just in case anyone is still checking this, i figured i would at least post an update. so before we even went to hawaii we went for a night in napa valley, and i just have to say i love plumpjacks. they set us up in the sweetest place ever! imagine 3 girls in a cabin with a king size bed and a heated stone floor in the bathroom, oh and an indoor outdoor shower. it was crazy fun. and i had never been to napa so it was an amazing first experience. it was a good start to our vacation, and we did bring suitcases, and we stuffed them full of clothes and shoes, and then of course we went shopping in hawaii and they were practically overflowing. but it was worth it. hawaii was so much fun. we stayed with amandas friend ian in kailua, about a 2 minute walk from the beach. he took us up to the northshore and we went to pipeline, caught some sick waves, yeah right thats for the pros. we did actually go surfing in waikiki though, it was soooo much fun, and now i have a whole new respect for surfers, dude its hard and its scary! and i cant even imagine waves like the ones we saw up at pipeline, the power in them is... intimidating to say the least. but now i can say ive been surfing, and we learned in the first place that anyone ever surfed! so i thought that was appropriate. we also went kayaking, cliff jumping (well i didnt, i took the pictures, but amanda and ian did), we went out a few nights in waikiki to dukes and hula grill where we used our ts employee discount, that was nice. and like i said we went shopping, but only a little bit:)
i couldn't believe how pretty it was there, i mean everyone has told me and i've seen pictures, but its really is amazing and i think you have to see it for yourselft. the weird thing about me going to hawaii is that im like the last person to go. usually i go places my friends havent been to, and this time i feel like im just catching up to everyone else. it was so strange to me too that hawaii is part of the US. i couldn't get over it, i almost actually started speaking to a cab driver in spanish out of habit i guess. its just so different from anywhere in the country. it has its own definitive culture, language, customs, and natural beauty. yet they use the american dollar and fly the american flag. weird! people also used to tell me that i would love hawaii and should try living there, but i also felt kind of claustrophobic out there. ian says its the single most isolated land mass on the planet. and in the middle of the biggest ocean, it should be. heres what goes through my mind- "what if hawaii sinks! there wont be anyone here to save us, and theres nothing to hold on to.." i know its ridiculous, (we actually had a conversation about this) but if youve ever felt claustrophobia you might understand. so i dont think i could live there, but it was a beautiful place to visit.
and now the story goes on, i spent another week or so in tahoe, sort of continuing my vacation and hanging out with friends, and then i packed up my truck and made the long haul up to bozeman, montana. so here i am, in my brother's new house, i've played in my first softball game already (which we dominated 16-5 wahoo!) and i'm just looking for a job.
daryl and i are going to europe for a month in the fall, but until then i think i want to chill out for a while and stay in one place. and im excited about it. so i hope everyone has a good summer! and if you want to hear about europe, check back in september:)... ciao!
Maya Bay, Kho Phi Phi Leh, Thailand -- Setting of "The Beach"
