Our Favorite Keiki Beach

The boys and I managed three trips to our favorite keiki (Hawaiian word for child) beach this week: the Kelepolepo Fishpond. It's our favorite because there's a beautiful man-made rock wall that keeps out the bigger waves, and on calm days at low tide, it's almost as calm as a swimming pool. We also spot a lot of honu (Hawaiian word for turtle). This past Thursday we counted 17, which was the most I'd ever counted there at one time.

The uncle (Hawaiian term for any older man, especially if you don't know their name) that has been rebuilding the wall this year said that because this site is now better protected it attracts more honu to rest on the wall. He also built a shelf next to the wall, that sits just under the water, that makes an attractive nesting spot for the honu.

The honu we see here are Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles, which are the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world. They are native to Hawaii and are considered endangered. You are required by local and federal law to not go closer than 10 feet to them. Thankfully our boys have gotten used to this and they're pretty respectful of the turtle's space. So, if you ever come visit our beautiful island, please don't be that tourist who takes a photo sitting right next to one.

We love meeting friends at this beach and hanging out. A group of us moms with young kiddos started a group text so we can share when we are going and plan meet-ups.

It's fun to finally be at this stage with the boys where I can bring my chair and actually "sittervise" (supervising from a sitting position 😂), and visit with friends. It's the one thing that feels close to normal in this crazy world.

There are 14 honu in this photo! Can you spot any?

I thought being off of social media would leave me feeling isolated, but in the last few weeks, as I've kissed Facebook and Instagram goodbye for a spell, I've become more intentional about socializing face-to-face. Social media often gives us a false sense of socialization, making us feel like we're connected to people and relating to others, but the truth is it's just a poor counterfeit of the real deal. You can never replace in-person conversations where you can read body language, facial expressions, and enjoy conversations that go deeper than a meme.

Anyway, we've had a blast spending quality time with our friends at the Fishpond. It's been said that if you're lucky enough to live on an island, you're lucky enough. But I think we are awful blessed too!

Filled with Hope,