A gift from my favorite kid today! Going to miss her!
Bracelets <3
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Category Archives: Life on the Island
Painting!
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Painting with my favorite kid!!
Gunstock Ranch
Today, we went on a field trip to Gunstock Ranch on the North Shore for fall break. We had a blast hiking, watching the kids swim and leading them around on the horses!
The pregnant goat that LOVED us!
Hiking on the ranch.
Horses!
Donkey..roaming around freely.
Fun time in the pool.
Sunshine the cat.
Jenn and Elise!
A Hui Hou (Until We Meet Again)
Last week, the kids and the staff surprised my coworker Jenn and I with a going away pizza party. The first Wednesday of every month we announce Youth of the Month (each staff member picks a kid that is a positive influence in the clubhouse, kind to their peers, respectful, etc) and this time we were told we were having a party for them…we just didn’t know that it was also for us! It ended up with me bawling as the kids came running up when they found out I was leaving, giving me hugs, asking me to not go, wondering who they would do their homework with, why would I leave them, etc. I felt so incredibly loved and it was just an amazing thing to hear how much I’ve been able to be there for them over the past several months…I’m not sure I was fully aware of the fact that they might miss me! This job has been an incredible blessing…I never imagined my time with them would have been this amazing. Everyone kept telling me what a great thing I was doing and how much I would be impacting those kids. In reality, I think they probably had a greater impact on my life…and I have been so fortunate to have had such a priceless experience with them. I don’t have the words to describe how much I will miss them..their personalities, smiles, jokes and weird behaviors.
The kids before the party.
After we were surprised..getting our hugs!
Beautiful leis!
Pizza party!
Jenn and I.
The wonderful staff. Lucky to call them coworkers!
Jaydin and I (one of my favorites!).
Kristina and I. I love her.
Kaiki, Chris and I.
Jenn and I with our cake.
King Kamehameha Statue
King Kamehameha I united the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom in 1810 after years of conflict.
Sandy Beach Park
On Monday, I decided to take the long way to work and drive around the East side of the island. It is quite possibly the prettiest drive on Oahu and I was due for traveling that way and enjoying the phenomenal views. On my way there, I stopped at Sandy Beach Park. It’s a big bodyboarding beach so I stopped to check out the people taking in the waves. The surf break is pretty powerful and I would never get in, but it was great to watch people who know what they are doing against the strong current ride the waves!
Dole Plantation
On Saturday, Josh and I visited the Dole Plantation. It was one of those things that I felt like we needed to do since we live here, but we avoided because it is a tourist trap. We wandered around the “World’s Largest Maze” for a little bit and got the Dole Pineapple whip ice cream. After that, I felt like we covered it!
The World’s Large Maze.
Dole Whip Ice Cream
USS Missouri
Our final stop of the day from our tour of Ford Island on Sunday was the USS Missouri. Last year, Josh, my mom and I toured the USS Midway in San Diego (which was awesome) and this was pretty similar. The Midway was definitely larger than the Missouri, but both were pretty cool experiences!
I thought this was a cool shot.
The spot where the instrument of surrender was signed to end WW II.
Instrument of Surrender.
Captain’s Room.
One of the many dining areas.
Josh. Taking vegetables seriously since 1985.
Marines office.
Marines bunking area.
So narrow!
Dentist.
Post office.
View from the deck.
Steering wheel.
Plaque in honor of the marines that served on the USS Missouri.
Ford Island
This past Sunday, Josh and I ventured to Ford Island to wander around and see what was there. I knew there were memorials, but wasn’t sure where they were or what to expect. Our Sunday turned out to be an amazing day. We were able to see the USS Utah (still in the water from when it sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor), the USS Oklahoma memorial, the USS Missouri (which is where the instrument of surrender was signed during World War II in Tokyo Bay) and finally the Pacific Aviation Museum. We also had a great view of the USS Arizona Memorial. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful way to end the weekend!
Our first stop was the USS Utah. The Utah, like the Arizona, remains in the water along with the crew that went down with it during the attack on Pearl Harbor. There was only one person rescued from the USS Utah.
Driving over the bridge onto Ford Island.
The plaque for the USS Utah.
The USS Utah memorial.
Amazing.
The panoramic of the ship. The white buoy marks the end of the ship.
From the distance.
After the Utah, we drove to the other side of the island and took in some of the views there.
Views of Pearl Harbor.
A plaque for the USS Oklahoma.
Next, we headed to the Pacific Aviation Museum. We didn’t go in the museum, but walked around outside checking out all of the old aircrafts. Pretty cool.
All of the planes, helicopters, etc. at the museum.
Inside of a rather large helicopter.
Our final stops before touring the USS Missouri (more on that in the next post), were the memorials for the USS Oklahoma and viewing the USS Arizona from shore.
USS Oklahoma memorial.
USS Arizona memorial.
And Another!
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Love the contrast with the clouds!
365 Days Of Hawaii 