hello lump sum.

this is my friend ikaikia. 

he sings.

it sounds good.

you should listen.

i'm a sucker for anyone that covers bon iver.

hello moments.

and for whatever the end brings, at least we know that the end means new beginnings. 

and at least we can be grateful for those moments that we learned. 

learned to have hope. 

learned to love. 

learned to trust. 

and although those moments may only last but a small moment in time, 

at least we can be grateful for what they taught us. 

teaching us about the brighter days ahead and about the cherished times behind. 

hello pavement productivity.

today i spent some time on the pavement. and yes... i mean literally. 

i don't even know why i'm sharing this story with you all, but here goes.

walking to class and i'm texting on my phone. 

***warning: do not text and walk at the same time***

somehow, my feet decided to stop working and managed to stumble upon a crack in the pavement. 

upon those few seconds before my body hit the cement, i actually do remember having the quick thought... oh my gosh... this is really happening... i am actually about to fall. 

SMACK.

phone flies out of hand (thankfully, and miraculously not cracked)

and i lay there in the middle of the road... pondering for a few seconds what just happened until i got up. 

yes. people saw.

yes. i just kept walking like nothing happened.

well as i tell you this story and i say that i smacked the pavement.. i mean really hard. i walked away with cuts on both my feet, ankles, knees, and hands. and i am seriously sore right now. i'm slightly dreading waking up tomorrow and seeing the mass amount of bruises that will cover my body. 

i actually wish someone could have recorded my fall. because i'm sure it would have been hilarious. one of those million hit videos on youtube kind of things.

i think this is a sign that i need to slow down. 

i've been a little busy lately (sarcasm).

so while i have a ton to do tonight, i've decided to give myself a little break to be completely unproductive. 

maybe you're like myself and you need to just take a minute to relax, if so, enjoy.

hopefully you don't find yourself on the pavement before you realize it's time to slow down.

just because i love zac. and taylor.

just because i will always love coldplay. an old one, but a good one.

just because everyone needs a good laugh. and i love dogs.

wait seriously... how great is that dog one?
xoxo
L

hello nude beach.

yeah. as if the title doesn't already say enough.

let me tell you all a little story.

saturday i went adventuring around the island. 

i begin wandering at this beach that i haven't been to before by diamond head.

walking along the shore i was enjoying the beauty of this island; taking pictures, watching the surfers, same old, same old.

and then...

i see an older guy on the beach in a speedo. 

(mmm.. awk.)

keep walking.

i see another guy... in a speedo.

(lovely)

keep walking.

another guy. in a speedo.

(okay what the heck.. this is weird)

keep walking.

two guys.. together.. both in speedos.

(...)

keep walking.

another guy, laying on the beach... NO speedo.

NOTHING.

(OH MYYYYY)

turn my head down and keep walking.

what the heck did i get myself into? 

yup. so i kept walking and continued to see older men in speedos.. or not in speedos.

and then i reached an area that had people fully clothed again and as i turned around to walk back to where the car was, i braced myself and turned my head down and i saw this...

yup... my thoughts exactly.

apparently i wandered onto an undeclared nude/gay beach.

quite the experience i must say.

how was your saturday?

L

hello peponi.

this place is paradise. 

somehow i found a random beach in waikiki and managed to watch another beautiful sunset on this beautiful island. 

xoxo

L

hello jon schmidt & steven nelson.

friday night i had the opportunity to go to the jon schmidt and steven nelson concert. jon schmidt is seriously the most amazing piano player i have ever seen. and steven nelson was just as equally talented on the cello. it's cool to see real talent these days, because sometimes it seems as if our definition of music now is completely computer generated. 

this was one of my favorite songs they performed. this song features alex boye. check out their other stuff though, so amazing. 

also, when they were here, they filmed one of their new songs out on pounders so it'll be cool to see that when the music video comes out.

great concert.

great talent.

hello rainy sunset.

sunset beach, to watch the sunset. too bad right as the sun was setting it decided to start raining (hence the reason for hiding underneath a tree for a quick second to get a picture).

it was still beautiful though from inside of the car and i actually really enjoyed seeing it through the window with the rain drops. so beautiful. the way it shines through every drop.

sunset beach, you never fail for a good view.

hello sleepy hollows.

garlic fries from the grass skirt grill in haleiwa. mmm, mm, good.
adventuring around the island to find new beaches. feelin' reaaal photogenic (obvi).
wandering through forbidden palm tree forests &
watching some kite surfers.
hawaii, you are good.

hello grace face & britty boo.

I AM CURRENTLY FREAKING OUT.

why you may ask?

because these crazy girls are coming out to hawaii in may.

i can't imagine anything better than my two best friends here with me on this beautiful island. 

hawaii... you better watch out. i don't know if you can handle the craziness and weirdness of the three of us.

:)

hello i.c.

hey, guess what?

screening has been booked.

march 29th, 2012.

8-10pm.

byuh ballroom.

see you all there.

hello hazy blessings.

blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

matthew 5:3-10

hello 1 year ago.

dear jacob,

it's crazy how it's been a year since you left. it feels like it was just yesterday i was sitting next to you in homeroom. i hope you know that you're not forgotten. we all still think about you. we all still appreciate you and the life you lived. it made me so sad this summer to drive past your house every day and realize that you're not there. every other summer we would see each other and wave as i drove by. it was weird. i think about your family a lot. i pray for them a lot and i hope they are finding peace, strength, and love through all of this. i don't think i'll ever be able to forget about all the funny stories you shared with us. you were quite the character. i hope you know that you're still on everyone's mind and that we miss you. it's just so strange how much changes in a year. we're all so far apart and split up in different states. but in a weird way, it's like you have kept us all united. thanks for that. we miss you jacob. i'm sure you are doing wonderfully up there big guy :)

always,
lauren

hello gandhi.

always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.

always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

mahatma gandhi

hello pupukea.

saturday evening kenneth and i grabbed some long boards, my camera bag, and hit the road up to pupukea to watch the sunset. 

not a bad view if i do say so myself.

there's just something so powerful and amazing about the ocean.

as we watched the sunset, we couldn't help but snap pictures of the waves crashing along the shore.

waiting to see how high the spray would reach.

ocean fireworks.

that's what we called it.

so majestic and beautiful.

the sky amazes me. how it can be so beautiful at one moment, and yet constantly changing to another beautiful form within seconds.

kenneth and i started this tradition last semester of going to see the sunset at different beaches along the north shore. 9/10 times though, we got there too late. so we made sure this time to arrive in plenty of time to get some great shots. 

i feel as though hawaii is apart of me. i wouldn't be lauren without it. 

the ocean, the sky, the sun, the breeze. 

i wish i could describe it, i just feel it. i feel the serenity of this place.

pupukea did not fail us for a lovely shot last night. 

we may or may not have renamed this spot to fireworks though.

happy weekend to you all.

all my love,

lauren