Hey guys!
So, yesterday was kind of an adventure. (I'm typing this on Monday, even though I did get it in on time on Sunday night, I was just too tired to actually write it all). Anyway, I finally had a right and proper adventure. Actually, it was kind of scary how close to a movie or book or just fictiony type thing it was. Let me tell you about it...
Exhibit A) So it all started a week or so ago when Jaime and I went up to Tantalus and we saw a swing on the drive up. Of course, we had to stop, there was no question. First of all, the swing was amazing. It was overlooking Manoa and town and Diamond Head and the world. But the best part was that on the side of the swing itself, it said "Look Below." And on the bottom of the swing, was a clue.
Exhibit B) After finding this first swing, we decided to dedicate a day to finding all of the swings around the island. Because, we were convinced that this was a scavenger hunt of swings hidden around the island for finding. So Sunday, we got an early start by picking up Gavin and Rebecca and headed back to the first swing just so the other two could experience it. It was just as nice, almost more so in the morning. From here, we headed off to where the clue led, which basically was directions to Diamond Head. We got to Diamond Head and went down onto the beach. The swing was supposedly supposed to be in a canyon formed by the rock wall. At this point, I was scared. We didn't know if this was a thing yet. It was still early and we had dedicated this entire day to finding these swings. What if they didn't exist though? What if we were shut down before we even begun? We were reaching the end of the beach. Anticipation was rising. I could see the last little crack in the rocks emerging. I walked up to it and looked up. On one of the branches, I could see the ropes. Now it was an adventure.
Exhibit C) Elated, we all took our turn on the swing, taking pictures, enjoying life. Then we looked underneath this swing for the next clue. It was a picture of a beach with a bunch of sharks in the water, and along the shore was a cove. Shark's Cove. For those of you who don't know, Shark's Cove is on the North Shore. The other side of the island. We had some road tripping to do. So we made it back up towards the car and began our trek to the other side of the island.
Exhibit D) It was around lunchtime now, so we were a kind of hungry. We decided to stop in Mililani because it was kind of in the middle of things and we went to Chili's. I mean, what is an adventure with some noms, am I right?
Exhibit E) We make it to Shark's Cove after some traffic and after a stop at Turtle Beach to admire some turtles. I knew that it was an adventure at this point and I told myself that it wasn't necessarily about finding all the swings, but more the experience itself. Also, I had said something early in the day a little bit jokingly: "Now, in order to make it a real adventure, we just need some competition." Once we got to Shark's Cove, we get out and start heading towards where the map lead. Down near the rocks, Rebecca sees someone. A kid named David from her Architecture class. Rebecca didn't really like David. Anyway, being the crazy person that she is, she says hi and we keep going. We make it to the swing and look at the next clue: it tells us to go to the Wiliwilinui Trail. We Google where that is and find out that it's back on the whole other side of the island. We felt a little defeated, but ready to finish this adventure.
Exhibit F) Now here's where things get a little cray. While we're at the swing, David and his friend walk up to us and that's when we realize that they are hunting the swings as well. We don't really say much to them, but when we walk away, they go up to it and look at the clue also. We had our competition.
Exhibit G) At this point, I was ready to book it so we could beat David and friend. However, Rebecca and Gavin were tired of driving. We had driven all the way out to North Shore and they wanted to go swimming. I remembered what I had said earlier about doing it for the experience and agreed. Beating them would have to wait. We got in the water and hung out for a while. It was really clear and actually really amazing. The best part though, was when we climbed some rocks and decided to jump. Now, I'm actually decently scared of heights. I don't like jumping off of things. But it was an adventure and what's an adventure without a little YOLO? Even though I honestly didn't even jump from very high and it wasn't that bad, it was still one of the highlights of the day.
Exhibit H) It was back to swing hunting mode. We got back in the car and shot back down the island to Hawaii Kai area. The trial that we were going to was in a gated community, so as we drive up, we had to check in at a guard shack. We reach the hike parking lot and it didn't seem like there were any signs that David and his friends had made it here yet. I was actually pretty convinced that we would never see him again. We start up the trail and about a minute or so in, I turn around and see a group of three teenagers and one looks decently familiar. It was David.
Exhibit I) We ran. Only for a little though. We had a lead, which is all that mattered. But now, we had to hike. None of us really came into this whole things expecting a hike. We all were wearing slippers and none of us had water. All we knew about this swing was the it was right where the stairs started, about halfway through the hike. Now, this wasn't a short hike. It took us about 30-45 minutes to get to where the stairs started. And once we got there, I looked around and realized that it was gone.
Exhibit J) I felt like my life was definitely a movie at this point. We were trying so hard to reach this one goal and right once we reached the end, there wasn't even a prize. Half of me was upset and the other half was just laughing about how this wasn't even real life. We regrouped and decided that if we had come this far, we had to keep going.
Exhibit K) Like I said, it was a long long hike. We went on for probably an hour and a half. But once we reached the top, it was kind of amazing. There were clouds all around the mountain, so every direction was just cloud. If it was a clear day, we would have been able to see both sides of the mountain, but regardless, it was like the end of the world. Even if we didn't reach make our initial goal, we still kind of found some amazing.
Exhibit L) We the walked down with David and his friends (they had decided to keep going as well) as well as a few other groups who were doing the hike. Halfway down, it was already pitch dark. Even though it was physically exhausting and emotionally draining, once we reached the bottom, it felt pretty good.
My life kind of was like a movie yesterday. We had an adventure. It was kind of amazing. I mean, not to go the cheesy fictiony-esque route, but on the real though, while finding these swings was amazing, the experiences that I had in between were even better. Jumping off the rock, climbing up a mountain, driving around the island, and even eating at Chili's.
But overall, I don't know. It kind of inspires me to continue to do stuff like that, little things. It kind of goes back to what Mr. U has told a few years ago, it's not the present that you give to someone, it's how you present it. It's about the adventures, emotions, and experiences that go with it that make it what it is. An adventure isn't from, Point A to Point B, but more everything in between.
Okay, time for me to bells. Bai!
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ALBUM WITH THE PICTURES!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102531567192056104262/albums/5898527264631874305
Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (It's killing me inside...)
So, yesterday was kind of an adventure. (I'm typing this on Monday, even though I did get it in on time on Sunday night, I was just too tired to actually write it all). Anyway, I finally had a right and proper adventure. Actually, it was kind of scary how close to a movie or book or just fictiony type thing it was. Let me tell you about it...
Exhibit A) So it all started a week or so ago when Jaime and I went up to Tantalus and we saw a swing on the drive up. Of course, we had to stop, there was no question. First of all, the swing was amazing. It was overlooking Manoa and town and Diamond Head and the world. But the best part was that on the side of the swing itself, it said "Look Below." And on the bottom of the swing, was a clue.
Exhibit B) After finding this first swing, we decided to dedicate a day to finding all of the swings around the island. Because, we were convinced that this was a scavenger hunt of swings hidden around the island for finding. So Sunday, we got an early start by picking up Gavin and Rebecca and headed back to the first swing just so the other two could experience it. It was just as nice, almost more so in the morning. From here, we headed off to where the clue led, which basically was directions to Diamond Head. We got to Diamond Head and went down onto the beach. The swing was supposedly supposed to be in a canyon formed by the rock wall. At this point, I was scared. We didn't know if this was a thing yet. It was still early and we had dedicated this entire day to finding these swings. What if they didn't exist though? What if we were shut down before we even begun? We were reaching the end of the beach. Anticipation was rising. I could see the last little crack in the rocks emerging. I walked up to it and looked up. On one of the branches, I could see the ropes. Now it was an adventure.
Exhibit C) Elated, we all took our turn on the swing, taking pictures, enjoying life. Then we looked underneath this swing for the next clue. It was a picture of a beach with a bunch of sharks in the water, and along the shore was a cove. Shark's Cove. For those of you who don't know, Shark's Cove is on the North Shore. The other side of the island. We had some road tripping to do. So we made it back up towards the car and began our trek to the other side of the island.
Exhibit D) It was around lunchtime now, so we were a kind of hungry. We decided to stop in Mililani because it was kind of in the middle of things and we went to Chili's. I mean, what is an adventure with some noms, am I right?
Exhibit E) We make it to Shark's Cove after some traffic and after a stop at Turtle Beach to admire some turtles. I knew that it was an adventure at this point and I told myself that it wasn't necessarily about finding all the swings, but more the experience itself. Also, I had said something early in the day a little bit jokingly: "Now, in order to make it a real adventure, we just need some competition." Once we got to Shark's Cove, we get out and start heading towards where the map lead. Down near the rocks, Rebecca sees someone. A kid named David from her Architecture class. Rebecca didn't really like David. Anyway, being the crazy person that she is, she says hi and we keep going. We make it to the swing and look at the next clue: it tells us to go to the Wiliwilinui Trail. We Google where that is and find out that it's back on the whole other side of the island. We felt a little defeated, but ready to finish this adventure.
Exhibit F) Now here's where things get a little cray. While we're at the swing, David and his friend walk up to us and that's when we realize that they are hunting the swings as well. We don't really say much to them, but when we walk away, they go up to it and look at the clue also. We had our competition.
Exhibit G) At this point, I was ready to book it so we could beat David and friend. However, Rebecca and Gavin were tired of driving. We had driven all the way out to North Shore and they wanted to go swimming. I remembered what I had said earlier about doing it for the experience and agreed. Beating them would have to wait. We got in the water and hung out for a while. It was really clear and actually really amazing. The best part though, was when we climbed some rocks and decided to jump. Now, I'm actually decently scared of heights. I don't like jumping off of things. But it was an adventure and what's an adventure without a little YOLO? Even though I honestly didn't even jump from very high and it wasn't that bad, it was still one of the highlights of the day.
Exhibit H) It was back to swing hunting mode. We got back in the car and shot back down the island to Hawaii Kai area. The trial that we were going to was in a gated community, so as we drive up, we had to check in at a guard shack. We reach the hike parking lot and it didn't seem like there were any signs that David and his friends had made it here yet. I was actually pretty convinced that we would never see him again. We start up the trail and about a minute or so in, I turn around and see a group of three teenagers and one looks decently familiar. It was David.
Exhibit I) We ran. Only for a little though. We had a lead, which is all that mattered. But now, we had to hike. None of us really came into this whole things expecting a hike. We all were wearing slippers and none of us had water. All we knew about this swing was the it was right where the stairs started, about halfway through the hike. Now, this wasn't a short hike. It took us about 30-45 minutes to get to where the stairs started. And once we got there, I looked around and realized that it was gone.
Exhibit J) I felt like my life was definitely a movie at this point. We were trying so hard to reach this one goal and right once we reached the end, there wasn't even a prize. Half of me was upset and the other half was just laughing about how this wasn't even real life. We regrouped and decided that if we had come this far, we had to keep going.
Exhibit K) Like I said, it was a long long hike. We went on for probably an hour and a half. But once we reached the top, it was kind of amazing. There were clouds all around the mountain, so every direction was just cloud. If it was a clear day, we would have been able to see both sides of the mountain, but regardless, it was like the end of the world. Even if we didn't reach make our initial goal, we still kind of found some amazing.
Exhibit L) We the walked down with David and his friends (they had decided to keep going as well) as well as a few other groups who were doing the hike. Halfway down, it was already pitch dark. Even though it was physically exhausting and emotionally draining, once we reached the bottom, it felt pretty good.
My life kind of was like a movie yesterday. We had an adventure. It was kind of amazing. I mean, not to go the cheesy fictiony-esque route, but on the real though, while finding these swings was amazing, the experiences that I had in between were even better. Jumping off the rock, climbing up a mountain, driving around the island, and even eating at Chili's.
But overall, I don't know. It kind of inspires me to continue to do stuff like that, little things. It kind of goes back to what Mr. U has told a few years ago, it's not the present that you give to someone, it's how you present it. It's about the adventures, emotions, and experiences that go with it that make it what it is. An adventure isn't from, Point A to Point B, but more everything in between.
Okay, time for me to bells. Bai!
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ALBUM WITH THE PICTURES!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102531567192056104262/albums/5898527264631874305
Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (It's killing me inside...)
Why This Week Was Awesome: So much da free food
Books Read: 6
Song Stuck In My Head: "Alone Together" by Fall Out Boy
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