Going Going Back Back to Cali Cali!

Let the countdown begin! We love Hawaii and our friends here, but we are so excited to go home. The first thing we want to do is see our family...and then, bring on the food! In-N-Out and Del Taco are at the top of my list! They don't have them here in Hawaii. And then I want some Pinkberry!!! I love that stuff. I am so excited to shop at places they don't have here like American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie! I'm saving up some shopping money! I am so excited to be home for Christmas! I hope the next few months go by fast. The downside will be saying goodbye to our friends here. I love em' so much! 13 1/2 weeks left!

Saturday Date

Last weekend we enjoyed the day in Waikiki. We went surfing, got lunch, went shopping, went to the movies, and ended with smoothies and ice cream. The waves were really big so I only surfed for about an hour and then read my book on the beach while Devin continued surfing. I finished reading "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver. I recently started reading the first Harry Potter book. Everyone has recommended that I read them, so I finally took their advice. As we were walking along Waikiki we saw these two Macaw Parrots. They were so beautiful and there owner was nowhere in sight. They were just chilling and watching the ocean. I'm assuming they had an owner because their wings were clipped. Devin wanted me to move closer to them for a picture, but I was getting scared because they didn't look very friendly and they kept squawking at me. FUN times!

Our 2 Year Anniversary!

Can you believe it, I hardly can...it's already been two years since we got married! To celebrate, we spent a week in Maui. We loved exploring the Island and having time to relax on the beach or at the pool. For our anniversary dinner we ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on Maui. I couldn't even finish half my steak, but Devin cleared my plate for me.

D + S = Love

Black Sand Beach (in Maui)

We found a cave!

Devin said it was bad luck, but I had to steal some of the black sand.

Black Sand Beach was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It was surrounded by black lava rocks covered in bright green plants. The contrast between the colors was just incredible! There were a lot of cool caves and Devin spotted a papaya tree and got one for us. This was one of our stops on the road to Hana on the East side of Maui.

Maui Wowwie- On the road to Hana after hiking to one of the waterfalls, Devin ran ahead to get the car and I hear him telling someone "No, but maybe she does." So when I walk by the person that he said that to, about 30 seconds later, a teenager asks me if I want to buy some "Maui wowwie". I said "I don't even know what that is." Then the teenager looked at me like I was from another planet and said "It's marijuana!" I declined his offer and just ran ahead to the car. Devin thought he was quite funny. We had a laugh once I got in the car.

Road to Hana (in Maui)

We are under the waterfall at "Twin Falls"

There was tons of bamboo on one of our hikes to a waterfall. (above)

At this waterfall Devin climbed a muddy cliff to see the pool where the waterfall dropped. Despite his bribes, I stayed put and enjoyed the view without risking my life.

This is at the top of the waterfall at the Seven Sacred pools, (above) and below is near the bottom of it.

The road to Hana was by far the most incredible drive. We stopped at over 7 different waterfalls, all unique and beautiful! Of course Devin jumped off of a few of them. The road is about 52 miles long but usually takes about 3 hours because of all the hairpin turns and one-way bridges. It is so secluded and amazing! My favorite was the "Seven Sacred Pools" where we got to swim around. (In the bottom picture) This was the highlight of our Maui vacation!

Maui Vacation!

This is on our hike to see the Kukaemoku Peak. The picture below is from the hike also.

Devin found a mango tree so we had a feast! They were perfectly ripe and best of all, FREE!

Devin rented a paddle board in Kihei to surf for a couple hours.

This is Devin when we were on top of the Haleakala Crater. It was so incredible looking down on the clouds from up so high. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring a jacket with it being about 30 degrees cooler up there.

My Spartan Man!

With the water being flat and no surf on the North Shore, Devin has a new hobby....spear fishing. Yesterday he went spear fishing and got 4 fish! He is such a Spartan man! I love that my manly tough husband hunts for our dinner! We had a fun Saturday with our friends. We hung out at the beach and then grilled the fish Devin caught for dinner at Meg & Corbin's house. We ate the biggest of the fish he caught and it fed all 4 of us. Today our church changed from starting at 2 pm to starting now at 8 am. It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, but I missed sleeping in! For dinner tonight we are going to eat the 3 remaining fish at the Holton's house. Kaitlin is using a marinade she learned in Fiji. I can't wait!

What's Cooking?

This past week has been a ton of fun having my little brother Tanner visiting us. We've taken him surfing, snorkeling, hiking, gone to the beach, and done some spear fishing. The day we went spear fishing I stayed on the beach to finish reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer. I also took pictures of all the turtles hanging around. Devin caught a fish called nui nui. I don't know if that how it's spelled, but our neighbor from Fiji said that's what it's called. We cooked it up with some lemon pepper and it was delcious...better than salmon for sure. While they were spear fishing Tanner dropped his spear accidentally about 4o feet deep and somehow Devin was able to dive down and retrieve it. I didn't know I was married to someone with fish gills.

Best 4th of July ever!!!

We started Independence Day at Sunset Beach. The guys all surfed at Cami's and we brought a couple kites to play with. After the beach we had a barbeque at Katie & Brent's house. I bought Devin and I a huge steak to grill. Then we went to watch the fireworks at the Turtle Bay Resort...and we did it in style!!! We paddled out at a surf spot and watched the fireworks from the water! After the fireworks show we surfed for a while and then went in the Resort's pool to swim. Then we went back to Katie's and played with fireworks. Devin and I agree that this was by far the best 4th of July ever!!!

Birthday Celebration!

On Saturday for my birthday Devin had a surprise party planned for me at The Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki. We had spent the day at the beach and shopping and then we met up with some friends for dinner. I had no idea...I was completely surprised!!! It was so exciting! Dinner was great and I had a chocolate shake and a fresh strawberry cheesecake. It was such a great birthday, I felt so loved!

We'll miss you!

On Friday morning Devin finished his last final for the Spring term. He has been working so hard and I am so proud of him. He's such a stud! He has a few days to take a break before classes start for the Summer term on Wednesday. Yesterday we went to Goats again and Devin did some surfing and spear fishing. Devin says he didn't see one fish!!! We went with Meg + Corbin and Dan + Jonna. After the beach we got lunch and ate at Jonna's and watched a movie. Last night we met up with Jared + Lexi and went to dinner at Haleiwa Joe's. Jared is back for graduation and Devin was really looking forward to seeing him. He leaves again on Tuesday and Lexi is going back to the mainland on July 1st. We are going to miss them both so much!

Mohawk and Goat Island

On Saturday we went to Goats for Devin to surf with Corbin and Chris. I'm too scared to surf at Goats because of all the shark sightings that have been there. So, I chilled on the beach with Meg, Jackie, and Jonna. It was a perfect sunny day and we had alot of snacks to munch on. It felt so refreshing to swim in the water and it was so relaxing on the beach. On our way out of the parking lot, we saw that Jonna was waving us down from her car. She was frantic and we thought she was injured or something. A huge spider had crawled on her foot in her car, so Devin and Corbin got it out for her. It was so big and freaky!!! Also, I almost forgot to mention...DEVIN'S MOHAWK!!! He hasn't gotten in trouble or anything for violating the honor code at school, so that's a plus. I tease him about looking like MR. T alot, which has been entertaining. Lexi cut it for him and she did a great job of fading it.

Skating The Ramp

Saturday night we went to Jackie & Chris Kontoes' house for a barbeque and skating. Devin was tearing it up. Luckily, no injuries were sustained. However, I did leave a little sore. I took a fall and landed on my rear end. Let's just say it hurt to sit the next day in church. In the bottom picture the girls are sitting on the ramp. From L to R it's me, Jonna, Meg, Jackie, and Taylor. We had a good view of the boys skating from up there. After skating we watched the movie "Now & Then" which I love and think is absolutely hilarious. We made the boys watch it with us.

The Good Life

We enjoyed yet another fun filled weekend in Hawaii. Yesterday Devin surfed with Brent at Goat Island while I surfed with Katie, Keri, Anna, and Lindsey at Castles. The waves were small, but fun. Devin and Brent met up with us at Castles and brought us lunch. Devin had a long and hard week of school, and desperately needed some down time. He is currently taking 14 units this spring term when the limit is 9 units. Needless to say, this weekend was just what he needed...relaxing and fun! Last night we ate Thai food with Brent & Katie in Haleiwa and got Haagen Dazs for dessert! Our new favorite flavor is Carmel Cone. It is delicious!