For the first several days of my visit, I stayed with the Hawaii Benedictines in Waialua on the North Shore. It was refreshing and wonderful.

I woke up to the sound of a wild peacock outside my window.

Below you can see the view outside my window.

As usual, the trip took all day but I was pretty much grinning all the way. Boston had its first frost the morning I left, Minneapolis was covered in snow, and I think I might have gotten a mini sunburn just sitting by the window all day looking out into the sun and clouds.

When I arrived, one of my best friends in the world picked me up and we went to eat at a crusty old place called La Marianas near the airport. With a tiki vibe and just the right mix of local and cheesy, this restaurant/ yacht dock always puts me in a great mood to live the hawaii life.