return to paradise

our friday night outing was the one activity we had the forethought to book even before we left home:

we didn't realize it at first, but we found that it was only about a 10-15 minute walk from our condo.  but because it was so hot and sticky - typical hawaiian summer weather, i know - we hopped in the car and drove over to try and minimize the sweatiness.  after we checked in, we headed right over to grab our welcome drink.

since we hadn't felt the need to spring for the crazy expensive deluxe packages (our standard ticket was pricey enough), we got shell leis instead of the fancy flowers.  no biggie.

check out our super cheesetastic group photo:

we'd arrived fairly early, so the activities were still mostly available without long lines.  the hub opted out, but the rest of us happily took off our shoes and hopped into the canoe for a quick ride around the lagoon.  it was really refreshing even to just get our feet wet.

next up:

 we'd set our drinks down at our table, and they were sweating about as much as we were.

so the hub went and grabbed a couple of fresh ones:

this is my favorite photo of the old lady and her special friend.  aren't they cute?  

and then this guy walked around the grounds, blowing into the shell to alert everyone that the presentations were about to begin.

these guys demonstrated the hukilau - how the ancient hawaiians did their fishing.  they tossed a net into the water from the shore and then pulled it back:

meanwhile, music was provided by these guys:

and the bean, who'd been dying to get in line to take a picture with the parrots, finally got her chance. i had to sneak this shot in all stealth-like...because the "real" photo came with a $60 price tag.  yeah, you read that right:  SIXTY AMERICAN DOLLARS.  oy vey.

while the kids headed off and watched the rest of the demonstrations, the hub and i hung back and spent a little quality time together.  of course, this meant at least one selfie:

it was a gorgeous evening.

after everyone had returned to their tables, we were then gradually dismissed to head to the buffet to fill our plates.  some of these folks were acting seriously foolish, as though they hadn't eaten in days.  good gracious.  

luckily, the gluttony is anticipated and there was plenty of food for everyone.

when the show began, they kicked it off by asking for volunteers to go up onstage and learn the hula. this was what the bean had been waiting for - she was dying to show off her skills, and happily joined the crowd.  she managed to score a spot right in front, although it's hard to see from here:

the hub scooted around to the other side and got a much better view.

she was pretty proud of herself and beamed when she came back.

so since we knew we were going to attend a luau for the first time since our rehearsal dinner almost a decade ago, we put some thought into what we'd wear for it.  here we are the night before we got married (haha, we apparently sprung for deluxe seats then):

and now.

a little older, a lot wiser, and even happier than back then.  not too shabby, i'd say.