Vanessa- figmentfan814 ~ Happily Ever Wedding & 10th Anniversary VR Brunch #1 Added 8-10

[DisneyLaura]

Vanessa we must be twins separated at birth. We went to the Rhode Island zoo while on vacation last summer and they had a butterfly exhibit - while there were beautiful flowers in there for the butterflies and I kept taking pictures of all the butterflies that landed on the flowers. But I will hvae to admit your flowers where much prettier. I wished would have went on to The Dole pineapple place. I guess next time . I remember when we checked in our hotel, the girl asked me while I was waiting to check in if I would like some pineapple juice so me and my DH said sure. Well she went over to the side and squeezed it for us, I was hooked from that moment on. I love pineapple too. We had one of those shaved ices every day. There was always a guy selling them right off the beach from our hotel.

 

[figmentfan814]

Vanessa we must be twins separated at birth. We went to the Rhode Island zoo while on vacation last summer and they had a butterfly exhibit - while there were beautiful flowers in there for the butterflies and I kept taking pictures of all the butterflies that landed on the flowers. But I will hvae to admit your flowers where much prettier. I wished would have went on to The Dole pineapple place. I guess next time . I remember when we checked in our hotel, the girl asked me while I was waiting to check in if I would like some pineapple juice so me and my DH said sure. Well she went over to the side and squeezed it for us, I was hooked from that moment on. I love pineapple too. We had one of those shaved ices every day. There was always a guy selling them right off the beach from our hotel.

That's really neat how you love getting the flower shots too. I know I drive Kris crazy sometimes taking so many flower pictures. There is a large estate near us from one of the General Motors executives that is open to the public several times a year and I will spend hours there taking photos. Thankfully, he's pretty patient with me about unless he's waiting to do something else

Not seeing the Dole place just gives you another excuse to return The fresh stuff is definitely much better than what we get around here! Shaved ice really is the best, I don't think I can really compare it to anything I've had before. Its a big step above the sno-cones I have at home.

 

[irisbud]

The pineapple plantation looks fun and beautiful too. For some reason, I thought pineapples grew on trees You learn something new everyday

I like taking pictures of flowers too! I do this a lot at Disney as well, though my DH is not very patient about it

 

[figmentfan814]

The pineapple plantation looks fun and beautiful too. For some reason, I thought pineapples grew on trees You learn something new everyday

I like taking pictures of flowers too! I do this a lot at Disney as well, though my DH is not very patient about it

I honestly didn't know how exactly they grew either until I visited, so you'er not alone I love taking shots in the rose garden at Epcot and at Magic Kingdom, you can really get some pretty pictures in the parks with all the beautiful flowers.

 

[princess22]

What a great update. I'm loving your honeymoon report so far. It looks like you had a blast! You two are an adorable couple by the way! The dole plantation looks like fun! If I ever make it to Hawaii, that will be on my to-do list!

 

[figmentfan814]

What a great update. I'm loving your honeymoon report so far. It looks like you had a blast! You two are an adorable couple by the way! The dole plantation looks like fun! If I ever make it to Hawaii, that will be on my to-do list!

Thank you for following along with my TR. We really did have a great time and I'm hoping to get the whole trip completed soon. We didn't go until May last year, so I figured that I still have a little time before I will have let a year pass by. I highly recommend going to the plantation; we had a great time and they have a lot of cute things to do there, plus it was nice to have a Dole Whip

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

Ohh those dole whips look yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

Your flower pictures were so pretty! You took some great shots!

 

[figmentfan814]

Ohh those dole whips look yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

Your flower pictures were so pretty! You took some great shots!

Thanks, Toni When I found out that you could get the dole whips in Hawaii I knew I had to plan to make a stop there no matter what

 

[Mrsdisneyb2b]

OMG
I want to go to the Dole plantation. I am so jealous!! So so muchfun!

 

[dizneyfreak]

Yea for Dole whips!!! I so did not know you could get one there...I would have made that a stop on my trip. Your pictures were beautiful and it looked like you two had a blast. That little train was so cute! I can't believe you are back and posting again...that flew by. How was the weather and the crowds?

Anna Marie

 

[jenny08]

I love your TR! The pictures of Hawaii really take me back. We got shaved ice from that store too. The beans were so gross!!

 

[figmentfan814]

OMG
I want to go to the Dole plantation. I am so jealous!! So so muchfun!

We really did have a great time there, despite the rain that afternoon.

Yea for Dole whips!!! I so did not know you could get one there...I would have made that a stop on my trip. Your pictures were beautiful and it looked like you two had a blast. That little train was so cute! I can't believe you are back and posting again...that flew by. How was the weather and the crowds?

Anna Marie

I was pretty excited when I found out about the dole whips too, a prior Disney bride told me about them before we left The whole plantation was on Oahu, so it was definitely built to attract families.

The weather turned out to be pretty fantastic. It had been rainy and cold the week before we arrived, but it started warming up the day we got there. It started getting warmer each day of our trip- 65 and up finally all the way to 85. Did you see my post on our anniversary dinner at the GF? (At least I don't remember you responding on it ) If not, I'll post the link for you to check it out.

I love your TR! The pictures of Hawaii really take me back. We got shaved ice from that store too. The beans were so gross!!

I was totally thrown off by the beans, definitely not what I was expecting Thanks for stopping by over here, it was so nice meeting up at Kona Cafe

 

[tiggersam00]

I've been a lurker on your PJ/TR for a while and I had to say that everything in the wedding was amazing! Your honeymoon looked like you guys had a blast, how funny that you had dole whips in Hawaii, they are my favorite treat ever.... I ever ordered the dole whip mix and bought an ice cream maker to have it at home when I am missed WDW... I am a total dork huh ?

Anyway, your wedding is one of my very favorites I have seen on here, just wanted to let you know that You have def helped me with ideas and inspiration for my wedding next year

 

[figmentfan814]

I've been a lurker on your PJ/TR for a while and I had to say that everything in the wedding was amazing! Your honeymoon looked like you guys had a blast, how funny that you had dole whips in Hawaii, they are my favorite treat ever.... I ever ordered the dole whip mix and bought an ice cream maker to have it at home when I am missed WDW... I am a total dork huh ?

Anyway, your wedding is one of my very favorites I have seen on here, just wanted to let you know that You have def helped me with ideas and inspiration for my wedding next year

Samantha, thank you so much for following my wedding journey even though its taking me a while to get through everything I'm so glad that I was able to help you with some ideas for your wedding, definitely let me know if you have any questions. I know I would have been lost without the advice of prior Disney brides So, I must know where can you get the Dole Whip mix? I must know; that would be so great to have it at home.

I've seen your posting on so many other threads, I must go track down your PJ journal now to read about all of your exciting plans

 

[tiggersam00]

Samantha, thank you so much for following my wedding journey even though its taking me a while to get through everything I'm so glad that I was able to help you with some ideas for your wedding, definitely let me know if you have any questions. I know I would have been lost without the advice of prior Disney brides So, I must know where can you get the Dole Whip mix? I must know; that would be so great to have it at home.

I've seen your posting on so many other threads, I must go track down your PJ journal now to read about all of your exciting plans

Dole Whip Mix When it is made it looks a little more yellow then in WDW, but it tastes exactly the same! Totally gives you the "disney" feeling at home

 

[figmentfan814]

Dole Whip Mix When it is made it looks a little more yellow then in WDW, but it tastes exactly the same! Totally gives you the "disney" feeling at home

Thank you so much, I have to order some soon. Plus, I already have an ice cream maker, so I just need to get the mix

 

[Flurbee]

Vanessa,

Those Dole whips looked so good!!! I am loving hearing about your honeymoon so far....Can I have the link to the post about your anniversary dinner at GF too??

 

[figmentfan814]

Vanessa,

Those Dole whips looked so good!!! I am loving hearing about your honeymoon so far....Can I have the link to the post about your anniversary dinner at GF too??

Thanks for following along, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far

Maure, here's the link to our anniversary dinner
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2094394

 

[figmentfan814]

After heading out, we drove for another 30 minutes passing by some houses and quite a bit of farmland. We saw some cool turn offs along the way and made some stops to check out the waves. Surf boards abounded and it was cool to see them strapped to people’s cars as they passed us on the road. From what we were told this is the area that the surfers head because of the great waves!

The rain had pretty much stopped by the time we made our first turnoff, but it was still pretty overcast. I absolutely loved the rocks jutting out along the shore, it created such a cool effect with the waves.

These were the coolest looking birds because they were like morning doves, but a lot prettier!

A few miles down the road we came to a public beach area and even saw some buses pulled over, so we decided to check it out. We didn’t have our suits with us, so we had no real plans to get in the water. The waves were huge though and Kris seriously considered going in, but decided against it in the end.

I love this shot, that’s Kris in the background contemplating whether or not he should go in the water.

We had no real plans for the day which was actually great for exploring. We also came across the Waimea Falls Park which is ran by the National Audubon Society. We pulled in to explore and were excited because in the guidebook I had it said that you could actual swim and climb around the falls. It was already around 4 pm in the afternoon and the park closed at 5 pm, so we decided not to pay the entrance fee which was around $15 if I remember correctly. We did spend some time wandering their gift shop and a pavilion area near the front. They had things set up for a wedding reception, so I took some time to poke around and be nosey.

Here is Kris near the front of the park:

There were a ton of peacocks around and I got some pretty good pictures. I only uploaded two to Photobucket for some reason though.

The only disturbing part about this area is that you would drive by several roadside parks and there were like tent cities set up everyone. I know they have a high rate of homelessness on the island, but it was very surreal to see it up close like that in such a beautiful paradise.

Around this time we decided to start heading back towards Waikiki. We were already getting hungry too. A few miles down the road we spotted a shrimp truck and Kris decided to stop off. Even though I’m not a seafood fan I told him that he should at least get something. The prices were outrageous, so he decided to suffer along with me. About 10 minutes later we came across this hole in the wall place that I had read about in several of my Hawaii books. It looked like a little party store inside and you just walked up to the counters to order. All of the tables were outside on the patio. The thing I remember was all the people going in and out without shoes on. I kept thinking to myself of the signs back home, “No shoes, no shirt, no service!” Definitely a little different in Hawaii.

Since we had not gotten the traditional Hawaiian plate lunch which includes some type of teriyaki meat, rice, and macaroni salad we decided to indulge ourselves.

Oh, my goodness this dessert- chocolate haupia pie- was out of this world! It is a chocolate cream pie that has a layer of cream below the white whipped cream that is made out of coconut milk. It was so creamy and it melted in your mouth! :

After we finished our meal we packed up and headed back out. Here is a shot of Kris goofing around while he was driving. There is a story behind this stupid looking hat jester: We had been advised that the Polynesian Cultural Center where we had been the day before can be quite sunny (even though it ended up raining on our day there!) so you were advised to bring a hat. I don’t own any hats and look ridiculous in them, so decided the night before we were going that I needed to purchase one since I didn’t want a burnt scalp! (Which happens a lot since I am so fair skinned and have lighter colored hair.)

Anyway, I made Kris go in and out of shops with me for over an hour trying to find a cheap hat. This was the best that I could come up with since everything was so expensive in Waikiki.

On the way back I asked Kris to stop off at the Dole Plantation again because there were some pictures that I didn’t get earlier because of the rain. I was also a little irritated that Kris had told me not to buy pineapples to ship home earlier that day I told him that I was just going to buy them anyway when we returned, but the store had just closed! I was mad, but at the end of the trip I ended up getting some anyway! We spent about 20 minutes here just checking out the grounds a little more that we had missed earlier in the day.

A real closeup of a pineapple, finally!

Up next, our last day in Oahu before heading to Maui spending time in Honolulu exploring Pearl Harbor and more.

 

[Mrsdisneyb2b]

OMG vanessa you have me drooling right now!!!
I had to go grab a cadbury caramello to stop from drooling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!