Hello everyone!

It’s day number two of Blogtober (or seven, if you’re counting correctly), and, as the title suggests, I’m revisiting one of my favorite vacations. It’s a fit of nostalgia I’m glad to indulge.

I took 800 pictures of turtles. Turtles!

My fabulous travel companions.

For my 26th birthday, two of my girlfriends and I went to Hawaii, Oahu to be exact. Seeing as most of my family lives outside of the country, the majority of my vacations have consisted of running around Europe every year. These trips are amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never quite had the opportunity to go on a trip just to relax. You know, just sit on the beach and read. It was an absolute break from real life- I didn’t put on an ounce or makeup, and never thought to touch a blow dryer. By the end of the trip, my hair was a mess, and I lived in my swimsuits. I bought a pair of shell earrings from a beach side surf shop and I wore them everyday.  I have never felt better. The sun and the salt somehow makes you feel beautiful, no matter what.

The day we arrived, I was so relaxed, I fell asleep sitting upright around a bonfire in our local friends yard; passion fruit beer still in hand, wrapped in my sarong. One evening, the power to our complex went out completely, and we wandered through the dark down to Turtle Bay Resort where we had piña coladas and my friends sang karaoke at the bar. On my birthday, we had acai bowls for breakfast, and inadvertently ended up swimming with sea turtles on a secluded beach. My “cake” that day was a large sandcastle, and I mimed blowing out my candles, making a wish. Writer Isak Dinesen says that “the cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” I only got two out of three this last vacation, but it was perhaps the most healing few days I can remember. Those little vacations are important. You deserve some time to put yourself back together-  irregardless of the current state of things. Your life could be going splendidly well, you could be on the precipice of something, or somehow unhappy with the way some things have turned out. No matter what, give yourself the permission to be happy, and indulge in new and beautiful things.

EVA♥