the first sunrise

September 8, 2015 |  Category:   life travels

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That first morning in Hawaii is a moment that one never forgets no matter how many times you’ve visited the islands. Jetlag forces you to wake up in darkness, and we wait for what feels like eternity for the first sign of the dimmest light when we make our way to the beach, not able to see anything but the darkest shapes. The first sunrise is always a thrill. The girls now know this too. You watch your surroundings become slowly illuminated until you realize where you are. Is it a dream?
 
We planned this trip a year and a half ago and the girls had been waiting patiently since. Though we used to go a bit more frequently, Mark and I hadn’t been back to Hawaii in 13 years when we got married there in 2002. We always stay on the same beach in Kailua. There isn’t a lack of beautiful beaches on Oahu, but we love the wide expanse of sand that stretches for miles here.
 
Now that we’re back and fully in the swing of things at home, Hawaii really does seem like it was a dream. A lot of memories were made in those 2 weeks – some of which I’ll share in photos here – but nothing quite compares to the experience of that first sunrise. More soon.

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  • Leilani September 8, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    We do have glorious sunrises here and see them many mornings out our front windows when the boys are up here for breakfast before school. We have equally glorious sunsets that sometimes fill the whole sky. It was so nice to see you all. Maybe your next trip won’t be so many years from now.
    Aloha!

    • Jenna September 9, 2015 at 12:09 am

      Hi Leilani! So nice to see a comment from you and to see you as well. I also hope that it doesn’t take us so long to come back. It was a pretty special trip.

  • Dee September 10, 2015 at 10:22 am

    I have really enjoyed seeing your pictures of Hawaii on ig. I’ve been twice (to Oahu and Kauai) and hope to return with my family in the future.

  • Gina September 18, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    Any recs for a place to stay on the Kailua side?

    • Jenna September 20, 2015 at 11:54 pm

      Hi Gina, we always rent houses from Pat’s rentals: http://www.patskailua.com/ The houses aren’t super fancy and many don’t have air conditioners, which used to not be a problem, but on this trip it did make it somewhat uncomfortable. There aren’t really any hotels that I know of in Kailua, so your best bet is to find a rental home.

  • Miranda October 15, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Hi Jenna —

    I love that first photo — the pink sky over the ocean. Would you ever make a print of it to sell? It’s so gorgeous.

    Miranda

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