Aloha, Hawai'i

Today was my last day visiting my long time friend, Robyn (Robina, Robs, Robsy), in her new home in Kaneohe on the isle of Oahu. The trip was beautiful, amazing, relaxing, and so much fun. Some of the highlights of our trip were the hike on Hawaiian Falls Trail that led to a secluded lagoon and waterfall; a trip to the North shore where we went snorkeling, ate shrimp off the back of truck, and visited sea turtles in their natural habitat; a visit to Paradise Cove where we attended a traditional Polynesian luau, drank mai tais, and enjoyed a choreographed hula show; and of course, lots of time on the scenic beaches, playing in the surf and being pummeled by the crashing waves in our attempts at boogie-boarding.

Something that really made this trip seem like a true vacation and not one of those stressful, activity-filled vacations was the fact that instead of coming home to a generic hotel room when the activities of the day ended, we came home to an actual home. A home where I felt welcome. A place where there was food in the pantry and episodes of Oprah Ti-Vo'd. It was a good feeling. It made this vacation seem like an escape from the mundane routine of everyday life at home, but at the same time, it was not a removal from the comfortable feeling of being home. It was kind of the best of both being away and being at home all mushed together. I liked it.

I'm so happy I was able to come visit. I wish everyone could have a good friend that lives in Hawai'i. It does the mind and body good.

Here are some pics from my time here. They don't really do this gorgeous island justice.

A view of the cliffs from one of the beaches.

Notice the tiny lighthouse at the top of the cliff.

One thing that's great about living in a tropical paradise is that

people will stop to enjoy a beautiful sunset along side of you.

And they were always beautfiul.

A beach at dusk

Stephanie and I pretended to be sea creatures. Can you guess what creatures we might be?

This is Stephanie and I in front of Chinaman's Hat- an offshore island known for it's unique shape and it's politically incorrect name.

This is me licking an otter pop (it's actually a monk seal, but who ever heard of a monk seal pop?)