Home away from home; Hawaii!

So if there was one thing that you needed to know about me; its that I LOVE the ocean, lakes, any kind of water, and being in it or around it. So being on an island is of course like being in heaven. Up until 11 months ago I had never been to Hawaii, and since then I've been about 10 times. I think it would be safe to call it my home away from home. I've only been to 2 of the Hawaiian islands; Maui and Kona. I have an equal love for both of them as they both offer different types of a "vacation."

We all have those times in life when we are in a funk or feeling kind of depressed or just not happy at that exact time in life. It happens to all of us and we all handle it differently. Some drink, some eat, so workout, some go away from their problems or whatever may be the cause, and a variety of different things. For me its Hawaii. I try and pick up at least one trip a month going to Hawaii and it doesn't always happen, but when it does; I'm one happy girl! There's just something about all the palm trees, the warm sun, the sandy beaches and the waves gently crashing on the shore that do the mind so much good!! I wish I could explain how much it fills my heart with joy and pure happiness to stand on the beach with the waves crashing at my feet.

When it comes to which island I prefer, well its equal! Kona is more relaxing and soothing whereas Maui is so much more active and offers a variety of different water activities at your fingertips. 

Kona is beautiful and has palm trees everywhere and staying in Wikoloa village is like you belong to this little community. There is a shopping center about a mile from the hotel that I stay at and they have the coolest grocery store! My favorite thing to do it get up and walk down to the village and of course get my Starbucks and enjoy it on the patio listening to the birds chirp and do some reading. Its amazing how refreshing it is to do this little thing! But my all time favorite thing is the fresh poke bar they have in the store. It is so fresh, so delish, and pretty healthy for you! I get a little out of hand and buy like 3 lbs of it and bring it home with me and eat it for the next 2 days😉 I'm not normally a huge beer drinker, but Maui Brewing Company makes some super refreshing island beers so naturally I stock up on those while I'm there too. The pineapple hefeweizen and the coconut porter are a MUST! I usually am only there for about 24 hours so its perfect for me to lay by the pool, relax, get some much needed vitamin D and recharges my body and soul for the month to come. The hotel I stay at has a dolphin pool, which for the record I always want to set them free, but I do always stop and watch them swim and take pictures because they are just so darn cute!!

Now Maui is a whole different cup of tea. When I'm in Maui its go go go! I love swimming in the ocean at sunset and getting that nice dose of saltwater in my hair and my eyes, and then some fresh fish tacos for dinner and maybe even a couple glasses of wine and some live music on Kaanapali beach before bed. Probably one of my top 5 favorite things to do while I'm in Maui is snorkeling with the sea turtles! One: I love turtles, 2: I love how close you can get to them without touching them and they don't think anything of it and 3: swimming in the wide open ocean with the fish and turtles. Literally doesn't get any better then that. I do it for hours. Not sure if its because I feel just like a mermaid while swimming with wild fish and turtles or because I just like being in the ocean. Whatever it is, I LOVE IT! There is so much to do right on Kaanapali beach and I feel like I've only touched the tip of the iceberg there. I am dying to do "Road to Hana" at sunrise and I really wanna do one of the sunset dinner cruises. Its probably meant to be romantic and go with your significant other, but I'd be the girl there alone! No shame here. 

I literally could talk all day about Hawaii but no one wants to read that much haha! Basically if there was anything to take out of this post its that; everyone needs a recharge here and there. Find something that fills your soul and do it once a month or once every other month, your mind and body will thank you! Yes, I do have an easy job and its not that stressful and maybe it seems like I'm always on vacation, but answering the dumbest question after dumbest question gets exhausting and I do need a break too. You would be amazed at how much better you feel and how much clearer your mind is. Hawaii is my go to and when I'm struggling I hop on the swap board and pick up trip to the Island's and don't ever regret it! 

Get out there and travel somewhere! 

Adventures in Iceland

So in the beginning of August I crossed another country off my bucket list.. ICELAND!! I've been wanting to go to Iceland for a long time now and my time finally came! To make it even better I was going with one of my instructors and good friends from initial training.

We planned this trip a few weeks in advance just so that we could make the most of our short time there. Originally, we wanted to go to the Blue Lagoon, but it was already sold out for the time we were going to be there. Literally the main reason people go to Iceland I thought. But I was wrong, again! So in place of the Blue Lagoon we decided to do the Golden Circle tour. Sounds interesting! Three of us bought our tickets and we were ready to go!

Flash forward and we have landed in Reykjavik, Iceland. Its a little chilly and pretty overcast, great. Nothing that I'm not used to growing up in Seattle. We get to our hotel and have a few hours before we have to be at the bus stop for our pickup to start our tour. I decide that since I just flew all night I needed a nap, and when I woke up... It was pouring rain! AWESOME! Our tickets were paid for and were going. So off we went!

We drove out of Reykjavik about 2 hours to the first stop of the tour, the Geysir Geothermal Area. Just like most touristic spots there was a gift shop. Of course we wandered through, got some snacks and walked out to the geysir. It was harder to see because of the lower clouds and misting rain and the steam from the hot geysir water. This particular geysir erupts every 7-8 minutes and we were lucky enough to see it twice! The next stop was about 20 minutes further down the road and it was amazing. The second stop was Gullfoss Waterfall, it was breathtaking. I have never seen such a powerful waterfall in my life. No, I haven't been to Niagara Falls! The powerful water cascading down the fall surrounded but this lush green landscape made for the most beautiful scene.

By this point we were pretty cold and wet, but it was so worth it!! This waterfall was absolutely stunning. The third and final stop on the tour was Thingvellir National Park. It was on the way back into the town of Reykjavik about 45 minutes from the waterfall. Driving through the countryside was so scenic and there is just so much empty land. Its beautiful! Driving through the national park you are able to see where the European and North American tectonic plates once met and have now separated slighted. Usually these things are the least of my concern, but being able to see it first hand and see the crevasse that it created was such a cool thing to see. The park has a visitors center that normally you can wander through and look out over the landscape, but it was closed by the time that we got there. And this girl was frozen and wet and ready for a hot shower. 

Overall this was such an amazing trip with an amazing crew! Ya, the weather wasn't great or ideal, but its all about the people that your with to make the experience great! I will forever remember this trip and the crew I was working with. It was so much fun and for 21 hours in Reykjavik with the same people, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat! Surround yourself with gracious people and no matter the circumstances you will forever remember the time spent with them. Iceland is a beautiful country and I would love to be able to go back and spend more time there and be able to see more sights and more importantly the northern lights! Its not a cheap place to travel to and a beer might be $14 but its worth it. Beautiful county filled with beautiful people. 

Get out and adventure 💖