Merry Christmas (Mele Kalikimaka)

Disclaimer: This blog is supposed to be all about pictures. I took pictures of my friends, I took pics of my family, I took pics of food, signs, Christmas lights, In-N-Out, my house, my sister's dog, and then some awesome, really amazing pics of this beautiful rainbow when I got back here. Problem is, after I took the pics of the rainbow, I somehow lost my phone. These are the only pics that got sent to my online album, so if you aren't in here, you should be, and if you are, you're just lucky that I had an afternoon on the couch with some time to kill (and I love you-he he). Trust me, I'm way more bummed out than you are, I had some fantastic pictures on that phone...gone forever. Crap. Don't get me started. So, now, on to the blog...

No, this is not Hana, Maui, in Hawaii.

This is the cold weather of San Francisco, CA, where I went to take a vacation from Maui (i'm sure there is a law somewhere against saying what I just said, but ignorance is bliss, right?)...yes, you read that correctly, I left the lovely warm beaches of Maui and headed to the cold of Northern Cali for two weeks, and guess what?

IT WAS AWESOME!

I. loved. every. single. minute. Even if I was bored, I wasn't bored. I had people everywhere, places to go and things to do, beers to drink, food to eat, people watching, and despite all the hustle and bustle that people hate around the holidays, I had real moments with real people and the connection was there, no matter how busy and crazy SF can be. I had a great time, and it reminded me again that no matter how amazing the place you live is (heh-hmm...um, Hello! Maui!), it is still the people that you love that make that place great and make it feel like home (and having beer on tap is a definite plus).

Jason (Also mistaken for Neo in this pic): You are the best ever. Thank you for letting me stay at your place and eat your food and drink your booze and spend your money and make you laugh. Thanks for putting up with my endless shenanigans. I hope that I can somehow return the favor, hopefully by hosting you at my lovely jungle cabin...oh, and the coffee is on the way!

Ron and Nika: how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...One thing I know with you two--I will never be bored! I had so much fun with you, and I love your spare bedroom, and the Blue Light (Taco Tuesdays baby!) and all the great adventures we have. Thanks for paying my bar tab (and leaving me with one! :), thanks for dragging me to new places, and for being great friends to me. Keep up the good work with the dogs, they looked GREAT in Macy's!

Keith: The best beer rep EVER What else can I say? I owe you buddy. Let's party.

Robert: So much fun hanging out at Local, thanks for keeping in touch.

Damon: Thanks for coming out my last night in town, it made my night. Vegas baby, Vegas.

Aussie Mark: Constantly challenging me to new heights of beer drinking..."one for the ditch."

And to all my friends in the city and all my Chieftan compatriats: I only lived there six months before I moved to Maui, and I was wondering if all the friends I had made were only a dream. Thanks for overwhelmingly proving me wrong, and making me feel so loved...wish your pic was up here, and wish I could show you some good times in Maui...hurry up and come visit already! And thanks for all the Don Julio!

I am desperately sad that I lost some ridiculously cute pics of my family and also of my sister's two Boston Terriers, with whom I spent an awesome afternoon snuggling with on the couch and watching movies. Those puppies are ridiculously cute Rach. --insert pic here--

I had a great time seeing my family, I got to see both my cousins, and I actually even forgot to give my brother his Christmas present that I bought here and brought with me to the Mainland, and it is now somehow back here in my cabin--I'm a genius. Oops. Sorry Brian. I love you all and miss you terribly.

Now I'm back in Hana, and apparently it has been raining since I left for SF, so I came back to grey clouds and lots of baking. Christmas Eve was actually spent in the kitchen from 9:30 in the morning til 8 at night--you guessed it. Baking. Lots and lots of banana bread...luckily that meant no baking today, Christmas day, and I got to sleep in, go paddling, have brunch with friends, go to the beach and watch some sick waves, and then go to a friend's house for dinner and surf movies outside on the big screen. An excellent end to the day. I have to admit, I feel isolated already in this tiny town on a rock in the Pacific, losing my phone really intensified that feeling (no phone numbers either), and it did not feel like Christmas at all today(no family or close friends), so it was a very weird, oddly lonely day, but some great people welcomed me in and cheered me up, so it ended well. Weird, but fun and good.

I hope that whatever your Christmas was, you got to see people you love and who love you. Send me an email if you get a chance, I'd love to hear from you, and I will let you know as soon as I get my phone replaced.

I have passed the way of all tired-ness (like my friend Josh)...goodnight!