-
My Love Hate Relationship with Koko Head
I am and have been in a serious love-hate relationship with Koko Head since I moved to Hawaii. Every time I do this hike I ask myself “why?” before I have even hit the halfway point. By the time I reach the halfway point, I contemplate giving up and turning around. And then, I reach the top and I forget all of the pain and sweat I just put into this hike. Koko Head. Koko Head Stairs. Koko Crater. No matter what you call it, this trail is over 1,000 steps up an old railway to a WWII pillbox. It is a killer workout with killer views. It will kick…
-
My Weight and 30 Day Challenges
I am currently the heaviest I have ever been and even though I know I haven’t been doing everything I can to fix it, I haven’t been taking it well. This isn’t a completely new development either. Although I’m not overweight and never have been, I have struggled with and at times even obsessed over my weight; never happy with how I looked for most of my life. My current weight “issue” is one I’ve had since I arrived here in Hawaii. Between the time I left California and arrived in Hawaii, I put on nearly 20 lbs and I haven’t been able to shake it. I’d get serious and…
-
Moving to Oahu
September 25, 2015 I got on a plane in LAX headed for Honolulu. The previous months had consisted of a lot of couch surfing, living with different friends and family, and a two month stay in Utah. I had less than $3,000, an Airbnb studio apartment covered for a month, no job, and pretty much no plan. I had spent my entire life living in California. Despite having graduated from college in May of 2014, I still had not worked a “real” job and with the exception of my adventures in couch surfing, I had never lived on my own. I had never been on a plane and the farthest…
-
The Other Pink Box
As a SoCal girl, I know that the best doughnuts come in a pink box. Krispy Kreme can be nice, and I enjoy Winchell’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, but the absolute best doughnut will always be found in a local shop with a pink box. It’s fact. Ask anyone in California. So for me, pink boxes have always meant an amazing sweet treat was headed my way for breakfast (or lunch or dinner or late night snack…doughnuts are good anytime) and thanks to Leonard’s Bakery here on Oahu that is still what a pink box means, with a slight twist. Now Leonard’s Bakery is not a doughnut shop, or at least…
-
The Hawaii Bucket List – Kaena Point Hike
Over Labor Day weekend my husband and I had originally made plans to travel to Molokai. When those plans fell through we decided to spend the weekend exploring new parts of our own island. We have spent very little time on the west side of the island and decided no better time than now! In doing so we got to check off yet another item on our Hawaii Bucket List, the Kaena Point hike via the Waianae side. Kaena Point is the westernmost point of Oahu and can be accessed via a North Shore hike or a Waianae side hike. The point is a bird sanctuary and if you go…
-
The Hurricane Lane Experience
This past weekend, as you most likely already know, Hurricane Lane was headed directly for Hawaii and predicted to be a devastating and powerful storm. As you also probably know, while the storm did cause some devastating flooding and other problems for Maui and the Big Island, for the rest of the state Hurricane Lane lost all of her power and pretty much missed us completely. Despite the anti-climatic ending for those of us here on Oahu, it did make for a memorable experience, especially for a hurricane virgin such as myself. Hurricanes hitting Hawaii are incredibly rare. In the three years since I moved here I have never even…
-
The Hawaii Bucket List – Makapu’u Tide Pools
Most people who visit Oahu know about the Makapu’u Lighthouse hike or at least get a glimpse of it when they explore the island; the steep paved hike up to the pretty red lighthouse across from Sea Life Park, tucked between Hawaii Kai and Waimanalo. However, what many visitors to Oahu don’t realize is that right off this popular hike are gorgeous tide pools, deep enough to swim in and filled with sea life to explore. I have been to the tide pools before, two or three times since I first read about them and every time I ventured down the hillside I am amazed by the beauty of the…
-
The Hawaii Bucket List – Makapu’u Tom Tom Trail to the Puka
This weekend was my husband‘s birthday, and because for some reason even after 8 years together I am horrible at finding him the right gift, in order to avoid epic failure, I decided instead of buying him a gift I would just agree to do anything he wanted. I would just like to note that I am not a selfish wife. I would normally do this anyways, but usually, there would be gifts or surprises that never go as planned. This year I decided to avoid that all and just make this weekend as perfect as I possibly could for him. For his birthday, my husband decided he wanted us…
-
Zippy’s – The Restaurant I Resisted
Established in 1966 by brothers Francis and Charles Higa, the first Zippy’s Restaurant opened in McCully, Oahu. Since then Zippy’s has grown to over 20 locations on Oahu, as well as a location on Maui and the big island of Hawaii. Over twenty locations on Oahu alone, that means that they are practically everywhere! When I first moved here it felt like I saw a Zippy’s on every street and it felt like everyone was talking about this place. As I made friends I was constantly told how amazing Zippy’s was. Some people I know would rave about their fried chicken, others around me were obsessed with their rice. Several…
-
Time to Jump
In the months prior to me moving to Hawaii, I started having this vision or daydream or dream…I’m not really sure what I’d call it, but this scene was in my head constantly. Here’s the scene: It was me, standing on the edge of a rock or a cliff or a waterfall. It was always something high and above a body of water. I would close my eyes, take a deep breath, take one step back, and then I would jump. The thing with these, I’ll call them visions, was they always stopped at different moments. Sometimes after I would hit the water. Sometimes right after I stepped off the…
