OUR 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WAS THIS WEEK! We cannot believe that we're already celebrating 5 years together and what a treat it is to be sharing that annual day in Hawaii. Below is the recap video:
Brandi and I traveled northeast on the island to our Airbnb in the Lanikai neighborhood. Starting with some essential island comfort, we grabbed poke at Hibachi and brought it to Grace in Growlers where it's BYOF. GinG is one of those spots that you get to pour your own beer allowing you to try anything they have on tap.
We dressed up all cute and what not and ate dinner at a popular restaurant called Hale'iwa Joe's overlooking a pond, garden and dramatic cliff backdrop.
The next morning we woke up around 5/5:30 to do the Lanikai Pillbox Hike. This was a 30-45 minute hike up to an abandoned pillbox that looks down on the Lanikai neighborhood and the Mokulua Islands. The sun rises almost perfectly between these two caps from the pillbox vantage point.
We walked back down to the car, grabbed coffee at the Kalapawai Market and set up a couple towels in the sand at Lanikai Beach. This was the most desolate we had ever seen Lanikai (Brandi's favorite Hawaiian beach) and we had our own private moment until people started showing up, you know, with curious dogs and what all.
Later in the week, our friends Lauren and Andrew came out to Oahu and stayed with us. We took them directly back out to Kailua and Lanikai Beach (yes, to Hibachi, to Grace in Growlers, to Kalapawai Market as well). I'm so happy we got to see the Sunrise at Lanikai Beach AND the Sunset in the same week.
The next day we all went out to Diamond Head to hike up to the top of the crater which looks out upon Waikiki, Honolulu, and even the valleys over by where we live. You can even see Manoa Valley which is where we decided to go next: the hike out to Manoa Falls.
Two hikes in one day led to cooking out at the house with Brett, Chrissy, Lauren, Andrew, Brandi and me. We fried up some fish tacos with all the works: avocado, cabbage, chipotle mayo sauce, limes, on flour or corn tortillas. It was a great feast to end the week and see the sunset from the St. Louis ridge that we've become so familiar with. Here are a few more photos!
