On our first morning in Oahu, we got outside right away and did the Lanakai Pillbox hike. Not only were there rocks to scramble on (one of my favorite things to do outdoors), but beautiful views from every angle!
In a pillboxView of the non-ocean side
The water looked so blue and sparkly and the sun was bright and warm, I wished there was a way I could jump in the ocean from the top of the hike. (This started my belief that ziplines are an underutilized method of transportation.)
After hiking, it was time to head to the beach! We spent a couple hours at Kailua Beach all set up with beach chairs, a beer cooler, and a pineapple raft (thanks, Claire!).
It was hard to leave the beach, as usual, but the Hilton Hawaiian Village was calling our name and it was time to head there to check-in.
After checking in and returning our rental car, the first thing on the agenda was finding a piña colada (my favorite tropical vacation drink). We ended up at one of the Hilton bars called Tropix for drinks and delicious pork nachos. (I could eat the nachos from this place everyday.)
Like the Hilton property we stayed at on the Big Island, there were new release dvds available every night so a movie was just the thing to cap off the night. (It might sound lame to watch movies every night in Hawaii, but after full days of fun in the sun, you’re exhausted and movies are perfect.)
After a short visit home, it was on to the second half of our first retirement travels! Up first…Oahu! We loved the Big Island so much last year that it didn’t seem like a bad idea to fit another Hawaiian island into our travel plan.
Drinks on the plane
When we booked, we could only get six nights at our timeshare property, but wanted to stay seven. Around that time, a former vet med classmate of Carl’s posted on Facebook that she had recently moved to Oahu and had a guestroom for anyone who wanted to come visit. Carl reached out and we were able to stay at Claire’s in Kailua for our first night!
Once we dropped our bags at her house we went on a hunt for lunch and ended up at this little nothing place connected to a bowling alley because their food seemed more authentically Hawaiian then anywhere else inexpensive we could find around. Although the place looked like a church basement and was dead inside, I got to eat poke so I was happy!
We were hoping to find a happy hour to get a drink before Claire got off work and ended up sitting at a bar in a Whole Foods. Not exactly local culture, but they had tons of beer on tap so it worked. Next up, beers in Claire’s backyard waiting for her to get home from work. Once she got home, we continued the backyard beer drinking while we caught up. Claire’s friend Kinoah eventually joined us and the night involved a home cooked meal of steak and poke. So delicious!!!!
After playing darts for a while, it got late and it was time for us to call it a night since we’d been up since 2 a.m. Chicago time. Thank you to Claire for your hospitality and to Kinoah for your wonderful cooking!
On our final day in Florida, we headed to Eaton’s Beach, a cool outdoor bar with a little beach on Lake Weir. My family only discovered this place in the last few years and it has quickly become my favorite hang out. The weather was pretty nice so we spent our time sipping tropical drinks and laying on lounge chairs by the water. Eventually we headed back to my grandparents’ house for leftovers and to say good bye before heading for the airport as it was time to head back to Illinois for a few days.
Today we got to visit our friends, Jeanne and Brad, in Gainesville, FL! It was a beautiful day to sit in their backyard, drink some Oktoberfest, and catch-up since we hadn’t seen each other in years. So glad Carl realized they lived there and we were able to make this work out!
We’ve been visiting my (Aubrey’s) grandparents since Sunday afternoon. Our first full day here (Monday), we stayed around the house and spent all day catching up with Grandma and Grandpa. They even offered to take us to breakfast which we jumped on because it’s rare to get them out of the house these days! After breakfast they spent the day force feeding us and constantly reminding us that we were free to leave and do whatever we wanted to while we were there.
Today we drove an hour and a half south to the Richloam Wildlife Management area for some hiking. We saw an alligator (I’m sure there were a million others looking at us, but we only saw one), lots of birds and butterflies, and a pygmy rattlesnake!
Before dinner we sat on the patio and read while we drank piña coladas since it cooled off a ton today and actually feels nice outside. Now it’s time for a low key evening and maybe some pie…or cookies…or ice cream…or chocolate. There is no shortage of treats when visiting Grandpa Jim.
Just wrapped up 5 nights in Miami filled with sun, the beach, Zoo Miami, a couple breweries, a walk through Wynwood Walls, a visit to Vizcaya, and a night drive through the Everglades. Loved it!
Vizcaya, the home of James Deering of the International Harvester family, is so gorgeous!High recommend Veza Sur Brewing. This is where we discovered micheladas, a drink with that consists of both beer and hot sauce and can be altered with different spices. Carl’s a fan!
Now visiting my grandparents in Summerfield, Florida for a few days!
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On a rooftop in Miami drinking leftover alcohol from Chloe and Ryan’s wedding. Not too shabby. Thanks for the parting gifts, guys!
After Boston, it was time to head down to Key Largo for Chloe and Ryan’s wedding weekend! We flew into Fort Lauderdale on Friday, 10/06/17, where we met up with Rachael and drove the couple hours down to Key Largo for the first night of wedding festivities. Once dressed for the welcome cocktail party, we proceeded to walk the mile from our airbnb to the party venue and all wondered why we’d even attempted to look presentable. Oh humidity, how you are not my friend. Regardless, we had a great time drinking beer and margaritas and catching up with old high school friends.
My hair started out curly.
Saturday, 10/07/17, was the day of the wedding, but since it wasn’t until the evening we had some time to explore. Our initial goal was to find a beach, but due to Hurricane Irma striking about a month prior, all the nearby beaches were closed. The secondary plan was to stop somewhere for a cocktail and the place we turned into is now my favorite place ever. At Marker 88, you could sit outside in a booth on a rocking platform right next to the water on a little private beach. Not only could I get a super delicious frozen cocktail, but I could jump in the water for a swim right next to the table! Frozen drinks and swimming are two of my favorite things so this place was amazing. On the drive back towards our airbnb, we stopped at a little bird sanctuary then on to lunch and to visit Chloe, the lovely bride, before heading back to our apartment to get ready for the wedding.
The beautiful bride and the beach bums:-)
Chloe and Ryan’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous! Although it felt like it was a million degrees outside, it was outside on a private beach with a tent set up for the reception and a palapa for the bar so you really couldn’t go wrong.
Sunday, 10/08/17, was the third and final day of wedding festivities with a pool party for those guests that were still around. We had a blast all day drinking beer and margaritas in the pool, going on boat rides, using the stand up paddle boards, and enjoying the company of our wonderful friends and their other wonderful friends. Honestly, these activities pretty much sum up a perfect day for me so I was loving life.
The perfect size margarita
On Monday, 10/09/17, Rachy had to head back home (apparently because she has a job or something) and it was just Carl and I for the first time this entire trip. We scheduled a snorkel tour and get tossed around by some waves as the water was a bit choppy. We learned that Hurricane Irma had brought moon jellies to the Key Largo waters so there were those to dodge which we were able to do successfully. Snorkeling was followed by drinks at Skipper’s and a low key night.
Drinking delicious drinks at Skipper’sThe view from Skipper’s deck
Tuesday, 10/10/17, was our last day in Key Largo before heading northward to Miami and we enjoyed it by getting lunch at Islamorada Fish Company and enjoying flights of beer at Islamorada Beer Company.
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We’re way behind on posting about our adventures because we’ve been having too much fun! We’re currently in Key Largo, Florida coming off an amazing weekend celebrating our awesome friends Ryan and Chloe!
After two fun weeks in Europe, it was time to hit some U.S. locations for a little while. After flying from Iceland to Boston, Dad continued on to Chicago while Carl and I spent a few days in Boston staying with Chris. We kept our time in Boston low key since we’d been on the go a lot in Europe and were looking forward to some down time. We flirted with the idea of renting a car and driving to Maine, but reconsidered once we realized how nice it would be to sit still for a little bit. Instead we went to the gym, cooked meals, finally drank the Mumm champagne we’d carried with us through several countries, and watched movies at Chris’s house. We did decide to go whale watching one day for the first time ever and it was awesome!! We had a beautiful day for a boat ride and saw several minke and humpback whales. Our guide was very fun and started geeking out because we saw a whale that she had a part in naming and because we saw a whale come to the surface with it’s mouth open which apparently is really rare to see. Her enthusiasm definitely made for an even better tour.
