Reading & Running Are So Good For Your Body & Mind

Everyday it seems I learn something new about myself or this place, pushing the limits of what I thought wasn't possible for me. The fact that I can actually almost run a half mile without stopping is a HUGE feat within itself. Getting much needed exercise and getting back into reading has been on my list for a while. Interesting that it took a move halfway across the world to accomplish these things.
My mind is so relaxed that some days I freak out a little because I don't feel the pressure to do or be a certain way; my guard isn't up when I walk the streets or go out. Farmer's Markets and random gatherings are quickly becoming a favorite. I haven't been too worried about much, but that doesn't stop my brain from thinking that some time soon the other shoe is going to drop, but I quickly dismiss those thoughts. All habits are hard to break, even the mental ones (those might be the hardest).

This week is jam packed, and I'm actually pretty excited to have some friends come out to visit. Planning to have a great time and explore this city and squeeze every drop of fun out of it.

2 weeks in Paradise

...and officially one week since my roomie and I signed a lease for a cozy cottage in Honolulu, HI! Like I said in my previous post, I'm letting time do what it does. While we've explored our neighborhood a bit, mainly from the gazillion trips to Wal Mart, Sam's Club, Safeway, Foodland & KMart, there is so much more to see. We did find the chillest neighborhood dive bar with the strangest name (8 Fat Fat 8), that has daily specials, pool, darts, karaoke and judging by the orders that were coming from the kitchen, a kick ass pupus (that's what they call appetizers here) menu. The staff was super friendly (everyone is here) and the tab was VERY reasonable. We also found a Latin American grocery store that sells all the essentials needed to cook the staple homemade dishes we both miss from back home (I thought Jak was going to cream her pants when she saw that bottle of Adobo).
There's also a huge Goodwill up the street and around the corner that I'll definitely be shopping at for clothing and other household items. We did get some kitchenware to replace some of the items that broke from being shipped from the mainland. It was all good though because we cleaned up for less than $20. I really can't wait until we both have jobs so we can explore our surrounding neighborhood thoroughly (especially the restaurants). We have visitors coming later this month, so hopefully that will give us an excuse to make some trips to the North Shore and Waikiki.

This truly is paradise.