Aloha from Aulani

Aloha Aunties, Uncles, and Cousins! 

I hope everyone is happy and safe in their homes! For the past month, I have been up north with my family. It’s nice to be back, because last year I was unable to visit Pennsylvania while working full time with my internship at Disney World. It has been a blessing that we can all be together. Even though there have been changes and trials, I believe there are a lot of things to be grateful for during this time if we take time to look for them ♡ The biggest blessing we have been given is time. Here are a few ways we have been staying busy at home...

• Practicing hobbies and trying new ones
• Completing puzzles (mystery ones are extra fun!)
• Reading books
• Movie nights 
• Cooking and baking 
• Catching up on TV shows
• Writing letters
• Cleaning 
• Bike riding
• Personal study
• Playing video games (Switch, Nancy Drew computer games)
• Going on walks around the neighborhood 

Along with these activities and projects, I have been working on weeding through the pictures I have taken with my phone. This may be a simple task for some, but I take A LOT of pictures. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had more then 20,000 photos on my phone! As I have been going through them, I realized there are many that I haven’t shared with my friends and family, especially of my time working in Florida. I decided this would be a great opportunity to share some happy memories ♡ 

To start off, let’s fly to the beautiful Hawaiian islands! Did you know Disney has a resort on Oahu? Just like any Disney hotel, this one is truly magical. I love the theming and detail they added throughout the location. 

(For my cast member friends, the ‘Show Key’ is well executed here. Comment some examples you see!)

 

Walking in the front doors, you immediately feel like you are in Hawaiian hale. There are carvings and paintings all around the front hall. We were greeted with “Aloha!” by the friendly cast members who make you feel right at home.

These pictures were taken when I was visiting Hawaii with my cousin Gatlin in October of 2018. I invited my friend Hannah (who was still attending BYU-Hawaii) and my future Disney College Program roommate, Katie, to join us at Aulani as I knew they both loved Disney. This trip was the first time I met Katie and it was such a blessing to live with her last year. What a small world that we met in Hawaii and ended up working at the Polynesian Resort together. 

Also, another fun connection, Gatlin and Hannah are now married! Disney truly brings families together ♡ 

One of my favorite parts of this resort are the snacks! I love that they took famous Hawaiian treats and added some Disney magic. Near the pools they have a few quick service food options. 

Little ‘Opihi’s

Here the options are chips, fresh fruit, ice cream and pineapple soft-serve (That’s right, Dole whips!) as well as sandwiches, rolls, and salads, it you want something a little more healthy. 

Mama’s Snack Shop

The fish and chips here are delicious! They also have chicken nuggets, coconut shrimp, and the Ono sandwich. For dessert they offer a macadamia nut and pineapple cupcake. However, I saved my sweet treat for the next booth...

Papalua Shave Ice

Can’t go to Hawaii without enjoying some shave ice! They have plenty of tropical flavors to choose from and if you pay a little extra they will add Mickey ears to your creation!

Ulu Cafe

This little shop offers an assortment of grab-and-go options such as cookies and chips. The snack I was most looking forward to trying was the Mickey musubi. (On previous visits they has all been sold out for the day) It is a rice ball with Spam and seaweed. Not something I would have tried before living in Hawaii, but during my time there it became one of my favorite snacks. They sold them in the grocery store and I also had talented friends who learned hoe to make them! Aulani did not disappoint with satisfying my cravings.

The beach at Aulani is absolutely beautiful. The resort is located in a quieter part of the island so it is very relaxing to sit on the beach and look out at the ocean. We had fun swimming before it was time for our dinner reservation. 

Makahiki is one of my favorite Disney buffets I have been to. The food is delicious. There were so many options to choose from. As you go down the line, your plate fills up quick! Throughout the dinner a few of Mickey’s friends stopped by to say Aloha! At check-in we met Donald and at out table we talked to Chip, Dale, and Stitch. Their Hawaiian outfits were too cute! 

We had a magical moment at the end of our meal! When we first arrived at the resort Katie and I got “I’m Celebrating” pins to announce that we can been accepted into the Disney College program. When the characters saw them they gave us lots of hugs! Our waitress also noticed and as we finished dinner she gave us pumpkin Mickey’s cakes and a picture autographed by the characters! It was truly a sweet surprise ♡ 

Aulani has special merchandise that can only be found on the island. It was fun to go through the gift shops. Our visit was just before Halloween so they had their holiday collection out. And if you know who Duffy is, I’d like to introduce you to ‘Olu! Like Duffy, he is also a friend of Mickey. His name means turtle in Hawaiian. He is such a cutie. 

All too soon it was time to go home. I look forward to visiting this beautiful resort again in the future. 

To better show the wonder of this Hawaiian paradise I have made a video with highlights of our day. I hope you enjoy! (I have to say I am very proud of how the video comes full circle with the intro and ending)

Thank you for reading and watching! Leave a comment and let me know what you have been doing to stay busy while at home. Learn a new hobby? Try a new recipe? I’d love to hear about it. Keep smiling ♡ 

Aloha ‘Oe! 

The Great Wall of Kahana

Aloha!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was quite exciting as I got to swim in the ocean for the the first time since I've returned to Hawaii! But it wasn't just for fun, it was actually for a service project. I am taking a GE class this semester called 'Local Communities' where we learn about the culture of Hawaii. This weekend we had our first field trip. We took six buses and drove to a place called Kahana. When we arrived we greeted the people there with he chant Hiki Mai as a sign of respect. We then split into groups and started to work. 

The topic we've been studying in class is ahupua'a. This is the Hawaiian word for a subdivision of land. Early Hawaiians divided each island into pie shaped ahupua'a that went from the mountains to the sea. This allowed each section to be self sufficient. One of the things the Hawaiians would do is build a rock wall in the ocean to act as a fish pond. Our project on Saturday was to rebuild the rock wall in Kahana. There were different jobs to do such as weeding, collecting rocks, passing rocks in an assembly line, and forming the wall. We all worked together as a team and got a lot done in the time we had.

My friend Kahea and I vlogged the adventure so I will add that here at the end. We had so much fun! It was a great service opportunity and I am grateful that I could be a part of it! We have been blessed to live in this beautiful world and we must do our part to take care of it. Hawaiians believe if you care for the land it will in turn care for you. 

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men." (Psalms 115:16)

♥ TTFN, KARISSA