Family Friday: May 23

We have had an enjoyable and relaxing week!  Johnnie took time off work to spend with us and his visiting family!

We didn't have any big plans for the week so we spent a lot of time here at the house.  But when you live on the beach, there are not many reasons to go elsewhere!  The weather has been great (though a little hot at times) and ocean has been extremely calm.  When the water is calm, a lot of people come out to swim, kayak, paddle board, and fish.  Johnnie and his dad enjoyed an evening out on a two-person kayak this week.

Johnnie's family spent a morning at Shark's Cove doing some snorkeling and scuba diving.  We joined them afterwards for lunch at the Shark's Cove Grill across the street from the cove.  There wasn't very many people there but there was a wild chicken running around that CC loved chasing after!

There was a little curly haired boy running around hitting everything (his mother was doing nothing to stop him) and while we were eating, he came up behind CC and whacked her on the head!  Of course his mother came over and apologized.  She tried to get him to say he was sorry and made the excuses that he was a "free spirit" and "he's not quite 2 yet".  Really?  Because CC is the same age and we don't let her go around hitting things and people.  This is the second time I have heard people here blame their children's bad behavior on being a "free-spirited North Shore baby."  As if living on the North Shore is a valid excuse for letting your children act however they want in public.

Johnnie and his family spent an afternoon at the nearby Waimea Valley.  CC had a blast running everywhere and exploring before passing out in the stroller for a while.  I enjoyed time alone at home (which is a rare treat) and got caught up on some things.

We also all took a day trip over to Kailua this week which is as least an hour drive with no traffic.  CC slept the entire way there and the entire way home (which took us over an hour and half with some traffic).

First we stopped at the The Food Company for lunch - it was a small place but had pretty amazing food!  Afterwards we went to Kailua Beach Park and enjoyed the baby powder sand and clear turquoise water for a few hours.

CC had so much fun running around the beach and playing in the sand.  She loves to destroy the sand castles we make :)

I certainly enjoyed sitting with my toes in the soft sand.  I was able to relax a little (and even close my eyes for a while) since Johnnie's parents were there to help watch CC.  We spent a little time in the water but mostly just relaxed on the beach.

If you notice, we went through two bathing suit changes for CC during the day - thank goodness I was prepared!  Swimming diapers are meant to contain, not to absorb, which makes things extra messy.

Johnnie went kayaking with his sister and her boyfriend out to the Mokulua Islands.  They were gone for a couple hours since they got out and explored one of the islands.  I love our beach on the North Shore but the east side of the island is pretty spectacular and always a great place to spend the day!

*******

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."

~ Robert Orben

   

Family Friday: March 28

If you follow us on Instagram, you'll know that we had guests this past week!  Our house is a small furnished rental with three bedrooms and two full bathrooms.  The guest room is the smallest of the three bedrooms and there wasn't much that I could do to it.  I got all new bedding for the two twin beds and added some of our own items to maximize the usefulness of the small space.

My brother and his wife were the first guests in our beach house and flew all the way from Pennsylvania to be here.  Cameron last saw her aunt and uncle almost a year ago when we visited my family in PA.  She had such a good time with them all week and it was an incredible opportunity for her to get to know them (and them to get to know her)!

We have been living in this house for two months now but I have never gotten in the water yet.  To be honest, I'm really not a water person - I'd much rather look at it from land than be in it.  I've been building up the courage to go snorkeling but didn't want to do it alone.  Luckily, my brother was excited to join me and his wife was more than happy to relax with Cameron on the beach.

We were thrilled to discover that the best snorkeling in the immediate area was directly in front of our house!  The coral isn't very colorful but we did see a lot of colorful fish.  We also saw many giant Green Sea Turtles and swam right alongside them.  It was the most amazing and tranquil experience!  I took photos and video with my waterproof Olympus Tough TG-2 camera.  My next blog post will be all about swimming with the turtles to showcase the photos and video that I took.

We took a family hike to Kaena Point, which is the westernmost point of Oahu.  This is a five mile round-trip hike on a dirt road along the coast.  Many people try to travel this road with their four-wheel-drive vehicles but it is rough, muddy, and can be dangerous.  At the end is a fenced bird sanctuary that you can walk through to get to the point (no dogs allowed).  We saw a lot of whales and the scenery was gorgeous!

We took a trip to Waimea Valley which is on the North Shore across from Waimea Bay.  This is a scenic area with a gift shop, cultural events, and a farmer's market held every Thursday.  For a fee, you can hike the 1.5 mile round-trip paved walking path to Waimea Falls.  It is a beautiful walk through lush botanical gardens to the waterfall at the end.  Swimming is allowed with a lifejacket (provided for free) and there are life guards on duty.  My brother and his wife jumped in and swam to the falls.  Johnnie and I will do it next time :)

We live on a beach but it's still nice to go to other beaches from time to time for a different view, different sand, and different weather.  My brother and his wife had a couple beach days to themselves, going to Waimea Bay and to Magic Island, and we took one family trip to Bellows AFB Beach.  Bellows has the most gorgeous turquoise water, beautiful scenery, and the softest baby powder sand.  Cameron had a blast playing in the sand and knocking down the sand castles.

On our last day together we took them on a tour of Ford Island to see the Pearl Harbor memorials (USS Utah, USS Oklahoma, USS Missouri, and USS Arizona) and then drove through Hickam AFB to have an oceanside dinner with a view of Diamond Head.  It was a lovely day that ended with a sad good-bye at the airport.  We are thankful that they were able to make the trip to visit us while we are stationed here.

We had such a fantastic week with them and wish they could've stayed longer!  We have plenty of photos to help Cameron remember this time with them.

*******

"'Ohana means family - no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten."

~Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Lilo & Stitch

Family Friday: Feb 21

One of my favorite things about living on the beach is going out with Dulce just before sunrise every morning.  There's something almost magical about creating the first footprints in the smooth sand under a pastel sky.  This is Dulce's favorite time to be on the beach because she loves chasing the sand crabs which go into hiding once the sun comes up.  I like it because I can relax knowing that CC is still fast asleep nearby in the house while Johnnie gets ready for work.  It is a restful break before the busyness of the day begins.

Despite being born in Hawaii (technically making her a "local"), CC hated sand until recently.  She did not want sand touching any part of her body and could not walk in the sand barefoot without having a breakdown.

It didn't take long for her to get used the sand once we moved here and went down to the beach every day.  After a week, she finally walked barefoot for the first time without crying.

By the second week, she actually sat in the sand and didn't mind having it stick to her arms and legs.

Now, after a month, she asks to go to the beach.  She will happily sit in the sand, dig with her shovel, and put sand and rocks into her bucket for about 30 minutes.  Only 30 minutes which is one of the reasons we never went to the beach when we lived on Hickam.  I didn't feel it was worth the hassle of gathering everything a baby needs for an outing, getting dressed for the beach, slathering on sunscreen, and driving to the beach only to stay for 30 minutes and come home (filling the car and carseat with sand).  Factor in the bath needed to get the sand and sunscreen off afterwards and that 30 minute trip to the beach turns into a two-hour ordeal.  Walking down to the beach and back is exponentially easier and more enjoyable.

We are very lucky that palm trees provide shade on the sand throughout the day, keeping the sand cool and preventing sunburns.  CC did eat some sand in the first couple days but luckily has decided it wasn't a good thing.  I can walk along the water or lay in the sun without worrying about her putting everything into her mouth while she plays.  I should note that even though CC seems to love the sand now, she still hates the water (it's the waves that scare her) and doesn't want to go near it.  Perhaps she will change her mind on that as well this year.

Johnnie bought a sea kayak just before we moved here.  It's certainly a fun thing for him to use and it's a good workout.  I'm not too fond of deep water myself but I will probably try it out eventually.

There is a lot of coral in the ocean by our house.  It doesn't make for very good swimming (there are some coral-free spots down the beach for that) but it does keep the large waves away from the shore (which can be very powerful on this side of the island).  During extra low tides, there are practically no waves at all on the beach and you can see all sorts of sea creatures in the clear water.

The coral is also good for attracting green sea turtles!  Most evenings if the tide isn't too low, we will see many turtles snacking on the plants growing on the coral.  The turtles we've seen are about three-feet in length, certainly a impressive sight!  They glide effortlessly through the water but if they get stuck in a shallow spot, they flap around awkwardly.

Dulce and I have been on the beach every single day since we moved here and I bring CC out most days.  If she remembers anything about this year, maybe she'll remember playing on the beach.

*******

"If you're lucky enough to live by the beach, you're lucky enough."

~unknown

Family Friday: Pipe Masters

This week I was busy prepping for Christmas and Johnnie was busy finishing the two Master's classes he has been working on.  Christmas cards have been mailed out and present shopping is done (almost all online this year).  I didn't get any cookies baked but I'm kind of relieved not to have that added stress and calories :)

In the midst of our busy schedule, we managed one awesome day out to see some of the Billabong Pipe Masters surf competition on the North Shore.  I missed the huge waves and competitions last year so I'm very thankful that I can cross it off my list now!

Giant waves are only seen during the winter here and only on the North Shore of the island.  There are three surfing competitions that are held at Ehukai Beach (also known as the Banzai Pipeline) at the end of November and into December every year when the wave heights are at their peak.

The beach was crazy crowded, the weather was perfect, the waves were 10-15 feet high, and the excitement of the crowd was contagious.  This was a very cool experience!

We got to the beach just in time to watch Kelly Slater and John John Florence catch their few final waves.  Kelly Slater ended up winning the Billabong Pipe Masters competition for the 7th time.

After the competition was over, many surfers went in to try their luck at the waves.  We sat watching them and relaxing on our beach blanket.

We often wonder if Cameron will remember any of parts of our life here in Hawaii...

*******

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

~John Kabat-Zinn