Merry Christmas!!

Hello All!

Christmas is approaching as we all know, but it sure doesn't feel that way here! It's still warm and sunny, and i feel bad for not being more thankful for the weather, but it just doesn't feel like the holidays to us. People put up more Christmas lights here though than I have seen back home, and we decided that is what makes up for the lack of snow and cold weather. Hawaii has entered its rainy season, or its equivalent to "winter". It rains anywhere from 1 to 5 (yes, 5) times a day and then the wind howls all day and night long! it's so sporadic it makes it a little hard to plan for outdoor activities, but its nice too because it's cooler and not as humid. At night i can wear jeans and a light jacket and be  comfortable.

This was the first time i have ever went Christmas tree shopping, and when i finally got around to it due to the move and our hectic schedule, they were all GONE! No trees anywhere to be found. I could've looked around for a real one, but since it's so close i saw this on pinterest and decided this would work for our first Christmas tree:

Yep, it's made from books, and then the top is from our wedding last year! I never thought i would have a Christmas tree made from books,especially for our first tree together, but it works. Between moving, trying to get the house together, his work schedule, and my CNA program, it was a cute and no hassle alternative.

Our pastor at our church is a really gifted speaker, this is last Sunday's sermon if you want to check it out http://hopechapel.com/teaching/live-webcast/archived-teachings its ID check-Role by Carl Moore 12/16/2012

Fun things to do around here

Hello Everyone!

This past weekend Ryan and I went hiking, to the North Shore, and some other miscellaneous things.

First, we ate breakfast at Cinnamon's. I've talked about it before, but we go back as often as possible because it's delicious! I always get an omelet with artichoke, black olive, parm. cheese, and pesto with rice, and he get's the S.u.n.s.h.i.n.e. last time he got red velvet pancakes and this is what they looked like:

  They tasted just like red velvet cupcakes, which was amazing, but too sugar-y. so this time he got whole wheat french toast :)

Next, we went hiking to Maunawili Falls. We went with The Camacho's, they are from Oregon and they are stationed here in Hawaii with us-awesome people! it's a 3 mile hike total, and at the end there is a water hole you can swim in and then a little ledge about 25 feet up that you can jump into the water from. I jumped from it, but Ryan was too scared!..haha no just kidding, i was actually very proud of him that he didn't get into the water since his small pox shot is still on the mend. but he hated every minute of not getting to participate.

People took the time to balance these rocks, it was neat to see and amazing that they didn't fall over!

It was so pretty to be out in the forest and see all the green and flowers, we are going to try to hike a trail every other weekend! (look familiar mom?)

After we went hiking we went to the movie theater. they were playing all three extended versions of Lord of the Rings in anticipation for The Hobbit, so we made the Twin Towers and The Return of the King.

Gandalf and I

Sunday we went with the Camacho's to the North Shore. it ended up being a little too cloudy so we left early, but we did get to see a surfing competition, which was really neat. on the drive back we stopped at a little market and bought some fresh fruit. I've said it before, but the avocado's are HUGE here. then we stopped to eat at this little farm on the side of the road. I had grilled banana bread, and Ryan had pesto pizza. both delicious!

This is a picture of the stage inside the church we go to. They always have a really good message. you can see more about it here http://hopechapel.com/

And this is the view from the church

I found this guy in the grass, he was the biggest snail i have ever seen!

This is what they call "Vog" it's different from Fog in that it comes from the volcano on the Big Island. When it comes in we both get headaches, and my allergies go haywire.

Overall, we had a really fun/exciting/tiring weekend! This week will be really busy for the both of us-Ryan with his crazy work schedule and i start my CNA course this week.

Hope all is well with everyone back home, we miss you all so much!