Eric's Visit

We recently had out first visitor to the island! Zach's buddy Eric came out from the 8th through the 14th and we tried to do as much as possible while he was here.  Leading up to his arrival the weather was cloudy, windy, and very rainy so we were a little worried about that, but while he was here it was pretty much perfect.  While I was at work, Zach and Eric did a lot of fun things like hike Diamond Head, eat at some local spots, snorkel with sea turtles, and lounge on some beaches. Eric rented a car so we were able to see a lot of things that we had been wanting to see since we'd been out here, like the Dole Plantation and a trip to the North Shore. He was a great first guest for us to entertain and we were so happy he was able to make it out! We look forward to many more guests in the near future!

Eric at Hanauma Bay, some of the best snorkeling on the island

Eric, Zach, and I standing inside the giant Pineapple Whip that our friend Dave from the farm was building. It was really cool to see it completed!

Enjoying some world famous Matsumoto's Shaved Ice, throwing up a big Hang Loose!

Dole Plantation

I remember these when I visited when I was 15

 Eric jumping off Jumping Rock, Waimea Bay

 

 Zach doing the same

The boys at Waimanalo beach

Happy 2013!

Wishing everyone a very happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year

and our 9th year in each other's lives by spending the afternoon 

at the beach, going out to dinner, and playing Banana Grams. 

Our plan was to go to dinner and Waikiki to try and see the fireworks but it started raining early in the evening and we got wet on our scoot ride to dinner. After dinner we were cold so we decided to get a white hot chocolate and head home. 

Our plans didn't go as planned but we had a great New Years Eve. 

As we were walking along the beach we saw a section of the beach roped off

because a Hawaiian Monk seal was resting.

We were both craving hamburgers so we decided to go to The Counter

where you can custom order your burger, which is fun.

Zach's burger

& and I got mine on an English muffin

Our game of Banana Grams got pretty intense

and I may have been a sore loser...I call for a rematch.

We are excited for 2013,

some of our goals include:

reading more (one book a month)

traveling to one other Hawaiian island

cooking more (trying at least two new recipes each month)

and exercising weekly

We got some exciting news about a week ago...

I got a new job working at an Optometry office!

It's full time, with a set schedule, working from 7:45am to 4:30pm, 

and includes full benefits.

I've been training in the mornings while still working at Wholefoods,

so I've had some pretty long days lately.

But I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about Optometry and work in a office setting.

There's so much to learn but I know I will thrive with the experience. 

I think we've definitely entered the rainy season in Hawaii.

It's been raining everyday,

which makes our commutes a little more challenging,

especially on the scooter.

I think we are going to start saving money to buy a car. 

Zach's friend is coming to visit next week

and we are looking forward to hosting our first visitor 

in our apartment. 

We just hope the rain stops for a few days while he is here. 

That's the latest with us.

Until next time...