almost there...

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Although, it sure feels like I have. I must say that it is pretty rude to make us come back in at week 7...in other words, hit the ground running. It's been crazy. That's really all I can say. Well, and that it's really hard to come back from 2 weeks of vacation and snap back into hard core study mode right from day 1. We've had 3 patient days, 1 basically at a mental institute, a community outreach/service/interaction day, skills check-offs galore, 3 lab write-ups, a research paper, quizzes...you get the idea. I've been busy. BUT...the end is in sight! We've had our practicals for Ortho this week, and the rest of the written finals and practicals are next week. Then, so long as I pass everything...I WILL BE A SECOND YEAR!!! I don't want to get too excited yet, but it is so close I can taste it. They've already moved us to the middle (2nd year) bulletin board in the hallway, and we really can't wait to pass the torch. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I'm fine, just insanely busy (and totally bummed that the Chargers are out of the playoffs), and really wishing I was back in Hawaii lying on the beach. Looking forward to the break and missing you all. Hope you're not as busy as me!

we're back...

...and we're not happy about it! Sadly, we are now back in CA. BOO! And I'm officially freezing my butt off right now. We got home late (1 am) last night after two absolutely amazing and incredible weeks. Sorry I didn't post more while we were there, but I was having too much fun enjoying my time there. So here's a recap of all that happened since The BIG Question...


We did a whole lot of lounging around and doing nothing. To some, including Jeff, this is quite boring, but he grudgingly allowed me to get some sun time (not that you can tell) and non-textbook reading in. Thank you Jeff! This trip was all about relaxing for me, and I must say that I feel quite rested.

A bunch of us also went zip-lining, which I strongly suggest to anyone if you get the opportunity. It was so much fun and we had perfect weather for it too. I hope to be able to do it again someday, and I would probably even do it again at the same place the next time we're back in Hawaii. We got to go on 8 different lines, did some hiking, and ate a delicious lunch. The views were amazing and it was really cool to go on private land and see a new part of the island. The company is part of EcoAdventures, meaning they give you information about the area and history of the island as you go along. So it was also an educational experience. PLUS, some of our money gets donated to conservation efforts on Maui...I mean, really, does it get any better than this?!

I got sick starting Christmas Eve, and was sick for almost a week. Thanks for the germs Jeff! Even though it stunk being sick, I made the most of it, because heck...we were in Hawaii! We went on a kayaking trip, which you got to go snorkeling at one point. Of course, I was not completely better at this point and due to my excessive head congestion, got sea-sick after snorkeling for a while. So Jeff and I swam back to the kayaks and I got in and tried not to feed the fish and he quickly paddled us back into shore. I collapsed on the beach and didn't move for an hour and when we got home, passed out on the bed and didn't move for over 2 hours. I woke up looking a little less green, but didn't go snorkeling any more after that...just to be safe.

Once I was feeling better, we went golfing with my uncle and cousin. When we first got there and were ready to go, it started pouring right as we sat down in our carts. So then we fiddled around in the near-by town of Makawao, where my friend from Cal Poly, Hailey, lives. She is also going to PT school in San Francisco and was home for the holidays. So I called her up and she met us in town for a little bit while we waited for the rain to let up. We didn't have much to talk about besides how awful our lives are in school, but it was good to see her again. Then we decided to try golfing again, and were successful. The course was amazing! A little country club that mostly only locals know about/go to. From some of the holes you can see all the way down to the ocean. Pretty cool, and on one of the holes I got a hole in 2! :) I wish I had more time to golf, but it's one of those things that requires both time and money...two things I don't have.

We did lots of eating, and I mean lots! It was nice to eat things besides mashed potatoes and oatmeal. My grandparents took us all out to a fabulous dinner at Roy's, which has the most amazing hot chocolate lava cake that I could seriously just live off of. We ate more malasadas, lots of fish tacos, guri-guri (Japanese ice cream), and Jeff even tried poi...and swallowed it!


My mom took lots of photos of Jeff and me, which we might even use as our engagement photos. I haven't looked too closely at all of them, but some of them are really good. Way to go Mom! And thank you Jeff for bearing with us as we took all the pictures.

Anyway, lots of beautiful sunsets, swimming in the water, colorful fish, relaxing in the sun, walking on the beach, and all around fun. I think about sums everything up without going into every little detail of the trip. Except, that my mom and I went to the scrapbooking store and spent an hour and a half there while Jeff and my cousin waited very patiently for us to go through all the Hawaiian papers, stickers, die-cuts, borders, etc. Betty...you would have been in heaven!


Alright, I really should get to bed. Tomorrow is a 13.5 hour day and while it feels still pretty early to me, it's really not. Just wanted to update everything. Not looking forward to tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be too bad. Right... Thanks Gam and Papa for an amazing trip that was truly special. I wish it had gone by slower, but not everything can go our way! I will send out pictures once I get a chance to upload them all online. Let me know if you want them. Until next time, ALOHA!