March 2026

 

The spider lily I transplanted to our house on Leko finally flowered!!

We started taking pictures of our house to put on the renters market for tenants. I really don't want to leave our place, but Bryan has always been great at managing out rentals throughout his Army career. This is the master bathroom with the new cabinets.

Master shower

Master Bedroom

Kate and Jane's Bathroom with the new cabinets. 

For our spring break, we went to Hilo, Hawaii. All the islands were being showered with a Kona Low, so it was a very wet spring break. Our first stop was Rainbow Falls.

A wet walk around Banyan Drive 

Lili'uokalani Park and Gardens

The pool was rather cold. Jane's friend Liana was visiting her grandmother, so we invited her to come hang out at the pool with us.

Antics Pizza

A cute little pizza shop with old video games at the tables.

We had reservations to go up to Maunakea Observatory and view the stars, but unfortunately the tour was cancelled due to the storm. The road had given out, making it unsafe for anybody. So we just looked around the museum and did a short hike to see if we could see anything. As you can see, we are up in the clouds. 

Kaumana Caves

This lava tube went on forever. It made Jane a little uneasy. 

Hilo Bay from our hotel room.

The broken bridge to coconut island in Hilo Bay.

Tephra at Volcanoes National Park.

We were fortunate to be able to enter the park while we were on Big Island. Kilauea was venting and made the air extremely toxic. The gift shop had to shut down because of the vog. The park had previously been closed due to damage from the eruption over the last month or two. The buildings, tennis courts, parking lots were covered in tephra.  

Akaka Falls

442 foot drop

Enjoying some pineapple and coconut after the hike at a local farm.

Honomu Goat Dairy Farm

They had really yummy cheese and caramel.

Hilo Zoo

Richardson Ocean Beach Park on our last day on Hilo.

Sea Turtle

A hike with Kristi over at Hanauma Bay. 

Caught Howie sleeping on the bean bag chair in Jane's room!

March 2025 (plus Fiji)

My parents came to visit at the end of February until mid-March. I took my dad snorkeling up on north shore. We pulled a giant slug out of the water- it was nuts! 

Kate and Jane were invited to Ava's birthday party.

My cute mom watching us surf at White Plains.

Kate and Jane were invited to another birthday party for Macy at Wai Kai. I even got to walk around on the inflatable boardwalks and obstacles. Super fun!

Kate's last soccer game at the Waipio fields.

Jane's coach Christ. He really made the soccer season so fun for the girls.

I started collecting aloha shirts and jean jackets from Good Will or Thrift Stores and created these fun jackets for the girls and myself. It's a fun (cheap) way to add some 'aloha' to our outfits.

For Spring Break, we took a 6 hour flight over to Nadi, Fiji. It is very similar to Hawaii and afterwards, Bryan and I decided we probably will just visit the other Hawaiian islands if we were going to have a beach/island vacation. 

Ziplining and Repelling 

Visiting the Garden of the Sleeping Giants

Kate's favorite picture currently.

Getting muddy at Sabeto Hot Springs

We took a boat ride over to Beachcombers Island for the day.

 The water was SO clear and there were tons of fish.

It was really fun to take out the underwater camera case while we were swimming.

To get to this waterfall, we had to drink kava with the family who owns the land and then be escorted down to the waterfall. We were the only ones there and the water was so refreshing. Kate hates cold water and never got in- we told her she'll regret it!

Making some stops along the Queens highway. 

We found so many shells along the beaches.

We hiked through Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park and on the way back to our car we heard and saw all these HUGE bats. They were so noisy!

After arriving back home, we went out with Kate and Jane's cousins (Alaina and Myriah) to watch the sunset at Sunset Beach Park. 

Proof of life: Sending photos to friends while watching June. Howie lives for car rides to Lowe's.

Kate's 6th grade class wearing their fun run shirts...

 

and then dying them.

March 2024

Jane has really enjoyed soccer this season. Her team, Myna Birds, is really good! It is with the AYSO, so the scored is not kept at games. But we are pretty sure they have never lost a game (maybe a tie?). Look at the beautiful background we get to sit in while we watch her play!

Hanging out with some of my co-workers from MIS Hawaii.

Hanging out at Kahanamoku Beach with Kristi! My girls absolutely love that they have an auntie here.

I LOVE this picture of Kate with all her freckles! Pretty sure she did get in the water with Koko and Jesse. 

Jane and her friend Jordana. We are so lucky she lives just a few houses down from us!

Egg drop: Third grade rite of passage. Jane worked really hard on this project and her egg was successfully dropped without breaking!

Kate with some of her good friends from school posing right next to her.

Checking out Sweetland Farm in Waialua. They had 2-week-old goats! The goat cheese and gelato were super yummy.

Completing the pineapple maze at the Dole Plantation. Trying to check off some of the touristy things so we know what to tell our guests when they visit. 

Bryan left for Washington D.C. to complete Iron Major Week. And what a perfect time to go- cherry blossom seasons! Unfortunately, this was during the girls' spring break, and I was in charge of trying to make it fun and memorable while still working...yikes! 

One day we hiked the Koko Head Botanical Garden with friends. 

Another day we hike the Aiea Loop trail with Howie.

Another day we went to the mall and tried out the Razor park.

During the end of our Spring Break, Kim and her younger kids came to visit. The first day of their arrival, I lost the keys to the Jeep and had a little panic attack. Turns out, they were inside the piano! We finally made it to Kailua beach and forgot all about the crazy morning. 

Electric Beach: So much fun for the adults and kids. We saw monk seals, sea turtles, and dolphins!

Bellows: A necessary stop as Kim and I both grew up boogie boarding on this beach for 6 years!

Another necessary stop.