My hands began fiddling with everything near me, as the clock had just struck ten, and the plane would soon be taking off. My family had just boarded the plane at Salt Lake City, and our final destination would be Honolulu Hawaii. Although only twenty minutes had passed, my butt was already beginning to ache as we had a dreaded six hour flight ahead of us. The entire plane ride consisted of watching Frozen, making trips to the bathroom and ordering endless amounts of pretzels and diet Pepsi. However, I lost track of time as we sped over the open ocean. Clouds soon enveloped the plane, and it looked as if we were flying through a giant marshmallow. After a couple hours, the clouds finally cleared off and gave way to the vast ocean below. The bright, blue, clear water below made me ever so anxious for the next twelve days that laid ahead. I snapped picture after picture of the shining sun reflecting off the clear, blue water. The Hawaiian islands soon came into view, and my whole body lit up with excitement. Finally, after six long hours the plane landed in Honolulu, Hawaii. The next twelve days would be filled with fun and adventure.

The first night upon arrival we laid low in our hotel room. There was a four hour time difference between Hawaii and Wisconsin, so it slowly began taking a toll on me early. I curled up in my hotel bed and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. The next morning, my family decided to spend the day relaxing on the beach. There I discovered an ice cream stand with more than 30 flavors, and a little smoothie shop that stood forty feet down the beach from us. After slurping down the last of my strawberry banana smoothie, I decided it was time for a dip in the ocean. I snatched our bright blue snorkeling flippers and snorkel and navigated my way around the world that lay below the surface. I discovered bright yellow butterfly fish, pokey sea urchins, mysterious triggerfish, ugly giant sea cucumbers and an endless amount of seaweed. The rancid taste of salt water also invaded my mouth time after time. Right when I got out of the ocean, everyone on the beach discovered three little critters. Swimming in the shallow waters were two seals, and a giant sea turtle. All of us kids threw on our snorkel gear again and dove in. My step dad ended up grabbing his Gopro, so he could record the sea turtle while he swam with it. I’m glad I got a lot of snorkeling experience on the beach because I was soon going to be snorkeling at the most well known place on Oahu.

On the third day, my family ventured to Hanauma Bay. Known for its snorkeling, we had a day of fun ahead of us. We all grabbed our flippers and snorkels and dove right in. The saltwater licked at my lips as I dove underwater to get a glimpse of what lay below. There were times when the tall, pink coral was so close to the surface I had to suck in as much as I could otherwise I would clip the top of it as I swam over. Schools of bright yellow and blue fish swam three feet from my face numerous times as I swam around. When I swam up onto the beach, my feet were so cut up from struggling to find a solid place to stand on the pokey coral.  At Hanauma Bay, I learned falling asleep on my stomach was one of the worst ideas I have ever had. After snorkeling for two hours straight, I decided it was time for a quick nap. Forty-five minutes later when I woke up, my back was stained red, and I could barely move. Not the smartest idea, but the whole experience was one I will never forget nevertheless. Being burnt the rest of the trip was not very ideal, especially when we decided to hike up Laahi, otherwise known as Diamond Head.

One of the best ideas we had the entire vacation was making a trip to Diamond Head. On the fifth day, we decided to hike to the top of it. The first thing I noticed when we first stepped out of the vehicle at the base of the erupted volcano was the scenery. The smell of freshly cut grass filled our noses, and bushy, green trees could be seen for miles, birds were chirping away overhead, the volcano stood high and prominent in the clear Hawaiian sky, and the atmosphere was filled with chattering and laughing people. After a quick bathroom and water break, we started the long journey to the top. My legs were burning, but the views on the way up made the pain disappear. Curve after curve, I experienced a different view of Honolulu Hawaii. My legs felt as heavy as an elephant , my feet were as tired as an amish horse, but I only had 99 more stairsteps to go. I looked up the steep stairwell and told myself that once I got to the top everything would be worth it. Conquering 99 steep steps later I realized everything up until that point was more than worth it. When I stepped onto the solid ground, the view took my breath away. All around me stood a panoramic view of Oahu. Straight in front of me laid the bright, blue ocean glistening in the steaming sun. In the moment, it seemed as if the ocean went on forever. Behind me stood miles and miles of deep green forests. The world seemed to be never ending. People all around me were snapping pictures and taking in the breathtaking sight. I have never witnessed anything more beautiful, and in that moment I knew I had to return there again someday.

The last seven days my family and I went to a lahaul, spent countless days on the beach, explored the town, visited Pearl Harbor, and watched the sunset and fireworks from the lounge of the top floor of our hotel. While we were there, my brother Alex and I managed to convince our parents to buy a timeshare. We sat there and begged and begged until they finally gave in. As it turns out, we will be returning to Honolulu Hawaii again next year. My entire body lit up with excitement when I received the text from my mom. On March 4, 2017 my family will be boarding a plane in Lacrosse with the final destination of Hawaii.