Below is the island of Oahu, where we have lived
since July '09.
OUR CHURCH, HOPE CHAPEL KANEOHE BAY, CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE.
We prayed that God lead us to a great church when we moved on island,
and our prayers were answered when we started going to Hope Chapel. We felt welcome the first time we went, the kids love
it there and so do we.
Below: Our House! Located in Halsey Terrace (a military
community). We waited for 3 months on the Forrest City wait list. It was worth it! Walking distance to
Aliamanu Elementary.
Below are some pictures of our Hawaii house.
We have about 2300 square feet, 2.5 baths and 4 bedrooms. We live in the Halsey Terrace Navy community. We have a two car
garage and a small fenced in back yard. I emphasize small. Not pictured below we also have a laundry room with a sink,
and a couple large storage closets. I wanted to put these pictures up for anyone moving to Hawaii- As a military family
we move ALL THE TIME, and it's nice to see pictures of the type of house you could be moving into... enjoy!
| Living room / Dinning room |
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| Back Lanai |
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| Dinning Room / Back Lanai |
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| Kitchen |
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| Front room- could be an Office or Den |
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| Another view of the living room... |
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| Bedroom |
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Above: Vangies room- walk in closet.
Below: Hall upstairs- I hung 4 dry erase boards for the kids to color on.
| Upstairs Hallway |
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| Master Bedroom... very large, walk in closet |
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Above: Master Broom. 5 windows! Also large walk in closet
and large bath with double sink and seperat "toilet closet"
Below: Sophia
room, 3 lg windows (nice curtains, right??)
| Largest upstairs bedroom (above garage) |
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Above: The living room and dining room. \
Below: The kitchen- large bar with 3 stools for kids.
| Kitchen |
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Below: Joeys room- He also has a walk-in closet.
| 4th upstairs bedroom |
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Below: HIKING WITH KIDS ON OAHU!
MAKIKI VALLEY TRAIL: "The Makiki Valley Loop is located in the lush tropical forest of Makiki Valley. The paths
loops on three trails through eucalyptus and bamboo groves up, across and back down the valley. There are several stream crossings
and scenic views of Honolulu and the Manoa Valley. " The kids and I love this trail! Its easy to get to,
has parking that is relatively secure and safe, clean bathrooms ant the beginning of the hike, well maintained trail, great
views, and just the right length (about 3 miles for the loop) for the kids and I to do. We have done it twice and will
be back, for sure. 
AIEA LOOP TRAIL: This
is a beginner trail which starts at the top of Aiea Heights Drive. At the top of the drive is a park. After entering
the park the road splits into a one way loop. Park at the first parking area after the split. The Aiea Loop Trail
starts at this point.The trail makes a 4-1/2 mile loop around a graded ridge. There are some great views of Halawa Valley
and the H-3 tunnels. This trail is also used by mountain bikers so be careful around blind corners. The hiking
time is 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Above and below: Pictures from The Aiea Loop Trail.
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| A view from the top (beautiful!!) |
| Taking a break on our hike, almost to the top! |
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| Hiking Mariners Ridge in Hawaii Kai |
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| Joey is half way up the mountain. |
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Below: Koko Head, my favorite hike so far. I LOVED it. A GREAT workout,
and ammmmaaazzinnnggg views.
| At the beginning of our 5 mile hike |
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Above and below: The kids and I hiked
the Aiea loop- (5 miles) when I was 36 wks pregnant. Vangie- age almost 4- walked the WHOLE WAY. It was VERY muddy and slippery.
When we got home I had to rinse us all off outside with the hose before we could go in! This was mostly likely my last Aiea
Loop hike before the baby is born.
| 2 hours into our hike-- What a muddy mess! |
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| I didn't know the worse mud was yet to come! |
On 7-25-10 we hiked Diamond
Head with Daddy...
| Chris and Vangie |
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| (vangie is hiding from the camera!) |
Mariners Ridge: Below is a quick
description of the Mariners Ridge Hike, which is about 3 miles length total and takes about 90 min at a leisurely pace. Chris,
the kids and me hiked this trail on 7/11/10. I was 32 wks pregnant at the time- afterwards we went to eat at
the Kona Brewery in Hawaii Kai (yumm!) Mariner’s Ridge Hike is a quick, yet moderate to steep hike. You drive half way up the mountain through Mariner’s Ridge (in Hawaii Kai) residential community onKaluanui
Road, which ends at a cul-de-sac and the trail head. Although a sign at the trail head sign warns hikers to keep out, the
trail is marked with signs telling hikers which way to go.
The view from the top is
awesome, showing the south-east coast of Oahu, from Kaneoheto Makapuu, yet close enough to the coastline to see
the variegated green and blue waters off of Waiamanalo. The steep and jagged Ko’olau Mountain Range is also a stunning
view at the end of this hike.
DIAMOND HEAD-
We hiked Diamond Head for the first time on 11/14/09. We went
at about 4:30, which gave us just enough time to get to the top (Joey age 6 and Sophia age 5 hiked right along with NO problems!)
and back down before the park closed at 6pm. I carried Vangie on my back, at just 3 years she is a little young to walk that
far. So far this is the kids favorite hike- lots of boulders to jump off, stairs and a cool look out tower at the top- what's
not to love??? You have to pay to park here- 5$ a car or the annual pass at 30$. We bought the annual pass- so we will
be BACK!
MAKAPU'U
TRAIL: Pictured right above and below was our first Hike, Makapu'u Trail. This was a great first
hike because it is easy to find and easy to walk- it's about 1 mile up a paved path with the most spectacular views. Along
the way you pass a whale watch station (have yet to see any whales, I need binoculars!) and at the top is another look out
to view the lighthouse, near by small islands that the awesome ocean. You can push a stroller up this with no problem, parking
is usually plentiful unless you go mid-Saturday or something. Just note- there is no bathroom here!
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