Hanauma Bay Hike and St. Andrew's Cathedral

Aloha!

I've made a friend in Kat Wondolowski, even though her last name is impossible to spell (she really can't help it ;) She convinced me to wake up at 4 am so we could hike along Hanauma Bay and see the sunrise. Although it was an early morning, it was well worth the lack of sleep. The hike wasn't strenuous and we made it to the top within 30 minutes. How beautiful and how warm, even at 5 am! The experience reminded me of going on walks/hikes in Oregon. The air carried an early-morning-earthy smell I associate with Medford. It was just what I needed.

Views like these remind me why people hate my guts. 

The longer I'm here the more I want to get a really good camera. An iphone just doesn't capture the beauty and the lighting. Of course, if I bought a camera, then I'd probably have to take some photography classes. All in all, photography isn't cheap, but I think it's well worth it. 

I've learned that it's not even worth it to buy things off the base because A) No tax on base B) prices are cheaper on base and C) parking sucks everywhere else. I need to tattoo this on my arm so that if I ever think it's worth it to shop off base I'll remember these tried and tested truths. Case in point: I bought some dishes from Ross in Pearl City. I took the dishes home and realized they don't ]match for what I had in mind. Because the drive to Pearl City took forever, I found a closer Ross in Downtown Honolulu. It was closer, but then I had to pay for parking. My dishes cost $20 and parking cost....$10. You do the math. Then I was stuck with the dilemma of whether I should waste more time and gas money driving clear across to that other Ross. Convenience won out and I swallowed the parking fee (I might add that all parking meters were taken- I checked). I returned the dishes, a process that took about 10 minutes- oh, I might add that the price was $10 for only ONE HOUR. 

Wanting to make the most of my hour I walked around the town until I found this wonderful Catholic Cathedral. It was just what I needed for my irritated spirit. I'm not Catholic but I found the grounds spiritually refreshing. I didn't see a single soul on the grounds, so I had it all to my self. I know the Catholic church has its own polluted history (indulgences anyone?) but I liked to think that the people who built the cathedral, carved out the pillars and constructed the stained glass did it out of humble piety to honor their maker. That's something I can appreciate. 

Ending more on a contemplative note this time- promise next time will be more spunky!

Honolulu Zoo, our mangy cat and other things

Aloha!

We've had the pleasure of making several friends since we've been in Hawaii. I'm excited to share pictures of them as time goes on. This last Saturday we went with the Miller family to Honolulu Zoo. As far as Sam can remember, he's never been to a zoo- although he's been to many aquariums. We saw lions and tigers and-actually there weren't any bears, and the tiger wasn't out, so just lions. And peacocks. Lots of peacocks. We went during the heat of the day so most of the animals were passed out for a midday siesta, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

 The Millers, Jared and Meredith

And yes, Jared is 6'6".

They are also standing next to a plantain/banana tree. 

A flamingo where it should be: in a zoo and not in someone's front yard. 

       

 Weird crocodile-like thing, that isn't a crocodile. Sorry, can't remember its name. 

A white handed Gibbon

A Lemur

A Hippo

A Peacock (Did you know that only males have colorful plumage?)

A Rhino. 

They have a prominent upper lip that functions as a tool, 

called a "prehensile lip". Look it up, it's kinda cool. 

A Giraffe. They have really large purple tongues. 

A Bleeding Heart Pigeon.

Okay, these birds are REALLY cool. Scientists don't know why but they have a bullet shaped splotch of red color in their chests that looks like a bleeding heart. One of those cool things about nature. 

On a completely different note, Sam and I are proud parents of a scrawny feral cat that has adopted our car port as its home.

Sam took pity on the poor thing and gave it some meat. Bad idea. The cat learned we are suckers and will feed its ratty hide, so it sticks around. Honestly, I don't mind. We feed it enough to keep him around, and he keeps us safe from things like pigeons. He left this on our side walk.

Bless him.
I just hope he has a taste for mice and rats because I've heard from several people that they can be a problem.
We haven't thought of a name yet. Any ideas?

We've started our landscape-make over on the front yard. I had great intentions of helping Sam, but Sam is just so capable he gets everything done in a jiffy, so I've become the official picture taker. That and there are a lot of bugs. I don't like bugs, although I am getting desensitized to them. Just last night Sam saved me from a large cockroach with foot long antennae while I was bare foot in the bathroom (okay the antennae were only an inch long, but hey, I was bare foot). I didn't scream, which I think shows how far I've come.

I'll post pictures on the finished product once we're done. We want to lay down rock, but it's going to get $$, so we are weighing our options. I guess we'll see!

And last but not least, my food pic.

Sunshine in a bowl. The trick to a good pineapple isn't in the picking but in the waiting. You have to wait for your pineapple to get nice and fragrant. You'll know it's ready when you walk by and you are inundated with pineapple smell. It'll also have a nice golden yellow color. I also read that you should flip the pineapple over the day you want to eat it because all of the sugar that has pooled towards the bottom of the pineapple will be more evenly distributed- it'll be sweet throughout. We tried that method and the pineapple tasted really good, but I really think the trick is to just wait.

Bon Appetite!

Moving in and Snorkeling

Aloha!
I've been without wifi for a while, so I've been unable to write, but I've been itching to share our new home with you! We moved in to 107 20th Street last Thursday. It's a 2 bedroom single with a nice size yard, car port, and storage building outside. It took some effort to get moved in. Our move in time wasn't until 1:30, but we had to get out of our temporary lodging by 11 am, so we called a couple from our ward and they let us crash at their place for a few hours. We didn't have a car, so we had to carry/bike our luggage and food from our fridge a few blocks over. I can't tell you how grateful I am for cars.

At 1:30 we got a tour through our home and then a rental furniture place unloaded a couch, table, chairs, and bed. We get to use them free of charge for up to 3 months, which is great since we don't have our stuff yet. Last we heard, our things should arrive on May 15th **crosses fingers**

Our welcome party!

The house is a newer build and is bigger than the apartment we had in Medford. It really is a good place. We are limited with what we can do for landscaping, but we can have potted plants. We're going to start a vegetable garden out back and put some rock and more potted plants out front. The air force gives us 4 paint options for the inside of the house, but if we want to paint a different color that's okay, we just have to prime it before we leave. I'm chomping at the bit to get stuff started and done, but I'm limited by know-how, money, and for the rest of our stuff to arrive. I'm learning patience!

I went to an "exchange" sale at church and came home with really nice red mugs and white soup plates. Score!

Last Saturday we bought snorkel gear at the BX.

I had to make sure it fits, right???

Hanauma Bay is THEE place for snorkeling on the island, but  it's also the busiest. Since we got a late start, we drove West where it isn't so crowded and tried out Ko'Olina Lagoon. It isn't the world's best snorkeling, but it was still pretty cool. There weren't many people there because the lagoon is surrounded by private hotels and gate security so it deters tourists. We didn't have a problem though and enjoyed the views and privacy.

We were hardly in the water for 5 minutes when a big ol' turtle swam right past us. We could've put our hand out and petted him he was so close. He reminded us of another turtle friend....

Dude, like woah! Like totally....

We also saw some colorful fish and even a brown and white polka-dotted squid. It was about a foot long. I really need to get an underwater camera! We swam for a while, got tired and then drove up along the Wai'anae Coast. It's the poorer/drier side of the island, but it has its own charm.

And because my post wouldn't be complete without pictures of food, here are pictures of a BBQ at Sam's work. They served fried rice, garlic chicken, braised short ribs, pork ribs, grilled shrimp, macaroni and cheese, a potato dish, noodles, and banana cream pie. My waist line hates me...

Later Dudes!!!!!!!