Category Archives: hawaii

CIRCLE ISLAND no. 01 | makapu’u.

makapuu10makapuu9makapuu4makapuu1i present to you yet another new column here on jayAdores!  this one is called CIRCLE ISLAND and i will be showcasing things to do around oahu for any of you who plan on coming to visit this pretty little island.

first up: makapu’u point lighthouse trail.  these photos were taken back in november when my family came out for our hawaii wedding reception.  this day was particularly beautiful with an amazing sunset (but to be honest, we are blessed with many of those here in hawaii).  it’s a short walk/hike – definitely more of a walk than a hike and not strenuous at all – and when you reach the top, the views are incredible!   sometimes you can even see whales!  it’s a short drive from hawaii kai on the east side of the island and if you aren’t into real hiking, i would for sure take a trip here!

a morning in waikiki.

waikiki1waikiki3waikiki5last week on reis’ day off, we had a morning date in waikiki that involved iced coffee and a beach walk.  i love morning outings on weekdays because everywhere is more quiet and less crowded.  you won’t find us in waikiki very often, but this day was particularly beautiful and it’s a close drive from our house.  i also carried my new samudra x ladyslider clutch that reis got me for christmas!  our friend tara makes them and i dig her whole collection.  but this one is my favorite!  it’s perfectly fashionable and super functional.  i use it whenever i go out for errands or coffee runs and it fits my phone, wallet, keys, and even my big dslr (though i don’t recommend lugging one of those around in a clutch)!  check out her shop HERE. and her blog HERE.   it’s pretty great and will probably make you want to pack up your stuff and move to hawaii.

and we’re back.

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well shoot.  i successfully went most of december AND most of january without blogging.  woops.  i don’t really have any good excuses other than the fact that we were in california for the past month traveling all around my beautiful home state.  we had such a good time seeing faces we don’t get to see on a regular basis and spending quality time with family and friends.  on the plane ride back to hawaii on sunday, i got a wave of inspiration and busted out my journal to write down lots of ideas i have for this blog.  i can’t wait to start sharing them on here!  we had such an amazing time on our trip but i am super excited to be back in our little home and to get back into a routine.  i am currently working hard on my own branding and new site design along with a few other design projects.  lots to share in the near future!

beaching and hiking.

hawaii5hawaii4hawaii6hawaii3hawaii2hawaii1 since being back in hawaii the past 2 weeks, i think i have seen more of the island than i have in the past several months!  now that wedding planning is over (and not consuming my every spare minute!) and i have the luxury of making my own schedule, i am making it a point to get outside more.  it’s easy to forget how beautiful this island is when you are trapped inside a cubicle all day and leave the office after dark!  this past saturday we ventured over to makapu’u beach and hiked mariner’s ridge.  it was so nice to be outdoors in the sunshine – especially in december!  i am looking forward to many more adventures on this little island.

monday morning.

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this is what my monday morning looked like.  today is my self-established first day “back to work” since our wedding festivities officially ended last week.  i already love working from home and really am the happiest i have ever been because 1) married life is AWESOME since it’s just a sleepover every night with your best friend!! and 2) pursuing design full time is a dream come true and i cannot wait to get my studio up and running!  we are adjusting to newlywed life quite well and making our first home together as cozy as ever.  lots of italy photos coming later this week!

p.s. thank you ALL so much for the sweet comments on our wedding video!!!  i really was touched by all of them.  and um, how sweet are reis’ dance moves?  boy likes to groove.

sunday funday.

this past sunday was a much needed day of relaxation from all things work and wedding planning.  after church we spent most of the afternoon at the beach where we set up camp and i proceeded to take a much needed nap.  reis’ one request for the wedding is that i “get a little bit of color” — so hopefully this weekend helped offset the results of me being trapped in my cubicle all week.  we are less than two months away from the big day and with everything left to do, it will be hard to fit in more days like this, but i sure hope we can squeeze them in somewhere.  i need to be pried away from my computer screen more often — lately i’ve been going straight from work to my home computer designing wedding stuff until the wee hours of the morning and then bam, i’m back at work in front of a computer. again.  i kinda forgot how much i loved hawaii until this weekend!  we are so blessed to have gorgeous beaches like this such a short drive away.