Birthday. Now, with Photos!

I'm twenty-seven years old, woohoo! Here's what a twenty-seven year old looks like:



Anyway, thank you guys so much for the birthday wishes. It really warmed my heart to know you were thinking about me, and I was thinking about you too.

I had the loveliest birthday weekend. I think a lot of what made it so nice was that I had no expectations, and so everything that I did just seemed like a bonus, you know?

First: back to Friday. After working hard all week, Lew took us to the beach! But before that discussion, are the promised wood photos! It's a bitch to load them, so only two for now.

before:


and after one coat of varnish:


Isn't it beautiful??

Anyway, I don't think I've told you too much about the beaches we go to. The first one I went to was at the Mauna Lani resort, one of the oldest on the island. On Friday, we went to the Mauna Kea which was a totally different experience. There were high waves close to shore and rip-tides to watch out for. I was a little bit nervouse hearing about it, but once we got in the water I realized that it was very much like the beach in LA: very choppy at the shore, but calm once you swim out past the waves. The snorkeling was tough because the water was pretty murky, but it was still fun. I really appreciate having the goggles and mask on out there, too, because I can stay under longer and swim way further out.

So that was Friday. On Saturday, Jessie and I went to the local coffee shop (closes at four, just so you know) and hung out there, and then the farmer's market. There were a couple of hippies there selling brownies made with awa and we had some. Then she, Liu Zhi and drove to the Mauna Lani to swim in that sweet bay again. Unfortunately (probably due at least in part to the awa) we went to the wrong beach. Even though we parked by the Mauna Lani, we walked right instead of left and ended up trekking a mile and a half along the coast until we could find someplace that wasn't too rocky to swim. By the time we did, we found out that we were at a neighboring resort (the Fairmont Orchid) and swam and snorkeled there. There were alot of big sea turtles in the water, and they came right up to us. I screamed, of course, and knocked my mask off. We also saw one on the way:



Sunday, we had breakfast and then I went to my room and fell asleep. It was a great nap, and when I woke up we went to the coffee shop and hung out there. My friend Maria was singing outside where the tables are, and as I was ordering my coffee she called out: "Hey Stephanie! This is for you!" and sang an awesome, jazzy rendition of Happy Birthday. It was so sweet, and totally unexpected.

We ran into "our" neigbor at the coffee shop, and her daughter is visiting from Montreal. So the three of us decided to go swimming and went to another beach called Mauumae. To get there, you park and then follw a trail until you get to this little sandy beach. The waves were still pretty crazy, but again once we got past them it was calm and fun. On the way back to the sand we did get slammed down a bunch by the waves, and I skinned my knees.

We stopped at this ice cream stand on the way home, and then I had dinner and macadamia birthday pie (!), delicious. Jessie and I went for a drive afterwards to Pololu and lay on the hood of her car, smoking and trying to identify the constellations. The sky was full of stars and the moon was low and orange. It's so peaceful here...

So that was my weekend: swimming, star-gazing, and chillaxin'. My heart is full.