From high in the sky at 427mph, I’m composing and uploading this post. That’s right, from the airplane. In my life time, there have been advancements that people of the generation before would never have imagined. Sure, we have been able to pay for WiFi in the air for a while now, but now this is FREE. So on a day that rained and rained, making the commute to the airport extra challenging, after a week of sleepless nights and long workdays, free wi-fi was my glimmer of sunshine. (Hey, its the little things). Looking forward to seeing more real sunshine and escaping the east and Tropical Storm Joaquin. #BYEJOAQUIN

I’ll be here, somewhere in the corner under clouds of [California].

The peppers on the outside are cheaper since they’ve been around longer but can they really tell where it came from? No, but that doesn’t mean you lie. Pono, do what is right!

Command + Z was not an option.

Swiping through old pics late and night and being reminded of good friends, and food.

North Park, it’s a thing.

Back in college, these cliffs were the closest thing to home in San Diego. Somewhere out there, in that big ocean was Hawaii. This place reminded me of home. The ocean is here, the sunset is here, the swell is here. The city is behind you, and so is everything else.

When you feel seasick on solid ground, you need a place like this.  I needed a place like this. Somewhere to rebalance the scales and clear my mind. However, on this impromptu return to Sunset Cliffs, there was nothing to balance. By chance we caught the sunset and on purpose we stopped to watch it. I wasn’t being reminded of home, I felt right at home. Coming back to a place that made me feel displace, made me feel right.  And that, among other things, is what made this one of the best sunsets yet.

…they would have a world of stories to tell.

@W4 & Avenue of the Americas because America is where dreams are made.

Our beautiful home, Maui.

Not tryna go native on myself, but driving upcountry to makes this saying ring in my ears over and over. We learned in the 7th grade that “Kūlia i ka nu’u” meant “strive to the summit.” You know, go for the gold, reach high, go far beyond where you possibly think you can be. From the moment I learned that saying I thought of one thing–driving up towards the summit of Haleakala, one of our majestic mountains on Maui.

We used to live up here and this green building holds many of my early memories. I remember picking up our mail from our P.O. Box of the Post Office (that no longer exists) at the corner of Pukalani Superette. I remember buying spam musubi here on Saturdays and after we moved downtown we stopped here (and still do) after every dentist appointment or upcountry adventure.

This is one version of gold. The mac salad is still my favorite, finding chili chicken drummettes are like finding the needle in the haystack , and the tako poke is so damn tasty. The produce is always fresh and packaged into little portions perfect for our small family and its always clean. My mom always loved this store and I do too. These are the places that make Maui, Maui, and what makes home, home. I know I’m home when I see it and I hope it stays awesome forever.

O’ahu might not be where we grew up and its got its fair share of people, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.