Last night the sun set on the first beautiful chapter of my 2018. The first 18 days of 2018 were spent soaking up the sun and living each day to the fullest while exploring this incredible island we call home with our little sister!

We took in a lot of sunsets, explored new spots and took her to some old favorites, swam in natural salt water pools and queens baths alike, swam with manta rays, dolphins and whales, celebrated her birthday a month late, ate gelato, danced the night away, sipped on kona brews, went over to Hilo side and basked in the sun at twelve different black, white and gray sand beaches. She went home with a lot of new memories, a sun burn and a big fat smile.

She left smiles on our faces too.

I meant to journal every night after we got home but I was so exhausted I couldn’t bring myself to put my pen to paper. I plan to try to journal about it tonight and tomorrow before the little memories slip my mind but I’m so thankful that I do take pictures so that at least we have these moments to remember her time here by.

This trip was fun for many reasons, one of them being that we had the opportunity to teach Jules the art of photography in a sort of ‘three-week-intensive course.’ She was able to get shooting and editing tips from both Aaron and I as well as shoot alongside us to see how we work. It was awesome to see the photos she captured and also to feel our joy of photography being passed to someone else. (This has got me thinking about ways to offer this to others!)

I’ve shared a few of the images from her trip to my Instagram, and will continue to do so, but I wanted to share on here for memories sake. It was a spectacular way to start off our year! 

Come along on the journey through photos . . . 

UNDERWATER PHOTOS BY AARON HAYNES
FROM A DAY OUT WITH BIG ISLAND DIVERS

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It was a lot in 18 days. A lot of goodness.
2018 started out with a bang + we’re missing our third musketeer already!

I’m grateful for such an incredible, awakening, rejuvenating start to this year. This year is the year of HEALING for me.

So starting the year off by:
looking inward and analyzing,
shaking out of my routine,
choosing to prioritize the things I love,
working on projects that excite me yet give me freedom,
and reminding myself again why we took this crazy leap of faith to Hawai’i
was exactly what I needed!

SALÚD to honoring ourselves and choosing to LIVE each day, week and month not just get through them!

Sending love, light + aloha – hope your 2018 is off to a wonderful start too!

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If you’re headed to the Big Island of Hawaii and want a virtual tour guide to have adventures like ours – grab our Big Island of Hawaii Travel Guide for advice on the best way to experience the island!