Hawaii, Part Two

After a full travel day, a full beach day, followed by a day traveling to and from the Big Island, we were ready for a lazy day! And it just so happened to be my birthday! It was a drizzly, overcast day...but it was just what the doctor ordered! We all slept in, and then Derek picked us up some obligatory birthday donuts & they were so good. We are self-proclaimed donut connoisseurs, and there are dreadfully no good donut shops in Alaska. So I cannot adequately describe how good these donuts tasted, but we thoroughly enjoyed them to say the least! Then we just lounged around our hotel room all morning. The kids binged on Disney channel {their favorite part of hotel life b/c they don't watch any television at home aside from our weekly movie night}, Derek watched the NFL playoff games, and I sat outside on the balcony either reading or chatting on the phone with my mom & sister. It was the perfect morning!

Then we all showered and dressed up to head off to Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner...another restaurant we'd been dreaming of ever since we found out we'd be going to Hawaii! The stars aligned, and we somehow managed to have the shortest wait for a table at the Cheesecake Factory in our family's history and the best server! It was such a delightful dinner.

The next day was a bit drizzly again, so we headed off to explore Pear Harbor & Ford Island. When Derek and I came to Hawaii for our honeymoon, we went to Pearl Harbor but Ford Island was a first for all five of us. 

{Brady's favorite part was touring this WWII submarine...they went through it twice!}

After Pearl Harbor, we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner again with zero regrets. So, so good. When planning this vacation, Derek ensured that our hotel was within walking distance of both Cheesecake Factory & Chick-fil-a. Priorities! :) 

The next day was forecasted to be beautiful again, so we planned for a full day in the sun!

{Our resort had a koi pond that we passed by each day on our way to the beach. We all loved spotting the turtles and watching the ducks.}

And it's not vacation if you're not going out for ice cream!