Oahu

Aloha! 

It’s been a couple of months since I last posted. There is a lot going on at work and enjoying the weekends as much as I can has kept me away. Now I return to share the amazing anniversary vacation we recently took. 

Two years ago we were blessed in having the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary in Kauai and this year we decided to head back to Hawaii. Since we want to visit new places a different island was a must making Oahu our destination. 

We stayed in Waikiki and the beauty it offers is just incredible. The views were breathtaking. You have the best of both worlds, the beach right in front and the city to the back. Places to eat all around and let us not forget the shopping. 

Hurricane Madeline and Lester hit the Pacific while we were there and unfortunately the water activities were cancelled for the weekend. We were unable to go on a snorkeling excursion but we had the opportunity to venture out by driving out of Waikiki.

We landed in Honolulu at night which gave us time to settle in and giving us full days of adventure. First day we ran out to the beach and relaxation was in play. On the second day we drove up the the Polynesian Cultural Center where we stayed for a Luau Dinner and a show. It was a lovely day was as we celebrated our anniversary. 

 

Now on to what I wore! A simple Old Navy dress to be comfortable as there is some walking in the cultural center. To lug around my stuff I took along my Louis Vuitton tote and to kept them rays away I wore my Ray Bans. To keep my feet comfortable I wore my Mexican sandals. 

The following day we headed out to Pearl Harbor. So much to say about this memorial site but I’ll keep it short. So short that I’ll just say it was definitely worth the visit. 

Tropical weather calls for floral dresses. I wore a jersey dress from H&M with Steve Madden sandals. The shades for this day were these Dior Sunglasses. 

After Pearl Harbor we headed to the north side of the island where we enjoyed the beach and stopped along the way to eat at a shrimp truck. 

The following day we spent most of our time on the beach. It was when I got my tan on, oh yeah I came a couple shades darker. For morning breakfast I went with shorts, sandals and the “Island Air Salty Hair” graphic tee from NY&Co. To cover my dark circles I grabbed my Chanel sunnies. 

Later that day we got dressed and headed out for dinner. Staying with florals I wore this Eva Mendes collection dress from NY&Co. Bringing out the pink on the dress I wore SJP Collection Fabi heels. 

Another day filled with sand was in store but before heading out of Waikiki we went to a cafe that had a gorgeous beach view, most places do. First spot we went to was Halona Beach Cove, swam for some time there before getting back in the car and then driving out to Kailua beach. 

On our last day there we went swimming for the last time at six o’clock in the morning. Our plane was not leaving until the late afternoon so we took advantage of it.

You can see the tan alright! And I love it! My legs finally have some color and almost match the rest of my body. I told the hubs that this tan will only last me until April. The good thing is that he agreed. 

Sorry for the long post. 

Aloha, until next time! 

-Gaby

Jamaica

 Let me start by saying Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Now let me tell you about our Jamaican Trip. We got back from a five day vacation just in time for Christmas Eve. The first two days consisted of laying out on the beach and swimming. My husband wasn’t feeling so swell when we first arrived so relaxation was a must.    
   

 On day three we went horseback riding on the beach. I have to admit I was a little worried but my husband really wanted to do this excursion so I just went with it. In fact Jamaica was my husband’s idea. Last year when we celebrated our anniversary in Hawaii he mentioned Jamaica but at that time it was just too much. And since we went to Cancun earlier this year Jamaica was set to the side. Back to horseback riding…it was such an awesome experience. To go riding I just wore a tank top with my on sale shorts from Old Navy (similar here). 

   
Fourth day came and we woke up and got ready to go to the famous Dunn’s River Falls. There were soo many people there I thought it was going to take us forever to make it to the top of the falls. What I loved about this tour was that my husband was there watching my every step, he always is but even more. When climbing he was always there to pull me up. It was a team effort just like any marriage.  

   
On this day I wore this t-shirt I found at TJMaxx then later changed to a tank top to climb the falls along with another pair of Old Navy shorts. I didn’t think we were going to get really wet but we sure did.  

 After returning from the falls we headed back to the beach for some swimming and sun before heading out again for our second tour at night. The tour was to the Luminous Lagoon which consisted of swimming at night to be able to see the organisms better, not orgasams as someone in our tour called them. The picture is blurry but here it is.   

  At first I was watching others swim before jumping in myself as I was worried about swimming at night. But when I jumped in, the water all over me was glowing. The water was so beautiful. Every time I moved my arms and legs the water light up. As I lifted my arms I would see the sparkle of the water running down. Another great travel experience. 

Now our last full day came and we headed over to the west side of the island to enjoy the 7 Mile Beach in Negril. There we relaxed some more after swimming in the clear waters of the beach.  

    

 After a couple of hours in the sun we headed out to watch the cliff divers at Rick’s Cafe. There we got to enjoy the sunset along with live music.  
   

Our trip came to an end but our Christmas Gift will forever be with us as it was such a memorial vacation.

 
Until next time, once again Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. 

-Gaby

Weekend Getaway

Happy Wednesday! I am extremely thankful for this four day work week. Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend. I was fortunate to celebrate our 3 year anniversary with the hubs this past weekend at Catalina Island. 

I wish I would have planned out this mini vacation better as there are many things to do on the island. We got to go kayaking and parasailing, both activities were a first for us, also got to see a manta ray right below us while kayaking in the bay. Regardless of our activities it was a fun and relaxing getaway. We are planning to return there even if it’s just a one day visit to try scuba diving. 

I packed lightly as we were only there for 3 days so I started with just a pair of jeans and t-shirt for the boat ride there. 

Second day was fun in the sun and started the day with parasailing. I have to admit at first I was a bit worried, but once we were lifted into the sky I really enjoyed the magnificent view from 800 feet above.   

 I wore my floral dress which I picked up for less than $15 at H&M. Wore my bathing suite under as we headed over to do some kayaking in case I went overboard I was ready.  

 In the evening we had dinner reservations, candle light dinner overlooking the bay with live music. At first I was contemplating on wearing a blue floral dress with my heels but this place was so laid back that I decided to go with my stripped maxi dress and sandals.  

 For the last day of our stay I wore my pink and white stripped dress from Old Navy which I picked up last month on sale for under $10! 

 On our last day there we had some drinks, ice cream and relaxed on the beach for a couple hours since our boat ride home was not until the evening, which was lovely because we got to enjoy the sunset.

  Until next time Catalina…

-Gaby