Friday Five: Hawaiian Style

 

Welcome to this week’s Friday Five. If you haven’t been here before, this is nothing more than my random rambling about something that interests me, with a list of five, in no particular order. Hope you enjoy!

Because I just returned home from an amazing vacation in Hawaii, I decided to dedicate today's Friday Five to this American paradise. So, here are my five favorite things about Hawaii:

1. The scenery. Of course. Who doesn't admire the absolute beauty that is Hawaii. These volcanic islands that popped up in the middle of the Pacific have a beauty that's undeniable. White sandy beaches with clear blue water. And palm trees. I love palm trees, but can't grow them here in Utah. Too cold.

2. The people. Hawaiians, and Polynesians in general, are some of

the happiest, kindest, most loving, always-smiling people I've ever met. I could blame it on living in paradise: I mean, how unhappy can you be living there? But I find that's true of these beautiful people no matter where they live. So spending a few days immersed in their happiness was a treat.

3. The dances. I seriously do not get how those hula dancers move those hips like they do. They can show me the technique all day long and it doesn't matter. I can't do it. And when they're flipping those hips around and walking across the stage boggles me. And the men. Seriously sexy when they're dancing, so strong and masculine, tribal tattooed, and funny when they're doing the stomping and tongue wagging. Then if that weren't enough, they start throwing fire around!

4. The fruit. I'm a fan of pineapple. One of the things I looked forward to most was eating some fresh pineapple. Unfortunately, there were only two occasions when I was able to do this: once at a luau, and once from a little rundown shack on the side of the road where a woman sold cut up pineapple. Because we were on a cruise, we were limited for time in each port, so sadly I couldn't just gorge myself to death on pineapple. Also, they have amazing bananas, papayas, and mangos.

5. The high prices of everything there. Yeah, yeah, I know you're probably thinking that I maybe got a little too much sun while in Hawaii, but I have a reason. A couple actually. First of all, it made me grateful that I don't have to pay those high prices to live ($8 for a gallon of milk, 43¢ a kilowatt hour for electricity, almost $5 a gallon of gas). I complain about how much things cost more often than I should, so it was a good reminder to be grateful for what I don't have to pay. Also, it reminded me to be grateful for the blessings in my life that put me in the position to be in Hawaii at all, awestruck by what they pay for everything. I know not everyone will have the chance to visit Hawaii in their lives, especially considering how much it costs to live or even visit there, so I'm very, very thankful that I had this amazing opportunity.