kauai: part two

I am going to dedicate part two of our Kauai adventure to a beach on the south shore called Pakalas. I think it's safe to say that this was Bobby's favorite spot on the island and one of the most tropical places I've ever seen. Pakalas is a local surf spot and Bobby claims that he got some of the best waves of his life here. He describes it as a "perfect left hand reef point break, uncrowded and peeling for a couple hundred yards around an awesome reef in front of a tropical oasis beach." There were days that he would get up at 5:30 AM to surf for a few hours and then come back and start the day with me. He was peeing his pants completely giddy every morning before heading out in anticipation for perfect waves, you would think it was Christmas morning. I'm more than happy to support his surfing obsession as long as there is a warm tropical beach for me lay on and soak up the sun. :)

shot of Pakalas waves from the sand.

Bobby tearing it up.

love my ultra-zoom camera.

After he got out of the water, we explored a bit and came upon an absolutely beautiful stretch of the beach. It looked like the screen savers I have on my computer but real!

 note the Hawaiian monk seal on the beach!

 my happy place.

 love the palm trees dragging in the crystal clear water.

perfect place for a hammock.

I was in awe of this beach and wanted to capture it the best I could. To top it off, we found some souvenirs to take with us to remind us of this beautiful place.

sea glass!

Pakalas was the best of both worlds for Bobby and I with perfect waves and endless sunshine. I think we could pitch a tent and be completely content here for a while. :)


Got more coming tomorrow! Aloha!

kauai: part one

We are back from the island and, let me tell you, I did NOT want to leave! We went to the Hawaiian island of Kauai and it was nothing short of paradise. I have been to Oahu and Maui before but Kauai definitely takes the cake for being my favorite island. It has the perfect mix of beautiful beaches, hiking trails, mountains, waterfalls, snorkeling and...you get the idea. Bobby and I concluded that this was probably our favorite vacation that we have taken together and that's saying a lot! (I may or may not have cried when we left......I know). 

We flew to Kauai on my birthday (4/23), the day after our half-marathon (you better believe my legs were cramping and stiff after a 5 hour plane ride) and arrived there just around 11:00 AM local time so we still had a whole day to explore after arriving. Our awesome friends Jessy & Jenn Holmberg live on the east side of Kauai in the town of Kapa'a and were gracious enough to let us stay at their house for 9 days. We are SO thankful to them for making our vacation so wonderful!

their island home & island rides.

It was so nice having personal tour guides to take us around and show us some of their favorite spots. Jenn's son Wyatt was kind enough to let us take his car a few days to explore on our own. There were some days when we left the house at 8 am and didn't get back til 8 pm because there is just so much to do and see! 

Our island ride! Driving this around helped us not look so much like kooks blend in more with the locals since we weren't driving a bar-coded, shiny red rental car.

Believe it or not, as much as I thought I would not want to run on our vacation, turns out I started to miss it (weird?). Also, when there is a paved running path that goes for miles along the tropical ocean it's hard to resist. I will say though that I have a new respect for people who run the Kauai and Kona Marathons. Running in the heat and humidity is rough.

we took their dog Silas with us on our runs and he was so happy!

Since we got there on my birthday, I of course wanted to head straight to the beach and soak up some Hawaiian sun! It was nice having our friends with us because Jenn was happy to lay on the beach with me while Jessy and Bobby surfed their brains out. That way, everyone was happy :).

After a few hours in the sun, we ate at Duke's Restaurant for dinner and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the water as a great way to end the day. The next morning, Bobby surprised me with a couple's beachside massage! My sore muscles were LOVIN it! Bobby is always so thoughtful of me and, come to find out, had this planned for weeks in advance. What can I say? He's the best!

After that, we cruised the island for a while and settled at Moloa'a Beach for a nap.

I was pleasantly surprised at how uncrowded the beaches felt. We were 2 of 5 people on this beach.

...then we played on the swing!

couldn't resist.

Even after 2 days on the island I was already scheming about ways that Bobby and I could live here. It's THAT awesome...and it's no secret that I've always been a huge fan of the island life and dream about it often. I love the atmosphere and vibe of Kauai and the simplicity of life. I love that there are fresh fruit stands on the corners selling mangoes, pineapple, papaya and fresh coconuts (I am obsessed with coconut water!) and the abundant sunshine and tropical rain, making it impossible not to smile everyday. mmm....I'll just keep dreamin!

Stay tuned the rest of the week for more of our Kauai adventure :)

we did it!

As you may remember, one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 was to complete a half-marathon. Well....I did it!!! Bobby, my dad and I ran the Inaugural San Luis Obispo Half-Marathon today! 13.1 miles! Now we can say we were part of the first ever SLO Half-Marathon! It was such a great experience! It started at 6:30 this morning and provided a great tour of the city as it started at SLO Highschool, wound around downtown, through some historical neighborhoods, out to the countryside/vineyards, and ended up at the famous Madonna Inn. It attracted many people from out of town and some even from other countries (a full marathon was offered as well). A total of 5,000 runners between both races participated. My dad was nice enough to run with me the whole way (Bobby smoked us runs at a faster pace) and it was so awesome having an encouraging running partner for the race! My dad is a stud.

this is at about mile 1.5. mom & Tracy braved the early morning to stand on the corner and cheer for us because this segment of the race was very close to our house.

I was so happy with all the training I did for this race because it made it way more enjoyable to not have to struggle through it. There was quite a few challenging hills on the course but we chugged through and made it.

dad and I after just crossing the finish line!!

 

 finished!

sweaty much? note to self: wear a dri-fit shirt next race.

Bobby came in at 1:52:38, and my dad beat me by 1 second! He got 2:10:57 and I got 2:10:58. We all did better than our goals (mine was to beat 2:15) so I'm 100% happy!

and considering we burned off more than 1,300 calories in the race, we treated ourselves to gigantic sandwiches at Gus' Deli and then we got some dessert....

I love that Foster's Freeze is 2 blocks from our house. Dangerous?

Overall, it was a great day and I feel very proud of myself. We are already looking at doing another one in a couple months! Overambitious? Nahh. Gotta run 'em while we are in shape! 

And the best part is we are flying out tomorrow morning (my 25th birthday!) to go to Kauai for 9 days! Can't think of a better place to rest my legs than on a white sand beach in the sun! 

ALOHA!

backpacking & bobcats

Over Easter weekend, Bobby and I decided to go backpacking in Henry W. Coe State Park, up north by Gilroy. We chose the perfect weekend! We had great weather, only saw a handful of people the whole weekend, and had a campsite with no one around. What better way to celebrate the risen Lord than to enjoy his creation!

We woke up at 5:00 AM on Saturday morning (it's amazing how much easier it is to get up at 5 AM to go backpacking than it is to get up at 7 AM and go to work!) and drove about 3 hours up to the state park. It was very cold in the morning, but the sun came out and it warmed up pretty quick!

starting out on the trail.

we followed a winding path for about 8 miles of towering oak trees, fields of green grass, stream crossings, and wildflowers.

we also saw an array of wildlife on our trip including wild turkeys, deer, newts, ticks, frogs, bats, horses, cows, and a bobcat! 

we found an amazing campsite down off the trail with no one around.

we enjoyed a delicious meal for dinner. who says you can't eat gourmet food when camping??

corn tortilla, dehydrated black beans, boil-in-the-bag brown rice, canned chicken, fresh cilantro and onion.

We enjoyed some hot chocolate by a fire and watched a bunch of bats fly around above us. We had a cool time of reflecting on what God has done in our lives and spent some time praying for each other under the stars.

Easter morning, we woke up and had a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and banana and read the Gospels' accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection. He is risen!

We left our campsite feeling rejuvenated and just plain ole happy!

we took our time on the way back, enjoying the scenery, stopping for lunch and exploring an abandoned barn.

and at our last stream crossing, Bobby caught this little guy!

We are so thankful for the freedom we have to get away and enjoy nature and spend time with each other. Above all, I'm thankful to have a Creator who gave his life so that we may live and enjoy His creation!

Luke 24:46-47 "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations."

see canyon

Bobby and I needed a day off running today (11.8 mile run yesterday!) so we decided to go on a bike ride in See Canyon which is out in Avila Beach, just south of SLO. It was a perfectly sunny, crisp day and the scenery was unbeatable. We decided to caravan both of our cars down there and parked one at the end of the road and one at the top where we would start riding from so we could just enjoy the downhill and not have to go back up (lazy?). See Canyon is lined with apple orchards and vineyards and everything is starting to bloom so it was very peaceful and beautiful.

 helmet head me at the top!

 perfect spot for a picnic or nap in the sun in the future.

love the towering trees.

this guy has mad skills taking pictures while flying down the hill

it was a great way to spend our Sunday together in the sunshine!

few exciting things coming up:

SLO Half-Marathon is coming up in 3 weeks on April 22. Our training has been going great. I have been learning so much about my body and what it means to be mentally strong as well as physically strong. I have been amazed at the way it constantly adapts and gets stronger and enables me to run great distances I never thought I could.

Birthday trip to KAUAI: Bobby surprised me and is taking us to Kauai on April 23rd for my 25th birthday!! We are going to be there for 8 days and are staying with some of our good friends who live there. We are looking forward to endless sunshine, warm water, surfing, hiking, and maybe even some beach camping and lots of relaxation. Needless to say, Bobby is amazing and we are counting down the days until we arrive on the island!

I also wanted to share something that God has been teaching me lately. He has taught me (many times) that my worrying is useless and doesn't accomplish anything. When things come up in life that are unexpected or challenging, I need to rest in the fact that God has placed that challenge in my life for a purpose and for me to learn from...not to worry and stress out about. I want to encourage anyone who feels burdened, stressed or is worrying about something that has come up recently in your life to know that God is in control and "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him". (Romans 8:28). God will always come through! 

Have a great week everyone!