>kauai, day one.

kauai.

day one.

our week adventure began around 3am when we left our little town of laie and headed to the honolulu airport to take a short 20 minute flight to the beautiful island of kauai. we started off the early morning at church where we were sang to by the congregation and lei'd. talk about the aloha spirit.

we then took off to wailua falls. 180 feet tall. and absolutely breathtaking. i've seen waterfalls before, but never something to big and beautiful. after we hiked down the very slippery (and technically illegal) path, we made it to the bottom of the falls and dove into the chilly water. swimming underneath something so powerful and great was an unreal feeling. we hiked up behind the falls and it was so strong. the spray from the falls blew us and we yelled to hear each other. it was amazing. afterwards we hiked to the top and looked over. it still amazes me how beautiful this earth is. 

after the entire trip, i'd have to say this was my favorite thing we did. and if you ever go, you have to hike down and swim and walk behind the falls. this easily made the list for one of the greatest things i've ever done.

after wailua falls, we headed to this rope swing our friend greg discovered on his last trip to kauai. we had a blast swinging around and jumping off. we all had at least one good wipe out. unfortunately though, jordan took the prize when he busted his ear drum... yikes. took it like a champ.

after some costco food (we lived off of costco food all week), we headed to set up camp. after unloading all seven of us out of a small, fiver person car, and laughing at the sight as chickens decided to hang out inside of our car, we set off to the entrance of the nepali coast and set up our tents for the night. 

there we all watched one of the most beautiful sunsets. kauai did not disappoint with beautiful sunsets every night. for the most part, the weather was pretty rainy and overcast, but every evening the sun came out and ended the day perfectly.

now blame it on us being stoked to be in kauai and running off of little sleep, but as we were watching the sunset, we saw a man on a jet ski, who was wearing a cape. and although it was difficult to see, it looked like he was wearing a mask. basically, we were convinced he was wearing a batman costume on his jet ski. we began to cheer "batman!" and then he ventured over. long story short, we met our first of very many friends that night. brando. not batman. he joined us for the evening, bringing spaghetti, cooking over a fire, and telling us some interesting stories.  

i have been in desperate need of a break. and even more desperate need of some adventure. kauai gave me both. as i lay in my sleeping bag on night one, i loved falling asleep, looking out the window and seeing the bright moon shine and the stars glimmer. couldn't ask for anything better.

with warmth & love,

lo

>christiana & greg.

a little video i made of christiana and greg.
they didn't know i was going to make this for them,
i just compiled some stuff i had of them from our trip to kauai.
they're getting married in july. love you guys.

with warmth & love,

lo

>back on oahu.

sorry for the absence... finals took over, and i am very pleased to announce that i passed all of my classes! typically i'm a pretty good student, but this semester was a rough one for me personally and let's just say i cried when i saw that i passed all my classes. blessed, blessed, blessed. 

after i finished finals, it was time for a much needed vay-cay. my family always teases me that i'm already on a 4 year vacation since i go to school in hawaii. but we need a break too sometimes. i spent the last 7 days on the beautiful island of kauai. showering was limited, we camped, we hiked, we hitched, and did everything in between. technology was off, and goodness i highly suggest that everyone take a week to do that. 

i'm back on oahu and summer term starts tomorrow. i'll post more pictures from my trip tomorrow, but for now here's one from one of the many beautiful sunsets we saw. this world is amazing. 

with warmth & love,

lo

>it's that time of the year again...

thanks ry, love you.

with warmth & love,

lo

>rainbow spheres.

 i just love these two. and bubbles. and our little backyard. 

with warmth & love,

lo

>art lights.

last night was a night for the arts. 

my friend adam put on an art show where many of my talented friends submitted their work.

a night of food, art, music, and friends. 

with warmth & love,

lo

>the creative soul.

it's pretty hard to believe that i have two and a half weeks until the semester ends. how did that happen? well among the mess of school and finals approaching, it's been pretty fun to relax a little with art. words can't express how absolutely wonderful it has been to sketch in my notebook, take pictures outside, and write in this little space again. i'm currently bouncing between projects of designing graduation announcements & wedding invites and it's quite grand. it's really sad how easily i forgot about my dreams. but it's been really fun to rediscover them the last few months. this semester has been a crazy one. so many ups and downs. but i'm here. i'm alive. i'm well. i'm good. luke 1:37 has sort of been a motto for me lately. for whoever is reading this, wherever you may be around the world, hopefully it helps you too. 

with warmth & love,

lo

>simplicity in a walk.

"you must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in every moment."

-henry david thoreau

pc || zach fackrell

with warmth & love,

lo

>stairway to heaven.

today i went for a hike.

and when i say hike, i don't mean some easy stroll.

i mean climbing a ladder, up a mountain, for 3,922 steps. 

the last time i did this hike was about 2 years ago, and i did it at 3 in the morning to see the sunrise. doing it in the evening time, what definitely a better idea. it is easily one of the prettiest and most breathtaking things i've ever done. i only took my gopro instead of my other camera for weight reasons, and i'm a little bummed because i don't think the gopro pictures turned out too well. but luckily my friend zach, who is out here filming videos for his company, got some great photos so i'll definitely be stealing them and posting them later. but for now this will have to do. i'm way too tired to write any more.

with warmth & love,

lo

>only about 10 or 11.

today i learned a story about a little boy. 

only about 10 or 11. 

every day while riding the bus to and from school he writes down a list of all the chores he needs to do.

once he arrives home, he works hard to accomplish the list. 

he's only about 10 or 11. 

and not one, but both of his parents have cancer. 

he's the only one that has the physical means to help get everything done around the house.

when i was about 10 or 11, i was concerned about learning the dance moves to bye, bye, bye by nsync, begging my mom to buy me about every shade of blue, sparkly nail polish, or rushing off to soccer practice. when i was about 10 or 11, i did not sit on the school bus making a chore list. i sat and talked about my elementary school crush, or played my mary-kate and ashley detective video game on my lime green gameboy. 

when i was 10 or 11, life was rather simple, easy, and happy. 

this little boy and his family live in the community. i don't personally know them. but i hope to soon. this is just one family, in one very small community. which reminds me of how many people there are all around us going through trials far worse than we can imagine. 

a quote by spencer w. kimball comes to mind:

"god does notice us, and he watches over us. but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom."

i've always been such a strong advocate of service because through small acts of service from others and myself serving others, my life was saved. too often i become so consumed with the small things of the world. learning about this little boy, only about 10 or 11, reminded me of my small role here on this earth. 

to serve and to love.  

with warmth & love,

lo

>lost in your mind.

sunday truly is the greatest day of the week. so much time to relax, ponder, sleep, and enjoy the moment. today i've been pondering a lot about how far i've come in the last few months. a lot has changed. i'm feeling very blessed to be where i am today. one of my close friends is going through a really rough time and it breaks my heart to see her so distraught and hurt. as i hugged and comforted her, i listened and watched her tears roll down her cheeks. i quickly noticed i was not only brushing off her tears, but mine too. i feel for her. a verse has been in the forefront of my mind all day, john 14:18 "i will not leave you comfortless: i will come to you." i remember thinking a few months ago how badly i wished i didn't have to feel so much pain anymore. i would have rather taken broken bones and the flu over the pain i was feeling. as i hugged my friend, she said a similar thing to me. so badly i wish i could take this pain from her. but i find a lot of comfort in this scripture. and a lot of comfort in knowing that my heavenly father probably wished as well that he could take away all the pain i was feeling a few months ago and the pain my friend is feeling today. oh man, this life is an interesting one. 

i'll end this post with something pretty for your ears.

with warmth & love,

lo