm not sure this blog can truly capture the magnitude.  But I will share that my bride was breathtaking.  I've found myself replaying in my head the first moment I saw her in her gown.  She came around the corner with her father at her side.  Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion when she walked down the isle.  I was so overwhelmed with happiness that tears streamed uncontrollably from my eyes.  I was no longer aware of the music, running fountain, birds singing, or the wind rustling through the trees.  All I could comprehend was her... and she was perfect...