It's been about a week into the new year now, and I must say that I am doing really well with my number one goal for the year: Live life laughing with the people I love.
Did a hike at Diamond Head with my siblings this past Monday, since we had the luck of all being home that day:
Did a hike at Diamond Head with my siblings this past Monday, since we had the luck of all being home that day:
The hike starts off easily enough with a paved walkway.
This smooth walkway turns into a more "natural" walkway of stones. The path also includes a tunnel, a steep set of stairs, as well as spiral steps.
It's a fun hike to do with your family. Diamond Head is a good beginner's hike because the path is easy to follow and there are a lot of other people doing the hike all throughout the day, locals and tourists alike. You will burn a ton of calories and work up a sweat, esp. if you go during the middle of the day.
I must say that the view is totally worth it.
If you ever visit the island of O`ahu or if you live in Hawaii, you should definitely check out this hike =) Great first hike of the year!
It was also my other half's birthday this week. We have been together for over nine years now (we made nine just last month!) and I am just so grateful for having him in my life. People ask how do you stay with someone for so long... well, let me tell you that it hasn't been perfect, and I didn't make it easy on him! But, fortunately, he's stuck by my side and has always believed in us. He's taught me a lot about love, patience, and understanding, and I am all the more better because of him. We've grown a lot over the years and I am excited to see what the future has planned for us. Until then, I'm just going to enjoy every moment and every day together.
He was supposed to pick me up from my house, to go out and have dinner, but instead I surprised him when he got home from work with sweet potato cake.
The bakery that I purchased it from also provided free birthday candles. And it was really pretty because they came in two sizes, and created such a beautiful effect when they were lighted:
The bottoms of each candle were also covered in foil which made for easy cleaning. And, the cake was not only pretty to look at, it was delicious!
Sweet potato cake with real potato pieces in each bite. I guess it would only suck if you don't like sweet potato. Those chocolate pieces atop each mound of whip cream tasted almost like coffee beans. Real chocolate =) I'm glad I decided to try something new for his birthday cake.
The birthday celebration was perfect, especially with his family there. That was the first time I've ever really tried to surprise him, and he wasn't even surprised, haha. He said he had a feeling I was at his house. Bah humbug. Ruin the excitement. Still fun, though :)
Then, last night the boyfriend came over and helped me walk my mom's puppy, Skyye. She is a rottweiler/husky mix whose grown so much in the almost one and a half months that we've had her. She is a handful, but we all love her. It takes a lot of effort to walk her because she's always trying to pull every which way, but I think that she's getting much better. My boyfriend later spent time with my little brother playing video games; which meant a lot to my brother who had been looking forward to hanging out with him all week. It was really cute seeing my brother so happy.
We capped off our night with a nice dinner at one of the boyfriend's favorite restaurants, Outback Steakhouse.
We started off with their fried calamari and a lychee martini:
Wow, I was impressed with their calamari. Usually fried calamari is really chewy and just feels like a bad idea, but their calamari was soo tender, not at all chewy. The breading on the calamari wasn't overwhelming and didn't feel greasy, and it tasted so good with their cocktail sauce. I loved the appetizer. The lychee martini was tasty... like juice! A nice, light drink to refresh the taste buds.
Our main coursed consisted of a lot of meat! His was their 20oz Porterhouse steak with garlic mash and mine was their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich with Aussie fries.
My sandwich was really delicious. The focaccia bread absorbed the au jus sauce beautifully, and the combination of onions, Swiss cheese, and prime rib was just beautiful. I'm in love. The best "dip" sandwich I've ever had.
His steak was really tasty too, and soo tender. Outback is one of his favorite places for steak. He is, as you can see, a meat-and-potatoes kind of man. He decided to go with the wood-grill rather than the fire-grill, and you could taste the natural flavors in the meat. There is really no need to add any additional flavors or sauces to their steaks because they are juicy and flavorful.
The year has been off to a beautiful start with lots of time spent with my family, my boyfriend, and simply with the people I love. If this is a preview of what is to come this year, then I am definitely very excited for more. Like most people, my new years goals and resolutions tend to be recycled from previous years. Fortunately, I've become wiser over the years and will be much more practical with my goals.
Cheers to 2012 and all that it has to offer!
Happy New Year!!!
