Too Much Aloha.

Since arriving in Kailua nearly two and a half months ago (where has the time gone!) we quickly established the ohana (a small cabana-type abode) we are staying in into a home. We landed great jobs, particularly our Morning Brew jobs, which we both love and adore, and established a routine consisting of morning work-outs, reading our library books on the beach, working or hanging out at Morning Brew while the other is working (because let's be real, we practically live there), grilling fresh veggies, sampling the bins at Whole Foods, swimming & snorkeling at the local beach, and Dex-ing it up (aka watching Dexter). But on days when we both don't work, there is no room for routine. There is only room for adventure! 

Last Friday we both had the day off, which means an action-packed day of nonstop adventure. We started the morning off at Kailua Beach, just a hop skip and a jump away from The Cabana. The morning water greeted us with refreshing warmth and perfect waves to splash around in. You would think after living here for the entire summer we would be used to the perfection and splendor of the ocean, but we are continually blown away by the pristine colors and beauty of the water. And how could we not? 

 

 

After grabbing some lunch at Whole Foods we headed over to the house where a couple of our Morning Brew coworkers live. During this past week our manager Courtney's sister, Teeney, was visiting from the east coast. Of course they wanted to show her what North Shore was all about! So naturally, they invited the girls who are obsessed with North Shore - us! 

Once arriving at the house we were quick to inquire about Courtney's cat, Eugene, a large, handsome cat we found tucked away in his cat fort. Yes, I said cat fort. After therapeutically petting Eugene (cat lady problems) ourselves, Nick, Courtney, and Teeney piled into Nick's car and headed out. 

Taking the route along the coast, it wasn't long until the first stop. Tucked away off the side of the road was a glorious macadamia nut farm.  

Nick & Courtney (being all kinds of precious) showed us the ropes of this oasis tucked away in the woods where free coffee, macadamia nuts, and peanut butter were all waiting for us to indulge in.

As professional samplers, it wasn't long until we spotted our favorite samples on the island - Mac Nut butter. Never have you tasted a more delicious, smoother, or satisfying nut butter before. Our favorite flavors include Coconut Macadamia, Lilikoi Mango Macadamia , and Banana Macadamia. If only I could just bring a suitcase worth of this stuff home! 

More samples! All these bags were filled with fresh, and fun flavored macadamia nuts, with flavors ranging from Honey Roasted, Maui Onion, Kona Coffee, to our personal favorite, Cinnamon Sugar. We took full advantage of this opportunity, taking several laps around the table. That's allowed, right?

There were also fun little ornaments made out of starfish. 

And to our greatest delight - chickens casually roaming around! 

Back on the road, Nick acted as our unofficial tour guide of the island, using his vast knowledge of the history and local spots to inform us about anything & everything! He was pointing out all of the cool spots along the way, such as the valley where Jurassic Park and Lost were filmed, the locations where Forgetting Sarah Marshall was filmed, ornate temples, and our next stop - a tasty local fruit stand! We tried star fruit, guava, mangos, dragon fruit, and strawberries. 

As we headed onward, we were greeted at our next stop by a large, brightly colored parrot whose name we discovered to be Kevin. We quickly became friends, and snapped some quick pics to prove it.

Nick took us to a spot called "Secret Beach", which was accurately named. The area was quiet, peaceful, and secluded. We set up camp and were quick to jump into the clear, cool, and refreshing water. 

He couldn't have picked a more perfect location to gear up and snorkel around. We were soon swimming with huge, brightly colored fish. The rocks were huge and provided a great habitat for marine life--so naturally the marine biologist of the group was in heaven! We spotted several boxfish, triggerfish,  sea cucumbers, and huge sea urchins the size of our heads! As we headed back to shore to take a quick break, we ran straight into a gigantic sea turtle! The large, majestic animal was casually swaying in the tide, scavenging the bottom for food. We made eye contact several times, and he assured us we were on good terms. What an incredible experience to be so close to one of nature's most incredible beings. To our great delight, we were joined by several other turtles in the water. 

Of course, with every adventure comes abundant opportunities to take ridiculous pictures. So, enjoy our said ridiculousness... 

After spending ample time laying in the sun, reading our books, chatting,  & watching Courtney hula hoop (and I mean, REALLY hula hoop--very impressive), it was time to fill our stomachs with some nourishment. We headed to the best Thai food restaurant in the North Shore, Opal. Parched and overheated, none of us were too keen on a huge meal, deciding upon a small dish or two to tide us over. However, the owner of the restaurant had another plan for us. After enlightening us on thai cuisine, he decided to plan our entire meal for us. Seven dishes and five bursting bellies later, we all easily agreed that was one of the best, most satisfying, and most delicious meals we had ever experienced. And yes, it was absolutely something to be experienced. 

Glancing at the time, we had to book it to the nearest beach to catch a glimpse of the setting sun. And what an incredible way to end the day. The sun, in all its splendor, set upon the ocean as we dipped our feet in the water, and crawled over rocks to catch a better glimpse. As we sat on a blanket in the sand, taking in the beauty and reveling on our day well spent, turtles swam off into the horizon and a cool breeze rolled in.

Days here can go on for a lifetime. One thing after another amazes us and brings new excitement to our life, extending moments into days, and seconds into hours. Never has God's love and faithfulness been more tangible, more concrete, and more easily acknowledged. He continues to shower us day in and day out with reminders of his power and sovereignty. He delights in us. He enchants us. He loves us. And we give Him all the glory for these amazing experiences we get to have. 

Tess & Torr power stance, a declaration and celebration of life! 

Until next time, North Shore. See you soon.

North Shore, Best Shore.

Getting a day off together is a rare and precious thing for us. So, when the opportunity arises, we have to take FULL advantage of it. However, this particular Saturday was only a half day off. Tori had the entire day off, whereas I started work at Morning Brew at 3. Therefore, we had to get this adventure off to a very early start to make the most of the day! We decided on venturing up to North Shore, a place that we have heard so much about and had yet to experience for ourselves! Home to some of the best surf on the island, the legendary Turtle Bay resort, and the setting of several movies & TV shows, North Shore was an absolute to do! 

6:30 AM - Hit da road! We weren't kidding when we said early! We packed the car full of any and all gear we may or may not need just in case a spontaneous opportunity arises. We had to be ready for anything! We packed a box full of snorkel gear, hiking attire, swimwear, and our books & bibles. 

6:35 AM - Turned back... Because we forgot our CDs! I mean, this was OUR roadtrip, and what is a roadtrip without some good tunes? We've been waiting to listen to these two particular CDs - one being from Alex as part of our 3 year anniversary care package and the other from Peter, our amazing musician of a Morning Brew coworker, for Miss Tessa. And good thing we turned around--these CDs provided the perfect soundtrack to our perfect day. 

6:45 AM - Driving in the rain, panic. Right as we start the roadtrip, we noticed we were driving underneath some pretty ominous rainclouds, just hoping that the weather in North Shore will be better! 

7:00 AM - Breakfast time. Thanks to the early start we had to have an improvised breakfast. Good thing we had extra granola bars due to "stocking up" from the Hurricane warnings recently.

 Thanks Lara! 

7:10 AM - Getting closer! The scenery on the drive over was spectacular. We noticed the foliage changing as we entered into a new part of the island, so completely different from what we were used to in Kailua! We were entering into the more "country" part of the island. 

7:40 AM - Shark's Cove. We heard Shark's Cove was an excellent place to go snorkeling, so we thought we would give it a try. We geared up and set out for the water, taking note of the other fellow snorkelers to figure out the proper technique of entering into such an area. It was an absolute perfect morning after all. The sun was shining, the water was warm, and there was a cool breeze in the air. 

8:20 AM - Fussy Tess. We tried our darnest to get out into the water but the waves were a bit too rough and the water too murky. We finally decided to cut our losses and just move on to the next North Shore adventure! 

8:30 AM - Waimea Bay. Just right. We noticed this perfect white sandy beach as we drove by and we knew we had to check it out for ourselves. The white sand was perfect for digging our toes in, and the water was the most perfect temperature for a quick dip!

8:50 AM - Model time. Fun fact: Tess and I like to jokingly pretend we are models sometimes. So naturally we decided to take advantage of this pristine beach to add to our modeling pro-folio. But... we didn't notice the red flags on the beach before getting in the water. So as the wave began to recede, so did Tori. Multiple times that is, since I had no energy to get myself out of the waves due to extreme laughter. 

9:00 AM - Tessa's turn. So, naturally, after seeing what happened to me in the waves, you would think Tessa should have been for-warned... right? Nope. As Tessa was modeling with her back to the ocean, a huge wave came up and surprised her! Next thing I knew, she had face planted in the sand and then was being dragged out to sea. Needless to say, we were both laughing hysterically once again.  

Everyone be looking at us Cali girls like we be cray. But as hard at they may have tried to fight it, how can they not be entertained by us and our modeling strugs? I suppose this means we shouldn't count on  a career in the modeling industry any time soon... 

9:20 AM - Andddd the modeling continues... But this time with mohawks.  

 

9:50 AM - HEKI!! Visiting the He > i shop has been on our bucket list since day one. He is greater than I is an amazing company that actually started in the North Shore in 2003. It is based on the verse John 3:30: "He must become greater and greater, I must become less." We checked it out and bought some gear to represent the company! 

10:30 AM - Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. Another bucket list must. We've been dying for another shrimp meal after the glorious coconut shrimp we ate at House Without a Key, so we made sure to track down the famous shrimp scampi. We pulled up to a beaten down truck, covered in writing from top to bottom. But don't let the appearance fool you--it was to die for! 

We got a pineapple shrimp and a shrimp scampi. And no, the third plate is not for a third person, it is a sharing plate for these hungry kittens. 

After our early lunch, we ventured around the town and checked out all the cool sites and shops that were located in Haleiwa historic district. 

Along the side of the road, we noticed a sign for farm-fresh macadamia nuts. Yes. Yes, please. We had to stop and, of course, sample every flavor available as well as some macadamia nut coffee that was just freshly brewed. All the nuts had been packaged that very morning and were fresh and delicious. We got to meet the farmers themselves and talk with them! 

12:00 PM - DOLE TIME. Thanks to Miss Laura Burckhardt we were introduced to Dole Whip at Disneyland as the treat that we "absolutely have to get!" We fell in love with the cool, light, and refreshing treat that was so conveniently dairy free! So naturally, when we arrived to the island where the Dole Plantation was located, we HAD to stop by and get Dole Whip from the source! We had to take a picture in our power stance and prove ourselves to be total tourists. 

After indulging in our sweet treat, we decided to tour around the garden and look at all of the beautiful plants and trees growing on the plantation--mangos, bananas, cacao, cocoa, lilikoi, papayas, and of course pineapples! 

Quick photo opp.... 

The tiniest pineapple you ever did see! As Tori was taking this picture, she accidentally plucked the poor pineapple off of its stalk. I guess this means this pineapple will not be coming to a store near you. RIP, friend. 

After this most enlightening tour, we decided to call it a day and head back to Kailua for my work shift at the Brew. Luckily, we missed all the traffic and got back in time for a quick shower before I hopped on my bike and made the three minute bike ride to work! To my delight, there was live music at the shop that night, just to top off the perfect day on the island. We couldn't have asked for a better day to experience some more of the magic Oahu has to offer.