Adventures

Today we got to go to the beach. It cleared just enough so that I told the kids to get their swimsuits on and we were going even if we had to play in the rain. God was gracious and allowed us to be able to have a picnic and go on a long walk without the rain coming. We went with some of their friends from church, the Akaka family. They have 4 children and really enjoy going to the beach.

Nancy and I kept each other company while the kids ran and played. It was so nice to just be able to get out of the house and enjoy this beautiful resort. It was really neat. Where we went was a place called Ko Olina Resort. They have four different lagoons where people can swim and also a beautiful hotel. I hear that it is one of the most expensive hotels on the island. I am glad that we were able to go.
All over the island I have been seeing these birds with red heads. Today I found out that they are cardinals. They are absolutely beautiful. I had to take a picture of them to show everyone what they looked like.
After the kids got up on this Palm tree to take a picture a lifeguard said that people were not allowed to climb the trees so they had to get down very quickly. I guess for liability reasons they are not allowed to climb the trees but they sometimes grow this way. I thought it really interesting and a really cool picture but, oh well
On Sunday the kids had their seventh birthday party at chuck E Cheese. This was quite chaotic. There were kids EVERYWHERE! Joshua and Sydney had fun though and that is what mattered. We have plans to go to the zoo tomorrow if it is clear outside. Well, I take that back, if it is dry we will go to the zoo. I am praying that the rain stops soon. They said that the rain is the most they have gotten ever on the island of Oaho. (Just my luck, when I come it is the rainiest it has ever been) Oh well! I hope everyone is doing well. I really enjoy reading everyone's comments. Thanks for your encouragement and prayers. They are really felt. I love you all!

Spring break is here! So I finely was able to put pictures on my blog because...I GOT MY COMPUTER!!! I am so excited. It is so nice and now I can send more updates and pictures easier. Thank you to all who helped me and supported me in getting my computer!

Joshua, Sydney, and I decided to go on a excursion to find the "nice, big playground" at Hickam Air Force Base.

It was quite a experience and needless to say we did not find that particular play place that they wanted to see but we did find a neat memorial and we got to walk along the harbor and see a big navy boat and we also found a small playground and had a great time. We had plans to go to the beach today but since it was raining we were not able to go.
Monday was one of the prettier days that I have seen since I have been here. It has really been rainy and I am so ready for it to stop. I am wanting to see all that pretty weather that I keep hearing Hawaii has. It is really sad that it has been raining ever since I have been here but hopefully soon, it will stop. I actually got a bad sunburn on Tuesday when we went to the pool. This area is so nice. You can pay $6.50 for a rec. membership for a year and get to go swim at like 5 different pools any time you want. It is not like A-town. You have to pay like $70 a month for something like that.
I hope everyone is doing well. I enjoy hearing from you when you are able to leave a comment. I love you all and will be able to send more updates soon now that I have my own computer.

Have a great day!

Hello all,
I wanted to tell everyone about my adventure to the beach. I left after church on Sunday and went exploring on the East Shore. It was absolutely beautiful. Some of the waves I saw were 10 feet high. I saw a blow hole and looked for whales. I went driving on the most expensive roadway in the world. It is called the H3. I was told that it took like 20 something years to build. It was mostly just a big bridge and it goes through the mountains and the rainforest area of Oahu. It was beautiful. It has been just a wonderful experience being here. I have had to learn a lot since I have been here and have enjoyed getting to see how many different people live. The kids are good and are excited about their 2 week spring break starting Friday, March 17th. Hopefully then the kids and I can do some more exploring around the island and definitely get to go to the beach and zoo. I hope everyone is doing well and I can not wait to hear from some of you. Love you all!!!

Hello All,
I hope everyone is doing well. I finely got to go to the beach. It was absolutely beautiful!!! My new friend, Courtney from New York, took me to several different places. I first went through the mountains to get to the North Shore. The mountains were gorgeous and they were so big and right next to you. On the other side of these mountains was the ocean. From there we went Whale watching. Although we did not see any whales we walked along the lava rocks and had a great time. Next we went to a beach where many surfers like to go because the waves are pretty high and close to the shore Sea Turtles congregate. They call this turtle beach. They were huge! They just swam around like no one was there. From there we went to Courtney's favorite beach. This beach was called Waimea. Here we got into the water a bit. It was nice but the under toe was so strong we were not even 2 yards into the water and it was pulling us down. At this beach there were also many people going cliff diving. That was really cool to watch. Don't worry, there was a lifeguard there. After there we went to a little town for lunch and for crushed ice (icy thing). We had a great time and have plans to go exploring once a week. There is so much to see, I am going to have to go once a week to get it all in! I am doing well and can't wait for you to see the pictures. I sent them on the email. I still can not get them to show up on my blog but maybe when I get my new computer I can figure it out better. I hope everyone has a great day! Much love!!!

Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday and at Joshua and Sydney’s school the cafeteria served green eggs and ham. At lunch they are going to have a birthday party for him also. This was so much fun to be a part of. I have enclosed some pictures of the festivities.

I also heard on the radio that the “Queen Mary 2” which is the largest cruse ship, was docked in the Honolulu harbor. So I got into the car and drove down to Waikiki to see the huge ship. It was so exciting. It was my first excursion all by myself. It was exciting. I did not get to hang out there for long because I had to get back to meet the painter. He was here and I kind of got lost but I made it back and everything got painted like it should have been.

I have also enclosed a picture of Sydney’s soccer team. After her game the snack was something called Spam Musibi. This was a piece of fried spam on top of a block of rice, rolled with seaweed. I tried it an almost got sick. I was really glad I had a piece of gum to change the taste in my mouth.

She loves soccer but it is not the main sport of Hawaii. The most popular sport is baseball. Joshua plays baseball and has 4 hours of practice a week, with 2 games a week. They really take this sport seriously. After each game, every family is expected to join in a meal. Provided by one of the parents, for about a hour or so. All the family members are expected to participate and “hang out.” The Hawaiian tradition comes from their emphasis on family. Many times the extended family will live in the same house with the children and grandchildren, aunts and uncles. I think this mostly comes from the Asian culture. There is a lot of that here, as you can see in the picture.

I hope this letter finds everyone well. I will be in touch! I got some response back that you could not leave a comment on my blog. If you scroll down where it says comments, click there and in the new screen it will give you an opportunity to leave a comment. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I love you all!