Happy Tuesday, friends!
Well, please be patient with us, but today, we do not have a new episode of The Bestie Breakdown available. We have ordered some new equipment and have one episode ready to go already for you guys next week. In the meantime, no podcast today, but I do have another day in Hawaii to share 🙂 .
Don’t forget, if you missed PART ONE, make sure you go back and check that one out too because I share the details about our flight over and our resort accommodations. In PART TWO, I shared days 2 and 3 of our trip where we enjoyed the beautiful beach, pool and amenities at the Aulani resort.
Today…I’m sharing pics from our time spent at Sea Life Park where they rescue and rehabilitate sea life along with educate and acquaint visitors with many God’s friends from the ocean. We had a dolphin experience lined up that three of the kiddos were very excited about 😉 .
That morning, I chuckled at Ashby and Smith…
…who both started their day with some mind work. Ashby worked on her puzzle…Smith studied God’s word and the US Constitution. Bahahaha! Who brings that book on a beach vacation? Smith Shull does.
I started my morning…
…with a beautiful run!
After breakfast, we rented a car right there at Aulani and were off for a little family adventure…
…do you see Mades’ face waaaaaay back there?! The drive from Aulani to Sea Life Park was about 45 minutes. The second half of the drive was particularly beautiful.
I took five pictures. This was the best of the bunch. #winning
I’m not going to bore you with a bazillion pictures…but I took a ton. They had birds, they had sea lions, they had fish, dolphins, turtles and more. This place sat right on the edge of the beach with gorgeous ocean views to one side and mountain views to the other. It was a great stop for my family to explore, learn and touch many of the exhibits.
Andrew and our kids are totally into swimming with the dolphins.
I give you exhibit A:
…when Kensington was 2.5 and Andrew took her to swim with them in Bermuda. She loved every minute of it (one year old Smith did not do it, so neither did I).
Fast forward 11 years later…
…and Miss Madeley showed up and was like “I mean…do I have to do this? Can we just watch, Mommy?”. I’m not going to lie, I “make” my kids do plenty of things they don’t necessarily want to do to make them better human beings, but if Madeley not getting in meant I didn’t have to get in that dirty water with two dolphins, I happily allowed this to be an opportunity she could skip. #thankyoumades #notmything
So, the two of us sat out and watched as the other peeps all hopped in…
…they were all really excited!
On our trip to Sea Life Park, we learned that dolphins can catch COVID, so we were provided these masks specifically for the water. Each person could remove their mask when it was time for their photo.
I totally dig being a spectator. Hearing about these dolphins’ stories and how/why they’re at Sea Life Park was all so interesting to me. I also loved watching how excited my older three kids were about the experience.
Time for Ashby’s pic 🙂 .
When you don’t have to swim with dolphins.
After our fun morning, we drove back through Oahu towards Aulani and found this cute town and restaurant to stop for lunch…
…Kona Brewing Company, you were delish!
We were back at Aulani and beachside by about 3:00. We caught some sun and sand until it was time for dinner.
Not a bad way to spend the day 🙂 .
That night, we cleaned up (my Amazon dress is HERE…it’s under $25 and comes in a million colors and my clutch is HERE) and headed to dinner…
…we were hungry and excited to be heading back to…
…Mina’s 🙂 . You really cannot be the location, the view, the food and the gluten-free options.
Aloha from Hawaii!
I’ll see you all back here tomorrow! xx
Elspeth says
What a fun trip and great memories!!! Such a cool experience!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Sheaffer says
I can’t decide if I would want the dolphin experience or not?!? I mean, I thought I would, but when you said “dirty water’ I started second guessing myself. 🙂
Amy says
Exactly! ?
Erika Slaughter says
Bahahahaha!! Sheaffer, those two words got me too! ???
WhittyWife (Lindsay) says
I LOVE that Smith is reading a devotional and the Constitution! Godly and patriotic. Y’all are raising them right! ❤❤
Also, that lunch looked amazing!!
Joanne says
I would do the same thing! Anytime one of my kids doesn’t want to do something I’m not 100% sure I want to do either I totally use that as an excuse to sit out and take pictures. LOL.
Terri says
Hi Shay! Not to be so nit-picky but your title has dolphin misspelled. You left out the L 🙂 I do still love reading and that misspelling did NOT stop me today!!
Mix and Match Mama says
oh geez! I should really drink coffee before I write my posts. Correcting it now!
Candas says
Love it! I grew up on Oahu so this has me all nostalgic! I especially love Kapolei. Did y’all do the Polynesian Cultural Center?!
Mix and Match Mama says
Not this trip! What a gorgeous place to grow up!!!
Shar says
Kensington is such a gorgeous girl. I love her smile…it is so sincere and extends to her eyes. Her dresses are lovely. Did you all go to the same place for dinner?
Mix and Match Mama says
You’re so sweet 🙂 . We did go to the same place for dinner each night as a family.
Mandy says
Hi Shay!
I have been a reader of your blog for awhile. I enjoy reading about all of your travel experiences. On today’s post, I wanted to share some information on dolphin rehab centers. There are many of these places around the world that mislabel their center in order to draw in tourism. If the center is truly rehab, they do not include any sort of interaction with the general public. The dolphins are just there to live their life as close to life in the wild as possible ( look up Umah Lumba for info on a true rehab center). I encourage you to read more up on captive dolphins and dolphin experiences.
Here are a few resources for The Dolphin Project:
https://www.dolphinproject.com/blog/taijis-massive-captive-dolphin-inventory/
https://www.dolphinproject.com/campaigns/captivity-industry/sanctuary-or-marine-park/
As a travel agent, please look into this and educate yourself. Swimming with dolphins was number 1 on my bucket list until I learned more about dolphin hunts and the life of a captive dolphin. Taiji, Japan just ended their 6 month long dolphin hunt that is driven by the captive dolphin industry.
Just wanted to share some information.
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank you for the info, Mandy! Please know that prior to booking this excursion (it was an Aulani suggestion), I did research this facility as I’m very opposed to places like Sea World myself. I do think everyone should be more diligent when it comes to these things. Thank you!
KC says
While I do not agree with a lot of the practices that some of these parks practice it was after a trip to dolphin encounter and a zoo that my children became super interested in animal welfare. After hearing of all the things that endanger marine life and animals on this planet they now clean up litter anytime we are on a walk or at the beach. They are both very serious about caring for animals and keeping them safe thanks to things they learned at these places. Most are very educational and focus heavily on conservation. They really do great things and help you think of things you may not have thought were harmful.
Alison says
It looks so beautiful and makes me want to tell my husband, let’s book now! Ha!
Tiffany says
This trip looks so fun! Where is Madeley’s coverup from?
Mix and Match Mama says
I believe that’s Target!