July 4th - Alexandria Bay - Day 1

If you know me, you'd know that one of my absolute favorite things to do is be on a boat. I love being on the water and my kids love being on the water.

For the last few years, we've gone on a summer vacation with a few friends of ours. Last year we took a hiatus because Steve ruined it for everyone (Jen - look! I'm talking shit about my husband! OMG! TROLL). 

But this year we were invited again. Me and the girls spent 4 glorious days on the St. Lawrence River and it was amazing. Just like it was 2 years ago before my life fell apart. 

After getting home from Hawaii, this was the next thing I was super excited about. Another condo right on the water and right in the middle of Alexandria Bay. Close enough that we could walk to town. The same condo building, just the other side. 

I was in charge of snacks.

Feeding 13 people is a big deal. Out of the 8 kids between our 3 families, there are SIX boys. Ranging from 9 (10 this year) to 15. They eat A LOT. 

All the candy. 

The girls and I packed up and headed out the door pretty early Thursday morning. I wanted to make sure we got up there in time so no one had to wait for us to go on the boat. That's one thing I know about boating. When the captain says "10am" it means IN THE WATER READY TO GO. 

The drive is about 2.5 hours and I was expecting a lot of traffic and it was not bad at all. I got there with no issues. 

Once we got up there, those 8 kids went to work to put everything away. It probably took less than 10 minutes. 

Then we got on the boat. My favorite part. 

This view 💖

Andy and his boy, Jake

Emmy and her boy, Jake

Potter's Beach. Such a nice boat ride to get there. There's rocks to jump off of, a beach, lots of fun stuff for the kids to do. 

The two big boys, Jake and Kenny. While we're anchored everyone took turns taking the JetSkis out.

There was a new Boba place in town! So grateful for places that have stuff my girls can eat.

I got new Birks! And I'm SO SORRY about my feet. Ugh.

Looking so old these days...

There is nothing like seeing fireworks this close. They set them off at Boldt Castle and they go off literally right above our heads. So many boats in the water in the dark makes me SO nervous. But, what a fucking view. 

The fireworks show didn't START until 9:45. All us old people had to nap beforehand, lol.

What a great first day.

Tomorrow we head to Clayton for cheese curds. 

Hawaii Vacation Day 9 (Wednesday) - Night Marchers Tour

Just like yesterday, we opted for another relaxing day. Our time is winding down and we've done all the activities that we wanted to do. 

Being the type A person that I am, I did most of the planning during this trip - other than the hotel/flights, which my mom planned. I knew my sister would pretty much go along with anything, but I also chose things I knew she'd enjoy. The turtle excursion was for her mainly. She's had this obsession with turtles for as long as I can remember, so it just made sense to try to experience them in real life. 

During one of our "chill" days, she texted me and said she had found this tour that sounded fun - the "Night Marchers" tour - a haunted night time activity. It sounded interesting but didn't start until 8pm, so we had the whole day to poke around town before heading to the meeting place. It got really good reviews! 

We spent the day at the Ala Moana Mall again, making sure to eat all the things and see all the things before our evening walking tour. 

Per Wikipedia: In Hawaiian mythology, Nightmarchers (huakaʻi pō) or Spirit Ranks (ʻoiʻo) are the deadly ghosts of ancient tribal Hawaiian warriors. The nightmarchers are the vanguard for a sacred king, chief or chiefess.

On the nights honoring the Hawaiian gods Kāne, Kū, Lono, or on the nights of Kanaloa they are said to come forth from their burial sites, or to rise up from the ocean, and to march in a large group to ancient Hawaiian battle sites or other sacred places. The legend says the night marchers are normal-size warriors, dressed for battle, carrying spears, clubs, and some are beating war drums and blowing tones from conch shells, to announce the advancing of their march. According to the myth, they are suspended in air; their feet do not touch water or ground as they traverse through the night, and they leave no evidence of their visitations.

It was a spooky activity that I knew my kids would enjoy, too. 

Sunset on the way there

This activity was definitely interesting. It was a walking tour and our tour guide spoke about the history and myth of the Night Marchers. He spoke of the paranormal and stories that have happened to people he knew. 

It was interesting, to hear a bit about the history and ancient beliefs of the locals. 

It lasted a little over and hour and it was a lovely evening to walk around Waikiki and hear about it all.

Tomorrow is another relaxing day before we head out on Friday.

What a vacation you guys. So many memories made during this trip. 

Hawaii Vacation Day 7 (Monday) - Whale Watching

I know I'm packing in a lot of activities, but the excursion are usually no more than 2 or so hours, so it's not like it takes the entire day. Depending on what time our excursion is, we usually have a large portion of our day that is unplanned. 

I wanted to make sure to really experience Hawaii while we could. I'm not sure how likely it is that we'd go back as a family...it's pricey. And if we go, we'd likely to another island...but again, it's pricey. 

Anyway. I wanted to really do all the things. 

I planned for us to go whale watching on Monday. It was a 2-hour excursion on a large vessel with a bar. :) It was absolutely beautiful. 

We walked the 25 or so minutes to the pier. 

On the way to the whale spotting location, we were escorted by a pod of dolphins! That was the highlight of the whole thing, to be honest. We DID see a tiny bit of whale later on, but not everyone got a view. I barely saw the tail go under the water. 

Watching these guys swim alongside the boat was so, so cool. Swimming everywhere, zig-zagging everywhere. They were super entertaining to watch!

Like I said, we didn't really see too much whale. LOL. I mean. It was still worth it, for the views of the island from that far out, the dolphins and the ride. The bar was also a nice bonus. 

Sunsets on the beach here are no joke. 

Our hotel at night :)

After the excursion we had a relaxing day. We've done a lot int he 7 days we've been here, so we relaxed back at the hotel until it was time to eat again. 

Tomorrow is another beach day! We don't have plans so we are thinking of heading to the beach early. Our days are coming to an end...which is sad, but I'm so glad I feel like we've done all the things so we can go home and know we packed in as much as we could! Here's to another lovely night/day in paradise :)

Hawaii Vacation Day 6 (Sunday) - Hiking Diamond Head!

We've packed in a lot of stuff so far in our 6 days on the island. 

Beach time.

Pool time.

Sea turtles!

Snorkeling with fish.

Shopping.

Eating.

While swimming, we see Diamond Head in the distance. 

From Hawaii.gov: 

"The unique profile of Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) sits prominently near the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline. Hawaii’s most recognized landmark is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history. Diamond Head State Monument encompasses over 475 acres, including the interior and outer slopes of the crater."

We had purchased tickets ahead of time, per a few recommendations. There is virtually no parking, it gets very busy very early, etc., so we were happy to be able to Uber right to the drop off and walk to the entrance. 

The Uber drop off spot. The sun was HOT.

Their very first album cover.

The beach you see there is the one we can walk to in like 10 minutes. 

The walk, if done with purpose, can talk only 45 minutes for some. I mean, you have to really focus. There were people RUNNING it. Crazy people.

Anyway, when we were done, we walked back and met up with Mom at the Mall for lunch. We ate again at Liliha Bakery. 

Back at the hotel it was time to relax and have some pool time. The poolside bar starts serving at 1:30 and happy hour starts at 3!

We had been eating out a LOT the last few days and eating leftovers to boot. I was in the mood for some good BBQ, but had no interest in leaving the hotel room. 

Steve and the girls went out to find burgers and fries for them and he came back with this:

I fucking chowed down on that and went right to bed.

It is vacation, after all.