Atlantis Submarine

Posted on July 23, 2013 by sandersnm

On my last Monday field trip for summer, we went to the Atlantis Submarine in Waikiki. I was actually pretty excited about this, because they go about 100 feet under water to the reefs below to check out the marine life off the coast. The water was pretty cloudy, but it was still awesome!

View of Waikiki from the boat on our way to the submarine.

The submarine.

Diamond Head.

First sighting of fish!

Our submarine.

An old plane. It didn’t crash down here, they placed it down here as part of the artificial reef for wildlife conservation.

All the bubbles as we rise up to the top!

Chinatown – Honolulu

Posted on July 8, 2013 by sandersnm

On Thursday, Josh and I wandered around Chinatown and got a smoothie. After living just steps from it for two years, he had never been there. It’s WONDERFUL. I love going there and browsing the open markets, getting smoothies and just wandering around and soaking up the culture!

Loved walking through the marketplace and seeing all the fruits, vegetables and flowers!

Fun colors with the umbrellas and produce.

Cool shot of the different buildings.

Wine Tasting!

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Honolulu Museum of Art

Posted on July 3, 2013 by sandersnm

Yesterday, we went to the Honolulu Museum of Art for our field trip for work. We only went to a part of the museum, but I should definitely go back. It’s only about three blocks from where I live and they had some really neat pieces! A few of my favorites below.

Chihuly glass art. Love it!

Cool wall of masks

Part of a float (can’t remember where it’s from).

They had beautiful courtyards.

The Hawaii Nature Center

Posted on June 26, 2013 by sandersnm

Today for work we went to the Hawaii Nature Center to explore the trails there. We spent over two hours fishing in the stream, observing the plants in the area and searching for “decomposers” (bugs such as millipedes, beetles, roaches and worms that decompose the leaves and make soil). It was really cool to learn all about the different types of wildlife in the stream. We caught tons of freshwater shrimp…they are incredibly small..and see-through!

The stream at the beginning of our hike.

The trail.

Canopy of trees.

Allspice tree..the leaves smelled like gingerbread cookies.

There was a huge beehive in this tree.

Tons of heliconias.

Bridge over the stream.

Freshwater shrimp and snails.

Skeleton leaf.

Banyan tree

With all the rain and wind this past winter, this huge tree came tumbling down. This is the root structure of the tree. Pretty neat.

Fungus of sorts growing on the tree.

Waikiki Aquarium

Posted on June 24, 2013 by sandersnm

Today, I ventured to the Waikiki Aquarium for work. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they had great displays of the different marine life around Hawaii. My favorite were the two monk seals. One of them was abandoned at two days old by his mother. When he was rescued, they discovered he has cataracts and about 20% of his vision left. Once he was healthy, they set him free to live in the wild but he rapidly started losing weight because he couldn’t see to find his food. They brought him back in and he has lived at the aquarium ever since. He hopped up on the rocks while we were there. The volunteer that was educating us about him said any time he hears someone by his back gate he goes to investigate who it is. She said he loves the human interaction and just likes to spend time with people. The other monk seal that was there is significantly older and was abandoned at three weeks old by his mother. He is less active since he is older and gets really excited to be fed. Loved hearing their stories!

A crab crawling over a starfish.

Squid of sorts.

Jellyfish!

More jellyfish.

Starfish, sharks and giant fish.

Seahorses.

Creepy eels.

Some type of rays.

Hawaiian monk seal.

Hawaiian monk seal…love this one!

Shrimp

Beautiful Sky

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Summer Solstice Rainbow

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6 Months

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It has been exactly six months today of waking up to this view every morning. Time flies when you’re having fun!

29!

Posted on June 5, 2013 by sandersnm

Today, I turned 29 and I could not have had a better day….I feel so loved! Both Josh and my mom were so thoughtful..from flowers…to gifts…to cards and celebrating. They are incredible :). I could not begin to thank them enough for making me feel so special!