culture.

You can find plenty of it here in Hawaii. That is one thing that I love about being here… so many people from so many different countries with so many different cultures you can learn about.

The polynesian cultural center (a.k.a. the PCC) is right next to campus and tons of students from BYU-hawaii work there but unfortunately I couldn’t get a job there since I’m blonde & white (racist?... maybe ;). Anyway dev & I went there yesterday to check it out and it was a lot fun. We learned many things about the different pacific islands, watched a guy climb a huge palm tree, had a tour in a canoe, learned how to get the coconut milk from coconuts, etc.

P.s. I’m taking a “folk dance of the pacific islands” class at byu so when I get home I can teach you all my sweet new dance moves from Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, & New Zealand. I'm sure you cant wait!

hawaii to-do list: #17. check!

good morning sunshine.

This morning I woke up feeling particularly happy because my english class was cancelled which meant no school & the day was mine.

I ate my bowl of cereal in my backyard watching the beach in its morning freshness and decided there was no better way to start my day than a run on the beach.

I went out there and just started running barefoot along the shore.... and kept running all the way past temple beach, hukilau, and whatever beach is after that.

I haven’t ran since before the accident & although I did slow it down more and take a few breaks on the way back, it felt so good. I can already feel the soreness in my calves since even just walking in the soft sand is a workout in itself. It feels so good to be active again.

boogie boarding.

why is it called that anyway?

dev and i have gone a few times now. catching a wave & riding it to shore is actually quite fun. i had never done it before and the first time we went i happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. a huuuuge wave was coming and i was standing precisely where it was going to break (if you are standing where a huge wave breaks; you won't be standing for long) so i saw it coming and in a panic i jumped on the board & tried to boogie board but went at the wrong time and yeeep.... the wave took me under. its not very much fun to do a twist/flip under the wave while salt water is forced up your nose & mouth :P yuuck. so i was skeptical to try it again thinking i'd paddle at the wrong time & the wave would nearly kill me again. but devin finally talked me into it after showing me when to go & i survived :) i haven't had that problem again luckily.

if there is one thing i have gained while here in hawaii it is a huge respect for the ocean. it is one powerful body of water. don't ever underestimate it that's for sure. the waves are supposed to be pretty small in the summer but lately the waves have still been plenty big to me. maybe its because i've never seen the 30 foot ones they have in the winter. freaky.

hawaii to-do list:

#6. check!

sunset beach.

dev & i got subway sandwiches (oh and how good did they taste.... anything here on the north side of the island tastes good when you have so little to choose from) and ate them at sunset beach while we watched the sun do its thing as it said goodnight to the world.

Hawaii to-do list:

#2. check!

happy.

happy to be here.

just happy to lay here.

i'm happy to know you.

memories to make.

i decided that if i don't write down my to-do list of things to do while i'm living here in hawaii then i'm going to put things off or forget because i find it really easy to just chill on the beach behind my house & read rather than going out and doing something. soooo... here is my (and devin's) list:

1. stairway to heaven

2. watch the sunset at sunset beach

3. eat at hukilau cafe, ted's bakery, kahuku grill, haleiwa eats & matsumotos

4. snorkel

5. spend a day in honolulu & waikiki

6. boogie board

7. camp on the beach

8. hike to a waterfall

9. kayak

10. get tan ;)

11. paddle surf

12. cliff jump

13. swap meet

14. pearl harbor

15. parasail

16. hike diamond head & crouching tiger

17. polynesian cultural center

18. dole plantation

19. china town

20. kava tea

21. china mans hat

22. coconut island

23. temple

24. goats island

25. hit all north shore beaches (or most of them)

26. and after doing all this in the month we have left..... get good grades (hehe)

can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?

i could really use a wish right now.

rooms.

if you, for some reason, had to leave your house for a long time and had only a minute to grab what you wanted to take... what would you take??

we could probably grab very few things & be fine without the rest.

as i unpacked my suitcase for my 7 week life here in hawaii i realized that i actually have everything i need to live (besides food & water, of course).

when it comes to material things its crazy how many unnecessary things we have. the clothes & shoes in my closet here, for example, are not even a fourth the clothes & shoes in my closet at home.

have you ever just thought about how much stuff we have? in our living rooms, offices, garages, closets, kitchens, storage rooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, sheds, etc.

when some people live with hardly anything and they are happy & don't seem to feel that they are missing anything.

my room in spain & now my room in hawaii has hardly anything in it but i am content with what i have.

i know we are blessed to have so much stuff but sometimes i think our lives just have too much stuff. i guess its just important to try to keep our lives simple so we don't get lost in all that stuff.

*the first picture is my room here in hawaii, the second picture was my room in spain, and the third is my room at home sweet home

hawaiian summer.

the past week basically flew by.

& my life changed.

i am now living in hawaii in the "canal house" & the beach is my backyard.

can you guess that i am lovinggg it? well yes, indeed i am!

my thoughts of the past 3 days.....

the flight: kind of long

the island: so green & pretty

the roommates: so nice & fun

the beaches: amazing

the canal house: a fun little beach house

(the beach backyard makes up for any bugs that tend to creep in the house)

the people: friendly

the food: expensive

the campus: small (in a good way)

life is good here on the island. when i'm sitting in my living room listening to the ocean waves outside our window i realize again that i'm really living in hawaii. i'm sure the next six weeks are going to come & go so let the adventures begin :)