24 March 2015

Fair Winds & Following Seas


My heart went out to sea today. Here's to being without my other half and making the most of life with amazing friends and family around me. If you need a vacation, our home is always open!




22 March 2015

Scuba Certified


A few weeks ago Nic got this brilliant idea that we should get scuba certified before he leaves for  deployment. It wasn't too shabby of a way to spend some of his leave days.

The first dive, a confined water dive, usually takes place in a pool as you're practicing basic skills. We were able to do it in calm water right off the beach and as soon as we got out Nic saw two monk seals.  Our lesson was put on hold and we were able to swim with them for a few minutes before they went on their way.  Our four open water dives were amazing.  We swam with sea turtles every dive and between the other four we were able to swim with a spotted eagle ray and see quite a few eels (one was as round as my head, not even joking), a white nudibranch, pufferfish (one was also the size of my arm, not even joking there either), and countless other fish and corals. I was reminded of how much I love yellow tangs and box fish. We started our last set of dives later than expected but we were able to see the most amazing sunset on our way back into port.  It was such a wonderful time and I cannot wait to get back out there again!

Our next goal is for new fins for me and my own wetsuit and booties, because even though we may be in Hawaii, it is darn cold and no one likes wearing someone else's wetsuit.





18 March 2015

The Rock Bridge

One of the coolest things I keep seeing on hiking pages out here is the rock bridge. I absolutely love when Mother Nature and God work together to create something amazing out in nature -- and this is one of those things.

People are pretty secretive on where the Rock Bridge is actually located. A lot of people on island want to keep things quiet to both preserve them as well as make you feel more excitement when you actually find it. Yelp had some decent tips and we saw a few people heading out in the general direction so we knew we were on the right path.

It's a relatively easy hike. I can see it getting hot as can be on a sunny day, but we had some crazy trade winds and clouds working in our favor. I do recommend bringing a camera case or backpack just so you're not walking down any steep portions with your expensive camera in hand -- it's a little nerve-wracking.

 


08 March 2015

Ka'au Crater

On our latest Hawaii hiking adventure we ventured out with two of our good friends out here and their little puppy, Koa. We wanted to do a longer hike and Randon and Myria had already conquered Ka'au Crater and recommended it for a fun day out! Since they were bringing their pup it only made sense for us to try and bring Stella along.

It was such a fun and muddy day.  You have a bit of a hike to get to the first waterfall and then you climb. . and get to the bottom of another set of falls. . There you just casually climb up the side of a few waterfalls to get to the top of the crater. We had planned on hiking the ridge around the crater, but after getting over the waterfall Stella was out for the count.

Poor Stella struggled on a few parts of the hike -- but she was a trooper! For being our go getter with enough energy to be an energizer bunny, when she saw she had to go down a steep portion Stella not only froze but started crying and we were stuck.  It took quite a bit of pulling, pushing, and handing her up and down but Stella made it like a champ. Albeit she may have looked at us like we were crazy a few times and we're pretty sure she came home telling Eevah she almost died.

We'll definitely be going back again in the future to do the loop, but we wouldn't necessarily recommend bringing a bigger dog. Koa had a much better time of it as she was able to maneuver small spaces and easily be picked up when needed. . but it sure is possible!



In Harm's Way Party

We've been truly blessed to find ourselves in a wonderful neighborhood. Before we moved I had looked at the Forest City website and loved all of the old historic homes, and honestly envied everyone who was able to live in them. Since Nic's an ensign I was betting we would have zero chance of being able to live in a historic home. As you all know though we were able to move into a home in Luke Field which was constructed in 1918.

Other than the charm, one of the coolest things about living in this neighborhood is the sense of community. While our movers were moving us in numerous people stopped by to say hi and welcome us to the neighborhood -- things we've never experienced anywhere else we've lived. The historic homes on Ford Island have an organization which puts on monthly get togethers and one big shindig in December -- the In Harm's Way party.

It took place on December 6th, in front of the USS Arizona memorial. Everyone was dressed in 40s garb and we spent the night just like others did 73 years ago -- without a feeling of danger but instead one of bliss and happiness as we were surrounded by friends and drinks.