Aloha to the place that stole my heart...

I'm officially HOME. Whaaat? How did that happen?! Didn't I just get to Hawaii?!?!?.....

As I sit and think about the past weeks that went by like minutes and days that disappeared like seconds, I can't help but get nostalgic. Hawaii is magical. Oahu is magical. I love it with all my heart, so it's only natural that I'm going to miss*...

*Sidenote: Most the images in this post were taken with an iPhone. Most of them weren't edited. Some were taken out of a car window driving 60+ mph... nonetheless, I hope you enjoy... :)

-The lizard that chirps outside my window all night. He's like my security blanket - when I don't hear him, I get worried, haha!

[Trust me, this picture has to do with the above caption... just look closely. ;)]

-The fact that people think a 45 minute drive is FAR here. ;)

-The smell of freshly baked malasadas everyday on my way to school.

-Showering next to an open window.

-Da Bus. There, I said it. I'm even going to miss the dreaded bus!

-Being surrounded by diverse cultures from places I honestly didn't even know existed when I first moved here. Not proud of that and glad it has changed.

-Always having muddy shoes. Always.

-The way rice is served with everything - eggs, chicken, pasta salad, evvvverything. ;)

-Sitting on a surfboard out in the middle of the deep blue, just in complete AWE of how something could even be so beautiful.

-No slippers, no makeup, no brushing my hair. Let me repeat that: no brushing my hair, like, EVER. ;)

-The weird little pelicans that bob along the bike path.

-The feeling of the night air - just cool enough, with a hint of the ocean.

-Walking multiple miles a day to get places and just being able to think during those times.

-Eating like 5 bananas a day to save money on groceries.

-The fact that our kitchen floor is ALWAYS a disaster.

-Sitting in the bed of a truck as we drive down the highway.

-Views like this:

-And this:

-Oh, and this (can you spot the daredevil?):

-How 95% of the people I smile at when walking down the street actually smile back!!!! That is my FAVORITE.

-Running along Ala Wai in the morning. Even when it is so hot I want to faint.

-Warm rain year 'round.

-The sound of bamboo clanking in the wind.

-Lanikai Beach. Man, do I love Lanikai Beach.

-The huge clouds on top of the mountains that greet me every morning and disappear midday.

-The fact that you can be five minutes late. Heck, you can be ten minutes late... and IT'S OKAY!

-The way weekend hikes with crazy friends make my entire outlook on life light up.

-The feel of 6am through my open bedroom window.

-Open windows in general. Even though having no AC in the room is sometimes hot hot hot, it is nice to always have the windows open.

-Papaya. And mangoes. And the freshest Maui pineapples you will ever taste.

-The flowers, oh my gosh the abundance of flowers! On trees, bushes, everywhere you turn. Red, purple, orange, yellow, white, pink...

-The crazy outfits and people in general that you come across walking down the zoo of Waikiki strip. :)

-The fact that most people who go to college here do so away from their families... So in a way you become each other's family.

-Random chickens. They are EVERYWHERE.

-The warmth of the ALOHA spirit. Gosh, there's just nothing like it.

-SO MANY RAINBOWS. Single rainbows, double rainbows, rainbows in the morning, rainbows at noon, rainbows right before sunset. So. Many. Rainbows.

-Standing under a cold waterfall. INVIGORATING.

-Knowing the ocean is always a short walk away and that just sitting by it literally makes all problems feel TINY. Ahhh, I am gonna miss the ocean like no other!

-The fact that even their water bottles are pretty. :)

-All of the decorated mailboxes!! :)

-Lanikai juice. Stortos. Barbeques. Man, they have the best barbeques!

-Shave ice. Right up there with ice cream... and I LOVE ice cream.

-Classroom doors that open to fresh air. No inside hallways here!

-When older couples throw me shakas in the grocery store or walking down the street. :)

-The way I can see straight to the bottom of the ocean on some hikes.

-How the clouds always seem close enough to touch (and sometimes ARE ;).

-Listening to authentic Hawaiian music riding to North Shore in Tomo's truck. So beautiful and calming.

-Wearing these sandals to the beach. ;) And constantly getting monkey pod seeds stuck under any and all shoes.

-The fact that porches are called Lanais. And watching fireworks from them.

-Mopeds evvverywhere.

-Good golly, the sunsets...

-The long, hot walk to school everyday.

-Tomo's grandparents and Papa Fluffy.

-Maritza's crazy energy and eyes that smize.

-Listening to Jack Johnson by the ocean. Oh, and listening to Jack Johnson LIVE. ;)

-Calling everyone "Auntie" and "Uncle".

-Sana saving me from my one and only cockroach encounter. Right above my pillow. Cracking up and just about crying simultaneously.

-The night my friends tried to teach me to dance "like them." Tears.

-Seeing animals in their natural habitat of the ocean (turtles, whales, the tiniest of fish...) I think this was my favorite part of all.

-And last but not least, the fact that I learned people are always greater than location. I'll explain more later.

Holy guacamole. Major tears in my eyes recounting all of this... I'm now convinced it's not a goodbye, it's a see you later...

I apologize if this post seemed a little all over the place (because it was!) or thrown together (it most definitely was, haha...) but I hope it gave you a little glimpse of what life on Oahu was like. And I also apologize that this blog has been filled with so many personal posts lately - I promise I have plenty of engagements and weddings and fun surprises just around the corner! :)