kolty's 4th birthday party

What a treat is was to celebrate the life of one of our favorite little boys - Kolton (middle right). The birthday boy had a soccer party, complete with the coolest birthday cake, soccer party favors, delicious BBQ, and watching the USA v. Portugal game. Never had we realized how loud a party of 4 year old boys could be! Everyone was running around, screaming, and sticking their faces in their cupcakes. As the baby of my own family, it was strange being apart of the grown-up crowd now. Thank you to our host family for including us in the birthday festivities and making us feel apart of their family.

first days in paradise

We welcomed our first day on the island together by waking up at 5:30 am to welcome the rising sun. Walking the mere 2 blocks to the beach I was so excited to see Tessa's reaction to finally being on the beach that we had been googling images of during the weeks leading up to our departure from the mainland.

What a beautiful sight this sunrise was, not just because of its picturesque nature, but because it is such a reminder of the Lord's creation. 

Tessa was able to turn the early morning sunrise into an early morning workout session while I had to return back to the house to get ready for work at the Kalapawai Cafe and Deli. 

After getting off work and Tessa acquiring a job at Peet's Coffee and Tea we met up with Cameron, a friend from college, and a new friend, David. The four of us did the Lanikai Pillbox hike - one of the easiest hikes on Oahu and the most scenic.

 The hike is very short but with sweeping views of Kailua and Lanikai, we took many stops to admire the breath-taking views.

The hike leads you to two pillboxes - remnants of WWII. 

After spending nearly an hour up at the pillboxes we headed down to Lanikai Beach to go swimming. How wonderful it was to just stay in the ocean, moving with the waves, and completely relaxing. 

At the end of the day we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with our host family and Greg's parents. You may be asking why I call them our host family since this isn't study abroad, but when the family that you are renting from brings you food, allows you to completely use their backyard, bikes, car, etc., we can't help but feel apart of their family.