Challenge Accepted

I was recently challenged by my friend Kaylece to join in an awareness project for Myocarditis. The challenge is to grab the drink of your choice, sit down at your computer and read about the disease. Our friend Chris died in his sleep five years ago due to Myocarditis and the truth is I don't know very much about it.  I am excited to do some research today and learn more about it and how it affects others.

Instead of challenging three others like I'm supposed to, I want to put out a challenge to anyone who reads my blog. Each day spend 15 minutes less on Facebook and spend 15 minutes learning about an unknown ailment! Become more understanding to people in the world by learning about different difficulties that others face. Read about Lou Gehrig's Disease, Myocarditis, Crohns Disease, Depression, Diabetes, Homelessness, Schizophrenia, etc! Pick something you've heard of but never really understood or look up the disease that your great great grandpa died of and give it a good reading! Let's become a more knowledgeable society. My hopes are that we can become a little bit more loving to those we previously didn't understand.

I vividly remember chatting on MSN messenger (haha oh the msn messenger days) one summer day when I was probably 13 and my friend asked me what I was doing. I told him I was researching art and that I had a goal to look up something new each day. I know that makes me sounds a bit odd but can you imagine how much more I would know today if I just stuck with this goal that I made 10+ years ago?!

When I originally started this blog I posted several goals I was working on and I need to start doing that again. I'm going to take my own challenge and try to learn about a new cause each day. Watch out understanding, compassion, knowledge, acceptance, service, love. I'm coming to get you.

Cheers Chris.

Our "second" honeymoon :)

I'm back from Hawaii! Not only did I survive Hurricane Iselle and Julio but I managed to have soooooo much fun! I have 1,000 pictures (seriously) to choose from to post here! Ahhh! It's kinda an overwhelming job to pick just a few to post and that is why there are more than a few to look at!

Hawaii: Day 1

Caleb and I left for Seattle Friday night at around 9:00 PM. We (or should I say he) drove till midnight then sorta slept in a rest area. Have you ever slept in a rest area? If not, I will let you know that it isn't the most restful sleep you'll ever have. Our flight to Hawaii was long but I do have to say that Hawaiian Airlines was very nice and they gave us VERY yummy chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

That first night we caught up with our friends Erica and Joesph. Erica and Caleb were friends in high school and she and I were roommates about five years ago. I met Caleb because of Erica :) We went to Ulua beach and played around in the waves and Caleb skim boarded with Joseph. It was so fun chatting with Erica!

Hawaii: Day 2

On Sunday Erica and Joseph took us to "Secret Beach" which is of course a secret but I will tell you that if you go to Po'olenlena Beach and walk by some nude people then you are pretty close!  It was sooo beautiful!! This became my favorite beach in Maui. 

We went snorkeling here. Caleb had snorkeled before but it was a first for me. It was fun, but...freaky. I still can't say I am really comfortable doing it. We explored the rocks and saw sea turtles!

Caleb did more skim boarding, I watched crabs run all over the sand, and we got sun burnt. 

 Afterwards we went to Ululanis to get shave ice (Hawaiian for a snow cone). Ululanis is amazing!! 

Later that night Erica went with Caleb and I to Big Beach where we played in the waves again, and body boarded a bit before going to Little Beach which is a nude beach that has a drum circle on Sundays! Unfortunately they were pretty much done by the time we got there but we did see some fire dancers. One little boy couldn't have been older than eight years old and he was awesome! Erica was filming him with her GoPro and he liked that. He kept coming really close to us! 

Hawaii: Day 3

Day three started early! Like 3 am early. We went to Haleakala Summit to watch the sunrise. It was really pretty and worth waking up at the butt crack of dawn. 

SUPERMOON!!

Joseph and Erica had to go to work later so we began to navigate Maui by ourselves after our trip to Haleakala. We decided to go to Lahaina and do some touristy shopping and wandering. 

Awesome Banyan tree

In front of Bubba Gumps

We went to Ululanis again and I got the best shave ice ever. It was Li Ming Hui, Pineapple, and Peach!

Hawaii: Day 4

We took a surfing lesson on Tuesday! Caleb and I have always wanted to try surfing. As Caleb says, it was the last "board" sport that we need to master. I can't say we've mastered it, but at least we more or less know how to do it! No pictures of us doing it tho... Our lesson was through Big Kahuna Adventures and they took pictures but then wanted to charge 36 bucks for them. There were not many good ones so I didn't want to spend all of my money. Now I kinda regret not dishing out the money. Proof of a fun memory is probably worth 36 dollars to me. Here is the one before picture I have: 

And here is an after picture of what happened to my legs from the surfboard:

I needed a rashguard for my legs I guess :S

Surfing was so tiring!!! Just after paddling out one time I was tired! It is no wonder that all the people who live in Hawaii are so fit. If I surfed everyday I'd have abs, and buns like all the other surfer chicks I saw. 

We later hiked to Twin Falls which is one of the first stops on the Road to Hana. It is a pretty short hike (one mile each way I think) to a pretty waterfall that you can jump off into the pool. We didn't jump off but it was fun to watch others do it!

We played at the beach and watched the sunset at Kamoelle 1,2, or 3. I wasn't sure which one we were at. 

Hawaii: Day 5

On Wednesday we went on a boat cruise to the island of Molokini to go snorkeling. I was a bit  more comfortable snorkeling today so I got to enjoy more of what I saw which is great because there were soo many fish to see! Our tour was supposed to take us to "Turtle Town" as well but the water was too murky so we couldn't snorkel there so we just anchored in the middle of the ocean and swam around for a bit. When our tour was over we went to Secret beach with Erica again and also to Ululanis again ( can you tell I liked it there??) 

Hawaii: Day 6

Day six took us on the Road to Hana. Highlights of the day include going to Wai'anapanapa Beach, Oheo Gulch, hiking through a bamboo forest to Waimoku Falls, finding the Red Sand beach and picking up the nicest hitchhiker ever. 

My legs are starting to heal from surfing!

Ohea Gulch

Bamboo Forest

Waimuku Falls

Hawaii: Day 7

Day seven was a beach bum day for the most part. Caleb and I beach hopped for awhile and then took Erica to the Iao Valley. Here we almost got hit on the head by an attack avocado and also took a semi-hidden trail to the top of the valley. It was beautiful!

Hawaii: Day 8

Our last full day in Hawaii :*( Again we pretty much just beach hopped in the morning and then went to a fancy dinner that night. Caleb and I love Ruth Chris's Steakhouse so we splurged and indulged in some delicious steak and stuffed chicken. Then we went to another restaurant with Erica and shared three desserts:) Yum! We had to say goodbye to Joseph and Erica that night which totally sucked because our lives are crazy and who knows when we will see each other again...

Caleb found me a shell but it was not mine to keep. Keep on living little sea slug!

Miss this mighty fine girl right here!!!!!

Hawaii: Day 9

We got up and said goodbye to the beach, cleaned our condo, chatted with the housekeeper for an hour ( she invited us to go rappelling with  her next time we come) and headed for home. Goodbye Hawaii! We will see your beautiful islands again!