A Few of My Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite items as of late. I've been on the search for a new journal (since I have filled up the previous one) and finally found this one at the BYUH Bookstore. It had a sticker on the back that said it was authentically crafted and woven by Thai artisans. Sounded good to me. I like to support that kind of thing. Later, I get home and pull the sticker off the back, open up the back page and see the blasted words...Made in Korea. Well shucks. They can just say WHATEVER they want nowadays can't they? I felt like such a sucker. These colored pencils were given to me by my good friend Kari and I simply cannot bring myself to use them yet! I can't imagine how I would sharpen them. That seems like quite the dangerous feat. Sometimes I carry them around in my bag and just pull them out to look at 'em when I am having a boring moment.

Sometimes I Forget...

Sometimes I forget how incredibly lucky I am to live in Hawaii. It amazes me how many places on this tiny island I haven't been yet. One of them: Maunawili Falls. Now I can check that off my list! 4 1/2 years I have wanted to go there and was just "too busy" or whatever other excuse I could come up with...


After hopping from rock to rock through several streams, climbing up about 100 manmade steps (at least it felt that way), taking a wrong turn onto a slippery slope of mud (see picture below) and making our way through a labyrinth of bamboo shoots, we finally arrived at the falls. There are 3 or 4 different spots that you can jump off of. Due to my crippling fear of heights, I chose the lowest one. At least I jumped! On the way back down, it started raining and it was truly fantastic. Everything green looked greener and was glistening before my very eyes. I was literally smiling the whole way down.

I finally just took my shoes off because it was easier to grip the mud with my toes. And...I didn't want to ruin my shoes.

Call me crazy, but I actually LOVE hiking in my Toms. I bought these little beauties on my CA trip and have been waiting for the next opportunity to wear them. Since they don't exactly match my work uniform, I have made them my official hiking shoes. The first hike I did in them was a little rough, with a couple of battle wounds in the form of blisters. However, they served me well on my trek to Maunawili Falls.

For those of you who live in Hawaii and are ever looking for something good to do on the weekends, check out my friend Merlin's website. He lived here for several years and composed a website of hikes and other activities on Oahu. It's really detailed and helps you find the trailheads to some hard-to-find hikes.

California Dreamin

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to North LA for about 5 days. I feel like I was able to do SO many things in an extremely short period of time. A few of my favorites: The Getty Center, Topanga Canyon, and the Santa Monica Pier.


The Getty was AMAZING. My 3 favorite exhibits were the Leonardo da Vinci showcase, the Urban Panoramas, and the pictures of food (naturally). Besides the fabulous art, the architecture of the building was stunning. Pristine white buildings with a spacious garden featuring EVERY flower imaginable. I couldn't help but feel like I was on the set to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. There was also an amazing view of the city and the hills. If you are ever in North LA and are looking for an amazing day...check out the Getty. (click here) Free admission, you just have to pay for parking. In this girls opinion, completely worth it.


Next stop: Topanga Canyon. Found an awesome little camping spot that you hike 1-mile up. Full Moon. Perfect weather. Deep golden meadows with deer prancing. 1 of my favorite friends. I couldn't have been happier. Topanga Canyon is quite the little gem. Wildflowers galore. They actually have a park hotline to call and find out what flowers are in bloom. The next morning, we hiked the additional 2 miles up to Eagle Rock. From the top you could see the deep blue Pacific Ocean, bike trails swirling through the canyon, and of course, bursts of wildflowers around every bend. Again, if your ever in the area, check it out. (click here)


The Santa Monica Pier was extremely gaudy, yet delightful. We rode the World Famous Ferris Wheel ($10) and fed the parking meter all our quarters, dimes, and nickels. Only to later find out we weren't supposed to park there ($60 parking ticket). We thought we were so smart avoiding the $10 parking fee. Sorry M. So, for the low, low price of $70... we got to spend 1 1/2 hours on the Santa Monica Pier. Fantastic!


It may sound odd, but sometimes I just like, well, LOVE to get off of this rock. I in no way have island fever. I just need a taste of reality sometimes. This trip definitely quenched that thirst.

Once upon a time...

I suppose that is how all stories start. So why not start a blog that way? This is the beginning of MY story. I don't know what I will use to fill the pages of this story. I may have to make up some tall tales to make it interesting. Whether it's true or not, I will enjoy it nonetheless. Hopefully you will do the same. And so it begins...