You know your in Hawaii when...

You find yourself driving through a mountain.
or

You see all this:

Rainbows, waterfalls, beautiful lush mountains and a chicken hanging out off the side of the highway.
We were headed to the North Shore to Tommy's mom's house.

Hitting a few of our favorite places along the way.

The Waikane Store for some mochico chicken and sushi.

Here is the master at work:

Yes, this is a place most would never stop at but trust me... YOU ARE MISSING OUT if you don't!

The Laie, Hawaii Temple

It just reopened after a total revamp.

In good company

We went with our good friends the Stanworths. They were so much fun and got us to do all sorts of fun touristy stuff that we havn't done in 10 years. We love these guys and had so much fun with them.

The Pali Lookout

If you haven't been there... you gotta go. It is beyond gorgeous!

Liliha Bakery

This was my first time going here but it is a place Tommy and his mom love.

They love their Cocoa Puffs but I think the Long Johns are better.

Are these not the cutest cookies EVER???

Cool Trees

I wish Tommy's grandma was still alive so she could tell me what all of the different beautiful vegetation was called. She knew everything there was to know about every tree and plan that grew in that state.

This was taken at Sunset or Pipeline beach.

Is this called a monkey pod tree????

Mom and Dad to the rescue!

I had all our stuff from our trip up North was still in their suit cases. I needed to get Tommy and I packed for Hawaii and also get all the kids clothes washed and organized for mom and dad since they would not have time for laundry. The 10 days we were gone we probably the most busy our schedules had ever gotten. I was dumping all that on mom and dad.
They were total champs and hit the ground running.
Dad helped me organize and pack. I literally had the whole family room covered in clothes. Mom jump right in and was giving the kids some much needed love and attention.

YAY for awesome parents!