Aloha Bucket List

I can't believe we only have 4-8 months left on this island! As glad as I will be to live closer to family and get to enjoy the changing seasons again, I will also really miss this place. James and I don't want to leave here with any regrets so we made ourselves a bucket list. I'm sure we will add to it as time goes by but this is what we have so far:

{1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.}

Those of you that have spent time on Oahu, is there anything I have to add to my list? Those that haven't been here, what would you do if you came?

Oahu Spot: He'eia State Park

A few months ago James and I were experiencing a bad case of trapped-on-this-island fever wanted to get out and have some fun. We decided to go on a drive around the island, which is always a great reminder of how blessed we are to live here. I will spare you all the photos I took through the car windshield. However,  I wanted to show you this really rad place we found. (Yes, I just said rad. Deal with it. ;)

Once we had been driving for a little over an hour or so, the littles started getting a bit really cranky. I asked James to find us a place where it was safe for Josie to get out and run and I could sit and nurse Delilah for a few minutes. He found a random spot on the GPS and about 10 minutes (of screaming babies and stressful parents) later, we were there.. on a spot in the middle of a bridge? "Awesome choice, dear." (This moment of sarcasm, definitely not my proudest..) lo and behold just two minutes later we found He'eia State Park. (I'm so blessed to have a husband who still loves me at my worst. Sorry, my love!)

This park was beautiful, shaded by giant trees, lots of room for Josie to run, a variety of flowers to admire and smell. Oh, and did I mention.. had cats! There had to be 50 stray cats. All of them super sweet. They must be used to people, because most of them would just come right up and rub on your legs and beg for attention. Not only were there cats, but chickens as well. Even some with their baby chicks.

 Makes you wonder, if cats and chickens can live in harmony, why is it so hard for humans?

Anyways, this park was an awesome spot to stretch our legs. Josie loves cats, like her mama, so she was in heaven. Next time you're driving around Oahu, check out this park!

{1. mama chicken & chicks 2. Josie petting a kitty 3. So many cats! 4. That cat stuck his tongue out a lot 5. yawning 6. Josie loves kitties 7. Delilah and dada 8. Delilah and mama 9. Taking time to smell the flowers}

Oahu Spot: Bellows Beach Park

Today we went to James command picnic at Bellows Beach Park. We had driven past it before but never stopped for a visit. There is a public beach access and also a military beach access, we were at the military beach. Both part of the beach are beautiful.

My favorite part of this beach, there are tons of trees! I don't think I have ever seen a beach with so many trees before. The shade they gave was great heavenly. Even though we sat in the shade and put sunscreen on the girls, miss Delilah still got a sunburn. Does anyone have any good sunscreen recommendations?


Beach tip #1 - We have found that when going to the beach with littles, a laundry basket works wonders to haul beach gear. It holds much more than a beach bag, and as a bonus we can just hose it down after it inevitably gets filled with sand covered toys, wet towels, and pet rocks. (We brought home three today..)

Another thing I love about this beach, the sand! It was so fine and soft. The girls had a ball playing in it. James and I got to take a breather and wiggle our toes in it. It was wonderful. However, sand like that is the toughest to dust off when its tome to go home. I found a solution for that!

Beach tip #2 - Baby powder. Yes, baby powder! My best friends mom taught me this when we were growing up. If you dust baby powder over that dried sand on your feet (or if you're like me legs, arms, chest, forehead, etc..) it sucks up
 whatever moisture is making that sand cling to you and
 it dusts right off. Try it next time!

{The view to my right}

{The view to my left}

Overall it was a really great day. Next time you're headed for an Oahu beach, check this one out! For more information you can pop on over to this website. We will definitely try and visit again before we move next year.

Some cuteness for the road :)

This doesn't come naturally.

I will let you in on a little secret...
My house is not spotless. Not even a little. This is actually not a surprise at all to my family, or my best friends growing up. My mama always told me it looked like a tornado went through my room. My best friend, Brittany, used to clean my room for me when she came over. Yes, it was that bad.


 I tell you that slightly embarrassing piece of information  so that you know, when it comes to homemaking, I am no expert. Though I wish I was, and I someday hope to be. That's one reason why I started this blog. To document what I'm learning and share it with you. To ask for advice, share advice, and hopefully at the end of the day we will both be inspired to make our homes a little more homey.


The hardest part of keeping house for me is staying on top of the clutter. In the interest of full disclosure this is what my house looks like right now. (but in my defense we just got back from vacation. Also, our A/C is broken and its 500 thousand BILLION degrees and I do not want to move from my spot in front of the fan)

What about you? Does cleaning and organizing come naturally or do you have to really work at it? Which part of housekeeping takes the most work for you?