Jen Visits California

First day back in California and I get a welcome home present from my friend Ali. Thanks for the table! Definitely not a bad way to begin my trip. We went to Ten in Newport Beach and danced to horrible music while drinking good booze. Can I just say… holy macaroni… I was exhausted. Mind you I have been on “vacation mode” for the pass 5 months. Vacation modes means that I’ve been in a swimsuit and slippers everyday.  I’m also in bed by like 10pm if not earlier. I had to wear heels the whole night. IF you know me, heels means HIGH heels…. 5 inches!  The old Jen never complained, the old Jen laughed at those girls that took off their heels after a long night. (Don’t worry, my shoes didn’t come off. I thought about it but like a badass, those heels stayed on) … this new beach bum Jen s wondering how the heck did I do it!!! Oh goodness.

After a night of fun, I saw someone that brighten up my day! This little one comes into my room and tries to scare me. I miss her face and her kisses!! I cant’ wait until your in Hawaii Ariel!!

While I was home, I was honored enough to be invited to my little cousin’s graduation! She’s freaken 18 years old!!! I have known Jessica and Jackie their entire lives. I have known her since she was in her mommy’s tummy.  I have burped her, changed her diapers, tortured her and loved her unconditionally. Love you Jessie!!! Also, she’s an amazing… AMAZING pet photographer. She’s already been featured in several magazine! Check her site out! Jessica Trinh Photography

While I’m home, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my brother. He cares about a few things: working out, food and the Warriors basketball team.  I don’t like the Warriors, but I did once went to a Clippers vs. Warriors game….. Let’s just say he was really happy with the results.  Feeding him daily is expensive, so gym time bonding it is!  Glad we got to spend some time shortie!!!! (I know, he’s not so short anymore)

Landon had his 1st birthday. Mind you I booked my flight to make sure I made it to his birthday.  He’s such a cutie and if I’m popping out babies, he may be a great contender for my girls. (Did I say if??? I meant… WHEN I pop out babies….) It was great to spend some time with him as well as see my friends all together under a roof. As you can see, Vanessa is pregnant! I can’t wait to meet Blake!! See you soon in Hawaii Audrey! (wink)

Oh do I miss you.  My bestie Anna, had Landon a year ago and boy does time flies! I miss Anna dearly. We’ve been friends for over a decade.  We have been through many new chapters in our life! I’m super bummed I couldn’t play a bigger role in Landon’s life now that I’m in Hawaii. But know I miss you madly!! XO

Meet my other bestie…. Bao Liu! I’ve known this gal for 7 years. She’s definitely my other half.  We are too similar it’s insane. We are both Leos and born in the year of the rat. No one gets us better than each other!!! She’s my wine, Vegas, travel and foodie buddy.  I had dinner with Bao and John (her husband) at Taiko. It’s the best sushi restaurant in Irvine.  You got to sit at the bar, buy the chefs a beer and magic happens!  I miss her strength, guidance and love.  The Lius are like my second family. I can’t wait to be there when you renew your vows this year!!! XO

Girls night was great! Thanks Michelle for setting up the bottle service! I love that when we roll, we roll with your “swag” lol.  I appreciate everyone that came out. It wasn’t the same though without the rest of the girlfriends. It’s so odd how things change the older you get.  No one EVER said no to a night out.  A chance to get dolled up, free booze and dancing….. that was practically every weekend!!! Oh the 20’s… you were so fun.  Now everyone has priorities: families, loved ones or even job. I’m not complaining, well maybe just a bit but I do understand we all are at different parts in our lives. I will miss the past. I miss the crazy vegas weekends. I miss the trips to LA and SD. I miss my flights up north. Despite all the “missing” I did while I was back in California, don’t mistake how excited I was to see Joe. Another chapter closes and another one opens. Thank you friends for seeing me regardless of the parties. I had several dinner dates… I wish we took pictures!!! Love you all, come visit me. XO

The last day came and my parents decided to play hookie from work! Haha, I’m so blessed. It was suppose to be a crazy Monday morning but instead it was a crazy morning with my parents. We headed to Long Beach to drop my car off at the docks. My car is being shipped to Hawaii!!! Thank you Joe!! He insisted I bring my car over instead of selling it. His exacts thoughts were “babe, when we have kids, I don’t feel safe with you driving the kids around in a mini cooper”. My heart melted and I told him OK. I’ve been wanting a mini cooper forever and it’s still just a dream. That’s OK. my man told me we’re having kids! haha right…. if you like it baby, put a ring on it!!! XOXO

We drove off to my FAVORITE restaurant in Long Beach. I was back for a week and everyday I had some sort of lunch or dinner plan with SOMEONE… and unfortunately it didn’t result to eating at Open Sesame.  I was happy to share that with my parents. After lunch, we went to LAX and they dropped me off.

I’m thankful my family supports my move.  I still can’t believe I fell for a guy WHILE on vacation in Hawaii!! Best things do happen unexpected!

I land in Oahu after 5.5 hours. Who do I see waiting for me? The love of my life. It’s official, I’m a resident of Hawaii.

North Shore Camping Adventures

Joe and I hiked what seemed like miles to get to our camp site. What made it unbelievable and incredibly exhausting was the pile of things we needed to lug to our spot. We tried very hard to find a wagon or something to pull everything in. Well we failed. Plan B was throwing a few things into a luggage. I felt so ghetto doing that but we needed help!  After the long hike to our spot, we set up our tent! It’s up! It’s functional and more importantly the blow up mattress is ready to rock and roll.  On the menu we prepared lunch and dinner. I marinated 2 pounds of short rib. Yes when we camp, we eat well.

The trip included lots of picturing taking, fishing, monk seal, beer, hermit crab catching and sunset/star gazing.  What I loved about our spot was I don’t think we were allowed to even camp there in the first place. Joe had a hunch that we’d be kicked out before the night was over. He was wrong.

The night should have been much cooler but there wasn’t even a slight breeze.  It was hot and sticky. My favorite is night swimming. Nothing can cool you down like the ocean water.

Overall I had the best time camping on the North Shore.  Another one to add to the amazing adventures of Hawaii!

 

Cathy Visits!!!

I’ve been looking forward to this girl’s visit since I arrived in Hawaii. back in March.   Coming back here was simply not the same without my adventurous amiga! Of course I had to give her the Aloha welcome when she arrived from LA!  I get to keep her for a couple weeks before she leaves this island. There will definitely be adventures!

There she is, in black and high heels. Of course, I am in flats (haha) but at least I did my hair! We immediately got her bags and headed to our first mission: feed Cathy (and me). We had lunch and desserts at a place nearby. The sushi place was decent but the cupcakes were delicious!

Red velvet cupcakes at Sweets Fanatic

Renee, Cathy and me at Turtle Bay catching the sun before it sets for the day.

Mai Tais at Turtle Bay Resort

The best way to welcome our guest was to take her to Turtle Bay and enjoy some local music, hula dancers and Mai Tais! Everyone says if you can finish two Mai Tais, you won’t make it out of there. After sampling just one, I can see what they mean by that. They are strong and dangerous delicious.

When Cat and I were here the last time, we didn’t get a chance to venture out to the east side. This trip, we made time. The east side of the island is definitely beautiful in it’s own way. Actually, every part of the island has it’s own different beauty and the east is no different. There are some great looking cliffs, blow holes, calm waters and tons of opportunity to hike.

We made it to Manoa Falls. One of the things I didn’t expect was how muddy it was. Cathy and I had to be very creative on which path we wanted to take that would get us the least amount of mud. We didn’t fall!

Pillbox hike was definitely short and sweet. It has some major killer views that makes this short hike totally worth it.

AFter the hike we made our way to Lanakai beach! The little spot we found only had another group but it was the sweetest spot. The beach is amazing and one I would definitely take kids to. The sand is white and fine. The water is bluest I’ve seen. Great times her with my Cat!

Can you believe that after being here for almost 2 weeks, we only made it to the club once!! We even scored making friends with this cool girl Michelle. She is the sweetest and her friends are awesome. Looks like I made another friend in town!

Cat and I made our way to Mai Tai to meet our friend Chris and his pregnant wife! I
Of course her trip couldn’t end without a trip to North Shore Shark Adventures.

Farewell my amiga!!! I had so much fun while you were here. I can’t wait for your return this winter!!!!! Love you and see ya later!!! XO

Sunset Bunker

Laguna Beach Canyon

Aloha!

Hiking is my all time favorite thing to do. It’s great exercise and it gets me away from the gym. Back in California, I spent the majority of my weekends hiking 1-4 hours a trip.  I loved trying to get away from the noise and enjoy a bit of mother nature. I especially loved hiking by Laguna Beach and Newport; it’s only because it brought me closer to the water. That nice ocean breeze comes in handy when you are trying to climb mountains and hills while sweating up a storm. Now in Oahu, I have a new playground. The biggest difference is that there’s always an amazing view, an ocean breeze is never hard to find, it’s always mother nature and there’s never any noise!

On a peaceful hike, it’s the girls that bring the noise!

My first hike with Joe was Sunset Beach by the school. At first I wasn’t quite sure where Joe was taking me because the trip literally starts at the school’s parking lot. There’s a little path off to the left. The first 15 minutes of the hike is pretty gnarly.  The hike starts off very steep. Fortunately, past hikers left rope on some of the trees. It makes it easier to get down safely. When it rains, the mud sure gets slippery!

A little cave at the end of the long haul up the steep hill.

A view of all the major surf spots!

My love!

This hike is tricky! There are so many paths you can take which leads to everywhere! Looking at a map on google, I notice that if I were to ever get lost, it could get ugly. It goes pretty deep east and could even take you into Pupukea and Waimea! Even though it’s been a while since Joe’s been here, he knew how to get where we wanted to go. I wanted to see the bunker! Bunkers are cement structures that the military use to occupy as a look out. It was their way to see who was coming in from sea.  After WWII, I believe the bunkers became vacant. Now the only visitors they get are from hikers and graffiti artists.

Inside the bunker you can see many local “talents” using this as their canvas.

I can definitely tell you that so far, Hawaii’s awesome. It’s only been a short while but everything is pretty amazing. I have a fantastic boyfriend, who’s family is equally amazing and the adventures keeps coming.

Next Blog: Family or Famiglia!

Mokuleia

One of our first adventures when I got here was exploring Mokuleia. Back in March I told Joe I was curious of the other side. The reason for my curiosity was because back in December, I watched my very first sunset with Joe at Haleiwa Beach Park and I remembered asking him about that mountain the sun setted on. Now everyday after Joe’s work, we would head to Alligator’s to watch the sunset except the sun has moved more towards the right and is away from the mountain. I was still curious about that mountain.   So after days of unpacking and staying in the house, Joe decided to take me  on a mini adventure.  On the next day Joe was off, we drove towards Mokuleia.  The beach is very peaceful. The water is amazingly blue and there was a zillion rocks everywhere. No one is around so if you want a private beach, Mokuleia is close to that.  It is extremely windy, I almost lost my hat a few times!  After miles on barefoot we ended our adventure and decided to head back. I definitely wanted to come back so we can mountain bike around Ka’ena Point. It looks like it could be an adventure!

 

Next Blog: Sunset Bunker!

Fade and Draw

I have been “playing” golf since 2004. By playing I mean hitting buckets at the range and not going on the golf course. I took up golfing back in 2004 because my dad started playing.  My dad is an athlete. He was a ping pong champ in Vietnam and played amateur tennis and basketball in California.  As a young girl, I was always interested in sports.  However the only sport activity I got to learn was swimming. I was the kid that had the tutoring and piano lessons after school. I remember joining an after school sports program in middle school and having to lie about why I was home late every day.  I played outside all the time. Despite my mother always putting me in a dress, I manage to still play just as hard.  In high school, I decided to go after tennis and basketball. Why? Because my dad played it. I wasn’t great at tennis so my major focus was on basketball.  I played basketball for 3 years in high school.  I played very well my 2nd and 3rd year. I was 1st string and won awards all three years: most improved, MVP and I cant’ remember the last one.  I left my senior year because I couldn’t stand Coach Martin. I then assisted the freshman coach and help coached for a year. After I graduated high school, I coached a couple years at the local church’s girl league. Those were good times!

In 2003 my dad’s knee took a turn for the worst and he wasn’t able to play tennis or basketball. Even though I was already in college, I still wanted to play the sports my dad did. So I went on ebay and hunted for my first set of golf clubs. Boy was it brutal. My arms hurt and my dad made me practice the golf swing position over and over. I would go as far as 4 bucks in one practice. That’s over 600 swings! Regardless I was with my dad at the Aliso Country Club for many months perfecting my driving swing. I’m pretty good at my drive. Besides golfing with my dad, no other man has ever made the cut with me when it came to golfing so my efforts after that were minimal until I met Joe.

I told Joe I golfed when I first met him. We were at his house for drinks back on my first trip here and he had a putting range that I immediately went towards. I didn’t have any intention on being impressive, I was just being myself. I started talking about last week’s tournament. Tiger Woods did poorly and I had no problem explaining why. So since then, Joe and I golf every Tuesday. I learned from Joe that my swing tends to fade. A fade is when the ball goes right. A draw is when the ball goes left. He’s been the only person who has been able to consistently get me to golf. I love golfing and because Joe is so freaken good, it’s so much fun learning from him! The only course we’ve been on together has been the Turtle Bay Resort. It’s an amazing golf course. There are two, The Palmer and The Fazio. The Palmer is insanely difficult. I always dread going on it because I can guarantee you I’ll lose about 6 balls. The Fazio on the other hand is difficult but so much easier to learn on.

If anyone wants to learn how to golf, definitely get a good set. It matters so much! Also you must hit the ball a zillion times on a golf range. Having a good swing is so important and being good at putting is even more critical. I need a lot of work on my short game. Some days I’m in love with golf, other days I want to break up with it. However every game there’s always an amazing hole that keeps you come back for more. It’s like an abusive relationship, I keep coming back to golfing!

Next Blog: Mokuleia

Panic Attack

I am moving to the beautiful state of Hawaii! It’s probably the prettiest of all the states too. I couldn’t help but feel like I’m leaving the country though! How many states do we have that you can pack a bunch of beachwear and sunblock?  Hawaii felt so far and I was reminded how far it was when the flight attendance declared the time zone change.  Joe taps me on the shoulder and tells me we are passing Maui! Joe didn’t get much sleep and I was too anxious to get any real rest. I did love having a travel partner. It was great to slip my feet into Joe’s when I got cold or when I needed a shoulder to catch a quick nap, his was right there. He makes me smile. Everything about him is so refreshing. He’s kind, thoughtful and geniune. However he always seems worried though. I wonder what he fears or what he’s thinking sometimes. I on the other hand don’t hide my emotions well, not that I intended to but I would never want to make him worry intentionally.  I looked over and Joe points out Oahu. It was just as pretty as I last remembered when I was on the plane with Cat. I smiled and was excited to land. I really hate long flights. That feeling was quickly over when the flight attendance made an announcement to strap on our seatbelt because we would be landing very shortly.  As we were declining in elevation, Joe took my hand and kissed me. I smiled and squeeze his hand.  Ten, nine, eight…three, two, breathe… and we landed.

The door of the plane opened and a burst of warm air hits me. It felt warmer this time. Only minutes outside and I felt sticky. Joe grabs my hand and we moved through the crowd. We had a lot of luggage to pick up and my fingers were crossed hoping that it all landed safely. We stood by the baggage claim and since majority of my luggage was considered oversize, it didn’t take too long for me to collect everything. We then headed to the parking structure to find Joe’s truck. Joe effortlessly threw the luggage in the bed of his truck and off we went.

As soon as we got on the freeway, a burst of emotions hit me. I starred at the highway and just started to notice the kind of people that were around me. Then I noticed the cars, the homes and the street names. I felt sweaty and thoughts of my family and friends ran through my head and I immediately thought “what have I done!” Joe felt I was off and without saying much, he squeezed my hand and told me his loved me. I didn’t response so he asked me if everything was ok. I replied with a half smile and asked him to give me a few minutes. I needed to recollect my thoughts and more importantly I needed to breathe. Everything at that moment seem so chaotic. The freeway felt small, the air felt hot and nothing looked familiar. I didn’t want to stress Joe out but I couldn’t help but freak out. I was always thought I was adventurous but this really was taking it to a whole different level. I thought about how I left my parents, my siblings, my friends and my job!

To keep myself distracted and to not worry Joe, I talked about Tahoe.  I told him I loved him. I started talking about how we fell in love and asked him if he promised to be honest and faithful to me. He grinned and said ” I love you. I absolutely will be honest and faithful”. Just like that I smiled and I remembered why I decided to take this risk. Love is worth it.  Since my last relationships, I can honestly say that none of them were worth the risk, the heartache or the time. However I don’t regret any of it either. Those relationships made me wiser and more determine that I was close to finding my soul mate.  I can honestly say with Joe, that everything is worth the risk. You can’t pass up this kind of love. This kind of love only happens once in a lifetime and to walk away from it because of fear seems silly.  We got to North Shore and I immediately felt at ease.  Who would have thought the country would put me at ease. I looked to my left as we continued to Haleiwa, I knew everything would be awesome.

Next blog: First Adventure

Packing For Hawaii!!

My philosophy about packing for vacation has always been pack everything you need because it’s not fun to be without things that make you comfortable.  How does one pack for a two month trip to Hawaii? The reason it’s two months is because it’s a trial period. We both know we are moving extremely fast. We both just cant’ help it. Neither of us wanted to try the long distant relationship.  It’s not realistic to make weekend trips to Hawaii. That’s a total of 12 hours of fly time and approximately $400-$600 a flight. We wanted  to be together. Plus I was excited for an adventure. Also how can you say no to two months of vacation!

Just a small portion of my packing!

Every night Joe and I would talk and he felt the stress in my voice. I didn’t know what I should or shouldn’t pack. I wanted it all with me!  My things felt like my baby blanket! He tells me “babe, if that’s what your concern about, just pack it all!” Without hesitation I did exactly just that. Of course I left all my work related clothes behind. Because there was too much to bring with me, I couldn’t bring it all on the airplane. I mailed 2 boxes at 60 pound each and 1 box at 15 pounds. On the airplane, I planned to bring 2 large luggage at 50 pounds each, 1 mountain bike box, 1 golf bag box, a carry on and my travel purse!

Joe has the most awesome bachelor’s pad overlooking the ocean. Is Joe really ready for me? Is he ready to give me several sock draws and space in his closet?  Was there enough bathroom space for all my girly things? I guess I’ll have to wait to find out!

 

Next Blog: Let’s Party!

Meet the Family

Right after Valentine’s Day, we flew down to Orange County. Joe got me to move to Hawaii but before that can all happen, he needed to meet the parents. At this point in my life, my parents want me to be happy. They obviously would prefer for me to stay in Orange County but they knew my heart or work would lead me elsewhere. Neither my parents or I would have ever thought Hawaii would be the place I’d move to. Prior to Joe, I was looking at jobs around San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington D.C.. My parents have been prepped with a move to begin with.  But hey, love happens.

On a flight back to Orange County for Joe to meet the parents.

When I was younger, I never cared about my parents opinion because I always thought I knew better. It turns out I just enjoy learning things the hard way. There’s nothing wrong with learning things on your own. You may just get to your destination a bit longer.  As I got older, I respect their thoughts and opinions so much more. I still don’t necessary follow all their advices but it’s great to hear from a different perspective. I have always been daddy’s girl.  He liked sports so therefore I did to. When he played basketball, I joined the high school team. When he played tennis, I joined the school tennis program. When his knee injuries got worst, he played golf and so did I.  If my dad is that awesome, then I better find an equally awesome if not more awesome of a man.

When we got to Orange County, we checked into our hotel.  I got word that day that instead of my dad, Joe and me golfing tomorrow, it was going to be my dad, his best friend, my brother in law Mike and Joe golfing. I got super nervous. I didn’t intend to throw Joe in the tank of sharks but my dad wouldn’t let me go. He stated it was a boys’ day. So not having met my family yet he pretty much said hello, nice to meet you. Now let’s go golf.

I wasn’t nervous because I didn’t think Joe couldn’t handle it. I just didn’t like I didn’t have control over it.  I also felt bad that he spent 9 hours with strangers. Regardless of how I felt about it, Joe was a trooper. He didn’t have a problem with golfing with my dad, brother in law and my dad’s friend. I can tell he was a bit nervous and I didn’t blame him. My dad is known to drill people with questions.  While the women tended to the kitchen making a great meal for the boys’ return, the men came back smiling ear to ear. Joe survived. He more than survived, he beat my dad in golf! To me, that is a huge deal. My dad is a really good golfer so I can only imagine how my dad felt. I asked dad how he felt and he stated that if his friend didn’t screw up, they would have won. That was his response. He doesn’t lose well.

What’s the verdict of Joe? Two thumbs up according to my dad and brother in law. Although Joe beat him in golf, he loves anyone who likes golf and plays it well. Joe is such an outgoing guy. He’s friendly, kind and respectful. He won my dad over easily.  My brother in law thought he was cool.

Now it was the girl’s turn to judge Joe. The girls were busy at home while the boys played golf. They finally their turn to meet him.  Joe grew up with kissing and hugging people he meets. My sister Christine loved that he did that. We are a kissing and hugging kind of family ourself so to her, he fits in.

My mom, the toughest person to please.  I mean that in the nicest way possible. She wants so badly for her children to be happy so that makes her the most critical. The funny thing is what she wants in someone for her family is fairly simple. She wants someone that meshes with the family. Someone that laughs, cries, argues and loves hard. She wants someone that comes to family function and is part of the family. She doesn’t like anyone who just sits there and avoids the family. Many in the pass have failed this. Actually all exes have failed this. During the time Joe was at the house, the family was watching the NBA slam dunk contest. Joe laughed with the family. Joe made jokes. Joe bonded with the boys. My mom liked him. We left that night with two thumbs up from both parents. I wasn’t shocked because Joe is awesome. However it made me more at ease.

Later that night, we left kissed and hugged everyone good night. Joe turned to and said “I know why you are so cool.” I said “why?” He stated “Because your parents are so cool.”

I love him.

According to Joe, my parents are cool. I think so too.

My hero.

Next Blog: Packing for Hawaii!

Valentine’s Day

I think I’m a pretty awesome girlfriend and I’m declaring that only having been a girlfriend to Joe for 3 days. I am that confident. Who lets their boyfriend plan Valentine’s day earlier just so we can head to a bar to watch the LA Clippers versus the LA Lakers game? I did!

That early evening we both got dressed up. Despite it being 30 degree weather, I was determined to look sexy yet warm for Valentine’s Day. It’s definitely not easy shopping for that! Here was the look:

Our first Valentine’s Day dinner together.

Who would have thought Hawaii owned a dinner jacket?! He cleans up very nicely. We enjoyed an amazing dinner. Garwood is right on the harbor at Lake Tahoe. I can only imagine that on a beautiful summer day, sitting outside would have been awesome. Since it was winter and snowing, we opted for a window view of the lake instead. There’s not one bad view in this restaurant! We had great food and delicious wine. I would have to say our 1st Valentine’s Day was a success. Now it was off to the next adventure. The game.

Watching our favorites team play against each other!

As you can see above, we each were on different teams. We have a lot in common but there was no way we were going to sway each other to switch team. So instead of fighting it out, we will embrace it and root our own teams on! What I love so far about this relationship is that it’s fun. There’s a lot of laughter and no moment is dull.  I really enjoy doing things with him. I also have learned so much!  He definitely makes everything fun and interesting. So far… he puts a smile on my face.

The Valentine’s Day gift.

I thought it was J for Jen. He tells me it’s J for Joe.

Next Blog: Meet the Family