Summer solstice

This past week we experienced the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. On the local news I heard the day described from two perspectives:

- A pessimist sees the solstice as the beginning of the end of summer with every day getting closer to winter. 

- An optimist celebrates every extra second of sunlight. 

Typically I tend to describe myself as a realistic, neither overly optimistic or pessimistic. The glass isn't half full or half empty. The glass is just a glass. However, on June 21st I put on my half full sunglasses and enjoyed everything the day had to offer. 

Diamond Head may be a tourist trap, but it's a quick and easy hike that's great for anyone. 

The weather was really clear, allowing for great visibility. 

I love these girls!

I think I've  realized there is a direct correlation between my attitude and the number of hours spent outside. Vitamin D is no joke. Thank you Summer Solstice!

And now for the pic of the week:

You gotta love this classic family photo in honor of Father's Day. 

Mahalo!

Playing hooky

Every Sunday afternoon I go to ukulele class. However, some Sundays I like to skip out on class. This weekend was one of those weekends. I needed to hike with my girls. 

We decided to try out Wiliwilinui. This is a ridge hike on the east side. Like Koko Head it involves what seems like one million steps, but throughout the hike we were rewarded with amazing views. At one point I could see from Chinaman's Hat to Diamond Head & from Koko Head to Ewa Beach. That's practically the whole island!

This ridge hike is perfectly legal, so I recommend giving it a try... Your quads and glutes will thank me!

Directions: Take the H1 East, past Kahala Mall. Turn left on Laukahi St and follow it up to the gated entrance. The guard on duty will give you a day pass and a map up to the parking lot for the trail. 

Here's some pictures:

The entire trail was well marked. 

Just a little stretch break (PC: Julia C)

This rope swing was our last moment of rest before we started climbing up, up, up! (PC: Ali K)

We went just beyond the radio tower. (PC: Julia C)

LOTS of stairs and a couple of ropes as well. 

We were so high we were actually in the clouds!

Worth it. (PC: Ali K)

So while I normally recommend following through with your commitments, every once in awhile it's worth playing hooky and experiencing something new!

And now for the pic of the week:

One last group shot before we finished. (PC: Ali K)

Mahalo!

Crafty girl

This past Saturday was a whirlwind. I can hardly remember everything that I did. Luckily, I have a few concrete reminders of my day's activities. 

Recently I've been tapping into my artistic side. I've been taking a monthly art class courtesy of the Japanese Cultural Center. This month I finished up my Girl's/Boy's Day project. Initially my sensei thought the perceptive was off, but with a little extra work we agreed the final product was cute. 

And because one craft project wasn't enough Nathalie and I decided to try out making ribbon leis. They're relatively easy to make... Unless you have sore shoulders from working out. Haha. 

I finished the day with a hike. And of course that wouldn't be complete without a few artsy photos:

Silhouettes at Sunset

Aloha Hawaii (PC: Kim G)

My Happy Place (PC: Manny DJ)

Shakas (PC: Nathalie R)

Although the day was busy, I couldn't have asked for a better day. This is how we "relax" in Hawaii. 

And now for the pic of the week:

Here's another stunning picture from Saturday's hike. 

Mahalo!

What's it all meme?

I remember when I first learned about memes. I needed a tutorial on pronunciation. Was it meh-meh? Mee-mee? Once I figured out how to say it ( FYI phonetically it's /mim/), I was hooked. If you read my post "How Old?" then you remember my obsession with the Hey Girl Memes. 

BTW- If Ryan wants to join the competition to become my new favorite trainer, I'd say.... Yes please ;-)

This week I've been going through a kitty meme phase. I've been searching through random cat pics on the interwebs and pairing them with "inspirational" phrases. That's not weird... Right?!?

Here's some of the gems I created:

A classic ... All the school counselors in the 90's had a version of this one. This was my first one and before I started adding my signature purple hearts.   

Every good kitty deserves a BFF. 

Duh. That's why I'm looking for a man. Haha. 

Is it Friday yet?!?! No seriously. Is it?

#treatyoself

Cause you gotta work off all those extra cupcake calories. 

Me every morning at 5:30am. 

Me after my morning coffee break. 

What, what!

I'm not sure how much money is in this hobby, but at least I have a backup if the whole SLP gig doesn't work out. JK. 

And now for the pic of the week:

Check out the surfer at Point Panic. 

Mahalo!

For the birds

This blog post is for the birds...literally. 

Before writing I Googled other phrases with the word "bird" in it. I came up with:

- Bird brain

- Flipping the bird

- Bird's eye view

- Early bird

- Strange bird

- Birds & the bees

- Put a bird on it 

Why all the fuss about birds?!? Well I seem to have acquired to myna birds. 

A couple of months ago they started visiting the railing on my lanai. Then I noticed they were dragging twigs, leaves and trash onto my windowsill. Now I can count on them to start singing (loudly) at 6am, seven days a week. 

I've put up with their trash and their early morning singing. I've even sacrificed using my window AC so as to not disturb their nest. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that some baby birds will be the next step. 

And now for the pic of the week:

In sticking with the nature theme, check out the little lizard that hitched a ride on the hood of my car. He stuck with me both to and from yoga. What a ride. 

Mahalo! 

A hui hou

Hawaiians have a saying: "a hui hou", meaning see you later or until we meet again. 

Part of living on a island means that you're a little less accessible from the rest of the world. Even in this century filled with technology, we're still stuck in the middle of the Pacific. I can't just hop in my car and drive across state lines. Heck, I have to catch a plane just to get to the other side of the state!

Since moving to the Hawaii I've adapted to not seeing my family and friends on the mainland as much as I like. But I've yet to adapt to all the people moving to and from the island. This year I've already said goodbye to two friends and I'm prepping to say goodbye to four more. With all of this change I've discovered I really don't like "goodbyes"!

This month I'm saying goodbye to my trainer and friend, Jesse. In the last year we've trained together; we've hiked together; and we've laughed together. I hate to say goodbye, so since this is Hawaii I'll just say a hui hou... Until we meet again!

Our hiking group on one of the best hikes on the island. And of course Jesse is taking Mai with him. I hate that this group is slowly disbanding. 

First ever open water swim sprints, courtesy of Coach Jesse. 

Capturing the last team cheer. 

Gym progress pics, which wouldn't be possible without one of the best trainers ever! 

BTW- Blake, Devin and Chad are now welcome to start fighting to become my new favorite trainer. Haha. Good luck. 

And now for the pic of the week:

When looking for a picture to post on FB for Mother's Day, I came across this gem.  Consider this a #TBT one day early ;-)

How old?!?

There's a new webpage that's become an overnight internet sensation: how-old.net The site consists of a "robot"that guesses your age and gender. 

The results are supposed to be entertaining and all in good fun. They even have a disclaimer apologizing if the results are inaccurate. Still, some of my results were a little disappointing. 

Apparently I look like a middle-aged man. On a happier note, at least the statue looks older than me!

I know this was after a rough workout, but do I really look old enough to collect Social Security?!?

And this happened with multiple pictures... No face detected. Perhaps I should consider a second job as a spy or a ninja. 

The robot has yet to guess my real age, so I've decided to pick my own age. So if anyone asks, I'm not a day over 25! 

And now for the pic of the week:

Thanks to a new app I can now have Ryan Gosling "Hey Girl" me whenever I want!

Mahalo!