Adventures in Hawaii

 

Hawaii is still going great! Here is a pic of our potluck we had for when two of our therapists were leaving. I made pasta salad and Erin made fruit pizza. We definitley stuffed ourselves and enjoyed socializing with everyone at lunch.

 

 

Last weekend we ate at Hawaiian Style Cafe. We were told about how big the portions were but I was shocked on how big the pancakes were! The food was great and needless to say, I had plenty of leftovers to take home!

 

 

And I know some of you guys think we don't work here in Hawaii so here is a pic of us at work :-)

 

 

On Wednesday we went to the Kalapana Night Market with a few co-workers. It was about a 35 minute drive down south of Hilo. Before we explored the market, we went to the Kaimu Black Sand Beach which is just to the left of the market. Before it got dark, we walked through the lava rock to get to the beach. The view was beautiful. The tide was high so the water came all the way up to the rocks that we were standing on. They said when the tide is low, that you can walk on the beach. There is a picture that shows some of the black sand. It was very peaceful! We then went and explored the market. It is like a farmers market with music, entertainment, shopping, and lots of food! We had a blast looking at all the booths and eating some great food! We will probably be visiting the market again soon! 

 

Saturday morning we went to Honoka'a. We had heard that there was a store named Tex Drive In. They are known for their Malasadas. They are amazing donuts and you can get them filled with different flavors. I got one without any filling and then one filled with strawberry! They were delicious. Erin had one plain and one with apple and she said hers were great too! It was definitely worth the hour drive.

 

 

 

After stuffing our faces with Malasadas we headed up to Waipio Valley to see the amazing view we have heard so much about. It was a great view and so peaceful to look out over the water. I am glad we went!

 

  

  

  

First week in Hilo!

Well my time in Hawaii is going good so far! The first week of work went well. The majority of the rehab staff are all travelers as well. The first day was orientation type stuff and then by day 2 we were treating patients, starting with 2-3 people and now our caseload is about 6-7 at this point, which is full caseload. I am learning a lot being in a new setting but I am enjoying it so far! On the weekend, Erin and I went to Richardsons beach and laid out and enjoyed watching the people in the water. We were told that this is the beach that has huge turtles that you can see on the edge and swim with if you get in the water. We did not get in the water, but we did go to the edge and take some pictures of the huge turtles!

 

 

 

 

 After being at the beach, we decided to go eat at Ken's House of Pancakes, which everyone has told us about. One of the island favorites is called a Loco Moco. That is the one in the picture with the egg on top. It is rice, a hamburger patty, grilled onions, gravy and an egg on top. You can get a Sumo Loco Moco at Ken's and if you do, then they hit a gong and everyone in the restaurant says "Sumo!" Me and Erin chimed in and yelled Sumo a few times, it was fun! Erin ordered the Loco Moco and I ordered the fried noodles with spam. Spam is huge here in Hawaii and I am glad, because I like spam! I wasn't quite sure how it would taste, but it was actually pretty good!

 



 

 

 

Sunday we decided that we were going to go get our nails done and then go to the movies. Here is a picture of my nails! I absolutely love them! We went and saw 22 Jump Street and got some popcorn, candy and nachos. The movie was funny and we had a great day!

 

Day In Downtown Hilo

Today we decided to go explore downtown Hilo. We walked up and down the street full of shops and then went to the farmers market and then there were also arts and crafts booths set up across the street. We definitely found some cute things that we will probably go back and buy during the time we are here. I have been looking for an anklet and we found a booth that had footlets and anklets and we both got one. I absolutely love it! Then we went to a burger place that we were told has great burgers and had a couple of the island's beers. It was a great day full of shopping and exploring. We got some pictures of the water which was absolutely beautiful. We are going to try to find the beach tomorrow to lay out and relax before starting work on Monday.

Hilo Hawaii

June 4th Erin and I packed up and headed to Hawaii to start our next 13 week assignment. My mom was so cute and brought leis with us to the airport to drop me off and took me and Erin's picture before we left!

Our first flight was to Seattle and then we had a 2 hour layover which was just enough time for us to eat before boarding. Then the flight from Seattle to Hawaii was about 5 hours. We flew into Kona which is just on the opposite side of the island of Hilo. We got Erin's rental car and then drove to our Hotel. It was late when we got in, so we just went to bed. Here is a picture of the little paper they had on the airplane to Hawaii and the hotel, Kona Seaside Hotel.

This morning we got up and packed our bags and got on the road to head to Hilo, which was about an hour and a half. We first stopped at the airport to pick up my rental car. Here is a picture! I like the car so far! We are going to trade in Erin's Ford Focus tomorrow for a better one, due to the transmission not working properly.



We then got the house and it is absolutely everything we could have hoped for. The pictures just can't do it justice. It is right by a stream and that is the room I picked, by the stream, so that I can listen to the water all night. The windows are all open with screens on them and they stay open all the time. That is how the cool air gets in. I don't even see a thermostat for heat or air in the home. How all the windows are positioned are done so to have a crosswind through the house to keep it cool. It is definitely different then what I am used to but it is also pretty neat to experience! Right now as I sit at my desk in my room, it is raining and the sound and breeze from the rain is very soothing. Here are a couple of pictures.
Needless to say we are both extremely happy with the house and the area so far! I will blog when stuff comes up!