Maui Mamas!

So after two trips to Maui (the first one with my girl Aisha), I feel like I've conquered the island as much as I want to.  It's a beautiful and fun place and you totally can find things to do that you CAN'T do on Oahu.  Here's a summary of what went down during the fabulous 4-day weekend I just spent in Maui:

Friday: Visited the only Krispy Kreme in Hawaii/ Hiked twin falls and with some investigating, found both waterfalls/ Went to the I'ao Needle (a famour rock pinnacle)/ Explored a the cute "hippie" town, Paia/ Drove down the Road to Hana for a bit (I went all the way to the black sand beach last visit, but not this time!)/ Relaxed by the pool at the Maui Westin Resort & Spa

Saturday: SLEPT IN/ Worked out at the Westin Workout/ Did the Maui north shore drive (lots of cool sites!).  The pic below is of "Boulder Beach"

Sunday: Massage and exfoliating moisturizing treatment at the Westin Spa/ Shopping (I did some damage at Swarovski)

Monday: Breakfast at Kula Lodge.  I definately recommend this place.  Their pancakes and omelettes and stupendous.  Plus it's nestled high on a hillside so you get an amazing view of the whole north side of the island while you eat.  I took the picture below sitting at my seat!/ Zipline adventure with Skyline Eco-Adventures.  This is a definate must-do if you go to Maui.  I did the one in Haleakala which was 5 zips and 1 suspension bridge.  The guides were cool and the zips are awesome (don't forget to look DOWN). 

Nate's Visit

I feel like there's way too much to write about, so I'm just going to zoom through recent events to catch up.

So first big thing, Nate visited Hawaii!  We went to the Big Island and did a one-day whirlwind tour of everything from the macadamia nut factory to the black sand beach to flowing lava!  The next day we went on a catamaran ride which was definitely worth the time and price.  $29 for all you can drink beer, soda, and maitais and a sunset ride.  On our ride and Aussie couple got engaged.  SO CUTE.  :)  After the catamaran we went to a comedy show.  It was at Sharkey's in Waikiki.  I don't exactly recommend going to this show.  It's mostly guys starting out practicing their jokes on audiences of like... less than 10 people.  However, we lucked out and Dat Phan happened to be in Hawaii and hopped on the bill.  He was hilarious.  We also went on one of those submarine rides.  It was kind of cool... but not really worth the money in my opinion.  That afternoon we went on a 2 hour horseback ride a Kualoa Ranch.  My butt was so sore during the ride (what can I say, I'm no expert rider), but the views were amazing and it was really fun to ride a horse with my honey.  :)  One of the main highlights for sure was going on a midnight "shark hunt" with 955-FISH.  They're a great low-key company and we caught 2 sharks on our boat ride.  I got to reel one in!  $99 to catch a shark... not bad.  Anyways, in between all this stuff we ate good food, saw four movies (yes, four), and just enjoyed each other.  ((sigh))  Some random pics from Nate's visit are below.

Back in Hawaii

People ask what I've been up to since I've been back to the island.  Well, just see below:

Finding a Home: I found a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment with a yard and covered parking... so it'll do just fine for me for at least 6 months.  However, every shelf (kitchen AND bathrooms) was covered with cowprint.  The problem is resolved now, luckily.

Brigade Ball: This event was held before I even got my household goods out of storage, so I didn't even have my uniform to wear.  However my boss was cool enough to bring my case up and make it so that I could attend (I would just have to go out and buy an appropriate fancy-shmancy dress of course).  So with the dress and some borrowed items from Molly and Mrs. Nacho, I threw together an outfit.  Aisha was my unofficial date, even though I don't think she knew/knows that.  Afterwards I hung out with Leslie, Chris x 2, Dave, and Aisha.  All around... a good time.

Polo Match: Good friends, a makeshift BBQ, and horse sport... it was a good Sunday afternoon.

Beach: Getting my Hawaii tan back.

Church: One week, the a (the?) Korean children's choir came to perform and they were absolutely delightful, bilingual, talented, little people.  I got a hug too!

Sealife Park: Sealions, penguins, turtles, stingrays, and dolphins- they are all at the park and they all made me smile.  :)

North Shore

Just thought I'd let you know, this is a picture of the backyard and house I will be living in in about 6 weeks.  I'll be living with two guys.  I'm fairly optimistic about the situation, my boyfriend thinks that I will hate living with dudes.  We'll see...