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Finally! A little recap of our Hawaii we took a few weeks ago! We had been planning this trip since last summer, and been wanting to go to Hawaii together for years, so to finally go (and without kids!) was such a dream — also, a huge thanks to my mama who held down the fort at home with our boys.  It was my first time to Hawaii, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. We spent seven days in Oahu, and spent the first half of the trip on the North Shore basking in the peace and quiet and unbelievable scenery, and then the second half of our trip down in Honolulu where it was busy and crowded and noisy and gorgeous in a completely different way. Since we took a bazillion pictures, I’ll split it up into two posts and share the second one next week. So here’s a few pictures from the first half of our trip on the North Shore at Turtle Bay, and then a fun little video we made with our GoPro my parents gifted us for Christmas, and edited by my amazing assistant Olivia
Day 1 // we arrived in Honolulu in the morning and drove straight to Pearl Harbor. It was a windy day so they weren’t taking the boats out to the memorial, but we watched the movie and walked around for about an hour. So beautiful, so interesting, and so moving. 
That afternoon we drove up to the North Shore and ate dinner at the big wave shrimp truck (amazing), and then drove to Turtle Bay and explored around the hotel for the rest of the evening.
outfit details: floral kimono made by me (similar here for only $20! and here) | striped hoodie (on sale for $10!) | dittos jeans | karen walker sunglasses
Day 2 // We spent the morning at the beautiful Turtle Bay Resort beach and had lunch right on the water (the fish tacos were totally disappointing, but at least the pineapple juice was good). That evening we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I’ve been hearing about this place my entire life and it was better than I could have imagined. 

outfit details: nanette lapore swimsuit (on sale!) | swim cover up made by me (tutorial here, similar here) | karen walker sunglasses | coral blouse (sold out, similar here) | dittos denim | tassel necklace made by me (tutorial here)

Day 3 // We woke up early and spent the morning at the beautiful Hawaii LDS temple. The rest of the day we packed with beach exploration, tree swinging (a random find on a deserted beach!), another shrimp truck for lunch (so garlicky but so delicious), drinking coconut water out of a coconut (disgusting), sharing a giant shave ice (unbelievably delicious — and of course we got it with ice cream on the bottom), hiking up to a waterfall, meeting a turtle, spotting a humpback whale jumping completely out of the water (top 10 coolest experience of my life), hiking to the famous banyan tree from LOST, watching a beautiful sunset, and eating at the bar after dark. 

outfit details: pink skirt made by me (similar here) | j.crew eyelet blouse (sold out, similar here) | forever 21 romper

Day 4 // We had a lazy morning sleeping in, then brunch by the pool, which seemed like a good idea until we left the table for a second and a flock of birds swooped in and carried away every last bit of our breakfast! We spent the rest of the morning at the Dole Pineapple Plantation going on the Pineapple Express train, getting lost in the pineapple shaped maze, and sharing a pineapple dole whip. Then off we went to south side of the island. I’ll share the rest of our trip next week!

outfit details: jcrew tee (similar) | pom pom shorts made by me (tutorial here, similar here and here) | karen walker sunglasses 

And here’s our little recap video. Enjoy!

video by philip + me, edited by olivia tanner
song: moments like this by the afters

HAWAII RECAP PART 1 (AND A LITTLE VIDEO)

Finally! A little recap of our Hawaii we took a few weeks ago! We had been planning this trip since last summer, and been wanting to go to Hawaii together for years, so to finally go (and without kids!) was such a dream — also, a huge thanks to my mama who held down the fort at home with our boys.  It was my first time to Hawaii, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. We spent seven days in Oahu, and spent the first half of the trip on the North Shore basking in the peace and quiet and unbelievable scenery, and then the second half of our trip down in Honolulu where it was busy and crowded and noisy and gorgeous in a completely different way. Since we took a bazillion pictures, I’ll split it up into two posts and share the second one next week. So here’s a few pictures from the first half of our trip on the North Shore at Turtle Bay, and then a fun little video we made with our GoPro my parents gifted us for Christmas, and edited by my amazing assistant Olivia
Day 1 // we arrived in Honolulu in the morning and drove straight to Pearl Harbor. It was a windy day so they weren’t taking the boats out to the memorial, but we watched the movie and walked around for about an hour. So beautiful, so interesting, and so moving. 
That afternoon we drove up to the North Shore and ate dinner at the big wave shrimp truck (amazing), and then drove to Turtle Bay and explored around the hotel for the rest of the evening.
outfit details: floral kimono made by me (similar here for only $20! and here) | striped hoodie (on sale for $10!) | dittos jeans | karen walker sunglasses
Day 2 // We spent the morning at the beautiful Turtle Bay Resort beach and had lunch right on the water (the fish tacos were totally disappointing, but at least the pineapple juice was good). That evening we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I’ve been hearing about this place my entire life and it was better than I could have imagined. 

outfit details: nanette lapore swimsuit (on sale!) | swim cover up made by me (tutorial here, similar here) | karen walker sunglasses | coral blouse (sold out, similar here) | dittos denim | tassel necklace made by me (tutorial here)

Day 3 // We woke up early and spent the morning at the beautiful Hawaii LDS temple. The rest of the day we packed with beach exploration, tree swinging (a random find on a deserted beach!), another shrimp truck for lunch (so garlicky but so delicious), drinking coconut water out of a coconut (disgusting), sharing a giant shave ice (unbelievably delicious — and of course we got it with ice cream on the bottom), hiking up to a waterfall, meeting a turtle, spotting a humpback whale jumping completely out of the water (top 10 coolest experience of my life), hiking to the famous banyan tree from LOST, watching a beautiful sunset, and eating at the bar after dark. 

outfit details: pink skirt made by me (similar here) | j.crew eyelet blouse (sold out, similar here) | forever 21 romper

Day 4 // We had a lazy morning sleeping in, then brunch by the pool, which seemed like a good idea until we left the table for a second and a flock of birds swooped in and carried away every last bit of our breakfast! We spent the rest of the morning at the Dole Pineapple Plantation going on the Pineapple Express train, getting lost in the pineapple shaped maze, and sharing a pineapple dole whip. Then off we went to south side of the island. I’ll share the rest of our trip next week!

outfit details: jcrew tee (similar) | pom pom shorts made by me (tutorial here, similar here and here) | karen walker sunglasses 

And here’s our little recap video. Enjoy!

video by philip + me, edited by olivia tanner
song: moments like this by the afters
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25 Comments

  1. Sasha says:

    It looks like you guys had a blast, Merrick! We just got back from Maui and I miss it already. On a different note, how amazing is the pom pom trim cover up you made?!

  2. Natali says:

    Such a beautiful photo diary, tons of lovely moments and delicious food!

    I hope to visit Hawaii someday!

    http://lartoffashion.blogspot.com

  3. Kimberly says:

    Aww, this video is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen – really makes me want to take a trip with my husband! So glad you guys had an amazing vacation 🙂

  4. Brianne Bracco says:

    So much fun 🙂 We got married in North Shore and stayed at Turtle Bay also. So beautiful and their breakfast buffet was so yummy!

  5. Aww, this looks like it was such a blast! I’ve never been to Hawaii before which is crazy since I’ve been almost everywhere else, haha. These photos are definitely giving me the impetus to go! I love your outfits as always and that video is so fun!

    Circus & Bloom
    ♥♥♥

  6. Your pictures make me miss Oahu, especially North Shore! The best shrimp truck meals and shave ice!

    Liz @ ShoppingMyCloset.com

  7. Lindsay says:

    This is killing me! I spent 2 semesters at BYU-Hawaii and loved it so much. While I have been back to Hawaii since then, I haven’t been back to OAHU and I’m dying to go back! I’m so glad you went to PCC. It’s such a fun place and no trip to Oahu would be complete without it! Can’t wait to see the second half of your trip!

  8. Deonna says:

    I keep bugging my husband to go on a BIG trip and Turtle Bay looks like SO much fun…loved your video 🙂

  9. How fun! We went to Hawaii pre-kids and loved it. I am obsessed with that coverup you made. I might have to get crafty (very scary for me) and attempt it! We are going on a cruise next week so I needed some tropical inspiration. Right now, I am loving bathing suit bottoms with pretty girly rash guards from Trina Turk, Nanette Lepore and Mara Hoffman because they are modest and I am always cold! LOL

  10. Heidi D. says:

    What an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing these snipets with us:)

    Heidi
    http://www.wishesandreality.com

  11. Sierra says:

    I love this. You know I’ve followed your blog for a long time because I love your cute modest style. But this video made me feel like you were actually human. I loved seeing you just being goofy and having fun with your husband! So cute!

  12. I just love your blog… I hope that one day someone feels the same about my blog, as I do yours 🙂
    http://www.jessicalynna.com

  13. Happinessatmidlife says:

    I grew up on Oahu and seeing these photos makes me so home sick. So excited to be heading back in May.

    Alice
    http://www.happinessatmidlife.com

    Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.

  14. Meghan Jenson says:

    Your mom is awesome doing back to back traveling with new babies and vacations. Videos are so fun. I’ve only been to Maui and kawaii so the big island looks amazing. Great job on planning and sewing all your outfits. They looked great.

  15. Ashley Drew says:

    This totally made me laugh out loud:” drinking coconut water out of a coconut (disgusting).” I’m saving this in case I ever get the chance to go to Hawaii….it is a dream of mine. Looks like you guys had a blast! Can’t wait for part two.

  16. Jessica says:

    I love hearing about vacations! It’s so interesting to me and makes me want to check out some of these places! Wonderful photos and I adore the video! So cute!

    Unique Geek

  17. Melanie says:

    I love your blog and have been following along for quite some time! Your style is so inspirational. I love seeing each new post. Beautiful pictures and that video is priceless. So special to have those memories recorded like that!!

  18. Thank you so much for posting about your Hawaii trip! I read it just a month before we left to visit Oahu and it gave us lots of great ideas of things to do (in an easier format than some of the overwhelming tourist websites!). Kudos for being able to recap your trip so precisely…it is taking me a lot more posts to cover our trip! 😛
    -Kaitlin

  19. emdee says:

    How did you find the sizing for the Nanette Lepore swimsuit? I keep reading reviews that say the torso is long. I’m long-legged and my waist is about 27″, though my bust is like 32 and hips are just under 35″. Do you recommend XS or S?

    • Merrick says:

      I’m wearing the 4/6, but I have a long torso. Also, the stitching on the waist isn’t very stretchy, so it’s a little tough getting it over my hips, but once it’s over it fits perfectly. Hope that helps!

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