Living With Aloha...

I'm back on the mainland from my long weekend away on the island of Oahu... I didn't realize how much I missed being there.. It is EXACTLY what I needed to get away from the crazy madness life can throw at you.. I was lying on the beach in Waikiki, my favorite local tanning spot, Kaimana, and I was staring into the distance and I had this weird feeling like I had never left.. like the last four months I had been gone hadn't even happened. I love that Hawaii is my sanctuary.. I feel nothing but love when I'm surrounded by the sun, ocean, and the best friends a girl could have..


These pics were taken with my awesome Holga camera.. I love using it, but the anticipation when you have to develop the film kills me!! Some pics I used the fisheye lens and some with a red flash but others are natural light leaks.. I was also shooting with expired film for the extra edge.. Every picture is unique in its own way... Oh lomography.. my new hobby..





Acai bowls after at the Health Bar?! The life..



I love Bambu Two.. I mean who can beat $3.50 martini's?! We kept them flowing the whole night..







Some Apartment 3 debauchery... I love their After School Special which is a grilled cheese with tomato soup.. the stuff will save your life..






A new restaurant opened up called Yogur Story (yes, minus the "t".. it's owned by asians.. go figure)... They definitely need to work on their customer service. From the moment we walked in, they warned us it would be 30 minutes before we could even order since the kitchen was backed up. Plenty of seats.. not enough cooks or maybe it was their lack of kitchen size.. The food was ok.. I think my favorite part of the restaurant is the decor.. Maybe I'll try it again after they establish themselves..








Wow, this is a long blog.. I promise it's almost done.. Mariposa is definitely one of my absolute favorite restaurants.. Brunch there is indescribable.. It's all about detail and appeasing your palette. They start you off with this broth to cleanse your taste buds then come along their ever so popular pop overs (bread - yummy goodness).. I had about 4 of them.. I could barely finish my lunch!!




Morimoto's is to die for, it's inside the EDITION.. the food is so ridic.. The customer service is another issue. If you have a large party, large being 10 or more, they make it a big issue and have you deal with their customer relations person.. this person is not my favorite because when I tried dealing with them for my Birthday back in October they were the worst. I sized down the party to 8 and magically it was ok. Why is it that with every other restaurant on the planet, making a reservation is easy, but with Morimoto's I almost have to beg with a large party? Do they not want the money?! (anyone else have this problem?) Sorry, rant.. The food and decor is what they have going for them.. The pictures explain:





To end the night, we headed to Lobby Bar.. this place is AMAZING.. I've written about them before, but their drinks, in particular the Geisha is a must.. get it if you go..



My first visit back to Hawaii did not disappoint.. EXCEPT for the sun was playing hide and seek with me. Guess I'll just have to book another vacation getaway.. April it is!! Lucky to live aloha.. The islands have such beauty and depth and built in happiness.. It forever has my heart.

OH.. and I got crafty again... Pretty Girl Rock for your face...


...Live life with meaning, grace, happiness, and respect for others and the land we live on.. Aloha Hard..

Aloha Hawaii... Hellllooo San Diego.. 10/10/10

After spending 5 years, 2 months, and 15 days in paradise, I made the trek over the Pacific ocean, 2,500 miles, to San Diego... Hawaii has given me so many opportunities and memories that I will never forget and not just because of all the pictures we took, but the way the people that live there made me feel. The way the warm ocean felt between my toes and soft sand beneath my extra large beach towel at the pristine beaches.. I made some pretty amazing friends and I honestly don’t think anyone could have had a better group of people surrounding them.. and so many of them! I always felt so welcomed on the islands and for someone who grew up as an Air Force brat moving from location to location, I’ve had my fair share of feeling out of place and not happy with constantly being in a new environment. I’ve never felt so happy living in a state before and actually whole heartedly call it “home”. People think they may get “island fever” and claustrophobic if they’re surrounded by water.. When that feeling kicked in, I simply got on a plane and headed somewhere fun for a weekend and came right back to Hawaii and it was always a comforting feeling coming back home. Especially after cold snowy winters (last year I went to Alaska for Christmas), so after the cold, being able to head to the beaches and work on my tan after the holidays always felt so perfect.. I crave the sun.. I will miss the rainbow state, but I will never forget what I was given.. great friends, perfect scenery, opportunities in the modeling/acting industry, the best sushi aside from Japan and even then there’s some fierce competition, and aloha... This Texas girl’s heart will always be in Hawaii..


Not only did I move to San Diego, but one of my best friends Giselle also made the move! Ummmmm, trouble what?? SO in normal fashion, we of course threw a going away party at RumFire.. All of the important people in our lives stopped by.. and IF you couldn’t make it, we forgive you.. sort of.









We love our photogs Mark Ramelb and Eugene Hopkins..



Hanging with my girls..





Sometimes you just gotta dance and have a good time and let the randomness happen..





...rainbows forever in my eyes...

*Photos by Mark Ramelb