mele kalikimaka.

...is Hawai'i's way to say Merry Christmas to you! 

hellwaii from Jocelyn Kirk on Vimeo.

I wasn't entirely fair to Hellwaii while I was there. There were a few fleeting moments... especially Thanksgiving week when Tad came to visit... that I was able to brave the world outside my Seattle embassy {read: Starbucks} and explore the sunshiny island without being traumatized by the public transit system... among a variety of other things that inhabit that island. In the week Celeste was there, we actually rode around the entire island on a city bus and clearly survived to tell about it. We also ate macadamia nut pancakes and attended the Chief's Luau for Thanksgiving dinner {highly recommend!!}! We took a surf lesson on the NorthShore + ate lunch at a shrimp truck followed by some shaved ice at Matsumoto's. We took naps on pristine beaches + went on a catamaran with a keg of mai tais. We saw dolphins + flying fish. We snorkeled with sea turtles + a very rare monk seal. We built recliners in the sand on the very picturesque Lani Kai. Our favorite place to watch the beautiful sunsets was at a little bar right on the water in Waikiki called Rum Fire. Live acoustic music played nightly as we drank spritzers and soaked in the views; you could even see Diamondhead in the near distance from our table. We met awesome people through an interesting night of couch surfing + laughed until we cried at in our hotel room. As I was getting out the shuttle at the airport after a looooong month, the driver said to me, "I'm sorry this island was terrible to you but not a lot of people would be brave enough to come here by themselves to learn. You are a better person because of your experience. If you take nothing else from your time here, know that." 

The theme of twenty-twelve seems to be a few amazing moments mixed in amidst the chaos and challenges just when it seems to be getting to be too much. & while I am sadly soo excited for the new year to arrive, I am feeling extra happy tonight for the little speckles of awesomeness I've experienced periodically throughout the year. Today was a perfect speckle experiencing the magic of Christmas through Reese, spending quality time with grams + nesting with Kara. Oooh, how this new year already promises so much love, wonder + excitement... I can't hardly wait!