kauai trip!

i went on a weekend trip to Kaua`i with a group from the Leisure Center on campus - it was a blast! we left on Friday afternoon for the short flight over to the island. it was raining as we walked to our plane and when we arrived in Kaua`i the weather was still a bit overcast, so i started my trip with a long nap to get ready for the night :)


after my nap, some friends and i met up with the whole group down at the beach party! there was a bonfire and lots of party supplies... everyone had lots of fun :) however, i knew i wanted to get to bed at a decent time so that i'd be able to enjoy the big day we had planned!

our first stop on saturday was Wailua Falls - we had to hike down a steep and muddy mountain to get to the bottom of the 200ft waterfall, and i almost died about 5 times. it was so slippery that we actually had to use rope to help us down, but the result was definitely worth the struggle! we swam through the water to get to the waterfall and even walked behind it, then jumped off a little cliff and swam back to climb the muddy slope once again. it was so gorgeous


our next stop was the Kileauea Lighthouse, a bird sanctuary & national historic lighthouse. i saw some cute baby birds and lots of pretty scenery here, like this:



we had lunch in Hanalei in Ching Young village where my friends and i got some yummy drinks (lava flows). then we left for my favorite: The Blue Room. it's a natural freshwater spring inside a big lava tube cave and is apparently one of the best-kept secrets of Hawaii. it got its name from a secret entrance into a smaller cave where the color blue radiates from inside the cave's water. the water was really cold but it was lots of fun swimming through the complete darkness to get there! here is a picture from inside the cave looking out at the hill we hiked down:


our last stop was Tunnels Beach, which was really pretty and quiet. i actually took a really nice nap here until it was time for us to leave :)


after we got back to the hotel, my friends and our tour guides went down for another smaller beach party. we had music playing and a fire going, and even went swimming in a little pool in the ocean. then it was time for bed so we would be ready for the next day!

our first stop on sunday was Kipu Falls where there was a 20ft jump off the waterfall and also a rope swing! i was lame and didn't jump, mainly because i forgot a towel and didn't want to be gross for the flight home... but next time i'm in Kaua`i i definitely know where my first stop will be!! it's absolutely gorgeous, as you can see:


next we went to Waimea Canyon Lookout, but since i've already been there i didn't take any new pictures. it was still as beautiful as i remembered :)

and finally, our last stop was Kalapaki Beach, which is the first beach that mom, papa, and i stayed on when we were visiting earlier!

all in all, it was a good time :D

my address

if anyone was thinking about sending me anything... :) here is my address!

Hale Aloha Mokihana

Room 1087A

2583 Dole Street

Honolulu, HI 96822

and if you would like me to send you a postcard, send me your address!! you can post it in the comments, or send it to my email: stacy3588@gmail.com

i miss you all and want as much contact as possible :) and for an update, here is a new friend i made:

go rainbow warriors!

we had our first football game on saturday! i rode in the back of a truck with a group of people to tailgate before the game, which was tons of fun!! apparently riding in the bed of a truck on the highway is legal here... and besides the face slaps from my hair, it was a very good time


after a 4 or 5 hour tailgate, we made it into the game to see our team, the rainbow warriors :) precious name, isn't it? but don't let that fool you... these guys are huge. and to make it even better, we saw a rainbow before the game even started!


i have never had so much fun at a football game. my friends and i sat with a group of frat boys right at the front, and it was crazy. we all got these blow-up things & i snagged a palm tree branch to wave in the air too :) here is a shot of me and my friend marci at our seats!


i was also able to go see more friends up at the top of the stadium where i got a good picture of the whole stadium, plus a nice group shot!



another update: i got a job at Forever 21 at the Ala Moana shopping center! i start tomorrow, and am super excited to make some extra money for all of the fun things i want to do, like the trip to Kauai i'm going on this weekend!! plus i get a discount on clothes... :D

labor day weekend

it's hard to get this thing updated here because i'm at the beach all the time!!! Jen and i finally took a day off today and actually got stuff done which is always nice, but yesterday we went to Sandy Beach with a pretty big group of people from our dorm! the waves were so big that i was actually too scared to get in, but there were lots of people jumping the waves, bodyboarding, and doing other fun water activities... here is a picture that i had to steal from Jen because i forgot my camera

last night i went with some friends to a movie on the beach (Horton Hears a Who) at Waikiki! there were lots of people there and i think we'll try to go back for the next movie :)