From The Island Shack (or rather, nice condo)

For today’s Hawaii related post, while my mom is still so rudely in paradise without me, here are some pictures taken from our hotel room in April.

So happy.

*song = Always Love by Nada Surf

Hawaii Revisited

My mom is back in Hawaii this week having a reunion with her brothers and sisters, so I’m going to take advantage of this time to finally post some more of the millions and millions of photos I took when we were there this April!

Since my mom is going back home to Hawaii for a family thing, I thought I’d start with some family related pictures. My grandparents on my mom’s side loved Hawaii and lived in Honolulu for forever, so my family got a bench in their memory on the beach at Waikiki. You can see it below in photos, but you should definitely go check it out in person! You can sit on it, watch the waves and get a tan. I wouldn’t mind that right now.

I thought the birds in the tree above the bench that day were kinda cute, even if they were dirty pigeons…

(In case you’re wondering, despite how this may make it seem we actually don’t go to Hawaii all of the time. I think this is the first time my mom has ever gone back home twice in one year! And I’ve only been there twice… so far)

*song = Talking Bird by Death Cab for Cutie

Hawaiian Flower Power

As more evidence that Hawaii is the most beautiful place in the entire world, I present the pictures I took of flowers while there.

I want a garden full of each and every one of these.

Laie

Hale’iwa

Honolulu

*song = Taylor by Jack Johnson

Hawaiian Tasty Deliciousness

Since I know everyone loves food, and I don’t tweet everything I eat but I know you wish I did, I am bringing you this special edition blog post composed only of pictures of things that I ate in Hawaii.  You may commence the celebrating now.

Delicious Food Item I Devoured #1: Hot Malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery

Not only is this bakery famous for it's delicious malasadas, a portugese donut, it was also one of the places my mom worked in high school.  Yep, she was really cool.  So it was only natural that we made a return visit.  I was an especially huge fan of their warm malasada filled with banana crème.  I’m fairly certain it came directly from heaven.

Delicious Food Item Devoured #2: Matsumotos Shaved Ice

This spot on the North side of the island in Haleiwa is also really famous, this time for it’s classic shaved ice – including shaved ice on top of ice cream or beans.  I always opt for the ice cream bottom.  It’s been there forever; some of my aunts and uncles remember stopping by there on trips to the other side of the island in the 50’s.

Delicious Food Item Devoured #3: Miso Ramen from Hawaiiana Cafe

I happen to love Japanese food, and there is a ton of Japanese influence in Hawaii, so I knew it would be necessary to stop at one of the little Japanese food shops at some point.  I noticed this one in a little garden on a stroll only a couple of blocks from where we were staying.

Delicious Food Item Devoured #4: Fresh Mango from a Cute Fruit Shop

We walked past this tiny hole-in-the-wall fruit shop on the way home one afternoon and it called to my dad and I.  Inside it smelled like a tropical fruit paradise, and we purchased mango.

Delicious Food Item Devoured #5: Kailua Pork from some Lovely Place in Kailua

I figured it had to be ordered.

More Hawaii updates soon!

Song = Country Road performed by Jack Johnson with Paula Fuega.  It’s really pretty.  Listen.

Postcards from Paradise

Aloha!

In case you had any doubt, my graduation/parent's 30th anniversary/dad's birthday/mother's day trip to Hawaii was perfect in every way. I may not have wanted to come back, especially becuase I don't have any committments until next Monday...

One of the reasons Hawaii is so beautiful for me is because it is not only a perfect island paradise, it is also the place where my mom grew up (Honolulu) and still has two brothers and a sister living. So not only did I get to relax on the beach while I was there, I also got to see some family for the first time in like eight years. I actually haven't even gone through all of my pictures yet (I may have taken an especially gianormous amount of photos), so here are some pictures of happiness from my mom's camera!

I'm ready to go back there now.

This is my Uncle LeRoy's backyard in Lanikai. Like you literally walk out of his back door and this is where you are. See why I didn't want to come back?

My Aunt ReNel lives in Hawaii for most of the year when she's teaching at Hawaii Pacific University, where she's an awesome professor of nursing. Still in my Uncle's backyard.

And this is inside my Uncle's house, with the new additions being my cousin Michael and Uncle LeRoy and Aunt Margie. They are all very cool and I like them all a lot.

The fam at the famous Matsumoto's for delicious shaved ice.

On Saturday we met Aunt ReNel at her apartment in Kailua...

to go to the Lanikai craft fair, where we visited my Aunt Margie, who was working at one of the food stands.

And my mom got what is quite possibly her most favorite picture of the whole trip.

We also took a fieldtrip the next day to my Uncle's office in Honolulu where he does awesome film things for Production Partners.

And to finish we had a delicious mother's day brunch on the beach on Waikiki.

It was all rather lovely.

More pictures soon!

*song = Jack Johnson's Pictures of People Taking Pictures. Rather appropriate, I think.

Perfect Paradise

This is the view I woke up to this morning.

And then I went for a long run along that path, before jumping into the ocean.

I am so loving my life right now. Just a little bit better than staying up into the wee hours of the morning working on death papers, like I was just two weeks ago.

*song = From the Clouds, also by Jack Johnson. I'm just really feeling like a Jack Johnson soundtrack best fits my life right now.

My Motivation

During the recent days where it’s been below zero with wind chill, my only motivation has been knowing I will be back in Hawaii in three months with this view:

The last (and only other) time I’ve been there was about eight years ago, right before I started my freshman year of high school. I can’t wait to return to Oahu because not only is it perfectly beautiful and warm, since my mom grew up there it holds a lot of family memories – so it’s almost like a return home.

Here’s a picture of my mom growing up in Hawaii with her family (ha! stole it from facebook):

She’s the one in the red muumuu. Note how they’re at the airport, not wearing any shoes! I’m kind of jealous.

So excited to be back there!!!