Sunday, September 16, 2012

Hawaii!!

I don't even know where to begin to describe how great Hawaii and seeing Mike was.  I know that if I were reading this, I probably wouldn't want to hear all the lovey dovey stuff a million times, so I'll try to refrain.  Just know, though, that if there was no filter, it would be all over this blog because it was by far one of the best weekends I've had in a while. If you want to hear that stuff though, by all means, just ask because I could talk about it for hours :)

first glimpse of Hawaii from the airplane! So excited!
Anyways, let's start from the beginning.  I left bright and early Friday morning to catch my 6:30 flight to Houston. Once in Houston, I grabbed some breakfast and boarded the plane to Hawaii.  After spending all year flying on the little, tiny planes that go from Boston to Baltimore or Norfolk, this plane was like the motherload of all planes.  It had huge seats, TVs on the backs of chairs, 100s of movies and shows to watch, and free headphones and blankets for each passenger! I even had the seat next to me open, which NEVER happens on the short flights. I was in heaven! I didn't even mind that it was eight hours.  I watched a couple of movies, took a few naps, and drank a lot of Diet Coke.  It was perfect.  We landed about fifteen minutes early and I ran into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth.  Mike had been on the boat for the past few days and was getting back around the same time that I landed.  I grabbed my bags and met him at curbside pickup.  ::insert cheesy comment about the first moment I saw Mike:: On the way home, we stopped for ice cream at Coldstone. since we both share a love for ice cream.

Both of us were pretty tired that afternoon and night, so I met his room mates and we just hung out that afternoon.  I was super jet lagged and he was running on no sleep from the boat, so it worked out.  We did go out for sushi for dinner that night, which was some of the best sushi I've ever had.  We biked downtown, which was fun, except that it started raining right as we were about to bike home.  We got a movie from RedBox, but I fell asleep about a half an hour in because of the 6 hour jet lag.

That same jet lag woke me up pretty early on Saturday.  I guess it was good because Mike gets up early, too. It's amazing how much you can get done when you get going by 9am.   Maybe I should try it more often....  Anyways, we went to breakfast with Mike's room mates and a couple of his friends at this really good breakfast restaurant.  I got an omelette, which was delicious, but the best were the Red Velvet pancakes that Mike got. If I ever go back to Cinnamon's, I know what I'll be getting! For all of my Boston friends, Cinnamon's is like the Hawaiian version of McKenna's. So good! Once breakfast was over, we went back to his house and got ready for the beach.  He only lives two blocks from the beach!  How awesome is that?  I mean, I know I only live like a half hour from Jax beaches, but two blocks from a Hawaiian beach is pretty close to heaven.  Mike and I spent the afternoon on the beach, which was phenomenal.  When we were planning this trip, I felt like Mike thought we had to be constantly doing stuff, and I kept telling him that I would be perfectly happy just going to the beach. When we got to the beach that Saturday, that statement was confirmed.  It was by far the nicest beach I've ever been to.  Being able to sit back and relax on the beach with Mike was amazing.  It was like one of those perfect moments where you wouldn't change anything and just wished time stopped (whoops, I know I promised not to get too mushy, but that one slipped). Throughout our hours on the beach, I got super sun burnt thanks to the strong Hawaiian sun, but it was way worth it. I've realized that I like the beach way more than most people. Most people enjoy the beach and love going for a few hours. I love the beach so much and could honestly spend all day there.  While we were swimming, we saw a turtle! So cool! Apparently, it's pretty rare to see them in the water.  I like to think I was a good luck charm or something :) After the beach, we went back home and got ready to go over to one of Mike and Jud's (Mike's room mate) friend's house.  All of Mike's friends have barbecues every weekend, which is so cool and this weekend, it was at Angel's house. It was fun to go and meet all of the people I've heard about.  I hope they enjoyed meeting me as much I liked meeting them!
Hawaiian beaches (and a little bit of my finger...ooops!)

Mike is a huge Philadelphia sports fan (much to my dismay...), so Sunday we were up and out of the house early to watch the Eagles/Browns game at a sports bar.  We got there around 8:30am (the game started at 7 thanks to Hawaii being six hours behind!), got breakfast and watched the rest of the game.  There was even a Notre Dame fan there!  The Eagles won and we headed home happy and ready to hike.   Around noon, Mike and I, along with his room mates met up with two of their friends to hike to a waterfall.  I was super excited to see a different side of Hawaii besides the beaches. I don't know how long the hike was, but it was definitely worth it.  We forged through mud and streams to make it to a water fall and swimming hole.  The water was freeeeeezing, so Mike and I just went in for a second to say we did it.  Jud, on the other hand, was in and out.  He even jumped off of this ledge that was probably 30 ft high into the water multiple times! My fear of heights kept me on the ground, but it was fun to watch him and a bunch of other people jump. I'm not a  huge hiker, but when I go, it's always a lot of fun (besides the fall on the way back that left multiple bruises on my leg...).  

Hiking to the waterfall
Sunday night was probably my favorite of the whole trip. After spending all weekend in a pony tail and bathing suit (which I loved as well), I was excited to get somewhat dressed up and go on an actual date. I wore a dress, did my hair and makeup and was ready for a night out in Honolulu.  We were kind of early for dinner, but we found an Italian restaurant.  It was so fun to actually go on a real date.  The food was yummy, the sangria was delicious, and the conversation was great.  It was like our first real date. I loved it! After dinner, we went to a restaurant/bar on the water which was awesome.  I had some sort of cucumber melon drink which was really good, but not as good as the view of the water as the sun was setting. After drinks, we walked on the beach for a little bit before heading home. I love being on the beach at night with the cool sand between your toes and the sound of the waves crashing in the darkness. It was the perfect last night in Hawaii. (If you would like to hear all the mushy stuff, there is plenty on this night, so ask away!)

My flight didn't leave until 8 on Monday night, so we had all day on Monday to hang out, which was so nice. Even though Mike lives two blocks from the beach, we decided to check out the North Shore beaches.  This is where the huge surf competitions are in the winter, but in the summer, it's just like any other (Hawaiian) beach.    The drive is about 45 minutes from Mike's house, but it was an awesome drive.  So scenic!  We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for breakfast burritos, which were delicious. The waiter there recommended a beach to go to, so we headed there.  Mike fell asleep pretty quickly for a nice morning nap on the beach, while I was a little more restless and took in the scenery. There was a big rock that people were jumping off of in the distance and lots of vacationers enjoying the beach.  Lots of good people watching! The water was kind of cold, but we went in a few times to cool off.  It got deep really fast and neither of us could touch, but I could see how the big waves would stand a chance there.  Around two, we headed home to shower, pack and take Paisley (the dog) for a walk on the beach.  Paisley wasn't a very good dog on her walk.  She ran far ahead a few times, which resulted in Mike chasing her every time.  Needless to say, she wasn't on the good list after that walk.  Too bad she's too cute to stay mad at for very long. :)

I packed up my stuff and around five, we headed out to the airport.  We stopped for Chinese food on the way and got to the airport around six.  After a very sad goodbye, I got in line to check my bags and headed on my way. It's a good thing we got there so early because the line to check in was over an hour long.  I only had about twenty minutes to spare by the time I went through security and found my gate. I slept most of the flight from Hawaii to DC, which was nice. I even had the seat next to me open again! Such a nice treat.  I made it to DC and then to JAX without a hitch and the trip to Hawaii was over with the blink of an eye.

I can't wait to go visit again and see Mike again. I miss him a lot, especially after such an incredible weekend.  I know that Hawaii is pretty far and that some people are skeptical, but I think it will work.  It was such an amazing weekend with a very special person and I am truly lucky.  Thanks for everything, Mike! You're the best!
miss you :)

"I'm a little drunk on you and high on summertime..."  -Luke Bryan

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