Holidays and Hawaii

You know those test questions that you are supposed to choose the best answer? So there are straight up incorrect answers, answers with partial truths, and then good answers, and great answers. I always hated those questions because maybe I think my "incorrect" answer is the best one. That's valid, right? Well, here's a test-like question, or rather it's a statement about me:

"Holidays are Maddi's favorite." True or false.

1) True, she gets to miss school and play all day. It doesn't matter where she is!

2) False, she hates missing school and loves studying every hour of her life

3) False, holidays are Maddi's favorite when spent in Hawaii.

I don't exactly know where I was going with that whole thing, but you get the point. I LOVE Hawaii. I mean who wouldn't, right? But Hawaii is more to me that paradise; it is my home and where I would choose to spend most of my life if I had the option. Luckily, since Alex will hopefully have a flexible job as most doctors do, we will get to choose where we live and that will be on O'ahu. But you never know, so we will just pray for the best!

To connect the two ideas of holidays and Hawaii, yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, aka a day Alex and I didn't have to go to school. We didn't really do all that much--pretty much hung around the house and then had our friends Jaycee and Bill over for pizza, the Bachelor, and Just Dance on the kinect-- but a holiday is a holiday and they really are so great no matter where we are! What makes a holiday the best though, is one spent in Hawaii.

There are endless opportunities and things to do in Hawaii and that's why I love it there! Besides all the normal stuff that you can do on the mainland on a day off like going to the movies, shopping at a mall, hang out with friends, bowling blahblahblah (not that I don't like those thing, I love those things too, believe me!)... you can go to the beach, hike a mountain, climb down a valley, jump off a waterfall, see a rainbow, search through the tide pools, eat any kind of authentic ethnic food, go surfing or boogie boarding, rent a boat, barbeque on the beach and the list goes on and on and on. It really does. I mean, when people ask me if I ever got island fever when living over there for most of my life, I always say no. Never. Honestly, if you are an outdoorsy person, you will never get bored because there are so many things to do and see on that tiny island and I love it there.

Oh, how I long to go to Makapu'u beach and dive through the waves that come crashing down on the fine white sand that exfoliates your skin just being tossed and turned in the waves of the ocean. Oh, how I miss driving with the warm wind in my face and smell of flowers and salt water in my nose. Oh, how I wish I could hike Koko Head Crater--all 1500 steep stairs that kick my butt all the way to the top, where a magnificent view of the island awaits me. Oh, how I love the simplicity of slippers, shorts and a t-shirt, naturally highlighted hair, and a tan so great you don't need makeup to look beautiful. Oh, how I love the different cultures that populate the island from shore to shore. There are no two babies that look alike, yet with all of their diversity, they are all absolutely stunning. Oh, how I long to be back in Hawaii.

Take me back to da kine!