Part 2: Twisted Ankles, Pig Control, and Amazing Scenery

The second part of our hiking day consisted of going to Manoa Falls to swim in the waterfall. Well, due to the lack of rain recently there was only a trickle coming down the waterfall so I got to see the waterfall and imagine what it would look like if the water was crashing down. After that we figured, 'why not hike a little farther?'

There was another trail leading off of the one we were on so we headed up. It was a little rocky and a little slippery at first but it got a little better later on. There were a lot of switchbacks and the elevation went from about 250ft ASL to 1800ft ASL. It was a beautiful hike with lots of bamboo on every side of us. It made a really pretty sound when the wind would blow and knocked the tops of the trees together. There were also warning signs that they were hunting pigs with dogs on certain days. I guess the wild pigs are just running rampant in those hills (unfortunately we didn't get to see any). By the time we got to the top we were muddy and hot and ready for a short break. We did see something that was very interesting though, 2 little old asian ladies had decided to hike up to the top as well, the only thing was that they were wearing white pants, light colored shirts, and slip on shoes. I was amazed because they were not dirty at all, I don't know how they did it but they looked like they had a great time.

On the way down, in the legendary ways of Christy, I twisted my ankles. Yes, I almost made it the whole way down without doing it but I was not that lucky. Of course I twisted them on the flat parts and not on the slippery rocks, the muddy areas, or the intertwined tree roots that were everywhere! No major injuries just a few good laughs. Well, here are a few pictures of our hike. Betsy-if you thought the other ones were high, just wait.

Beginning of our hikeMore gorgeous sceneryNatural tree archWhat a handsome man!Look how big these ferns are! Manoa Falls...just imagine it with lots of water...gorgeousFirst picture stop 1/3 of the way upRandy wasn't there...j/k but doesn't it look like he is super imposed on the scenery?

2/3 of the way up, you can see Diamonhead in the backround (our morning hike) That one is for you Betsy!Close up view of Diamonhead and the oceanBamboo galoreAll the way at the top looking East through the mountainsLooking NorthLooking West towards downtown Another one of the hot tired couple

It was a great last full Saturday in Hawaii! We are going to miss it here and we are definitely going to miss our friends Rob and Nellie, Darcie and family, and all of the wonderful people that we have met. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories of our adventures. I have a few random pictures to add so stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I forgot...we played a game called Chickenfoot (it's a version of dominoes), and Nellie whooped all of us! There I said it, are you happy now Nellie? :-)

Part 1: Red Cheeks, Brow of a Tuna, and Great Views

Last week I told Randy that before we left Hawaii I would like to hike Diamondhead and swim in a waterfall. Well, we hiked Diamonhead. The afternoon was HOT and as usual my cheeks turned red very fast.

Our first part of the day was up Diamondhead. It wasn't a hard hike and it is only a 8/10 of mile up to the top but we ended up having to park way outside of the park. We tried to park in the parking lot but the lady was turning people around at the entrance, even though there were spots open. It added about a 1/2 mile onto each way of our hike and it saved us $3 since it was only a $1 to get in if you walked in. We had a lot of fun and the views were great. Here are a few pictures. I will put the rest on snapfish so just let me know if you want to see them let me know. The pictures in the blog are a really big file size so if you click on them

*Diamondhead used to be called Laeahi by the ancient Hawaiians. The name means "brow of the tuna" because the silhoutte looks like a tuna. In the 1800's British Sailors renamed it because when they were sailing in they thought that there were diamonds glistening in the lava rock. It turned out to be the calcite crystals. Fort Ruger used to be located at Diamondhead crater and was used for harbor defense. There used to be canons inside of the crater and they built observation decks for target sighting. It is amazing how much history is on the Island of Oahu and just how much the military has enfluenced this beautiful place.

Inside of the crater and were the hike started.
Downtown Waikiki and one of the observation decks.
If you look close enough you can see the Island of Molokai. That is the island the lepers used to be sent to before there was medicine to control their disease.
The happy hot couple.
Shot of Diamondhead from the parking lot.

Check back for Part 2 of our Saturday hiking!

A few short steps

We only have one full week left in Hawaii. We are both excited to get to Alabama and see our new home and pick up our puppies. Although, I realized that there were a few places that I wanted to see before I left. Tomorrow we are hiking to the top of Diamond Head, an extremely old extinct volcano. Here is a website that has a diagram of the hike. http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Hawaii_Diamondhead.htm

We are also planning on also going to Manoa Falls because I want to see a beautiful waterfall and if possible, swim in it. So we shall see how it goes. It says that you are not supposed to swim in the water but we shall see, I may sneak in for a quick picture. If I can't, we may have to go to the Audobon Society and hike to the waterfall they have on their property. I will definitely have pictures to post after tomorrow.

Oh yeah, it will be about 3 1/4 miles for the Diamond Head hike and about 3 miles for the Manoa Falls Hike so I am sure that tomorrow evening I will sleep very well.

4 day weekend

We are moved out of our apartment!!!! Woohoo!!! The property manager said it was very clean so hopefully we get most of our deposit back. I scrubbed and scrubbed everything in that house, Randy did 3 ceiling fans...or as he said, 'No, I did 3 light fixtures.' We are now at our Wyndham Waikiki resort room. It is a pretty nice room and we are very happy to be here just relaxing and enjoying our weekend in town and celebrating our 2 year anniversary that is on Monday the 3oth. I took a few pictures of the room. A very spacious, clean, and well decorated room. Randy's favorite part are the 2 flat screen TV's.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Alot has been going on in the Aguirre household. We are getting ready to move to Alabama, our friends family came into town so we got to do tourist stuff, our new puppy is 8 1/2 weeks old (we get to pick her up in 5 weeks!), and so much more. I will add pictures over the next few days and keep updating. The movers will be coming to pick up our household goods on Monday so I will be very busy between now and the 27th when we move out of our Hawaii home. For now, here are some pictures of Baylee Bear! Oh yeah, Buddie is having a great time in Washington and is really enjoying the cool weather and spending time with this Grandparents and Faith and Toebee.



Just hanging out in the mountains.
Yes, I do have eyes...they are like my mommies...dark brown.
That stick doesn't even see me coming. You have taken 8 pictures already, no more!

Bye Bye Buddie Day

Well Buddie is now in Renton with my parents. He is doing fine although he did not sleep from the time they picked him up at 10pm last night until 740am Saturday morning. My parents are definitely going to have their hands full for the next 2 months.

On Thursday Randy I took Buddie for a 2 mile walk and then to the dog park for about an hour. We decided it was time to go when he just laid down by my feet and wouldn't move. He was very tired. Buddie got to see all of his favorite friends before he left: Pepper the pitbull/dachsund mix, Boots the min pin, and Sally the beagle. He is such a sweet boy and even our former mail lady came by our house to say bye to him. We miss our little boy but can't wait to go pick him and his little sister Baylee up and drive to our new home in AL. Oh yeah, and not only is Buddie gone now, Randy had to go to the field today (he found out Wednesday evening) and won't be back until the second week of June. So my plans for the next few weeks: go to the beach!!!!!

Once we checked Buddie in we got to keep him until 11am and took him to the beach so he could have one last Hawaii experience. He didn't get to dig or play in the water because we didn't want him to get dirty but he got to smell all the smells and run in the grass. We even took him to one last HI pet store. It was a very good end beginning to his big adventure.

Here is the last picture that we took with Buddie:

National Pet Week

In honor of last week being National Pet Week Buddie would like to say thank you to all of his friends and family for being so loving and wonderful to him. He would also like to let his WA peeps know that he likes walks, bananas, lots of kisses, bananas, other dogs, tug-o-war, humans, and bananas in moderation.

We took Buddie to get his health certificate today so that he can fly to Seattle and stay at Grandma and Grandpa V's for a couple of months until we come to pick him up and drive to AL. After his final vet visit in HI we went downtown to the Pet Expo 2008 in Honolulu. There were lots of different vendors and demonstrations but best of all it was pet friendly so Buddie got to have a day just for him. He saw so many dogs and was smiling the whole time. He even got his very first party shirt!

ALOOOOOOHA!!!


Red is my color!

Great Idea

I took Buddie to the dog park last night. In my head I was thinking, 'He is going to the groomers tomorrow so it will be okay if he gets a little bit dirty.' Needless to say it started pouring down rain and we still had to walk run home.

Rain+Red Dirt=One Dirty Dog

It is hard work looking handsome!

I have a bee in my bonnet!

Aren't They Beautiful

Agnew Girls and Us at dinner in Honolulu

Polynesian Cultural Center

Today I got to spend the whole day with the Agnew Family. We had so much fun and it was great to see all of them. I only have a few pictures but I will get more once Corrie gets home and sends them to me. The PCC was really fun and very interesting. They had presentations that were put on by locals from each specific island. We didn't go see the show at night but I am planning on going back with Randy and see the show.


Making fire with 2 sticks, yes, it can be done.


Float from one of the islands.


The 6 of us. What a beautiful group of people.

I would also like to say thanks to Darcie for watching Buddie so that I could spend the day with my friends. Here is a picture of Buddie when we went for a drive the other day. He has realized that he no longer fits on the middle console anymore, our little boy is growing up.





Aren't they cute!

Sunset Beach

So beautiful!

Ka Huaka'i

I know this is long but please read the whole thing. Thanks.

It is late Sunday morning and I pull up to a small rundown building at a little park about 30 minutes from my house. There are about 30 people sitting around two long tables on folding chairs listening to a soft spoken but passionate man as we walk in. There are also two seperate tables with a total of 10 kids altogether doing the same thing that the adults were doing but on a different scale. An hour or so goes by and everybody gets up, moves the folding chairs and finds a seat. A small stage with a projector screen and a few decorations, 3 microphones, and a music stand are all that is in front of me. Three people go to the microphones and start praise and worship time. No organ, no quitar, no piano, no choir...just 3 microphones and 3 beautiful children of God singing to an instrumental version of the song we are singing. A few songs go by, a prayer, and up walks a man in khakis and a hawaiian shirt. No robes, no priest attire, just regular everyday hawaiian attire. With the sound of basketballs bouncing in the backround, a sermon about processes we go through from a man who God has called to become a pastor. With attentiveness that I have not seen in a very long time from children or adults we listen, for an hour, to one of the most meaningful sermons that I have heard in a long time. A prayer, another song or two, and we pick up the chairs, the tables, the audio video equipment, and then fellowship. Laughing and smiling everybody heads outside to go home. For the first time in a long time I look forward to next Sunday, where 40 of God's children, 50 or so folding chairs (a few extra for visitors), 3 microphones, a projector, and a music stand await me. Now that's what I call Church. Ka Huaka'i...The Journey.

I got invited to church last week by the lady that owns Pepper, the dog who Buddie has play dates with. She told me about the church and it sounded interesting to me so I decided to go. I was greeted last week by 39 of the most genuine people I have met in a long time. They weren't there out of an obligation to family, friends, or feelings of guilt. They were there out of a love for God that many people who go to church have forgotten over the years. I got introduced and was presented with a lei (only in Hawaii). I know people say that when you visit a church they are overly friendly because they want you to come back for their numbers or they want to convert you. I have been to churches where it definitely felt that I was only a number to them, this is definitely not one of those times. I was approached with genuine hearts and asked where I came from, what I did, what brought me to Hawaii, and so many other questions not about my religious backround but about me and my journey. Today before I left the pastor gave me a hug, which most of you know, hugs are very important in my life. If you have ever heard somebody say, they spoke to my heart, this is what pastor did. He spoke to my heart from his heart and with a look of pure joy told me that he was so happy that I had come back and that I had come to church today. I thank God that through Buddie I met Darcie and that she, in a world where talking about God is taboo, she invited me to church.

The church is a mission church that is sponsored by First Missionary Baptist Church in Fresno, CA. Ka Huaka'i, The Journey MBC is the name of the church that I am going to. I cannot think of a better name for a church than The Journey. All of us are on a journey and who better to be with us on that journey but God.

Click here to go to the church website

Internationally Known at Sunset Beach

"We are from Australia and we do strange things," said that Australian tourist.
With a puzzled but very interested look I say, "Okay, what do you need?"
"We are on an amazing race/scavenger hunt and we were wondering if we could take a picture of your dog in the back of your truck," says the funny australian man.
"No problem," I said as I put Buddie in the back of the truck.

Buddie perched his front feet on the tailgate of the truck and with his most charming smile he waited for his picture to be taken. So, my puppy is now internationally known but he is not letting his fame get to his head...to much.








We took Buddie to Sunset Beach yesterday and he had so much fun. He didn't really like the ocean very much (see video). He didn't dig very much but he had fun and was very good on the car ride. We drove around the whole Island yesterday also which was beautiful and took about an hour if we wouldn't have stopped anywhere. Buddie even found his very own place to sleep in the truck.

Nana ka maka; ho`olohe ka pepeiao; pa`a ka waha.

Translation: Observe with the eyes; listen with the ears; shut the mouth.

Meaning: Thus one learns.

I was looking on the internet and found that there are many interesting phrases in the Hawaiian language. I found the one above to be amusing so I decided to share it with all of you. I think that many of us, including myself, could use this advice at times.

A few weeks ago we went to a Lu'au and oh what fun it was. We went with our friends Rob and Nellie and three of their friends who are visiting from the mainland (continental United States). When we arrived we were greated with a Mai Tai and a flower Lei. There was Hawaiian music being played and it was beautiful. We got shown to our seats, which were right in front of the stage, but it wasn't time to sit down yet. We of course walked over to the beach area where I got to be the Queen for 2 minutes while 3 men took me for a canoe ride.




After that the girls made Lei's for our wrists, ankles, and hair. It was so much fun! The men were showing off there skills at spear throwing. Well I don't know if you can call it skill but they sure were doing there best. After that we all got 'tatooes'. We even got to see them bring the pig out of the ground that we ate for dinner that night. The food was great and the show was even better. We got Kalua Pork, fish, fried chicken, rice, and desert...and oh year 4 drink tickets. This ones for you mom...we had Long Islands, Tropical Itches, and MAI TAI'S.







It wasn't until the sun set...


...that the real party started. The show was great! I don't know if I can explain in words how beautiful the hula girls and guys were. So, I have pictures for all of you. The best part of the whole show though was at the end when our waitress grabbed Randy and dragged him to the stage. He got to dance the hula with one of the girls, just him on stage with her. It was the best show ever! He was wearing...well, just scroll down and you will see.







Keep scrolling...







Wasn't that the best show ever!! We had a blast and I highly suggest that if you ever come to Oahu that you go to the Paradise Cove Luau. Great food, great entertainment, and great memories!