I'm home guys. I can feel it in my bones, and every minute of every second that I breathe in that Hawaiian air, walk along the sand, leap into the ocean, run barefoot, jump off a cliff, or hear the sound of a ukulele, I just tingle with excitement. How is it possible that a mere human being can feel such a connection to a place, idea, or atmosphere? I have yet to discover the answer, but MAN do I love it!
I've only been back on the island for 4 days, and I feel like it's been a lifetime! Wednesday, I flew in and made a massive Costco/Walmart trip (courtesy of Jack and Andrea) and spent way too much money on food. haha I love Costco with all my heart, but it's like Target in the sense that you can't just go in an come out with one thing.
But I digress. So I got to my fantastic new house at about 7pm, and went straight into unpacking, bottom bunk baby! So, I live in this sweet little house with 5 other girls, and it is so much fun! My actual roommates are Kristin (from Idaho) and Whitney (from Oregon). Kristin actually served with my cousin Melissa in Michigan! Small world. My other housemates are, Makana (Hawaii) and Kulia & Kawena (Maui). I'm a minority here and it's great! All my roommates are Polynesian except Whitney, she's half Chinese and GORGEOUS! I love me some culture!
Thursday, I was up at 6:30am and got to enjoy the sunrise and peaceful morning all to myself. Let me just say that there is nothing better than sitting outside, early in the morning with the birds and roosters conversing around you while you study the scriptures and the sweet Hawaiian wind is running through your hair. Did I mention I love it here? hehe
Later that morning I got an invite to go to Waimea Bay. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. We swam and played beach volleyball and made friends with some local Marines. Then I fell asleep in the sand and got fried. My face is a nice brown now, but my shoulders are suffering. It's okay though, just 2 more burns like this, and I'll be back to my nice brown coloring again. Oh how I missed it! The sand between my toes, the waves carrying me to and fro, and the Aloha spirit that runs through the veins of all who come to the island. Oh, and we went cliff jumping off the giant cliff pictured below. (photo cred: thisrecording.com)
We finally made it home right before dinner, and I got ready to see some old friends and go to a session at the Laie, Hawaii temple.
I was reunited with some old friends, and filled with the spirit. This temple is beautiful and so unique! I've yet to see a temple as expertly designed as this one. It is quite the experience. After the temple, we went and found more old friends and reminisced the night away. I kept feeling like I needed to pinch people to see if it was real! Almost 3 year have gone by since we were all last together as the Ohana and it feels as though nothing has changed.
This morning, I'm sitting on the couch, attempting to sit comfortably with my sunburned shoulders and still trying to wake myself up, after a crazy eventful night. I made patacones y salchichas con salsa (fried green bananas and hotdog sauce) for the girls in my house, then some of my friends came over and we played Egyptian Rat Screw (which got very intense, might I add) and next thing you know, everyone has friends over! I think that at our max, there were easily 24-25 of us. Cookies were made, songs were sung, good food was eaten, adventures were had, smiles all around, I realized that I'm in college in Hawaii again, and I just can't get enough. The Poly's jam seshed, and I happily listened as my ukulele got the most use its had in 2 years. :) But don't worry, going to bed at 2:30 in the morning is not going to be a habit by any means. I'll just do it every once in a while.
All in all, I realized that I am home. I'm where I need to be and I couldn't be happier. Good friends, good food, good memories, and so many more adventures to come! Mahalo!
