Never Got Old.

One of the first trips we made on the island, was a drive around the island, with some fun food stops on the "North Shore"... I'm pretty sure I could live up there, if we were ever called to live on Oahu. It was breathtaking, to say the least. We spent nearly EVERY day up there (always doing something else) after our initial journey/trek up. From where we were staying, it was a 45 minute drive, and once there, most places took about 15 minutes to 1 hour to get to, depending on traffic... and where we were headed. But for this initial look, we stayed around the sweet town of Hale'iwa, because on the day we drove up (Sunday), they had their Farmer's Market. We spent a good hour at the market, just taking in all the locally made items, and grown fruit. I can only dream about living near something like this soon... if not, I just can't wait to start my own garden.

we stopped and tried these homemade jams, fell in love with them... and purchased a set of 3. They are tucked away in the house (even though I'm so tempted to eat them up!) until the hubby comes home to enjoy them with us.

Each and every fruit and vegetable reminded me of the market in the Netherlands (when we lived in Germany) that I frequented often... except with an "island twist". I'm fairly certain that Charlotte was in awe of how different each and every fruit looked, even though she called each round yellow or red object, "Apple". We picked up some mangoes, and now she knows exactly what they are... by the way, if you ever need a good car air freshener, just purchase some ripe mangoes and leave them in your car overnight... the next day, when you get in, you'll be hit with the MOST amazing smell EVER... (and you can enjoy a yummy snack that day).

This bread was my favorite... Lilikoi is apparently the same taste as "passion fruit"... AMAZING.

Just that morning, when I asked Charlotte what she wanted for breakfast, she replied, "Thai food" (I think she missed Korea just a little bit)... so when we saw there was a Thai restaurant on the main strip driving through, of course we pulled over and gobbled up some lunch.

This girl ate the entire plate of Pad Thai. She even had enough room in her little belly for some "shave ice"... and so we made our way over to the famous "Matsumotos' "... but we didn't get our ice from there... the line was way too long.

and by my friend Lindsay's recommend on her blog... we headed to Aoki's... and were not left disappointed. OHHH it was DELCIOUS. Charlotte and I shared their "small Sunset Special" with vanilla ice cream on the bottom, and I could have had 5 more just like it...

It was the perfect way to end our drive up and around Hale'iwa and the surrounding beaches... it completely sold me on the "North Shore" being our favorite part on the island... from the drive up with the gorgeous countryside setting, to the laid back feeling near the water. Completely 100% my scene... and I'm sure anyone else that has ever visited has fallen in love with it, as much I did. From that day on, until we left Hawaii, we visited the "North Shore" multiple times over and over...and it never got old.