Last week we went to one of the other islands for 3 days- we stayed in Hanalei, on Kauai becuase that is where my family used to vacation and I really wanted to go back. We had the best time. When we arrived, we rented a convertible (Yay!) and drove up the highway to Hanalei. Just like the North Shore, Kauai only really has one road. We went straight to the beach at the bay and took a walk past all the houses we used to stay in. It was really gorgeous and relaxing. That night we walked around the shops and had dinner at Bubba Burgers, which is a really famous burger joint that Jules and I LOVE. We had woken up at 4:30am to get to the airport that morning though, so the first night we stayed in and went straight to bed. The second day we woke up to rain (what a surprise, Hanalei is the rainiest spot on earth...no joke) but it stopped by mid morning so we decided to continue with our plan to hike into the NaPali Coast. One whole side of Kauai is completely mountainous and impassable and the only way to get from side to side is hiking. Anyways, it is a very strenuous 2 day hike if you do the whole thing, so Tricia and I just hiked in 2 miles to a popular beach on the trail. It was so scenic and gorgous- the flowers you find inside are so amazing! It was kind of a difficult hike becuase it was pretty muddy, but overall so pretty.

That night we went to the local bar called the Tahiti Nui. I always remember my parents talking about the Mai Tai's at Tahiti Nui so I had to have one. They were very delicious but I am a little shocked that my parents used to drink them when they were responsible for young children. No wonder. Anyways, the bartender was cute, the guitar player from Don Ho was playing classic tunes, and the lady next to us was from CT so it was all in all a great night. I even danced with a bunch of cougars!


After we came back from Kauai we have been very busy here. Aunt Ruthie is house-sitting at a gorgeous house right on the beach in Honolulu so we stayed with her this weekend. It has a giant pool right on the water and the most amazing view of the bay. Sunday we had a barbecue and Sunway and her husband came over with some friends and they had an amazing jam session. One of her friends made sushi, and I grilled some BBQ chicken and we all watched the sunset.

Monday we were tourists around Hawaii. We started the morning by hiking up Diamond Head which is a giant crater from a Volcano next to Waikiki. It is a short hike up the path to the top and has gorgeous views of Honolulu. Then we had lunch at the Kona Brewery. Kona is the local brewery and the only beer we drink here. After lunch we drove up the windward side of the island. We stopped at about 284502745042 scenic waypoints and beaches. Seriously, every beach here is amazing.

Quick story- we were at the local bar Breakers the other night and it was pretty empty except for this group of guys having an extreme dance party. One of the guys stopped to talk to me for a second, and we were getting to know each other, etc etc when all the sudden the song Funky Town comes on. He stops dead in his sentence, looks at us and goes "Excuse me. I need to go to Funky town." And then proceeds to shimmy back onto the dance floor. Tricia and I almost wet our pants. Needless to say, I am now in love. That's him in the white.

Touring the Island and Surfing

We finally went to Pearl Harbor, the day we dropped Sean off at the airport. We did a touristy day where we stopped at Dole Pineapple Plantation and then went to Pearl Harbor. Dole Pineapple Plantation was a trip- we went on the "Pineapple Express Train" with all these tourists. It actually wasn't a complete rip-off because the grounds of the plantation are so beautiful. Also I was reading Hawaii by James Michner so I was learning a lot about the pineapple crop anyways. The we went to the Arizona Memorial. It was really beautiful and touching. We watched a 30 minute movie before we took the boat out to the memorial which is right over where the USS Arizona sunk. It is so sad how many people died on that ship. They say there are still over 1000 men entombed in the Arizona.

Monday night we went to our usual bar, Red Lion, and we ended up seeing a bunch of friends we have made who were all there. We also met a team of Australian Rugby players who were really fun. They had won thier tournament in Sydney and the trip to Hawaii was their prize. We had a blast with them and hung out with them again later in the week. We also went surfing again with our neighbor Jake this weekend and then again today. Where we surf it is so pretty- it is on a reef so there are turtles everywhere. Today I was paddling out and literally 5 feet from my board a turtle popped its head out to say hi to me. I am getting better- the hardest part is paddling and catching the waves. I have no
problem standing up and riding in.

Tuesday we went to the Spa at turtle Bay- I got a coconut hair treatment because my hair is really dry and gross here from being in the water so much. It was really nice and then we stayed and had dinner at one of the restaurants. We watched the sunset over the gorgeous bay. Very romantic.
Yesterday we drove around the Windward Side of the Island. It was definitely the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in my life. The road right on the water and the contrast between the green mountains and turquoise water is amazing. We drove all the way down to Kailua which is a small city and had lunch and went to the beach for a bit and then drove back. This is a picture of us in front of Chinaman's hat- an island that is shaped like a hat and a very famous tourist attraction. In case you are worried I am not coming home, here's a few reasons why although Hawaii is so beautiful and fun, I definitely could NOT live here forever.

1) Our neighbors wake us up by smoking pot at 8 in the morning a couple times a week.

2) Everyone drinks and drives ridiculously. Its horrible. When we go to the bar we always leave a little early to make sure we aren't on the road with all the wasted people.

3) We meet a lot of cute boys, but they are either really dumb surfers or they are in the military and headed to Iraq for a year.

4) So we go to this bar Cholo's in Haleiwa about 3 times a week and we always have the same waiter- he is really cute and funny and we usually see him out a few times a week. Yesterday we went to Cholo's and his arm was all wrapped up. Why you ask? He got STABBED.

5) Last night some local guys started talking to us at the bar. They then decided to give us a lecture on why you shouldn't do crystal meth (they call it ice here). Their reasoning? Because "crack is so much better for you."

Tricia's Birthday was on Monday so we went into Waikiki for the night and stayed at the Waikiki Parc Hotel. When we got there we walked around and did some shopping and then we got ready for our dinner at Nobu! (Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Carey!) Nobu is a very famous sushi restaurant- it was delicious food but very expensive. Then we went out for the night and bar hopped- we started at Senor Frogs which was fun but a very mixed crowd- there was even this weird old woman ballroom dancing on the dance floor. Then we went to this bar called Red Lion and it was locals night so it was really fun. We actually met a bunch of people from CT who live here now! Tuesday we spent the day at the pool and then came back to the North Shore.

On Wednesday morning we picked up Sean at the airport! Since he has been here we have had so much fun going to the beach, going out, barbequing...and surfing! We all took a surf lesson on Thursday- I cheated since I've been surfing like 10 times before- and everyone stood up on the board! Also, our instructor happens to be our neighbor so thats great. Probably the highlight of the week was Friday when we went to Hanauma Bay to snorkel- it is a really amazing nature preserve and you wouldn't believe the amount of gorgeous tropical fish we saw! Every color and shape in the rainbow and you could get really close because the fish were used to human interaction. The other nights we spent in town. We are really figuring out the North Shore and getting acclimated- the waiters are starting to recognize us, and we have been making some friends. So far so good!

Tricia is Here!

Tricia finally arrived on Thursday and the first day we went to Waimea Bay which is one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in Hawaii. In the winter you cannot even go near the water because the waves can top 30 feet and current is so strong, but right now it is a gorgeous swimming bay. (Although it is still hard to get out of the water because the current pulls you backwards..) I went snorkeling in the bay for fun and there was a sea turtle swimming next to me! We also stopped at this beach called Laniakea where giant turtles sun themselves. It looked staged with these humongous turtles just sitting on the beach but it was real!

Yesterday we went to Sunset Beach and then drove down to Honolulu to the Sheraton Waikiki to meet up with Aunt Ruthie and see my cousin Sunway sing at one of the bars on the beach. It was so fun- the view was gorgeous and it was so nice to see Sunway! The we went to the Halekulani Hotel (one of the most exclusive hotels in Waikiki) and had a drink on the patio listening to a traditional Hawaiian band with a hula dancer. Tricia and I are both still trying to get over colds so we came home early last night and today we are just lounging around and may go into town later.

Arriving on the North Shore

I arrived to Hawaii on Tuesday- my flights went fine and my bags and everything arrived safely. I picked up my car- a turquoise Toyota Yaris- I guess you get what you pay for, ha! Then I went to Aunt Ruthie's school and picked her up and we headed to the North Shore. It was so nice to talk to her and catch up in the car- I haven't seen her in over 4 years so it was soooo nice to see her. My real estate agent met us at the Condo- it is so gorgeous. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, clean, open, airy- just perfect. It is located right on this quiet little beach. It is not really a swimming beach, more of a snorkeling beach becuase of the coral, but in the afternoon sea turtles come up near shore and swim around and it is so beautiful! Tuesday night Aunt Ruthie slept over- we had burgers in Haliewa town and then pretty much went straight to bed. Wednesday we went to Wal Mart and Costco so I could pick up the things I needed, then I headed back up to Waialua and she went into school for the afternoon. I drove to the beach for a late afternoon swim, then came back to the condo to watch the sunset and cook dinner. Today I am headed to the library and then to Waimea Bay for a bit before I pick up Tricia at the airport!


On a side note, I am pretty much in love with this place- it is pure heaven. At night I listen to the surf crashing outside my window and when I wake up I stare at the beautiful water. I went for a run near the mountains this morning and it was so peaceful and safe and pretty. Don't worry though, I AM coming back. Come visit!

Vegas

Celebrating Morgan's 21st in Vegas was a blast. It was Sigal, Morgan and I (friends from college ski team) and we stayed at the Luxor aka the giant pyramid hotel. Our room was great- really cheap and plenty big for the three of us. The first night we were all exhausted so we went to Mixx Bar on top of the Mandalay which was gorgeous becuase it had amazing views of the strip. The next day we walked around Vegas seeing a bunch of Casino's like the MGM, New York New York, Excalibur. It must have been Morgan's lucky day because she won $30 in the quarter slots!

That night we went to LAX, which is this awesome club in our hotel which a lot of celebrities go to. We happened to meet a bunch of brothers at the club who were there celebrating one of the brother's 21st birthday. In a twist of fate, they were all 6'6'' or above, so it was hilarious seeing them next to 4'9'' Morgan. During the days we spent most of our time at our pool because it was so hot out, around 105 degrees. Sigal did a bunch of gambling at the blackjack tables but I didn't really do any so that I could save my money for the next two months.
On Saturday Heather came to visit from LA. We ended up at the Wynn Hotel at this amazing bar called Blush- very high end. The Wynn is one of the most exclusive hotels in Vegas. We had a blast dancing and we met a bunch of funny Spanish guys who kept buying us drinks all night (thank god because the drinks were so expensive). The next day Morgan and Sigal headed back to Boston pretty early and Heather and I and her friend Kendall went to the Palms pool for the afternoon before we headed back to LA.

The drive back to LA wasn't too bad- I thought it was pretty in the desert will all the mountains. In LA I wasn't feeling to great but we went to Hermosa Beach for Labor Day and it was really fun- the waves were big and the water was warm. We also got some Mexican food and Sangria at this restaurant with two of Heather's friends who happened to be from New London, CT.