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Reminder to Believe in Myself
Today marks five years exactly since I got on a plane and moved to Hawaii. I've talked about that experience many times on this blog, but today's anniversary hit different. Today's anniversary was a perfectly timed message from the universe. Today reminded me that I'm amazing and I can accomplish impossible things. And I really needed that.
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Quarantine Day 68-70: 7 Things I Learned in 70 Days
Today marks 70 days of self isolation. 70 days since I was last at work. 70 days since I was last able to have any sort of real social gathering. 70 days since I have been able to visit my mom. It has been 70 days of ups and downs, good days, bad days, productive days and lazy days. I've had days where I've really struggled, days where it was hard to get out of bed, but lately, I have found myself in a really good place. I have used this time of isolation to work on projects and catch up on some entertainment. I've also used this time to…
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Quarantine Day 51-59: 2020 is still going to be my Year
There seemed to be an overall consensus that 2019 sucked! And I fully agree with that. 2019 was definitely one of my worse years on record and I was so looking forward to 2020. Then COVID-19 happened and there once again seems to be an overall agreement that this year has gone to hell as well. For a moment there I would have agreed, but I've been thinking a lot lately, doing a lot of reflecting and, although I was struggling there for a minute, overall I'm happy. I'm happy and I feel like I'm headed in a very healthy direction.
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5 places you need to visit when you come to Oahu, and 2 you should skip
I am by no means a Hawaii expert, but I did live there for nearly three years and in those three years I would like to think I transitioned (somewhat) from a wide eyed tourist to someone who called Oahu home. During my time on the island I had the opportunity to try a lot of the "touristy" things Oahu has to offer. I also had the wonderful chance to find my own favorite places on the island. As family and friends of all different ages, with varying interests and desires for their Hawaii vacation came out to visit me I was able to see what they really enjoyed and…
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Family & Community – What I Miss About Military Life
Although in a lot of ways I didn't embrace the military life, I was a military spouse for three years. My entire time living in Hawaii was thanks to and shaped by the military. The best time of my life thus far was all thanks to the military.
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Lanikai Juice
Summer has been in full swing the past few weeks here in Southern California and that means hot windless nights and day time temps in the 90s (This week we’ve even been hitting the 100s!). California has turned into an oven and all I can dream about is Lanikai Juice. Sure California has Jamba Juice and Juice It Up! (which I do love) and little local smoothie shops, but since I’ve been back I can honestly say nothing beats Oahu’s Lanikai Juice. Lanikai Juice opened it’s doors back in 1997, serving healthy and fresh smoothies, fruit bowls, freshly squeezed juices, food, and cold pressed juices using local and fresh organic…
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4th of July
Now when I answer the occasional Facebook survey or someone asks me, "What's your favorite holiday?" I'll usually give them the traditional Christmas answer, but when I really think about it, the 4th of July has always given me so much more excitement and joy then most other holidays. And although I know that I have better memories, for some reason, when I think about the 4th, I find a lot of reasons to smile.
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Stairway to Heaven
One of the last hikes I attempted while on Oahu is also one of Oahu's most infamous and talked about hikes. It seems like everyone has heard of, or at least seen pictures of, Oahu's Stairway to Heaven (also known as the Haiku Stairs).
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Where to get the Best Poke on Oahu?
Poke (pronounced POH-KAY) dates back to the ancient Hawaiians who would feast on freshly caught fish massaged with sea salt, seaweed and crushed inamona or kukui nuts. Since then poke has grown and evolved, in some circumstances, drastically. As immigrants from all around the world, and especially places like China and Japan, began arriving in Hawaii, new flavors began to shape poke. While the more traditional Ahi poke is made with tuna, shoyu (soy sauce), sea salt, green onions, Maui onions and limu, visit any poke shop in Hawaii today and you can find a wide array of flavors and options including kimchee shrimp, furikake salmon, miso tako (octopus), pipikaula…
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7 Eleven in Hawaii
It may sound crazy to anyone that has never been to Hawaii, but on the islands 7 Eleven is one of the absolute best places to get a quick, cheap meal or snack. From ramen to sushi, hot dogs to sandwiches, Hawaii’s 7 Elevens have something for everyone and it’s not the lowest quality food you might imagine. I am in no way a food snob and I will proudly say certain gas station hot dogs aren’t bad. I on occasion have even purposely chosen to eat a gas station hot dog, whether it was from the ampm up the road from where I grew up or the 7 Eleven…
