Denis and Justina's Visit

Today is my brother Denis's 31st birthday and in honor of that auspicious occasion I decided to share pictures from Denis and Justina's visit to Hawaii.

Jason and I love having visitors in general, but Denis and Justina were particularly great to have as guests, because well--they are Denis and Justina and thereby my favorite brother and sister-in-law/friends in the world! We had a blast that week; we went to the beach every day, took a boat trip out to the Kaneohe Bay sand bar, and went on an awesome 4-wheel drive jeep trek at Kualoa Ranch. Denis and Justina tried their hand at snorkeling, visited with some honus, and Jason and I even converted the two NYers into Lanikai Juice and musubi devotees!

Getting leied at the Paradise Cove Luau

Denis bravely sacrifices himself to the tiki gods in exchange for a pina colada

Justina--wife, teacher, mother, spear-thrower

Shaka Love. We look calm here, but we had just spent the last 40 minutes getting jostled and thrown about on a jeep ride up the mountain.

Justina and I measuring our feet next to ---Denis's--er---Godzilla's footprint. Kualoa Ranch is a popular filming spot for many movies (and the TV show Lost) so of course we had to take Denis and Justina on the tour!

Perhaps Denis's favorite part of the trip, however, was the friendship he formed with Morrie and Esther the sea turtles.



Happy Birthday Ren-Den! We love and miss you!

Byodo-In Temple, Oahu

The Byodo-In Temple was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers in Hawaii who came to work in the sugar plantation fields. It is a replica of the Byodoin Temple located in Uji, Japan on the southern outskirts of Kyoto.

Ringing the peace bell is said to bring happiness, peace, and longevity.

Resting in the garden pavilion outside the temple.

Lotus Buddha located in the temple building (called the Hoodo or Hall of the Chinese Phoenix)

In front of the temple is the Koi Pond holding hundreds of bright orange Koi fish.

When we lived in Kailua, I loved bringing vistors to the Temple. Located just around the corner in Kaneohe, it really is like traveling to another land.

Lanikai Beach, Oahu

Everyone has their own little slice of paradise: that one place on earth where you can go and feel completely at peace and relaxed. For me, that spot is Lanikai Beach on the Windward side of Oahu. In Hawaiian Lanikai translates to, "heavenly sea" and it is no wonder. The water is clear and calm thanks to an off-shore coral reef and the sand is soft and fine. The twin Moks in the distance make for perfect scenery and it is very rare to find crowds to mar your silence. Jason and I fell so in love with this little beach that we made it the spot of our November 2, 2004 wedding.

I can not think back on my time in Hawaii and not think of Lanikai, nor can I help but compare all other beaches to it. To me Lanikai represents perfection: pure and simple.