West Maui

Whale season in Maui is starting to slow down as the whales head back up to their feeding grounds in northern waters and sightings from my balcony have become farther apart and fewer as well so I am finally able to pull myself away from the balcony to explore more of the island.  We have had quite a bit of rain too so going to west Maui was a risk due to road flooding and rock slides but finally the weather cleared up a bit (or so I thought) and I headed in that direction.

I had to drive through the town of Lahaina to get in route to the nature. I have spent the day in Lahaina before and located along the waterfront is Front street and it is loaded with little shops and restaurants and is a fun way to spend the day.  I helped out the local economy a bit with the purchase of a few token treasures and souveniers to bring home and remind me of my stay.  If you are in Lahaina you must try the Hula Pie at Kimo's and bring a couple of friends to help you eat it, it is amazing!

This trip was focused on following the curving, winding roads along the oceanfront to explore what mother nature in Maui has to offer.  There are many pull offs along the road to provide a place for safe viewing of the scenery and sometimes even whales off the coast.  I saw a couple of whales but the weather was very windy making the water choppy and a bit harder to see the whales.  My first real stop along the way was at the Nakalele Blowhole.  As the waves crash in, water comes up creating a huge force of water through the hole and creating a geyser-like flow of water into the air.

There are plenty of scenic vistas along the way that you can pull off and take a look around you and I made quite a few of those stops.  Eventually the road narrows to one winding lane split between you and the oncoming traffic and I decided that was my cue to turn around and go back but only after stopping at a road side stand for some delicious banana bread.  I can't seem to ever get enough homemade banana bread.  It ended up being a bit rainy and cloudy throughout the day but it was still nice to get off the beaten path and see some of the amazing scenery here on Maui.

Olivine Pools

Welcome to Maui!

I landed my dream location for my next contract... Maui, Hawaii!  When I asked my recruiter to look for jobs for me in Hawaii I told him any island would be fine but Maui was my number 1 choice and the Big Island was second.  I knew I would have to be patient and the first job that came around in Honolulu was not the right fit but the second was on my dream island and while it was in a setting I had never worked in before, with my recent experience in home health, I thought I could make a successful bridge into the new setting.

The day after I got the official contract, I woke up to an ad on a travel site I am on that was advertising for a roommate on Maui and thought it was meant to be.  I contacted the lady, had a nice conversation on the phone, and had a place to stay booked!  I have been traveling for over 2 years now and I can say 100% that finding a place to stay is always the most stressful part and I have never had things fall into place so easily.  It was right on the water with an unobstructed view of palm trees and ocean and I couldn't believe my luck!

When I arrived it was even more that I imagined it would be.  I sit on my balcony and watch whales jump and slap their fins and tails and it is AMAZING!  I knew the sound of the ocean would be lulling me to sleep at night but to get to see whales playing every day has been so much more than I ever dreamed it would be!  I find I have my eyes glued to the ocean looking for whale spouts and other whale activities at every moment that I am home.  I also get to see the occasional sea turtle head pop out of the ocean to take a peak at its surroundings and the rocks below have crabs scurrying around and eating algae off the rocks.

Tail slaps from my balcony

Four whales doing pectoral fin slaps taken from balcony

Whale breaching and photo taken from balcony

The beach is about a 1/2 mile from where I am staying and has turned out to be an amazing place to find sea glass.  I have already proven that I can spend hours looking for shells on the beaches of Sanibel Island in Florida but I think I might be substituting the shells for sea glass in Hawaii!  I find it so relaxing and am rewarded with my beach finds at the same time.  So far brown has been the most common color but I have also found some various shades of green and even a few pieces of clear glass that have become frosted by the rolling of the ocean.

I have been on a few snorkeling and whale watching tours since I have been here as well.  The fish are colorful and I find it relaxing to follow along behind them as they weave in and out of the coral.  I have been told that you can hear the whales talking to each other when you are under water but I have not been able to hear them yet.  So far I am loving Maui and all it has to offer but mostly just enjoying the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere of island life.

Following taken from boats while on whale watching tours:

2017

2017 was an interesting year for me.  It got off to a slow start when I was more than half way to California to start a job and the job was cancelled on me.  I continued on to California to regroup and look for another job and spent a month adventuring around the state.  On one of my adventures I met an amazing man who happened to live not far from where I had found my next job.  We dated, fell in love and continued on adventures around the state.  Eventually my heart was broken and I made my way back home to my sunshine state and to soak up some time with family and friends.

In 2016, I made a vow to see two of my oldest friends in 2017 and I am proud to say that I accomplished those goals.  I traveled to Montana to see my preschool best friend get married to her love and I spent time in NYC seeing another friend I have known since middle school.  There is nothing quite like old friends who keep you grounded and love and support you through life's events.  Even though we cannot be there every day, I always know they are just a phone call away but there is no substitute for seeing them in person.

I sharpened new skills as a physical therapist and broaden my horizons by working in a new field within my field as a home health physical therapist.  It led me to meeting new people from different walks of life who were often at one of the lowest points in their life and dependent on me and my colleagues to help get them back to health.  Not only did I stretch my boundaries as a physical therapist but I also learned to parallel park while working in the Bay area which is no small feat and one of my proudest accomplishments of the year.  Seriously... I was that bad at it before.

I spent a significant portion of my time in California outside.  Exploring the ocean side, the desert and the many National Parks.  I have always known how much I love the ocean but I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved the desert and especially Death Valley as well.  I stood next to trees that I never imagined could be that tall, I watched whales surface so close to me that I could hear the breath they took, I explored small river towns around Sacramento that I never knew existed, I snowshoed, I learned to eat at a nice restaurant by myself, I ocean kayaked for the first time, I walked over the Golden Gate bridge, I got up before the sunrise to see the mass ascension of over 50 hot air balloons in Reno, and had so many other amazing experiences.

The year was filled with some very high highs and some very low lows and I am moving into 2018 full of hope and looking forward to new challenges and experiences.  I am super excited that I will be starting the New Year in Maui, Hawaii and cannot wait to find out how I will grow in experiences and as a therapist in the coming year!  Stay tuned!

Christmas in New York City

Christmas is always a magical time of year... the twinkling lights, the sparkly decorations, the child like excitement in the air.  New York has every bit of that magic and add to that larger than life trees plus impressive and imaginative window displays and there is no better place to get in the Christmas spirit. I am lucky that this was my second time witnessing the beauty of NYC at Christmas and also that I was able to see it while visiting really good, lifelong friends who live in the area.

I arrived at Marianne's apartment in Brooklyn to drop off my luggage and then her husband so nicely walked me to the subway station and made sure I knew which train to take so I could meet her in Manhattan when she got off work.  I arrived near Rockefeller Center and found a place for lunch before walking around for a bit and meeting Marianne.  We went to Times Square where I got to put my wish for the New Year on a piece of confetti that will be released for the ball drop on New Year's Eve!  Fingers crossed that it comes true! We walked to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and took the subway back to Brooklyn and walked along the river to see the Manhattan skyline including the Statue of Liberty lit up by a beautiful sunset.  I took some amazing pictures but really wished I had my long range lense with me for a close up of Lady Liberty in all her glory.  Maybe next time.

Manhattan skyline

Brooklyn Bridge

The Statue of Liberty with the amazing sunset behind it.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Saturday morning started with a bagel and cream cheese.  One of my requests when planning this trip was to have an authentic New York bagel and it was delicious.  So delicious, in fact, that we ended up having them every day I was there! We made our way into the city and went to the mecca that is Macy's.  Floor upon floor of shopping with a final stop on the 9th floor and the Christmas filled wonderland with ornament upon ornament displayed for purchase.  The whole floor was 50% off except, of course, the one ornament that I picked out and promptly returned to its place when I realized it was the one not on sale. 

Ceiling decorations in Macy's- loved the owl and the revolving Christmas ball

We met my friend Adrienne who recently moved back to Long Island and went to The Pierre for high tea with champagne. I love getting dressed up and splurging for high tea at a fancy hotel.  Seeing the decorations and a beautiful platter of scones, finger sandwiches and sweet treats in tiers.  The time is always spent in the company of good friends and it is something Adrienne (whom I met when we studied abroad in London) and I try to do whenever we get together.  The Pierre did not disappoint with impeccable service and a great time had.

Tea, champagne and all the yummies at The Pierre

We walked in and out of several of the hotels looking at their decorations and down 5th Avenue, peering into the windows and seeing the colorful and festive displays.  We walked around a Christmas Market where I fell in love with a pair of sparkly earrings that I had to have.  After drinks with a view of Central Park and more window shopping it was time to head home for the evening.  My feet took 21,000+ steps for the day and were ready to be up and relaxing!

Incredible light display at Saks Fifth Ave with light show dancing to a music melody for the anniversary of Snow White.

The requisite selfie with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Christmas tree at The Plaza

Window decorations at The Plaza

More store windows

Decorations at Tiffany's

Decorations at The Peninsula hotel

Sunday was spent exploring Brooklyn.  It started with a slow, relaxing ease into the day before we made our way to a Christmas arts and crafts fair and ended with a trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and feasting on oysters and prosecco at one of Marianne and David's favorite local restaurants.  Then we returned to their apartment for a dinner of homemade nachos while decorating the Christmas tree.

I always remember my first trip to New York as being magical.  Truly one of my favorite trips to date.  Sometimes when you try to repeat an experience then it almost dims it because it cannot compare to the original memory but my second trip was every bit as magical and exciting as the first trip.  The fact that I got to see it with some amazing friends that I don't get the opportunity to see very often was the shining star topper to my Christmas trip.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

When I first decided to come out to California to work for a few months (that extended to an over 10 month stay!) I made a list of places that I wanted to see before I left.  Near the top of my list were both the Channel Islands National Park and Sequoia National Park.  I went to the Channel Islands very quickly after getting here and as my time is winding down, I knew I had to get to Sequoia as well.  When I learned that Sequoia became a national park on September 25th, which happens to be my birthday, I knew that a great way to celebrate turning another year older would be at the park with my birthday buddy.

Sequoia National Park is a little hike from Sacramento, about a 3.5 hour drive to the closest city to the park, so immediately after work the destination was set for Visalia.  Saturday morning the drive to the park was a bit over an hour and as we got closer the trees started to get bigger.  There are always the really big trees that are named but what amazes me the most are the ones that you can walk right up to and feel how tiny we are in comparison.  I love that the trees can burn from the inside out so that they are hollow but still have this massive presence.  It is amazing to think of how many people have passed by and admired those trees simply by how long they have survived.  I walked through tree trunks, wandered through huge groves of trees and walked up to amazing view points.

On Sunday, I headed into Kings Canyon National Park.  It is adjacent to Sequoia and is also home to some of the massive trees but is also home to a great canyon that splits through the park and is awe inspiring on its own.  Unfortunately, time was a bit limited on Sunday as I still had to make the drive home and be ready for work on Monday.  After waiting to see this park and building it up in my mind, it did not disappoint. There was something spiritual and majestic about the parks.  I kept whispering while I was there and I couldn't figure out why.  It just seemed like such a peaceful place and talking at normal volume would disturb the peace some how. Sometimes it is good to feel small and peaceful and this park definitely did that for me.

Whitefish, Montana

I had been so excited about this trip since I first found out that my best friend since preschool was getting married in Whitefish.  I had wanted go up to visit her and see the area but never quite found the right time for us both so her wedding was not to be missed!  The trip turned out to be a bit different than I had originally planned after an unforeseen life change a few days before I left, but I wouldn't trade the amazing experience that I had.

I got off the plane when I arrived Saturday afternoon and headed straight for the sports bar.  My Gators were playing and I still had time to catch the 4th quarter.  You know...priorities. After cheering for a win, I checked into my hotel and later met Jen for dinner in Kalispell.  We ate at a restaurant called 406 Bar and Grill which had delicious small bite plates we could share including truffle mac and cheese, cheese stuffed dates, and really good oysters.  Catching up with a life long friend over a delicious dinner and a glass of wine after 5 years of not seeing each other was a perfect way to start the trip.

The trip was during the first week of October so whether the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park would be open was already a bit iffy but after forest fires ravaged part of the park in the weeks before I got there, the road had already been closed from the west entrance.  I went to the west side of the park to check out Lake McDonald.  The water is crystal clear with colorful rocks lining the bottoms and I have seen many photos of it in the past so was excited to see it for my own eyes.  After walking and taking a lot of my own photos, it began to drizzle.  I drove a bit more around the east side of the park, as the drizzle started to become full blown rain, then I decided to go ahead and head into Whitefish for a beer and some Sunday football.  I ended up at the Craggy Range for some local beer and some delicious bison meatballs.  So good, in fact, that I ended up back there again for another round of meatballs later in the week.  They also have one of those ice strips around the bar to sit your beer on so that it doesn't get warm.  Really good cold beer and bison meatballs made for a great second day in town.

Lake McDonald

Whitefish is a quaint little town with a friendly cast of locals and those who have migrated there for the charm and welcoming feeling of the town.  Downtown has 3 or 4 blocks of shops, restaurants and bars with the kind of kitshy stuff you expect in any tourist town including anything huckleberry flavored that your heart desires. I stayed in the Firebrand hotel downtown.  A nice boutique hotel with a hot tub and deck on the top floor overlooking downtown and a bar downstairs that kept a lively vibe but still imposed a quiet time after 10 pm so you can get your sleep.

View of downtown Whitefish from the top of the Firebrand hotel

I spent a few days getting to do wedding stuff with Jen and spending time with her family, which I think I probably spent as much time with her family as I did my own growing up.  There is something about spending time with people who, even though you haven't seen them in years, it is like no time has passed.

I drove back to the west side of Glacier to spend more time and see Lake McDonald in the sunshine as well.  The drive over to the east side of the park should have taken about 2 hours but the drive itself was incredibly beautiful and I kept pulling off to take pictures and driving slowly because I was just simply in awe of the view.  The first time the snow capped peaks of the mountains came into full view I literally gasped it was so beautiful.  The fact that the trees were beginning to change colors and were vibrant yellows with occasional punches of red just added to the beauty.  On the east side of the park I stopped at a waterfall and did a short hike to get there before driving on to Two Medicine Lake.  It was a great time of year to be there because it was not crowded at all and it was easy to find peace and quiet and feel like I was alone and had this magnificent park to myself.  I did a couple of other 1 mile hikes and never saw a soul on them.  Just me and the chipmunks :)  And probably the bears but I never saw one.

Some of the beautiful scenery on the drive to the east side of the park

Two Medicine Lake

The view from my hike

Big sky country

The crowning jewel of the trip was definitely getting to see Jen marry her love and the happiness that they share.  They got married at the Whitefish Bike Retreat and the wedding was true to who they are.  I cannot imagine a more perfect wedding for them and was happy I got to witness it and spend some time with them in their new life.

The beautiful bride and me