left my heart in hawaii

Sorry for the delay and the lack of content on here for the past three weeks. I scheduled a ton of stuff to post while I was away since I knew I would be without internet for most of my trip, but for whatever reason none of it posted as scheduled. Oh well! 

Anyway, I am back in action. I've been back on the continent for a little over 48 hours now and I can safely say that jet lag is TOTALLY kicking my butt. I anticipated getting back on a firm sleeping and eating schedule would be difficult, but boy oh boy did I underestimate the 5 hour time difference. I think what really screwed me up was the 8 hour red eye and then a lengthy layover in Dallas at the crack of dawn. Unfortunately this crazy travel night/day brought my "no coffee cleanse" to a screeching halt...that many hours of flying and airports called for some serious caffeine. 

Now onto the fun stuff! Below are pictures from the incredible 17 day journey I made on three of the Hawaiian Islands, Oahu, the Big Island, and Maui. The class trip was absolutely incredible and I learned so much while spending the time with the most amazing people. 

Our first sunrise in Hawaii, at the Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park on Oahu

The view from my first beach run of many in Waikiki, definitely made my top 5 favorite runs ever!

Our first sunset from the beach in Waikiki, absolutely breath-taking!

Another "postcard-esque" sunset in Waikiki

A gorgeous and thought-provoking day at Pearl Harbor

A beautifully lush hike through the rainforest to Manoa Falls

A crystal clear day snorkeling the reef at Hanauma Bay State Underwater Park

After our time in Honolulu and Waikiki on Oahu, we traveled to Hilo on the Big Island, where our first stop was Volcano National Park

On our scenic drive from Hilo to Kona a few days later, we stopped by another amazing set of waterfalls in the Akaka Falls State Park, and got out of our vans to take in this unforgettable view at the Waipio Valley Overlook.

Some of my favorite pictures from our time in Kona!

The best day was DEFINITELY Boat Day! We spent the entire day on a boat, hopping in and out of the water to snorkel with multiple pods of dolphins, tons of different kinds of reef fish, and sea urchins. 

The unique color of the water in Hawaii will forever be engrained in my mind, this stunning picture is from the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park, a place of refuge outside of Kona. We also visited a true Kona Coffee Farm!

The view from seat on the plane as we flew into our final destination, Maui

Though our time on Maui was short, it certainly did not disappoint. I fell in love with the cute town of Lahaina rich with history and vibrant cultural landmarks. Our last day we spent the morning surfing (more pictures to come from that adventure hopefully!) before rinsing off and heading to the airport.

It was an exciting 17 days meeting inspiring activists and the most passionate of people in the effort to revitalize the Hawaiian culture. Hawaii will forever have a place in my heart.