Bridgette’s 8th Birthday in Hawaii (Part I.)

Bridgette turned 8 earlier this year, on February 20th, and as always, her birthday fell on mid-winter break at school. It’s hard to plan a birthday party when most of her friends have travel plans that week so for the past few years, we’ve also traveled to celebrate her birthday.

This year, her mid-winter break happened to fall on the same week as Chinese New Year, which meant Brianne also had the week off. Mimi and I couldn’t let this opportunity slide, and decided to meet up in Hawaii. It would be an all girls’ trip with just the 4 of us, and we promised to do as minimal planning as possible so that we wouldn’t be pressured in trying to make dinner reservations or excursion times. It would be a truly relaxing trip where we could be as spontaneous as we like!

Bridgette has started packing for herself since she was about 6, and it's always very interesting to me to see what she packs in her little luggage. Apparently, lip gloss, toys, and books are more important than underwears and toothbrushes. :)
Bridgette has started packing for herself since she was about 6, and it’s always very interesting to me to see what she packs in her little luggage. Apparently, lip gloss, toys, and books are more important than underwears and toothbrushes. 🙂
Off we go to Honolulu!
Off we go to Honolulu!
Bridgette and her sidekick duck duck who travels everywhere with her since she was a baby.
Bridgette and her sidekick duck duck who travels everywhere with her since she was a baby.
So happy to meet up in Hawaii, where the girls can literally stay in their swimsuits the entire day!
So happy to meet up in Hawaii, where the girls can literally stay in their swimsuits the entire day!

We stayed in Honolulu the first few days, and didn’t do much except eat, swim, and swim some more. The girls’ brought their new favorite game, Monopoly Deal, with them, and we probably played a few hundred rounds of that game during the duration of our trip. I actually quite like the game and found it much more challenging than Candy Land or Connect Four. 🙂

It rained on our first day there, but that didn't stop us from venturing out for good food!
It rained on our first day there, but that didn’t stop us from venturing out for good food!
At the famous Eggs N Things for their ginormous pancakes and loco moco.
At the famous Eggs N Things for their ginormous pancakes and loco moco.

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Beach time
Beach time
Mid-day snacking on fresh sushi!
Mid-day snacking on fresh sushi!

IMG_5485IMG_5495hawaii1We stayed at the Outrigger Reef Hotel right by the beach, which was decent, but the pool felt a bit too small.

In Hawaii, loco moco is the girls' choice of food no matter breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
In Hawaii, loco moco is the girls’ choice of food no matter breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Mimi did sign us up for a snorkeling excursion since she really wanted to scuba dive. Unfortunately, we ended up with an awful company and the overall experience was very disappointing. They overpacked the boat so we were all like sardines, and Mimi was put in the same group as the inexperienced divers so she barely got any time in the water. As for the girls and I, we were stuck on the boat 99% of the time while watching those inexperienced divers get certified. In the end, they let the girls go into the water for all of 5 minutes before declaring that the currents were too strong for them to stay.

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Excited in the beginning, but little did we know we would just end up sitting around and waiting the whole time...
Excited in the beginning, but little did we know we would just end up sitting around and waiting the whole time…
My poor sis who is an experienced diver got stuck just hanging around in the water waiting for everyone else to go through their certification tests
My poor sis who is an experienced diver got stuck just hanging around in the water waiting for everyone else to go through their certification tests

hawaii5IMG_5585Needless to say, the girls were much happier when we got back to the resort’s swimming pool!

hawaii6After a few fun days in Honolulu, we packed our bags and drove an hour north to Turtle Bay Resort for the remainder of our trip. When we were offered a convertible upgrade for only an extra $20, I couldn’t resist! 🙂

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Pit stop for the best snow cones in the North Shore
Pit stop for the best snow cones in the North Shore

IMG_9005Turtle Bay is a special place for us because it was where we took the girls on their very first trip, at just 10 months old. Ofcourse, the girls had no recollection of that trip, but being there again definitely brought back sweet memories for Mimi and I…

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We loved our view from the room!
We loved our view from the room!

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One reason we came back to this resort is because we remembered how much we loved their pools. The girls wasted no time diving right in while Mimi and I ordered a poolside lunch to enjoy together.

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It felt really awesome to not have any agenda. The girls were allowed to swim as long as they wanted, while Mimi and I just chatted and read from our kindles. When we wanted a break from the pool, we would go back to the room to play monopoly deal, or find a place around the resort to hang out. We sometimes dined at the resort, and other times ventured out in the North Shore area to try something else.

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We discovered an amazing mud pie that we kept going back for!
We discovered an amazing mud pie that we kept going back for!
In line for the famous Giovanni's shrimp truck
In line for the famous Giovanni’s shrimp truck
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Delicious!!

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For one full day, we were at the beach just lounging, swimming, building sand castles, and playing monopoly deal.

IMG_5681IMG_5683IMG_5696hawaii9hawaii10Part II. coming up…

 

 

 

 

 

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