can't vacation

it is taking everything in me to not read HP...but i'm glad i've held off b/c i want long stretches of uninterrupted time to read it at my own pace. and it really is making me look forward to the week after i come home from China - maybe it'll stave off my typical post-missions-blues.

originally, i wasn't sure if i was going to blog about my trip to Hawaii b/c i felt guilty taking it, but you know what? it's okay to enjoy the good things that God provides! so... my roommate's getting married in Sept. and wanted to take a last-hurrah girls' trip. she, her cousin, and I booked a last minute deal and headed off to Waikiki this past Friday.

it was my first time in Hawaii - i think i was saving it for a honeymoon but since there isn't one looming in the near future, this was as great of a time to go as any. =)

i always imagined that people handed you leis as soon as you de-planed in Hawaii so i was kinda bummed when we weren't greeted by smiling luau ladies. BUT, eunice totally has the hook-ups. her financial advisor, who adopted us as daughters for the wked, picked us up at the airport, handed us these beautiful orchid leis, kissed us on both cheeks, and took us on a short tour of Honolulu.

the next day, we rented a car - primarily so that we could get to Costco to purchase HP books...but since we had the rental (upgraded to a convertible for free), we decided to tour a bit of the island. although it was overcast and rainy, that didn't deter us from some fantastic eats:

this was the original shrimp truck on Oahu. literally, it's this big ghetto van that sells the most amazing garlic shrimp. yum....

and of course, we had to have some shaved ice. @ Matsumoto's, they put ice cream at the bottom of the cone! me and my sweet tooth would've had 2nds (& 3rds) if the line wasn't so long.

my #1 goal was to take a surf lesson, which i got to do the following morning...

don't i look way cool? haha...

i found that it was MUCH
easier to "pop up" & stay
up in these waters (vs. in SD).
it probably helped that i've
been swimming so often
and have a tad more strength.

what i liked about all my
surfing pics (i didn't even know
someone was taking these)
is that i have a huge smile on
my face in every single one.


this series was made me laugh b/c
i was headed straight for the guy
and i remember yelling that he'd
better move b/c i had no idea what
i was doing...

look at my masterful dodging!
of course, i probably fell right after
passing him. =)

my 2nd favorite memory was later that day. it was the 15 min i spent struggling to get myself onto a plastic blow-up raft. it kept flipping over and throwing me off. don't know why this was so much fun, but the other tourists sure got some enjoyment watching me giggle harder and louder w/ each attempt.

this has truly been a sunscreen summer. we only had one day where the sun came out, yet i still came back 10x darker and slightly burnt! even w/ my 20-minute ritual of lathering sunblock everywhere each time i put on a swimsuit. i'm a stinkin' sun sponge... my mom would be appalled if she saw me. she nagged me about how dark (& as result, ugly) i was in june - what would she say now??

anyways, this being my 1st beach vacation, i found out something about myself - i'm a freak and can't seem to properly vacation! i woke up every morning at 6:30am just so i could go out and play in the ocean. and i went back out in the evening too. most of this time was by myself (the girls were too busy w/ HP). i planned on getting some rest but didn't. what's wrong w/ me? =)

i was so scared at the start of the summer... too much free time usually makes me restless and depressed. but instead, it's almost like i haven't had a moment to breathe. and i thought i was simply filling up my time with activities, but i've found that thru them, God has been working to heal me. i'm glad that i'm heading off to china now vs. even a few weeks ago. it's all in His timing. as a result, i know He's good better than i've ever known, and i trust Him more too.