FIVES

Top 5 Moments in Hawaii (just this week): 1. Surfing 2. Acai Bowls 3. Bike Ride to Giovanni's for some shrimp 4. Didgereedooing and jamming out 5. Working/ "Recruiting"/ getting delirious in the coaches office/ having so much fun with Carolyn that in a state of delirium I asked her to marry me- jokingly of course

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Top 5 Favorite Meals in Hawaii: 1. Tim Tams!!!! Yes, they are available outside of Australia 2. Acai Bowls 3. Yellow Curry Noodles from Haleiwa Eats 4. Ted's Bakery Mahi Mahi Sandwich 5. Shaved Ice... mmmm

Top 5 Nick Names: 1. Lloyd 2. Cindy Lou Who 3. Dog- which is a real name of the dog 4. Lundbergh 5. Coach- what we call everyone that works in the Athletic Department This week has been pretty much exhausting... which basically means we have been non-stop having the time of our lives. Sunday, I spent some time at the beach by myself just trying to take in this experience I am having and absorb life as I know it. Not only did I absorb life as I know it, but I also absorbed a lot of sun rays- to the point of lobsteresqueness. To celebrate my lobsteresqueness, we took an evening bike ride- after we finally found some bikes to borrow- to Giovanni's for some scrumptious shrimp! We got some cool pics as the sun was going down and we had a mini photo shoot at the beach and golf course, ignoring the man actually trying to play golf while we were dancing with the rake. There was definitely some belly laughing there. So during the week, we had 6am breakfast club for the team because some people didn't pass the fitness tests. And on the way to Walmart, our friend Logan made us feel guilty for not only making them run at "breakfast club" but also not providing them breakfast. So we went all out and got them each a mini bagel and a dixie cup of POG- Pass-O-Guava juice. It may not sound like much, but it was the thought that counts. Also this week we had some friends take us surfing- every day! One of my goals when I came out was to learn to surf, and I can confidently say that I did that! I won't say that Kelly Slater is searching me out for lessons just yet, but I will say that I stood up- more than once. Our friend Kasey helped teach us the basics and pushed us into our first few waves, but by today, Carolyn was standing on my board and we were going tandem- for about .2 milliseconds- but I am sure it looked sweet! We went to Chuns on the North Shore 3 days and Turtle Bay 1 day. It has been so much fun to learn and to have little victories of just catching the waves, then standing on the waves, then picking our own waves out! Another perk of hanging out with Kasey and friends- in addition to how amazingly fun and cool they were- was the car that took us to these treasured dining establishments on the North Shore. We got to eat Acai bowls 2 times this week- and anyone who has had them understands how that is like meeting the Dali Llama twice in one week. Another day for lunch we went to Ted's Bakery and got a Mahi Mahi sandwich... mmmm. We also went to dinner at Haleiwa Eats- a rad little surfer spot with delicious Thai food. So 6am fitness, surfing all day, soccer practice in the afternoons, recruiting, Walmart, baking cakes for my roomie's birthday, eating delicious food on the North Shore, and intense games of Skip-Bo pretty much left us exhausted and delirious- and Carolyn mumbling and stuttering excessively. Needless to say, I feel like I am on a constant vacation in paradise. I think Anna Colleen said it best: "There is no way not to be in a good mood!" I have been belly laughing consistently, exploring daily, and thanking God constantly. It is definitely a different culture out here. Appointment times are pretty much arbitrary- except soccer practice. Money is not prevalent, but happiness is. People are doing what they love and loving what they do. Those that live for surfing are out there teaching surfing. It is an amazing place, and I feel fortunate to be able to not only live here, but to be surrounded by the people that I have met. Our new motto: LIG= Life is Good.