Chasing Waterfalls (A Hawaiian Christmas)

If there's one thing I'm learning about hiking in Hawaii, it's that the experience is more about the journey than the destination. A little like the Christmas season, I think. Because sometimes it seems that before you've even finished your morning coffee, it's over. And you're left sitting in a pile of trash, hungry, and counting how many new toys your kids have already broke. Or maybe that was just me.

But the events leading up to that moment, now those are the memories I want to hold on to. And my favorite holiday, Christmas Eve, certainly lived up to its reputation this year.

It's rainy season here, which means that it not only rains a lot, but it's also typically overcast and cool during the day. And by cool I mean mid-70s. It's lovely for us locals--a subtle shift in seasons and a chance to actually wear jeans. But probably not the best time of year to visit. And also not the best time of year for hot water (for those of us using solar panels.) So we celebrated Christmas all on our own this year. It was my first time, in 33 years, not spending the holiday in Pennsylvania. (Jon's only missed one year while he was deployed a few months before our wedding.) And while, in some ways, I was looking forward to spending the day with just our little family and doing our own thing, it still was a little sad to feel so distant from all our families. So we decided to start some new traditions, and that began with a hike on Christmas Eve day.

We let the kids open a gift early--new Hydro Flasks all around! Jon and I love ours and the cheap knock-offs we bought the boys for school didn't last the first semester. So we decided that it was worth the $100+ it cost to outfit our brood with quality water bottles. And like the good, little Hawaiians they're becoming, our kids were thrilled! Some of them actually sleep with their water bottles. Kinda like a beloved stuffed animal. (It also saves me from those bedtime delaying cup-o-water-runs.)

Our kids haven't had tons of experience with hikes and we weren't quite sure just what they could handle, so we decided to start out with Likeke Falls. There's two different ways to access this trail--one from the Pali Lookout and the other from the Presbyterian Church parking lot (which is what we did.)

Thankfully, we had a few friends do this hike recently and they warned us that the turnoff to the waterfalls is easy to miss. In case we have any friends planning to do this hike in the future, this is what you're looking for (it's on the right if you're coming from Kaneohe, on the left if you're coming from the Pali.)

The Old Pali stone road.

That white tape means turn here!

Look for this tree!

It was a fairly easy hike for the kids. I even noted to Jon that our boys must have reached that stage where it's no longer cool to hang out with mom and dad--they were up ahead of us the entire time. Julia managed it just fine and Joci was on Jon's back (which made crawling under branches a bit of a challenge for him.)

There were a few people on the trail along with us, but nothing like our visit to Manoa Falls back in October. Plus, the big group ahead of us originally missed the turnoff. So we had a good 15 minutes at the falls all by ourselves before they looped back around.

We had a fun time at the top letting the kids splash around, hang off some branches, and climb the highest point for some gorgeous views. And Jon and I were able to climb a little bit higher on the waterfall. And yes, this is the waterfall. Basically it's a 15 foot high stream. I mean, it's nice, but I've seen way more impressive falls for a lot less effort in Pennsylvania. Jon says I'm crazy and need to get out more. So I'll qualify this by reminding you all that I've only seen 3 waterfalls up close and only on the island of Oahu. On my bucket list for the next 3.5 years is to hike to a truly jaw-dropping fall. Until then, we'll just enjoy the journey. Oh, and those views!

We were pretty muddy by the time we got back. And since the hike ended up being easier and shorter than we imagined, we decided to just grab some drive-thru lunch and do another one.

And we thought this was muddy!

Jon and I have both had our eye on the Maunawili Falls Trail for a while, but the reviews were spotty. For one, I wasn't sure if my kids could manage 3 miles. And then there was the mud. Literally every review mentions the mud. One description says there are a few stream crossings. Um, not quite. At one point, you are actually hiking up a stream. Not crossing it. But honestly, by that point we were so incredibly muddy, it didn't matter anyway.

So fresh! 

This was actually a really fun hike through lots of jungly wilderness. My favorite part were the views at the top (because you actually hike up and then down again.) The mud was a little challenging. My calves are still sore from 4 days ago. And it's muscles that have never been sore before. But I guess that's because I've never hiked in mud before.

Julia struggled on this trail. She and I spent a lot of time together since the men + Joci were usually way up ahead. I mean, her stride is so much shorter than mine and she had a tough time sidestepping all the roots and mud puddles. We had some quality conversations about overcoming adversity and learning to find joy in seemingly difficult situations. You know, real life skills. We also found that Lia greatly responded to some verbal encouragement. So whenever she'd announce that her energy tank was getting low, we all started cheering her on to fill her back up again.

This waterfall was a bit more crowded, mainly because there was a group of hot shot young men jumping off the cliff after making us all wait 15 minutes for them to build up courage. But the trail itself was fairly empty and it ended up being a beautiful, mild afternoon for a hike.

Lia called this 'Punzel's Hair!

We made it to the end!

Naturally, we were all exhausted when we got home. It took a while to empty out the van, hose down all our shoes, strip the kids, and get them in the shower. We were halfway through the girls' tubby (at 4:20) when we realized that the Christmas Eve event that we thought started at 6:00 actually started at 5:00. It was 40 minutes away. Jon and I still needed showers. The kids all needed dressed up. And the cookies for the exchange still needed cut. We did it all in 25 minutes and limped in (because we had to park a mile away and walk) to the Admiral's Lighthouse just as the service was starting.

I still had mud on my leg and Jack had muds in his ears!

The Coast Guard Admiral lives at the base of Diamond Head in a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was a gorgeous evening. The Chaplain did some advent readings interspersed with singing Christmas Carols while the sun went down and then we all lit candles as night fell on the lighthouse.

It was quite magical, for Jon and I. And pure torture for four kids who were not acting at all like they had just hiked all day. (Perhaps it had something to do with skipping dinner and instead grabbing a fistful of cookies for the car ride there.) We ended up forfeiting our seats and moving to the back of the grassy lawn where four children spent two hours wrestling, climbing the lighthouse, making unnecessary trips to the bathroom, and turning on their candles at all the wrong moments. Memories!

At the end of the evening, Jon took the girls up to the top of the lighthouse for one last view. They spotted a red light blinking out on the ocean and came rushing down to the rest of us yelling that we had to leave RIGHT NOW because they saw Rudolph and knew Santa was on his way! So we all hustled to the car and no one fell asleep on the way home because it was all just too exciting!

And that was Christmas Eve! By far my favorite part of the holiday. Christmas Day I woke up to the kids "trying" (and failing) to be quiet in their rooms until 6:30 (the time we said they could come out.) The day was a blur of cookies and hot chocolate (that Joci spilled, because it wouldn't be Christmas if  someone didn't spill their hot chocolate,) the Christmas Story, opening gifts, video-chatting with both our families and some of our friends, football, a quasi-fancy dinner that no one liked, and lots of clean-up.

Because you can't do Christmas without a fire!

Thankfully, everyone was worn out enough that we could trick them into an early bedtime. Time to rest up. Because now begins winter break, with four kids at home, during rainy season. And that is an adventure all on its own!

Welcome to [the second half of] my house

Last post I left you with my creepily-lighted laundry room, er, closet. Probably not the most attractive note to end on. But if there's one thing I'm learning while living here in paradise, it's that you need some rain to make a rainbow. So let's start the second half of our house tour with our house's lil' pot 'o gold--the patio.

Yes, I called it a patio. Everyone else here would probably call it a lanai but according to my extensive research, a lanai is covered. And since I'm already super apprehensive about my shaky grasp on the Hawaiian language, I'm just going to stick with what I know. This patio is not covered. At least, it wasn't for the first two months we lived here. We went through a few different options, including a giant sail shade, before settling on this arrangement--a gazebo over the table and a large umbrella over the sitting area.

You may remember the big mess this spot was when we first moved in. The cement was covered in a layer of algae that made a spongy noise when you walked on it and smelled like a dirty fish tank. Not to mention hid about a dozen rusty staples that my kids kept stepping on. So we bought a power washer and Jon went to work revealing a whole new floor. Then he repainted and sealed it, a process that took longer than expected since he could only work on non-rainy days. We threw down some outdoor rugs, got a good deal on patio furniture, and wa-la, the transformation was complete.

It's practically like having another room. The only thing missing is a TV. Outdoor televisions on lanais are a thing around here and the only reason I suggest it is because Sunday nights get a little dicey around here when PBS Masterpiece is on at the same time as football.

We love to hang out here or eat dinner--and I'm not just saying that because it's so much easier to clean up. It also tends to be cooler/breezier and a little less claustrophobic. I'd say we eat here all the time but the truth is, we don't. We'll go through a few rainy days, get in the habit of eating inside, and then forget we have the table out here for a few weeks. And then we'll have guests over or throw a party and remember again.

Once again, we love our dreamy backyard. Even though we are just a few feet away from our neighbors on either side, tall fences + thick foliage give us the illusion of privacy. You don't realize how close you are until someone starts to get loud. Like last night at dinner, when Jack was yelling back and forth with his classmate next-door. Or when the typically-quiet neighbor on the other side starts on this hacking/gagging cough thing that freaked me out a bit when we first moved in. Let me just say, living almost on top of one another in a climate where everyone keeps their windows open all the time is interesting. And I'm not just saying that because I'm super-convicted about the way I talk to my kids sometimes.

Speaking of those little guys, you may have noticed the second door and windows along the patio wall. That would be Jon's and my bedroom door and the bathroom windows. When I'm in the bathroom and the kid's can't reach me, (and I do mean just me, the kids never bother Jon) they usually run outside and start talking to me through the window. I feel like they purposely wait until I'm in the shower to ask for a snack.

And then there's the door. It's been a bit of a creepy adjustment having an outside door in our bedroom. We didn't sleep so well the first few nights feeling a tad "exposed." It's also an adjustment when the kids leave it open all.the.time and all sorts of creatures end up in our bedroom. But it is a nice alternate route to the back of the house--like when I want to sneak to my room without Joci spotting me. Or when I want to sneak out to the hammock with a book for a few minutes. Or when I want to sneak out of the house to make a quick grocery store run without a bunch of kids asking to go with me on a "date." I know it sounds like I do a lot of sneaking about. But living in around 1600 feet with 6 people causes you to really value your personal space!

Back to the main house! Off the kitchen/dining/living area is the hallway to the rest of the house. It's also the location for our linen closet and craft/game closet (because storage space is everything here, have I mentioned that enough times yet?) First door on the right is our guest room. It's not much, but it is a room, with a door and a closet. The one disadvantage to this room is that it's right next to the living room, and the windows are perpendicular to the living room window. Which means that if you are a guest sleeping in our guest room, and my kids wake up at 5:55am and start playing not-so-quietly in the living room, it probably sounds like they're right next to your head. But at least you'd still be a guest in Hawaii, right? Rain/rainbows, baby.

We've already had our first two visitors--my parents and Jon's parents--come test things out. I feel like this room is not being used to its full potential. I'd love a Murphy Bed in here so it could function in other ways when we don't have visitors. But for now, it's my music room (we put the keyboard under the bed when people are visiting.) The study (when I have to separate the boys during homework time.) And the trampoline (just kidding, the kids are not supposed to be jumping on this bed.

Across the hall is one other disadvantage for guests, whether overnight or just here for a few hours, they have to share a bathroom with my offspring. In my dream house, the kids would have their own bathroom. Or even just a urinal for the boys would be nice. Like, in the garage or something. Boys are so gross. That is all.

The kids' rooms are very similar--same size and layout. Both the boys and girls have Ikea bunk beds--great for saving space, not-so-great for keeping your head when the ceiling fan is on. Windows yet again play an interesting role here. Since their rooms are side-by-side, you can often hear Team Girl and Team Boy yelling back and forth to each other after lights out.

Girls Room

Not much has changed in the kids' room since our move. We've cut back on clothes and stuffed animals--both of which seem to grow despite my efforts. And while we keep most of our toys out in the main living space, the have their Legos in their room and the girls have their dolls and dress-up/pretend play stuff in their room so we can still maintain something resembling "room time" aka, mommy needs you in your own little space for a time.

Boys Room

We're at that age where I find little notes everywhere.

And last but not least, the Master Bedroom. As far as fitting old furniture into new spaces, this room presents the biggest challenge. While the square footage would probably be fine, the fact that the room is a rectangle rather than a square makes things difficult. There's not enough room for two bedstands. And we're definitely putting that king size bed dream on hold for the next few years. Because of our the type of windows we have, our only option for AC (which is pretty much a must in the summer) is that massive portable unit in the corner.

We do have two closets though (something we didn't have in the last house), but we end up sharing them anyway since Jon's half is almost entirely taken up by a chest of drawers. And we actually leave the doors open like this most of the time. Not so much because we're lazy, but because (a) they're old and really hard to close and (b) it helps cut down on mildew in the closet. Lovely, right? Rain and rainbows. It's all just rain and rainbows.

And we'll finish the tour in the master bathroom--yet another room that makes us wonder "what were they thinking?" For instance, instead of making this side a vanity + a sink, it's a vanity on the left connected by a pipe to the sink on the right. I just don't get it. Again, notice those great views of the back patio (and easy communication avenue) from our toilet and shower.

And from here I think we'll just sneak on out the back door to hammock for some quiet time, which is pretty precious around here. And that wraps up the tour of our FIFTH home since we got married over 10 years ago. Mahalo for joining us here on the beautiful island of Oahu!