Easter Weekend and Ho'omaluhia

Hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend with loved ones.

This past week has been an eventful one. I just posted last Wednesday, but it feels like ages ago now. Thursday was my dear Momma's birthday. I think it was a special one because my little sister made a surprise trip up from North Carolina for the long weekend. They seemed to have enjoyed the weekend time together.

Thursday I went snorkeling with Jo and her boys. I just love the drive to the southeast side of the island. The rocky coastline just begs for you to stop and take several photos. The waves were pretty big that day so it made for a nice photo shoot.

Friday I spent the afternoon with Amanda and her little girl Rhiannon. Even Rhiannon is in the Project Spectrum mood. She was sportin' the cutest orange and yellow outfit. We had a yummy lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. Here she is perching on our chair. Too cute!

Sunday morning our church celebrated Easter with 3 other Kailua churches by holding a sunrise service on the beach. It was a beautiful morning, windy, but beautiful. The most glorious part of the service was when several people were baptized in the ocean. It was an amazing representation of what Christ did for us and how we are able to die to our old selves and rise to walk in the newness of life! Christ's death and resurrection have given us life! It was a special morning. I was blessed to celebrate the Resurrection morning with Amaya and Marc. We took a quick picture before we headed to the church building for a yummy breakfast.

That afternoon and evening was spent with my closest friends on the island. Jo and I spent the afternoon on the beach with her boys. We then joined Amaya, Marc and my neighbor, Lacy, for dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Kailua. (That is Famous Amos in the the center with his wife on the end. Yes, Famous Amos, as in, the cookie guy. He came into the restuarant so of course we had to get a picture. We are all addicted to our cameras.)

Lacy and I have been spending more time together lately and she has been a joy to get to know. Her husband is currently on the mainland for training so it has been nice to get to spend the extra time with her. She clicked with our group right away...a goofy group of friends.

Later that night we crashed at Jo's for dessest. Yes, it was a day of eating, like a true holiday. Jo had made two cheesecakes and pinkies. (Two cheesecakes, I don't know why two...) Amaya had made these mini carrotcake cupcakes with creamcheese frosting. They were so cute bitesized, but dangerous because you could eat three before you realized it...
Overall the day was special even without family to celebrate with. Of course I was wishing I could have family nearby, but God has blessed me with dear friends that can fill the family void for now.

Today I went to Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe with Jen. I visited this same garden with Lauren and Kris when they visited in October. I just recently bought a book about Hawaii flora and several plants have their main blooming time in the spring, even with the constant warm weather. I wanted to experience that while I was here, so off we went to Kaneohe.

It rained last night, so we had to get over the inital muddiness of the low lands around the freshwater lake. After we cleaned ourselves up from the muck that swallowed up our shoes, and took to higher ground, the day went more smoothly. When I say garden, it is deceiving. This place is massive; 400 acres to be exact. It is tucked away in the most majestic land right next to the Ko'olau mountain range that graces this side of the island. One would never know it was there because it is surrounded by neighborhoods. It takes seeking out to find this diamond of the Windward side.

I took several pictures of the plants, but the ones that are showcased in this entry are all orange and yellow for Project Spectrum. Here is the Coral Tree:
We pulled up into the parking lot and this was right in front of our car. I had never seen this tree before so it was an immediate treat.


This delicate blossom is not in my little flower book, but I still had to take a picture of the vibrant yellow face.

These little flowers were so charming! Again my little book was not adequate enough to find out what kind of plant this is. I am planning on doing a little bit of research once I finish this entry.

This plant is too distinct to not decipher. This is the helconia and it is related to the banana plant. This is the rainbow helconia. The bird of paradise, one of my favorite plants, is in the helconia family as well. Unfortunatly we were not able to find any bird of paradise today, but I will have to post one when I do get a picture.

Another picture of a flower that is yet to be identified. I had to post it though, it was too sweet, even with bugs on it.

I leave you all with the most popular Hawaiian flower, the hibiscus. I like this variety with the petals that fold behind the face.

Much Love!