As she drove me to the airport (to go home, sad), Jen asked me for my Top Five, in no particular order.

1. Kailua Beach
   
   

   This was the first beach that Jen and I visited. The tide was pretty high along this beach, so our towels got drenched right away. Oh, well! This was my first time swimming in an ocean (I’ve waded around both the Pacific and Atlantic before), so the waves knocked me over on my first try. On my second try, I dove in head first and managed to make it past the break and float around for a while.

2. Kaena Point
   
   

   Jen’s friends from her previous home (in Bellingham, Washington) joined us a for an overcast afternoon at Kaena Point. We saw critters here: tiny sand crabs, larger crabs in the waves, our first Portuguese Man o’ War, and even a sea turtle. Jen and Martin jumped in the water while Jade and I watched from the beach.

   
3. Spam Musubi/Shrimp Truck/Motsumoto Shave Ice

   We ate these within a reasonable time period so I’m considering these one meal — three courses!

   
   
   

   To sum these up in one word: ONO! (which means “delicious!”)

4. Japanese Garden at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
   

   I suppose all of the student were either in class or still sleeping, because I had this whole area to myself. It was peaceful and lovely.

5. Lanikai Beach
   
   
   

   Don’t you love our glasses? I do.

   

   Even though I cut my foot on coral here, it was the best beach for swimming. It wasn’t crowded, the sand was very fine, and the water was clear. The Portuguese Man o’ War littered this beach, however, so we had to watch our step!

   But, Jen, how can I stop at 5?

6. Magic Island Barbecue
   
   
   
   

   Jen’s classmates invited us to barbecue on Magic Island at Ala Moana. It was a great, sunny day until the clouds rolled in around sunset – but they were so beautiful and photogenic, that I didn’t mind too much.

7. Green Tea Ice Cream with a Candle for my Birthday
   
   

   A jet-lagged Terry (who had just flown back from Minneapolis!) joined Jen and me for dinner. We got three very yummy sushi rolls, a huge bottle of Kirin to share, and the waiter surprised me by putting a candle in my complementary ice cream. I had a wonderful birthday.

8. Chinese Cemetery
   
   
   

   I only visited the smaller half, too. The plants here were incredible (colorful and out of control) and I loved the zodiac animal statues.

9. Lunch at the Kona Brewing Company
   

   It took me a day and a half to find this Mai Tai.

   
   

   For a moment I forgot that I was in Hawaii with Jen — it felt like a wonderful Minnesota summer day! I loved sitting on their lanai (porch) overlooking Kuapa Pond

10. Seeing Jen
    

    ‘Cause she’s so funny and pretty, you know? (Mahalo for hosting me, darling!)

I could probably make a list of my top 100 and still not cover every awesome little thing, but I feel I should have a few more honorable mentions: downtown Honolulu, seeing Coco Head (and most of the rest of the island) from a convertible, getting flowers from Jason on my birthday, the cats of UHM (at night!), seeing Jen’s current show, and people-watching at Waikiki.

I posted a ridiculous amount of photos on Flickr and a few videos on YouTube.