July started off with us crossing off a hike we had been meaning to do on the North Shore since we moved here. This hike is not for the faint of heart, which is why we hadn't attempted it yet. I did this hike almost four years ago when I was in college, but this time we invited Qian, Gavin's boss, to join us. She is always talking about how she’s a huge hiker and how nobody wants to hike with her because she moves so fast. So we told her we would go hiking together one day. I think she quickly realized that we move a lot quicker than she does.
We were all smiling and laughing during the first few hours up the mountain. Qian couldn’t stop taking pictures and saying how cool it was that we were doing this hike. Her Chinese accent made everything she said sound even funnier.
The last half of the hike consisted of over 15 rope sections where we had to rely on the ropes to get up the mountain. Sometimes the sections were so long you couldn’t even see the top of the rope. We tackled these one at a time, figuring out our way up. Some parts even required us to go under tree roots. Let’s just say this was not the typical hike Qian is used to doing. Gavin and I quickly realized that this hike was probably the hardest thing she had ever done. What made it worse was that she only brought two Arrowhead 8 oz water bottles. She kept opening her water bottle to take a sip, only to be reminded of its emptiness.
Hours later, we made the final scramble to the top. Our legs were destroyed from the prickly thorns that covered the path, and we were all thrilled to be done climbing. Qian took so many pictures and kept saying she needed to come back with the iPhone 16 when it comes out because hers was too old. After what felt like an eternity, we finally made it back down. It was a long day— a mere 10 hours of intense hiking. We were pretty exhausted from being on our feet for so long. Qian kept coming over to my desk at work for the rest of the week, asking how my legs were doing. My legs were fine; I think I should have been the one asking how hers were!
We enjoyed some time in the kitchen this summer. Gavin made pizza from scratch and even a fruit pizza! I always love a good home-cooked meal.
During one of my days off, I flew with about 30 youth over to Oahu for FSY! I couldn’t believe how lightly some of the youth packed. One of them only brought a school-sized backpack! I’m all for light packing, but for FSY? I was shocked. While we waited for the bus to pick up the kids at HNL airport, I showed some kids how to use Uber Eats. We don’t have that on Kauai, so they were thrilled to get their food delivered right to where they were standing.
The Fourth of July is always one of our favorite parts of summer. This year had the potential to be the best yet because Iam Tongi came to perform on the base. We left several hours before the performance to enjoy the food trucks and the company of our friends while watching the sunset. Unfortunately, the base had the worst system for getting people inside. They had two military personnel checking IDs, and they were moving so slowly. It took us almost four hours to get in. My car was overheating, and we had to sit in the hot sun. We didn’t have dinner because we planned to treat ourselves to the food trucks. The night ended up being a disaster. I’m so upset that the military didn’t do a better job at managing entry to the base. Nothing remotely eventful happens on the island, so when an event like this occurs, everyone on the island tries to attend. With a one-lane highway, it just doesn’t work for community gatherings. However, we did hear Iam play for an hour before the epic 20-minute fireworks show, so it wasn’t a total bust, just not the night we expected.
For YWs this summer, we played Bigger or Better and had the best time! We started with a dollar bill and ended up with some funky items along the way—a half-eaten pizza, a cooler, a musty pillow, a Squishmallow, a candle, and at our last house, a gross towel. We didn’t want to end the night with something so yucky, so we kept going until we got a bike! It was all fun and games until the bike sat in the back of my car for weeks. None of the YWs wanted it, and I almost dumped it in the church parking lot garbage. But then one night, after a youth devotional, one of the deacons took it out of my car and rode off. I took that as a sign to leave quickly!
One of the best surprises of the month happened when Kadee, Sarah, and Anna came to surprise me in Kauai! I hadn’t seen Kadee since my wedding over two years ago. We had so much fun catching up and doing all the island activities—hiking, snorkeling, movie nights, baking, and chatting late into the night. I truly love my girlfriends. I really believe you make your best friends in college.
The month ended with saying goodbye to one of my dear friends, Ashley Dooley. She lived here for just over a year, and I absolutely loved her and her husband Kirkham. They have helped us with our car so many times, and we have had the best times together.
No comments:
Post a Comment