One Fine Day

Yesterday morning I turned 30 years old. It was the first time I was celebrating my birthday outside of Massachusetts. Around 11am my friends took me to one of my favorite beaches here on the north shore; Baldwin State Park. The waves here are always intense, and the shore break is not for the timid. Swimming in the ocean here is a real work out. Most days when I come here I'm usually left winded. After that it was time for lunch so we headed to the leeward side of the island to the historic town of Lahaina for lunch at Star Noodle. I've posted pics of everything we ordered. I'll keep descriptions short and simple. Everything was fantastic, and I will definitely look forward to going back again!

Tempura Shrimp with Garlic Aioli (Prawn)

Local Saimin (Spam, Noodles, Kamaboko, Green Onions)

Cranzu (Cranberry juice & Yuzu)

Vietnamese Crepe (Shrimp, Pork, Bean Sprouts, Cilantro, Lettuce)

Garlic Noodles w/ Mushrooms (Garlic, Dashi, Scallions, Mushrooms)

Local Green Salad (Mixed Greens, Shiso Dresssing)

Mango Pudding (Senbei, Lumpia Crisp)

After lunch we drove further up the leeward side of the island to Napili where we did some snorkeling. The ocean is much calmer on this side of the island, which makes it great to snorkel because you're not getting tossed around in the water like the north shore. As the afternoon came to a finish and I thought we would be heading home I was thrown a curveball. After leaving Napili we stopped in Lahaina once again. We parked the car and walked down Front Street. But, to where I had no idea. My friends found this quite hilarious. Then we finally reached our destination, Hula Cookies & Ice Cream. It was ice cream sandwich time, and I nearly lost my mind!

Ice Cream Sandwich (Kona Mudslide ice cream with Chocolate Coconut cookies)

Of course my day didn't end there. My friend Laura from back home had sent me a care package. I knew it was coming, but I had no idea what exactly was in store for me. So when we got home I jumped on Skype so that Laura could watch me open it. I was totally blown away! Laura made me these amazing coconut shortbread cookies (she is an excellent cook btw), folded me an origami four leaf clover for good luck, and got me some wonderful Japanese candy! She knows how much I love Japanese Kitkats, and she sent me one as you can see. It's dark chocolate, but in Japanese it literally says "chocolate for adults," which Laura and I got a good laugh at. She's coming out to Hawaii this summer so I hope I can return the favor to her for being so kind to me!

My day was filled with numerous calls, emails, and messages from so many people wishing me a happy birthday. I don't think I could have had a better day. So I would just like to thank everyone who took a moment to get in touch some way. It really meant a lot. Thank you.