The Culture Here

Oahu is a hodgepodge - of people and plants :o). There are all kinds of different people and a zillion plants everywhere. I am blown away at God's creation. You look at the tropical areas, seeing so many different types of plants, bushes, flowers....just a glimpse of His creativity. It's all I can do on my morning runs to keep running and not fall down in worship. GORGEOUS, everywhere. I don't know how people can get used to this to a point where they take it for granted. Here are a few of my favorites.
The Hibiscus flower


Your basic palm tree. they are all mixed in around here. Brynne always walks around them because she is afraid of coconuts falling on her.

Plumeria trees. My fav - they smell awesome

Papaya trees. Between the fresh papaya, mango, and pineapple, it's a wonder we don't all have diabetes

the chinese banyan tree facinates me

The african tulip tree. I love the blossoms - they are beautiful mixed in all the green

The Myna birds walk around everywhere. They ALL sing at sunrise. Don't worry if you forget to set your alarm, they will take care of it.

As for the dialect - they have their own hawaiian language, but they mix it up like we do in texas (tex-mex). For example:
porch = lanai
appetizer = pupu
children = keiki
go to the restroom = go she-she (prob misspelled, but looks better that way)
neighbors/friends - auntie/uncle (instead of mrs/mr)
Hello/goodbye - Aloha
Thank you = Mahalo
There is a lot more, those are just a few. I never understand what people are talking about because it seems like every proper name here, whether it's a school or another location, starts with a "k" and has a lot of letters (mostly vowels) after it.
also - leave your shoes at the door of any home (even the nursery at church), therefore wear flipflops at all times
It's SOOOO humid - put everything in the fridge or it will mold. Forget about your hair. The good news is the beach will always make the humidity worth it!
The lifestyle is slower than Dallas that's for sure (except for school zones...no one slows down here for those). Slowing down the pace is definitely something we plan on bringing back with us. The girls are only small once :o(

As for Mother's Day, it was awesome..island style! Nice and relaxed. Had a great date night with the hubs fri, a long nap sat, breakfast in bed sunday and a North Shore drive. Great time with my favorites - mark it down as a great Mother's Day!
Aloha!