Welcome 27!

There's nothing quite like your birthday
and this year, as I turned 27 I felt so loved, blessed, and grateful!
Mom and Dan sent me home with a duffle bag full of goodies.
Dad and Berna gave me money for our couch.
The girls at work got me a lei and a cake.
Zach treated me to an adventure of paddle boarding.
I got numerous, cards, gift cards, phone calls, texts, and emails.
I seriously have the best friends and family.
Much mahalos for making my 27th year wonderful!

May 19th, like every year, was also a day of reflection for me...
I was 17 when Zach entered my life.
 It's crazy and amazing it has nearly been a decade since we started dating and he became my best friend.

I thought about when I turned 21, and how much fun it was celebrating in Vegas with 20 of my closest friends and family.
I thought about when I turned 22 and had just graduated from college.
And I thought about when I turned 25 in Guyana with my best Peace Corps friends.

The best realization I've had this year
is I am so happy with my journey through life.
My life has been full of ups and downs,
adventures,
uncertainties,
leaps of faith,
travel,
laughter,
beauty,
&
love.

And I'm so grateful for where life has lead me!

Zach and I had so much fun paddle boarding on my birthday.
We paddled out to Twin Islands off the shore of Lanikai Beach {one of our favorite beaches}.
The water was beautiful and we saw 5 sea turtles!
Our paddle out to Twin Islands was a little ambitious...
our arms and shoulders got pretty tired but we're glad we did it and can now say we've been to those islands.

I welcome my 27th year full-heartedly!

*******

This is one of my favorite quotes

because after all age is just a number!

Waves

We live on this beautiful island.

Surrounded by water, it's wonder is captivating.

The ocean is a life of it's own 

and we have learned to respect the calmness, the tides, the currents, and the waves. 

There's nothing like seeing the different hues of blue and green decorate the shore line. 

And there's nothing like the sense of this is where we belong.

We made the decision to buy a new, more professional camera to capture the raw beauty that we see everyday.

Over the weekend there was a big south swell that rolled in 

so we tested out our new camera on the shore of Sandy Beach. 

The waves were the biggest we have ever seen and we were amazed by the power of the ocean yet again. And even more amazed by the brave dudes who were out in the ocean riding the mighty waves.

We really can't wait to see the big surf up at the North Shore this winter.  

Mother's Day Weekend

Thanks to Dan I had the opportunity to fly to Utah to surprise my mom for Mother's Day.

It was a short weekend trip but very enjoyable.

It was nice to hug my mom and spend time together.

The weather was great, we shopped, practiced yoga, went out to dinner, and Dan treated us to Mother's Day brunch at La Caille, which was wonderful.

I loved our weekend together!

.......

While I was away Zach speared his 2nd fish...

He was stoked for this one because it's so cool looking

and pretty impressive that he speared such a long, thin fish.

I kind of expected to come home to find this one also in the freezer

but I had no such luck.

He says he really enjoys the hunt and I think it's pretty neat that he is actually catching things. 

Dad & Berna's Visit

My dad and Berna came to visit in the beginning of the month for dad's birthday.
It was fun having them here for a few days before they headed off to Kauai.
They stayed at the Hawaiian Hilton Village, which we were excited to see the rooms and accommodations. Their view of the ocean was pretty spectacular and they enjoyed all the resort had to offer. We watched the fireworks over the ocean and took a trip on the Atlantis Submarine, which was fun.  We enjoyed dinners together and riding around in their rental...a Volvo convertible! We had to do the tour of the island up to the North Shore, which they both enjoyed a lot. {I love the North Shore}

It was so good to see them and show them around the place we now call home!
Thank you dad and Berna for coming to see us and treating us!!

Zach drove them to pick me up from work their first night here.

I was surprised to see a convertible

On dad's birthday

~love the aloha shirts~

We saw a big sea turtle on the submarine ride

It was cool to be riding on a real submarine

The view from their room

Dad taking the scoot for a spin!