I started off 2026 with a few goals. First: I want to try as many burgers as I can on the island. I’m excited to see what kinds I find and, of course, who has the best one. Other goals include learning Hawaiian on Duolingo, running more, and reading more books. We’ll see how I do by the end of the year.
I started the year with a few relaxing days at home watching The Eras Tour documentary and working on my paint‑by‑number from my friend’s favorite‑things party. It felt so good to be creative. I forget sometimes how calming it is to just sit and create something.
One weekend, Gavin, Chase, Anita, and I hiked the Awaʻawa Puhi Trail in Waimea Canyon. This hike is unbelievable in so many ways. There’s nothing I love more than being out in nature with my friends moving my body, having great conversations, and soaking in how breathtaking Kauai really is. We enjoyed this hike at the canyon and another one in Hanalei as well.
The highlight of the month was Ava and Sawyer coming to visit. I get so excited when family comes I can hardly sleep the night before they arrive. I worked all week making the house look perfect, and since they didn’t land until around 5 PM, the workday felt brutal. The clock ticked by so slowly. But finally, I was able to pick them up. We caught the sunset and saw some turtles, and Sawyer was oohing and ahhing at all the right things before crashing from the time difference.
We had so much fun together. Sawyer is so kind and laid‑back, and I love the way he treats Ava. Sarah and Anna even flew over from Oʻahu to meet him. When Ava and Sawyer went to pick them up from the airport, Sawyer said he was excited to meet his “best friends for life,” which I thought was so sweet.
Ava has been to Kauai several times, but somehow we still managed not to repeat many activities. Sawyer’s favorite thing was waking up and getting açai at Anakes and honestly, who doesn’t love açai in the morning?
We had a full house with Sarah and Anna, plus Ava and Sawyer. Thankfully, the weather was perfect because we spent almost all of our time outside. Sarah and Anna slept on cots in the kitchen/living room area, and Ava and Sawyer took over my closet. Gavin and I have packed up so many of our things since we’ve been told we could be moving any day now.
We spent a beautiful day on the North Shore listening to music, chatting, swimming, and watching the sunset. Hanalei Bay really is a dream, and I love watching people experience it for the first time. Ava and Sawyer walked around the bay, and we could spot Ava’s darling red swimsuit from almost a mile away. I loved watching them walk hand‑in‑hand.
The biggest highlight of their visit was hiking together to Hanakāpīʻai Falls in Hāʻena State Park. This is just the first two miles of the Nāpali Coast, and it’s something I’ve been wanting to show Ava for a long time. She loves hiking just as much as I do. The hike is no joke, but we started early and had perfect weather. The Nāpali Coast looked absolutely stunning.
What impressed me most was how prepared Sawyer was. Ava’s allergies flared up boom, he had pills. She slipped and fell out came a Band‑Aid. I was shocked. I was the one who dragged everyone on this intense hike, and he was the one saving the day. He’d been wanting to see a waterfall the whole time he was on Kauai, and after his family kept asking if he’d seen one yet, he said this one absolutely did not disappoint. How could it? It’s nearly 300 feet tall.
Despite the chilly water, we were all determined to swim. Ava and I were the first in and the last to fully submerge. Freshwater always takes my breath away, but once I was in, I was so glad I did it. We swam all the way to the back of the waterfall, I almost forgot how to breath as I was swimming. We cheered, splashed, and screamed. It was magical. I loved floating on my back and looking straight up at the waterfall, seeing the steep rocks glowing in the sun above the trees. We were completely in awe.
The hike back felt much longer than the hike in, but we made it to the car just in time because it started pouring the second we shut the doors. Traffic on the way home was wild. I truly cannot believe how much traffic there can be on this island.
That night, we surprised Ava and Sawyer with tickets to a luau. You have to experience a luau in Hawaii it’s truly one of the best ways to take in the culture. They got to enjoy a special night just the two of them.
On their last full day, I took them up to Waimea Canyon for another hike. It was a bit longer than we were all feeling, but it was so beautiful and the weather was perfect and when you’re in Hawaii, you hike. Ava said that back in Utah it’s often too cold or the trails aren’t ideal, so this is exactly what she wanted to do.
We thought we’d trail run it, but we underestimated how muddy, slippery, and steep it would be. We were sliding and laughing the whole way. Gavin had hurt his ankle a few weeks earlier, so he stayed behind to relax in the car while we hiked. We finished in about three hours.
It was so special having my sister here. I also got to show Ava our new condo. They keep saying we’ll be able to move in any day now. Walking through a home that will soon be ours felt surreal. The AC was blasting, everything was spotless, and I couldn’t stop dreaming up paint ideas. I am definitely not a white‑walls person, and there is a lot of white — but Gavin is such a good sport and supports whatever colors I want.
Saying goodbye is always, but I have a feeling I’ll see them again this summer… possibly for a wedding. Yeehaw!!
