Maui

B and B. Doing our best mermaid impression. 

This year I'm living out a version of The Endless Summer and loving it. Getting my fill of sunshine and good vibes in the Northern hemisphere, then heading South just when it starts to fade. What more could a girl want?
The season really kicked off on a spontaneous trip to Maui with a best friend. Waking up and crossing the street to pick up a fresh juice for breakfast, swimming with sea turtles on the reef right in front of our condos, drinking a pirate's ration of rum all day, every day. It was perfect.

Good, silly fun.

Besides all the fun to be had in living on one of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine, there was also this great group of girls. Being thrown into this gang really opened me up. Why not jump into that conversation? Invite yourself along? When all was said and done, I was sad to get back to "normal" in San Diego. 

Not to mention how much closer I grew with one of my best friends. I will always be incredibly grateful for the amazing week we spent together. Talking and laughing and crawling into our little twin beds each night, already anxious for what the next day would bring.

One of the frequent visitors to our reef. 

Mouth-watering coconuts at one of the farmer's markets we sniffed out.

At this point in the year, my Australia plans were already well underway. And as much as I thought I was ready for that grand adventure, this vacation really opened my eyes. Suddenly I was comfortable being forced out of my comfort zone, if that's even a credible thing to say. It now seemed completely feasible that I could pick up and start somewhere new on my own. Yes, there was the reassurance of familiar faces, but never the old hesitation. That nagging, over-analyzing itch about anything and everything. 

"Who, exactly, am I with?"

"What was I supposed to say there?"

"When is it appropriate to speak/laugh/hug/cry/stand up/sit down/walk away/etc.?"

All these grinding gears that had become second nature to my mind were suddenly gone. They weren't greased up and running smoothly, not hiding in the wings. Just gone. 

It became, joyfully, my nature to say and do and think whatever came at that moment. And that's the way things have stayed since. 

Next goal: self-actualization. Or just being happy that I can recall the concept a mere six years after first being educated on it. 

New friend. New love. New happiness.