Aloha Nui Loa

One of the bus stops by our place. The views while driving here are awesome:)

2011-04-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Another shot of our beach:)

2011-04-30T20:21:00.001-07:00

I brought my snorkeling stuff to the beach today. I love looking for shells when I am snorkeling and these were two that I found today:)

2011-04-30T20:20:00.002-07:00

Snorkel touring boats are always on our beach when the waves are low because the water is so clear and we have a ton of sea turtles here! Out by the boats, the water is a little darker because that is where the coral is. Also in that are caverns, so we get a lot of cool sea life:)

2011-04-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today, Paul and I went swimming at the beach next to our condo (Makaha Beach). It is on of my favorite beaches on Oahu:) There are a lot of sea turtles here!

2011-04-30T20:17:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:15:00.001-07:00

Paul and I at Waimea, swimming in the falls:)

2011-04-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

Waimea, coconuts:)

2011-04-30T20:12:00.003-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:12:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:11:00.003-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:09:00.002-07:00

Waimea (Crab leg plant)

2011-04-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

I made this fish with a couple Hawaiian ladies at Waimae:)

2011-04-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

Waimea

2011-04-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

2011-04-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

After hanging out on the beach for a bit Paul and I walked to Waimea Falls and these next group of pictures were taken along the way!!

2011-04-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Paul and I went to Waimea Bay a week ago. Although it was a cloudy day that didn't stop Paul from riding the waves! He is the one in the middle:)

2011-04-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

The North Shore

2011-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

My grandma's friend lives on Maui, but was on Oahu house sitting for a friend. Her and I met up and hung out at a few beaches on the North Shore for the day:)

2011-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

After our long walk in the valley we came home to a peacock mating ritual in our backyard lol. The males (peacocks) spread their feathers and fan them (making a loud fan noise) and turn slowly in circles towards the females (peahens). It is pretty funny to watch. I couldn't take a video because I didn't have enough memory on my camera at the time, but I will try to take a video next time!

2011-02-15T16:21:00.001-08:00

These last few posts have all been of trees behind out condo complex:)

2011-02-15T16:14:00.001-08:00

I seriously love that most of the trees have flowers in them:)

2011-02-15T16:13:00.001-08:00

More cool trees:)

2011-02-15T16:12:00.001-08:00

A lot of the trees here are really pretty because they all grow different kinds of flowers.

2011-02-15T16:11:00.001-08:00

Another pic of the different cacti behind our complex.

2011-02-15T16:10:00.001-08:00

Pretty cacti behind our condo at the entrance to the valley.

2011-02-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

Another small waterfall we climbed up along the path.

2011-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

There was water running down the mountain from earlier rains, so as you walked along the path this is what you heard.

2011-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video of one of the little waterfalls along the path:)

2011-02-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Doing some exploring:) It rained the whole day and night before this so there were small waterfalls everywhere along the path. It was really cool to hearing the running water during our walk.

2011-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Here we are walking the path. There are a few big houses and ranches tucked in the valley.

2011-02-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

This is the path behind our place that we walked that goes into the valley.

2011-02-15T15:14:00.001-08:00

Here is a little bit more of a close up of the back of our condo complex.

2011-02-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

While our laundry was in the dryer, it was a little cloudy out so we decided to pass time by going for a hike on the trail behind our condo that goes into the valley. Here is a pic of the back of our condo complex. You can see the Golf course that surrounds it.

2011-02-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend Paul and I were leaving our condo and this little stick bug greeted us outside our door :)

2011-02-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Aloha Stadium:)

2011-01-31T12:09:00.001-08:00

The mascots made me laugh! They were wearing either thongs or Hawaiian board shorts and floaties! In this pic they brought towels out and were pretending to lay on the beach lol :)

2011-01-31T12:08:00.001-08:00

Half-time! They had a Hawaiian band and singer, as well as some other performances! This is a pic of some of the Hawaiian dancers.

2011-01-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

All the cheerleaders from the different NFL teams!

2011-01-31T12:05:00.001-08:00

Paul and I at the game:)

2011-01-31T12:02:00.001-08:00

Getting the entrance ready for people to start coming in! In the back of this pic you can see a Hawaiian band, they were really good!

2011-01-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is where you exited the party to head to the game! We were just about ready to open so we were coordinating where everyone was going to be working!

2011-01-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

We laid all this sand down for the entrance to the party! The NFL really goes all out for parties!!!

2011-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ticket booth:)

2011-01-31T11:54:00.001-08:00

Making Hawaiian Leis for the party:)

2011-01-31T11:53:00.001-08:00

This hut had some good food for the party! There was a lot of fruit!

2011-01-31T11:52:00.001-08:00

This was one of my favorite set ups for the party! :)

2011-01-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

They filled these long canoes (not sure what they are called?) with ice and filled them with different kinds of sodas!

2011-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

More tent set up:)

2011-01-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

Setting up inside of the tent! They had all kinds of cool things to do at the party and a LOT of drinks and food!!!

2011-01-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

Setting up the stage at the party! They had a Hawaiian band come and play as well as the NFL cheerleaders, a couple NFL hall of famers and some current NFL players come and talk during the party on this stage.

2011-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Paul and I helped set up and work the 2011 Pro Bowl Tailgate Party before going to the Pro Bowl game at the Aloha Stadium! Here is a pic of some of the tents set up for the party:)

2011-01-31T11:39:00.001-08:00

These little guys like to hang out around our condo complex grounds!

2011-01-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

The beach next to our condo complex (Makaha Beach) is known to have really big waves! A lot of people come to surf here and you can see why!!! I LOVE this beach!!! The big waves are so much fun!!

2011-01-29T23:44:00.000-08:00

Cacti along the road outside of our condo complex!

2011-01-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

These flowers were around the shopping center near our condo, I thought they were really pretty!

2011-01-29T23:41:00.001-08:00

More pretty flowers!! There are so many different kinds around the Island, I love it!

2011-01-29T23:39:00.001-08:00

These flowers are around our condo grounds! So pretty!

2011-01-29T23:38:00.003-08:00

The plants are so pretty around our condo:)

2011-01-29T23:38:00.001-08:00

Another pic of the sunset at the beach by our place!

2011-01-29T23:36:00.001-08:00

The view while we ate dinner was beautiful!! :)

2011-01-29T23:35:00.001-08:00

The other night, Paul and I walked to the beach so we could watch the sunset as we ate our dinner!

2011-01-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

We got a pic (w Paul's camera on his phone) of the tents that were set up by Quiksilver on the beach for the competition!

2011-01-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is a pic of the beach and a little to the right of the center of the pic you can see two lifeguards helping one of the canoe surfers walk up the beach! He was super exhausted! Unfortunately this is when my camera died so I didn't get anymore videos/pics of the rest of the competition!! There will be more in the future though:)

2011-01-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

There was also canoe surfing at the competition! Here is a quick video:)

2011-01-23T20:55:00.001-08:00

Here is a quick video of one of the surfers in the beginning stages of the competition...

2011-01-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the beach by our condo! It has the best sand, warm water and big waves:) I feel so blessed!!

2011-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

We have the softest sand at our beach!! You sink right into it, I love it:)

2011-01-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous flowers along the road as we walk:)

2011-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

This morning Paul and I walked to the beach next to our condo because there was a surfing competition going on! This is the road we take to get to the beach:)

2011-01-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

This was on our way back from the beach! We are standing at our condo complex! What a great view! This is the road we walk to get to the beach:)

2011-01-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick video of a boogie boarder and then a surfer out on the water this evening at Makaha Beach!

2011-01-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

It was fun to watch the surfers out on the big waves!

2011-01-19T21:20:00.001-08:00

I took this pic from the beach today. You can't see our condo from here but it is in between those two large mountains!

2011-01-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

So it has been about 2 weeks now that Paul and I have lived here and we still hadn't walked to the beach right next to our condo!! So today after he got home from school we decided to do that! And here it is:) It is called Makaha Beach. This is the beach where a lot of surfers and people on boogies boards come because the waves are so big!! Paul and I came to check it out and watch some of the surfers! We are really excited this beach is within walking distance of our place:) We are VERY excited to get surfboards!!

2011-01-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

This was another pic I took a few days ago when it rained of the mountains behind our condo! I love the waterfalls that form:)

2011-01-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

It has rained twice now since we have been here and when it does the mountains right behind our condo form tons of these waterfalls! It is really pretty!!! I took this pic quick before it started to rain again, so I will try to get a better shot of the waterfalls when the rain calms down (if it is still light out), otherwise I will just take another pic on a different rainy day!

2011-01-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Ocean! If you look at the lower center of the picture (a little to the right) you can see the Diamond Head lighthouse. It was built in 1899 and is now a fully automated 60,000 candlepower light (which can be seen 17 miles away) that serves as a beacon for ships approaching Honolulu Harbor from East and West.

2011-01-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot of Honolulu I took from the top of Diamond Head:) The beach next to the city there is Waikiki Beach. If you look close you can see a pink hotel on the beach. That is where Paul and I were swimming earlier in the day:)

2011-01-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

The views were amazing!!! I took a panoramic view of the Island from the top of Diamond Head. Honolulu is on the left. Paul and I live in a Valley on the Leeward (West) side of the Island past Honolulu (you can't see our valley from this view). You can see the top of Diamond Head on the lower right of this picture.

2011-01-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

This is looking down on top of Diamond Head. It is believed that Diamond Head Crater (also known as Mount Leahi) was created by a single explosive eruption of steam and ash about 150,000 years ago. It is an almost perfect circle with a diameter of 3520 ft, floor area of 175 acres and is 760 ft high at it's peak. Back in ancient times there were 5 heiau (places of worship) located here, but none are present today.

2011-01-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

I tried to get a picture of the trails you hike to get to the top! You can see them on the right with the people walking up and if you look closely you an see the trails on the left as well.

2011-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

This is a diagram of the Fire Control Station on Diamond Head that was completed in 1910, prior to World War I. It was part of the Island's coastal defense system. It was an observation post for spotting enemy ships that approached O'ahu. Artillary spotters used triangulation to pinpoint enemy targets since they didn't have radar and modern computers. After hiking up Diamond Head on the trails, tunnels and stairs we approached this. We walked where the red arrows are in this picture.

2011-01-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

After swimming for a couple hours at Waikiki Beach we decided to hike Diamond Head. Here is a diagram of the path we walked. The trail was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1908 which leads to the Fire Control Station Diamond Head at the summit. The trail is 1.5 miles roundtrip. It feels a lot longer when you are going uphill lol.

2011-01-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

This is Waikiki Beach where we swam yesterday with Diamond Head in the background!

2011-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Paul and I spent the day on Waikiki Beach yesterday. This is the International Market Square right off the beach. There are tons of kiosks and shops as well as a food court. Paul and I stop here everytime we come to Waikiki Beach.

2011-01-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Looks like a big shipment! :)

2011-01-08T23:34:00.002-08:00

On our way back from Kailua Beach we stopped at Honolulu Harbor. We were checking out the different cruise and shipping ships and saw these cool buildings too!

2011-01-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

Flowers at Kailua Beach (The hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower and is found all over the Island in different colors)

2011-01-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

The other pics are facing the beach but if you turned around this is what you would see! There was also a river that went through the town so you could take the Kayaks either along the river or out to the ocean! Can't wait to take one out soon:)

2011-01-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

This little guy was too cute on the beach today! He brought that coconut around with him wherever he went! I wanted to take him home lol

2011-01-08T23:10:00.001-08:00

Here is another pic I took today of Kailua beach! Next time Paul and I come here we are going to rent Kayaks all day. It looked like so much fun in the big waves!

2011-01-08T23:09:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the day at Kailua Beach on the Windward side of the Island. It was so beautiful and tropical here. The waves were really big today so it was really fun to go swimming and get pushed around by the huge waves!!!

2011-01-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Paul and I went for a little dip on Waikiki beach at Sunset before eating dinner on shore:)

2011-01-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

Going for another swim in the lagoons! The water feels so good:)

2011-01-07T22:28:00.000-08:00