30AUG13

Cristine and Nate's anniversary is the July 21st and ours is the the 24th.  Leave went through the 24th so we decided to swap kids for 2 WHOLE days each!!  The kids were also thrilled with this since they got to have 4 nights of sleep overs!  They had so much fun together!!  Lexi and Anya gave each other their first make overs, we took them to the Kroc center, (a gym Travis and I recently joined that has a FANTASTIC pool for kids!)  they also played games, stayed up way too late watched too much t.v. and ate way too much sugar.  It was a success!!

 

Showing off their manis.

They rock the blue eye shadow.

David got in on some of the sleep over fun! 

Hanging at the pool (I didn't get a picture of Lex and Anya b/c they spent most of their time on those two big slides in the back ground!)

UNO!!!

28AUG13

Did you know there are other cool things to do in Hawaii besides the beach and hiking?  We were excited to hit up the Bishop Musuem while Trav was on leave.  The Bishop Museum is a science and history museum.  They change their exhibits often and while we were there it was dinosaurs!  They were so cool and life like.  The girls LOVED it (not true for all kids especially the 3 year old little girl that ran out screaming and crying!)  There was a planetarium, (no pictures since it was so dark) a science area,where they learned about volcanos and bugs and sounds, and we also went in the Hawaiian History area but didn't make it in there long since David (who slept through most of it) woke up and was ready to go!  It was a fun afternoon and we will be back especially when we see what the next exhibit will be!

 

 

Lex and Ry front row watching how the lava forms.

I thought this was really cool (and the sideways picture...)

The dinosaur area also had some ice age animals.  They moved and everything.  I know I'm  like a kid but SO cool!

Hatching dinosaur eggs.

Ryan had to keep one eye on the dinos at all times! HA!

This was hilarious!  It said smell Dino poo (because that smells different than other animals?)  Lexi did it first and didn't tell Ryan.  They were both grossed out!  I did not test it out!



Volcano slide

Ryan's Turn.



Chilling on the slug!

So sweet! 

The Hawaiian Histroy area.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  The wood alone was worth the visit!

Old grass huts! (Hale Pili in Hawaiian)

27AUG13

Time to give Trav the spotlight!  While he was on leave he had one big thing he wanted to do that wasn't family friendly...  You may have heard of this little hike called Stairway to Heaven or Haiku Steps.  This hike has almost 4,000 steps from start to finish (one way.)  You gain almost 3,000 feet in elevation.  When you are driving on one of the main highways here you can see the steps from your car and we get excited every time we see them!  Travis invited Nate for this hike (I really do want to do it at some point but they scouted it out first! :) ) Technically, this hike is illegal (as are many of the hikes here in Hawaii usually just because they are a liability issue...) but this one has a guard that comes on really early in the morning so you have to start BEFORE he gets there.  So add to the danger that you are starting the hike in pitch black (they got there around 3 or 4 in the morning!)  When you come back down the guard just waves bye to you so as long as you start before he gets there it's not a big deal.  I'm not going to caption the pictures since I wasn't there but seriously?  How awesome does this look??!!! 

 

 

26AUG13

I guess I may as well catch up on all my races to date!

 

The Mango Days 5K was the final race in the Tropical Triple Crown.  A 5k is only 3.1 miles.  Basically you should be pushing your pace the entire run but man is that hard to do! I am really proud of my time and how I ran but I can't wait to get a better time at my next timed 5k (which is not on the books due to not blowing every dollar Travis earns on races!)  This one was at the same place as the 5k which is a great area to run.  I went with Lindsay and Brooke again (this was a little less than a month after the 8k.)  We had a great run and I'm so glad I have so many friends who are into this running thing as much as I am! Next up is another "fun run" 5k and after that another 8k.  I MAY have an addiction but there are worse things that I could be addicted to!

 

 

 

Before the race and this time Lindsay was smart enough to get the picture in front of the ocean!

And after (it was SO hot and sticky!) My time for this run was 31:45. 

And our after at IHOP of course!  This is something I don't get about these races... After they always have water and gatoraide and DONUTS or COOKIES?  WHY?  The last thing I want is straight sugar  after I run.  Eggs and carbs is what we go for at IHOP! :) 

26AUG13

Well I guess I'm continuing the selfish streak and posting about my first 8k (5 miles.)  This race was the second race in what they called the Tropical Triple Crown (the first was the half marathon Cristine and I did.)  I thought it would be so much fun to do all 3!  This one was called the Coconut Chase 8k and you were encouraged to wear your coconut bras and grass skirts.  That just does not sound comfortable to me so I just went with my normal running clothes but it was fun to see others dressed up!

 

I went with Lindsay and Brooke and we met up with one of Lindsay's friends from a past duty station.  It was different to not run with Cristine BUT I got into my groove pretty quickly and the beautiful ocean views didn't hurt.  My first mile was pretty slow trying to weave in and out of people (about an 11:15 minute pace) but after that I was able to get up to the pace I wanted.  I love the atmosphere of these races and it really keeps me so motivated!!  My time was 53:36 which I was thrilled with!  I am always looking forward to my next race.

 

 

 

Audrina, Lindsay, me, Brooke before the race!

Complete!

In our awesome shirts ready to eat some IHOP! :)

24AUG13

Yes, this is entirely selfish.  I still have probably 10 posts from the past 2 months (including 2 other runs!) but I'm posting my Glow run post first because well, I want to. HA!  I realized a couple weeks ago that I have been running these races slightly backwards...  First I did 10k so I started with 6 miles, then a half marathon, an 8k, a 5k (timed) and last night was my first "fun run."  No time, no pressure, just running for fun!  I have never claimed to be a normal person! 

 

Running has become such a part of my life.  I run to excersize but also it has become something I love, something to clear my head, and something to help me feel accomplished.  I know you pretty much either love running or hate it BUT I do think most people can learn to love it if they want to...  Especially it they do these great fun 5k's that they have EVERYWHERE now a days.  We ran through lights, fog, bubbles, disco lights, foam, and thousands of people. The atmosphere was amazing and it was the PERFECT girls night.  After the run we had so much adrenaline pumping through us we were laughing the whole way home!  Thanks for a great night ladies and people if there is anyone out there still reading my blog sign up for a fun run ASAP!

 

 

Cristine and I rocking our socks and awesome earings.  The Glow Run was basically a night run with everyone wearing as much glow stuff and bright colored clothes as possible!

It was at the Aloha Stadium and I wish I took pics while we were running but I was just soaking it all in!

First in line at the start line!  We were a little excited... (Brooke, me, Cristine, DeeDee) Note random creeper guy in the back.

Now note random creeper guys photo bombing! HA!

Finish line!  We were so bright we were GLOWING!  Loved the light up lei's!

19AUG13

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens has been on our to do list for a while so leave was a great time to go check it out.  We still waited for the weekend though b/c they give you little fishing poles and you can fish only on Saturdays and Sundays (it's catch and release.)  This was a beautiful place to walk around.  The kids loved everything about it even David got to get in on some duck feeding/playing action.  The fist were the brightest orange I have ever seen on fish and there were thousands of them ready to get the bread (seriously they fought the ducks for the bread and usually won!)  The best part is everything was completely free.  We packed a lunch and stayed for the day!  I love exploring with my family and how much time we get to spend outdoors together.

 

 

A small amount of the fish we saw.

Feeding the ducks!  There weren't a ton of people on this side of the lake because the fishing was on the other side so we had lunch over here and fed the ducks. David loved throwing the bread.

Just hanging around. ;)

They both caught at least 5 fish!

Ryan's turn

Trav did the fishing with them while David and I hung out on the blanket so it was quite the adventure when they both caught a fish at the same time.

You can not beat this view while fishing.

My sweet kiddos.