Exploring Oahu.

I am just a few weeks shy of reaching my 6th year of living here on Oahu...and there are still a few, well, a lot of places that I haven't visited. I had told myself when I first moved here that I didn't ever want to take for granted the place that I lived in. I don't know the future and so I don't know when I'll be moving to a new place to explore, so I had written out a "bucket list" of places and things that I wanted to do here on Oahu...and I have crossed off a lot of things already, but there are still things that I want to do. Today was a day that I choose to explore some of the historical places in town.

When I told my friend about my bucket list, she told me that she would love to come with me in my exploration of not only Oahu but all the Hawaiian islands...and who am I to say no?! It's always fun exploring with a friend. :)

Our day started early, but not too early...and of course we stopped at one of the best coffee stops (in my opinion!) here in Kailua. Kalapawai Market. You can come here to just chill and grab a (cheap but amazing, SUPER amazing) cup of coffee. My friend actually comes here every morning and just sits out front and just talks story with everyone! I'm not an early morning person so I don't join her...but one of these day I just might...she knows nearly everyone!

Their Hazelnut Kona Coffee is AMAZING...but since today was just super hot already I got another one of my top favorite a Dirty Chai Iced. (Like my hat?! I love it. :))

The first place that we went was The Bishop Museum. Oh my days. I think that I can come here every single weekend and just stay here! I absolutely LOVE historical museums!

This place has several buildings that you can visit...and it was hard to choose which one to go to first! I decided to go to the Hawaiian Hall Complex...and it's a EXTREMELY impressive building!

We went into the Hawaiian Hall Gallery first and I swear that I can stay on each floor for AT LEAST a day per floor! There was so many interesting things to see and read about. And yes, I am that person that likes to read EVERYTHING everything everything. Yep, that would be me. Which is why I don't like going to places like this in big groups because I don't want to be the one who holds everyone up...but since it was just my friend and I and then her daughter ended up joining us when we were only there for about 2 hours...and she loves places like this like me.

This is one of my favorite thing that I saw. This is one of Duke's original surfboard made purely out of Koa! That things just be SUPER heavy! I can't even imagine! That was was a fun thing to see!

I could not get over how beautiful the outside the building was and then I walked inside the building and I was again in awe with the beautiful architecture of the place!

This is one of my favorite things that I read, "So it is with the medicine of Kane, before we use things for medicinal purposes, we asked for it because it was someone elses who made them grow. if we take without asking, we are guilty of stealing. Son't be careles. Do not just go and take, that's the way thieve do."- Joseph Kupihea Kahananui, 1962

 After we explored that amazing place (done for now!) we decided to walk the Nā Ula Kaiwi'ula Native Hawaiian Garden...and it was a short walk, but beautiful and we then we walked straight into the Science Adventure Center...and oh my days, I was greeted by this amazing wall of shiny and a waterwall right next to each other.

I want one! I want both walls in my "dream house" it doesn't even have to be that big! I feel as if I can stay there in front of those walls for at least an hour just watching it! :)

They had a shark exploratory area...they usually have different showcases of different themes every so often...and I was glad to be able to experience the shark exhibit
!

I'm still trying to gather my courage to go into a shark cage to "swim" with sharks out in the ocean! This is a real cage that they use for this activity) according to MJ (one of my friend's that came with me today). She has been swimming with the sharks on several occasions now...and she did say that she would go with me when I am ready to go. I'm not to hot on that open space by my head...I feel like they can still get to me! SCARY!

Other places that I went today:

For lunch we went into China Town and ate here. Amazing dim sum! 100% recommend this place!

The only Royal Palace in the US. The Iolani Palace. I feel like I can write a full on post on this place alone. A beautiful place...historically sad, but and amazing beautiful place.

Across the street we saw other historical buildings: Judiciary History Center and Hawai'i Supreme Court.

We sat here near this little spring just resting for a bit before went to go see the missionary houses.

It was a VERY fun day...and I can't wait to explore my beautiful island again!

To the ocean.

I love this quote. I got home late again today...but I didn't knock out when I got home this time. When I got out of my car, it was already 9:30PM...and it was dark. I am so blessed to be living where I am living, because no matter how dark it gets, all I have to do is look up and the stars are almost always shining super bright, and so that is what I did when I got home. I looked up and saw how amazing the stars were that I decided to walk to the beach to just sit there for a few minutes and relax in...life.

Working three jobs is nothing new to most people of this world...but I am still trying to time management after picking up this last job. I do know that it makes me so tired at the end of the day and as I am driving home from my last job of the day sometimes I wonder...is it all worth it? Sometimes I get in those modes where I wonder what is the meaning of my life...is all this work worth it all. And all I have to do is walk to the ocean to know my answer. Yes, it's all worth it.

There is something about the beach at night. Just me, nature, God, and my thoughts. I love watching nature documentaries on Netflix (which is constantly playing in my house since I hate the silence of living alone.)...and I tend to watch more ocean documentaries...and wow, the ocean is an amazing thing...it holds so many secrets, so much life, and so much mass. And where I live, I can see the Mokes in the distance and then forever after that...it goes on and on...until it touches the sky and makes you look up to the stars! To bad I'm not good a photographer and my phone camera can not capture the amazing moment of the rising of the moon over the water...and the endless shine of the stars looking down at me. It's an awe-inspiriting moment when I can't help be thankful to God that he made all this for me.

I still get in those moments where I want to give up...but I don't. I don't because life is such an amazing thing and even though for a moment darkness seizes me, I push through because I have found somewhere that I can go to heal once again. The ocean.

Wouldn't it be amazing if I were a mermaid?! :)

Well, I just got back from processing another billion flowers...flowers that smelled so amazing and were so beautiful that I can never get tired of flowers.





My work space all cleaned up after the processing of all the flowers that came in! (Don't you love my hydro flask?! Gotta keep hydrated...and my amazing friend and TA gave it to me...).



We had to make make-shift shelves in the studio for all the flowers that we processed!




 Every space possible was covered in the studio! We had to leave the table clear just so that we had room to design the next day! The white roses are called Escimo Roses...they are one of my favorite roses...they open so beautiful, and the smell like candy!



The walk-in freezer in the studio was also packed full of gorgeous flowers! Don't you love the white hydrangea arrangements?! They look like miniature balls of clouds! :)










The hallway directly outside the studio was also used in placing the flowers we had...

 
 

Even the hallway leading up to the extra studio beside our studio...as you can see, we had to make make-shift shelves here as well!

 
  
  

And the extra studio itself was also full of flowers! Flower heaven...smells so amazing and they look amazing! I am excited for all who ordered flowers for Valentine's Day and the two huge weddings that we will be having! It will be all so beautiful!

 
 

"The earth laughs in flowers." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson