Oahu Spots: Hanks Haute Dogs & Giovanni's Shrimp Truck

    I know it has been way too long since I've posted. Life has been kind of crazy getting ready for our move. I am sad (and happy) to say this is probably my last Oahu spot post! I only have two days left on Oahu and they will be spent mostly cleaning and taking care of my babies. After a month with my family and some time getting settled in our new place I'll share with you all the things I love about Northern Virginia. I have high hopes that we will find a lot to share.

   The last few weeks we went to a couple of our favorite places one last time before we leave. These are definitely places to put on your MUST VISIT list if you ever make it to Oahu.


Hanks Haute Dogs - Hank's has been featured on both Diners, Drive ins, and Dives, and Man Vs. Food Nation. It is awesome. I definitely recommend the chicken dog and you mustmustmust get the duck fat fries. They are a little pricey for hot dogs.. just to warn you. They are SO worth it though. My mouth is watering.. I may have to convince James to take me just one more time tomorrow afternoon.




Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - There are a lot of shrimp trucks on Oahu but we heard from everyone when we came here that THIS was the best. It really is everything we hoped it would be. You definitely have to go to the location in Kahuku and NOT Haleiwa because there is a huge difference. We've tried all three kinds of shrimp and they are all worth trying. I personally don't prefer the "Hot & Spicy" because it is really spicy. The flavor is really good, and James gets a half order sometimes because he loves it, but it is a little too much for me. The girls really love the Jumbo Garlic Hot Dog with rice.

Delilah enjoying a Garlic Hot Dog - 2012

James with our lunch - 2012

James on my 22nd Birthday at Giovanni's - 2010

Baby Josie at Giovanni's - 2010

My birthday at Giovanni's - 2010

Oahu Spot: The Counter

The Counter burgers are delicious and fresh. Totally worth the money.

Mini Burgers were perfectly sized for little hands.

The "Fifty-Fifty" with Fries and Sweet Potato Fries. Both fries were awesome. We all ate our fill and had some left over.

James got a custom built burger with Jalapeno Jack, Bacon, Sauteed Mushrooms, Organic Green Chilis, and Garlic Aioli. He was really pleased to find out the green chilis were the real deal. My New Mexico man was a happy one :)

I got a Backyard Barbeque Burger in a Bowl. It was really tasty but I enjoyed James burger more. I would custom make my own next time.

 All four of us were very happy with our lunch at The Counter and would definitely come here again. I think there is a location near where we are moving in Virginia! I wish we had found this place a few years ago. It was a sit down place that was still on the louder side - perfect for families with small children. If there is a location near you, go try it out! It's worth it :)

*I wasn't paid or compensated for this review. They're just yummy burgers I wanted to share with you.*

Oahu Spot: Makapu'u Lighthouse

Yesterday we set out to go to the beach at Pele's Chair. When we got there we decided we would first hike up to Makapu'u Lighthouse. We tried to hike up to it once when I was pregnant with Delilah but I couldn't do it. I got so tired. I was so out of shape then! It has since been a personal goal of mine to make it to that lighthouse and prove to myself I could do it. It was much easier this time - even with a baby on my chest! The road is paved all the way up but I would chose the baby carriers again next time as well. It gets a little rough and pretty steep in parts for a stroller. However, I saw a few other people with strollers going up so I guess its just a personal preference. Overall it was a really great hike and SO beautiful. We are both a little sore today but really happy we did it. I would definitely recommend it.

The Lighthouse

To the right.

To the left.

Enjoying the view.

Feeling accomplished.

Wow, look at that rainstorm on the horizon. We rushed back down and still got sprinkled on a little. The girls thought it was marvelous. We didn't mind the rain, but we had to cut our adventure a little short. Oh well, Pele's Chair will have to be another day! Doesn't look like Josie was too upset about it :) At least we got something checked off our Oahu bucket list!

Oahu Spot: He'eia State Park

A few months ago James and I were experiencing a bad case of trapped-on-this-island fever wanted to get out and have some fun. We decided to go on a drive around the island, which is always a great reminder of how blessed we are to live here. I will spare you all the photos I took through the car windshield. However,  I wanted to show you this really rad place we found. (Yes, I just said rad. Deal with it. ;)

Once we had been driving for a little over an hour or so, the littles started getting a bit really cranky. I asked James to find us a place where it was safe for Josie to get out and run and I could sit and nurse Delilah for a few minutes. He found a random spot on the GPS and about 10 minutes (of screaming babies and stressful parents) later, we were there.. on a spot in the middle of a bridge? "Awesome choice, dear." (This moment of sarcasm, definitely not my proudest..) lo and behold just two minutes later we found He'eia State Park. (I'm so blessed to have a husband who still loves me at my worst. Sorry, my love!)

This park was beautiful, shaded by giant trees, lots of room for Josie to run, a variety of flowers to admire and smell. Oh, and did I mention.. had cats! There had to be 50 stray cats. All of them super sweet. They must be used to people, because most of them would just come right up and rub on your legs and beg for attention. Not only were there cats, but chickens as well. Even some with their baby chicks.

 Makes you wonder, if cats and chickens can live in harmony, why is it so hard for humans?

Anyways, this park was an awesome spot to stretch our legs. Josie loves cats, like her mama, so she was in heaven. Next time you're driving around Oahu, check out this park!

{1. mama chicken & chicks 2. Josie petting a kitty 3. So many cats! 4. That cat stuck his tongue out a lot 5. yawning 6. Josie loves kitties 7. Delilah and dada 8. Delilah and mama 9. Taking time to smell the flowers}

Oahu Spot: Bellows Beach Park

Today we went to James command picnic at Bellows Beach Park. We had driven past it before but never stopped for a visit. There is a public beach access and also a military beach access, we were at the military beach. Both part of the beach are beautiful.

My favorite part of this beach, there are tons of trees! I don't think I have ever seen a beach with so many trees before. The shade they gave was great heavenly. Even though we sat in the shade and put sunscreen on the girls, miss Delilah still got a sunburn. Does anyone have any good sunscreen recommendations?


Beach tip #1 - We have found that when going to the beach with littles, a laundry basket works wonders to haul beach gear. It holds much more than a beach bag, and as a bonus we can just hose it down after it inevitably gets filled with sand covered toys, wet towels, and pet rocks. (We brought home three today..)

Another thing I love about this beach, the sand! It was so fine and soft. The girls had a ball playing in it. James and I got to take a breather and wiggle our toes in it. It was wonderful. However, sand like that is the toughest to dust off when its tome to go home. I found a solution for that!

Beach tip #2 - Baby powder. Yes, baby powder! My best friends mom taught me this when we were growing up. If you dust baby powder over that dried sand on your feet (or if you're like me legs, arms, chest, forehead, etc..) it sucks up
 whatever moisture is making that sand cling to you and
 it dusts right off. Try it next time!

{The view to my right}

{The view to my left}

Overall it was a really great day. Next time you're headed for an Oahu beach, check this one out! For more information you can pop on over to this website. We will definitely try and visit again before we move next year.

Some cuteness for the road :)