We're getting settled in Hawaii

Well, we are finally getting settled here in Hawaii just in time for Christmas. It was a bit unusual this morning decorating our tree in shorts and a T-shirt. It's been a long time since we lived in a place where it isn't cold in the winter (the last 19 years in Colorado).

We have been here for a month now. We went to the beach the first weekend and Brandon had a blast. He played in the sand and jumped in the waves (or on at least one occasion, the waves jumped him!!!). He loves the beach.

We live across from the stake center and another chapel and a block from the temple.  There are beautiful sunsets of the temple. I walk past it each morning and each evening as I go to and from work.

We also took a hike up the "mountain" behind our home on a path that leads to Laie Falls. We were told it was a short mile and a half hike to the falls so we left one afternoon to take a little break. Two hours later, we were still not at the falls and come to find out from our friends looking at the pictures I took, we were only about half way there. We turned around and came back because we only had about two hours left until it got dark. We made it safely but we'll have to go back another day and leave early in the morning in order to get to the falls.

Our mountains are a bit different. They have have flowers in the trees along with coconuts (watch out for the brown ones, they could fall at any second!!!!) and lots of ground cover. Then you turn around and look down from the mountain and you see the ocean. It is a beautiful site. They have told us the mountains are about 2000 feet tall. Different from Colorado but just as beautiful.