August 2024

 

Jane started 4th grade. She was nervous about school this year because her BFF wasn't going to be in her classroom. 

She was excited about her teacher, Mrs. Apio.

Meanwhile, Kate was sick at home with pneumonia for a week. She was really sad to miss the first week of school.

Rebekah leads a group of women hiking every quarter. This has been our highest attended group with 7 people! We hiked the 2 mile loop at Judd Trail.

Finally!! She was able to feel better and go to school. This girl HATES missing school. This will be her last year at Kanoelani Elementary- 6th grade.

To celebrate the new school year, we took some friends to Wet N Wild with

 Auntie Koko and Uncle Jesse.

Hiking/exploring Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden.

Baby shower for my work friend, Sara.

Photos by Auntie Koko

Honolulu Century Ride 2024 - a tropical storm hit the night before, so there was a lot of debris on the roads. I think Bryan ended up getting 2 flat tires and had to Uber to the finish line because he had a plane to catch later that evening. Phew!

Kate's first attempt at making grandma's Sloppy Joes.

May 2024

 Jane's class went on fieldtrip to Hawaii's Plantation Village in Waipahu. 

Kate had a group project on the ecosystem. She was the group leader and very invested in the overall project. She has learned a lot this year about following directions and the difficulties of working with others not so invested in school.

The fun thing about living in Hawaii is the visitors it brings. Kristi and I were able to go out to eat with our cousin Dan and his wife, Jamie. 

Ukulele: I started taking ukulele lessons with the girls. It has been really fun learning some of the popular Hawaiian songs and trying something new. I do get help from my girls, as they have been playing 5 months longer than me and are really good at picking notes.

We had a ukulele concert at the mall over on the windward side of the island. It was fun to have my girls and husband cheer me on while playing "Surf" and "Friends".

Kristi's graduation: Such a fun week full of events with family. My parents and Linsey flew in to celebrate Koko's accomplishment as a DNP graduate from University of Hawaii. 

Commencement Ceremony: Her biggest request was to have a stack of leis (competing against her peers)!

Celebrating the accomplishment at Nancy's Kitchen: A Family Bar.

Kate and Jane enjoyed the extra time with their grandparents. 

Graduation Ceremony: The girls are hoping they will be able to spend a little more time with Koko now that she doesn't have to study! 

Honolulu Museum of Art: Checking off some of the touristy things with my parents and Kristi while the kids are off at school.

Bellows: Again, a must. Unfortunately, it rained for like a week. And this was pretty heavy rainfall. So much that there was a Brown Water advisory, and we weren't able to get in the ocean. We had even booked the cabins for the weekend! Such a bummer... 

Piano Recital: The girls have continued with piano through the entire school year. It was nice that grandma and grandpa were able to attend. 

Kate was so excited for her school field trip to the Ice Palace. 

Because of all the rain, the girls had to perform their Spring Showcase in the cafeteria. This was a bummer because the classes had to be split in half as there wasn't enough room for 5 classes to perform their routine. This also meant the other grades couldn't see each other's performances. The school did an amazing job with being flexible and finding a way because "the show must go on"... 

I am in charge of a hiking group with my church. I try to schedule a hike every 4-6 weeks. The first time I had one person show. The second time two people showed. It has been a struggle because not everyone can go during the day or on the weekend or in the evening. It is also a challenge because some people have stronger hiking skills than others. Hoping the next hike has better compliance among the group! 

Kahana Bay: The best part of this beach, catching chicks and playing in the nearby stream.

Look at my avocado tree!

Last day at Kanoelani Elementary School: May 30, 2024

On to Fourth Grade!

On to Sixth Grade!

December 2023

Christmas in Hawaii is a bit different than we've experienced in our other locations. Mostly, it just isn't cold. The people here do know how to decorate their homes and have a good time thought!

The first weekend, Krist came over for a girl's night. We made gingerbread houses, watched a movie, and pampered ourselves (Bryan even took in on the festivities!).

Bryan's best friend Marcus was visiting Maui, so we decided to tag along and enjoy their condo's nice amenities. I can't wait to go back and visit more of this beautiful island!

Bryan's brother Adam and his family came to visit over Christmas break. We went to the Polynesian cultural center for the first time, and it didn't disappoint. Lots of activities, lots of food, and great entertainment to the very end!

We took his family to Secret Beach

and went on a sunset cruise on the south side of the island. 

We took the girls on a hike up Tripler Ridge and found the Christmas tree 

and swing!

The girls had a Christmas recital and performed very well. We had a hard time finding a piano teacher, after 2 trials. We are so glad we found Zui! The girls are happy and practicing often.

Of course we got in the Christmas spirit by traveling around the island to the most decorated areas. Ewa was amazing! We even saw Santa walking around the neighborhood in his swim trunks!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day: Kristi spent the night, Santa brought way too many things again, and we did a cold plunge with our new pool. 

Then we headed over to White Plains for some beach time and surfing! So fun to see all the surfers wearing their Santa hats.

On New Years Eve, we hike Makapu'u for the last sunset of 2023.

 

Hawaii

Bryan and I dropped the girls off with my oldest sister Kim (for 10 days!) and headed for Hawaii. Kristi picked us up at the airport. She lives there as of last August. She is so cute and bought some Leis!

We dropped our bags off at her pent house and started hiking! 

First Hike: Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Clouds at the top. We never got to see the other side of the island!

 

After, we saw the sunset Tantulus lookout.

The next morning Bryan and I headed out to go scuba diving. It was questionable whether or not it would happen due to the surf, but we wanted to have a little "refresher course" beforehand. Unfortunately, it was cancelled. We tried to reschedule, but had quite a full itinerary, it didn't work out. 

Next Hike: Koko Head

The best part of the hike was getting picked up by a local who gave us a tour of the entire southeast side of the island.

Next Hike: Olomana Trail (3 Peaks)

Impressive hike. Lots of bouldering. We even had a storm hit us at the turn around point. 

Then we headed to Bellows. This was my family's favorite spot growing up. Kristi and I even made Bryan boogie board the waves!

All of us at the downtown mall of Honolulu. The trees were amazing!

Tesla at the mall. Pretty sure we will be getting one soon.

Bryan signed us up to sky dive at North Shore. First experience for Kristi. Terrible experience for me. I got super motion sickness. It was a good thing I had some promethazine!

After jumping, we headed to the airport to go to Kauai. We had a race the next morning!

Kristi hadn't been to this island yet and luckily a half marathon was scheduled for the time we were there. Getting to our AirBNB was a weird bus ride through town and a hitch hike to the race site was another fun story for our adventure books. But we made it through the SUPER hilly race! 

Once we made it back to the AirBNB, Bryan and I took naps. Kristi, unfortunately had some homework. When we finally woke up, we hiked to visit the Queen's Bath. 

Next Hike: Napoli Coast

We only did half the hike. If we wanted to do the entire trail, we would have had to spend the night to camp. We didn't have the equipment for that, so we stopped at the halfway point and swam in the waterfall. The last 3 miles of the hike we were out of water. I might have a little PTSD with water now when it comes to hiking! Such a beautiful hike- 13 plus miles. 

Our feet were tired. A half marathon the day before a 13 mile hike. What were we thinking?!? We also did a lot of walking to and from the bus stop because our AirBNB was deep in the city of Princeville. Next time, we will be better at coordinating housing with bus stops OR researching if car rentals are a better option with these more remote islands. 

The next day we were flying back to Oahu. But before we left, I wanted to paddle board the Wailua River. Bryan smoked us up the river, and Kristi was slow as molasses. She also happened to be taking a phone call for a job interview. Ha!

When getting back to Oahu, Bryan and I had an appointment to drive a Tesla around Honolulu.

Our last full day included a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center, snorkeling at Sharks Cove, and dole whip.

Last Hike: Makapuu Lighthouse

We had a wonderful time doing all the adventures! Definitely will want to head there again- maybe even bring the girls!