i’m about to get photo happy.

my good friends ann-marie and janelle blogged about doing the 30 Day Photo Challenge this week and i’m jumping on board too!  i love taking pics and its a perfect way to get some more practice on my new toy!  (…as if i don’t already lug the 5 pounder in my purse everyday….)  i will probably take more than the 30 days to finish and i might go out of order just to warn you.  but im really excited.  and i’m just gonna go ahead and count this as picture number one: a self portrait.  this pic was taken right after i got off of the plane in LA a few weekends ago (tired + haggard from a 4 hour layover and a red-eye flight).  since i had my 7D shipped to my parent’s house to get in time for our cruise, i told them to bring it with them when they picked me up so i could start snapping away asap.  my smile = love at first sight.  have a happy weekend!  i’ll be moving (+ taking photos).

messy.

this is a picture of the current state of my room.  messy, chaotic, and dusty.  clothes are everywhere.  [my thought process when trying to trim down my closet before i move:  should i keep this?  i haven’t worn it in 2 years but what if it comes back in style?  this is too hot to wear in hawaii, but what if I fly somewhere cold without stopping at my parent’s house where all of my “winter” clothes are stored?] oy vei.  happy packing to me!

my weekend according to my iphone.

this weekend was a good one but super busy since i’m getting ready to move next weekend and am on a mad hunt to furnish my entire apartment.  here are some pics that sum up my weekend:

1) window sills that i found at a garage sale that i have grand plans for.  so excited.  even more excited that i got both of them for $5

2) me + my friend wendy at a garage sale

3) & 4) coffee + banana pancakes at cafe haleiwa for sunday breakfast before church

5) my personal moving man

6) lunch at uahi island grill in kailua

7) froyo at yogurt mama

8) my banana-peanut butter-almond milk-cinnamon-coffee grounds smoothie that i am obsessed with and make about 4x a week.  i wanted it to look pretty after seeing this picture and realizing we have those glasses and a similar straw in our kitchen.

cruise part IV: the end.

[packed up and ready to go]

after 7 days of fam time, good eating, mexico, and relaxation, all the fun came to an end.  it was an absolute blast and i miss seeing all of my cousins and family every day!  we got off of the boat in long beach and since my brother couldn’t come on the cruise, he and his girlfriend met us all for lunch near the airport before us out-of-towners flew home.  sidenote to all of you ladies: never wear a maxi dress to the airport.  despite how comfy you think it will be, you get a full-on/full-bodypart patdown at the airport in front of everyone (which was kind of embarassing to be honest) because you could be “hiding something.”  Good security I guess, just not my cup of tea.  consider yourselves warned.

[sad to say bye!]

[the starbucks obsession runs in the family]

[reunion]

[kelsey + ryan]

[taco salad.  i guess i didn’t get my fill in mexico.]

[taylor + bradley]

[pretty much what i looked like the whole cruise: i l o v e m y c a m e r a.  and yes, all you pro photographers, i know i am holding my camera wrong.  i’m a total amateur.]

cruise part III: puerto vallarta

[streets of puerto vallarta]

day 4 we were in puerto vallarta!  this was probably my favorite port because we got to see a lot of the city on our hour long taxi van ride to the beach.  the drive was beautiful and i was snapping my camera every 4 seconds through the window.  when we hired taxi man, he said “15 minutes to beach” — so after we were in the car for over 35 minutes (and parts of the drive were uphill…away from the beach), i started to think he was sketch and we were being kidnapped.  turns out mexican time = hawaiian time where 15 minutes = 1 hour.  and taxi man did not disappoint.  he brought us to an awesome beach where there were a lot of locals and also some restaurants nearby that provided us with beachside drink service.  not too shabby.

[first stop: wal-mart, of course.  to load up on snacks and gatorade]

[wrought iron gates + brick buildings]

[love the architecture and the charm of the little bug]

[la playa]

[strawberry pina colada]

[kelsey]

[i love big hats]

[buses all around]

[grafitti walls]

cruise part II: cabo san lucas

[gorgeous cabo]

day 3 and 5 of the cruise we spent in the beautiful cabo san lucas!  we were supposed to go to mazatlan, but i guess its super sketchy and not safe right now so we just ended up going to cabo twice.  the first day was disgustingly hot and all we wanted was some good mexican food.  we ended up going to a well-known restaurant called cabo wabo and ordered steak tacos, chips and salsa, and margaritas.  YUM.
the second day in cabo we paid a little water taxi boat to take us to the beach.  we layed out for a few hours, swam around in the ocean, and got haggled a million times over by the vendors on the beach.  i swear, once they see one person in your group buying something, they come in herds!  although i did get some sweet knock-off red raybans for $8 thanks to my cousin kelsey who is a bargaining pro (thanks kels!).

[those mexicans sure know how to give a good deal]

[taking the tender boat to cabo]

[trinkets for sale]

[beer in a bucket]

[steak tacos at cabo wabo]

[crowded beach]

 [blake + kimberlee]

[muchachas, quieren unas bolsas? (x15)]

[i love diet coke.  it tastes even better sipping it on a beach in mexico.  i will never stop drinking it – no matter how bad it is for me.  love me some aspartame.]