My Voice, My Heart, My Life

One of my dream travel destination is London. I have always been intrigued and it's on my top 5 places to visit. The desire to see London is now even more compounded because of the summer Olympics. I love the Olympics! Summer or winter it doesn't matter. It's a moment in time where the entire world comes together to celebrate the tenacity, strength, creativity and individuality of the human race. A time of camaraderie and fellowship. How I long to be in this beautiful city and live the experience of the games. There is so much joy and excitement surrounding the Olympics. Countries have sent off their strongest and their most talented athletes to compete and bring back that coveted Olympic medal. Years of intense training, sweat and tears have brought them to this moment. This is what they have worked for. This opportunity to represent their nation in honor, pride and respect. Each athlete has their own story. Their own reason and dreams for being here. Each with an asp

Sally Ride was the first American women and youngest at the time at 32 in space. Her historic flight into space captured a country's imagination and made her a household name. She broke the glass ceiling for many women so they can thrive and continue to break barriers, becoming an inspiration and hero for countless adventurous young girls. Sally Ride passed away yesterday, July 23, 2012,  after a courageous 17 month battle with pancreatic cancer. Those who knew her say she lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, joy and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless. Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Encino, California. Even as a young girl science fascinated her. She grew up playing with chemistry sets and a telescope. She also enjoyed sports. She competed in national junior tennis tournaments and won a tennis scholarship to Westlake School for girls in Los Angles. Her paren

So last night my brothers, cousin and I went to the Dark Knight Marathon. It started off with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and finished with a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. This was the first marathon any of us had done. We had been to a midnight showing maybe once or twice before but settling in for a 9 hour marathon just never come up. It started at 6pm but the line started at 4pm. So we get there at 3 just to make sure we're on time. We were first in line. For 2 hours we talked and played some Civilization Revolution on our iPads seeing who would get the highest score. Seeing as this is one of the few video games I play and love I won, no competition. It's a great game by the way worth the time to play. Our bands and collector lanyards for the event! While in line there where regular fans and one hard core fan decked out in a batman cape, joker shirt and joker shoes. I was kinda surprise he didn't have makeup to complete the ensemble. Half an hou

We decided that on our last full day we should relax and go beach hopping. When we found one that suited us we would stay and enjoy. We drove to the south part of Maui and started with Big Beach. Big Beach was beautiful. Clear waters, white sands and a view that is breath taking. The water was a crisp turquoise. The foam a bright white. As the waves crashes on the shore you could hear the power of the water. It was the beach that you see in the calendars. We were so excited to step into these gorgeous waters! The second we step in we felt the strength of the current. It pulled you in with fore and pushed you out with twice the force. We wipeout several times. The waves were too strong. We decided after 5 minutes that this wasn't the right beach for us. It was beautiful but the waters are for more advanced swimmers. We found out later from my cousin's friend (the one who took us up the volcano) that Big beach is a "chill" beach. It's too hard to swim in but if y

Waihe'e Ridge Trail is a 4.5 mile round trip hike. The hike takes you about 1,560 ft high. It promises breath-taking views and invigorating hiking. Not wanted to get caught at the peak of the heat we decided to get an early start. We arrived around 7:30am. We started out with great enthusiasm that turned into survival mode. The first mile was steep and a bit muddy, nothing unusual. Took pictures of the amazing view. It was enjoyable. The trouble began at mile 2. The trail became narrow, steeper and a whole lot muddier. To complicate problems my shoes didn't have the traction necessary to deal with mud, none of our shoes did. The rocks where slippery, our feet would slide down on muddy terrain and we had to grab hold to the mountain side. There was a point when we where turning a corner and I slipped. I couldn't get traction I was just keep slipping and slipping. I had gotten ahold of a rock and tried to pull myself up but my shoes just weren't griping. My cousin

Started off the day with my feet in the ocean. Must start day like this everyday, so soothing. Looking to have a Hawaiian breakfast we visited Aloha Mixed Plate. A lay back cafe where the tables & chairs are plastic, the water is served in paper cups and each table has a view of the beach. This humble establishment knows its food! We split three dishes, Loco moco with kalua pork fried rice, kalua pork hash with poached eggs, & paniolo (hawaiian french toast)with coconut syrup. It was all delicious and filling! Following such a hearty meal we took a tour of Maui Tropical Plantation. They grow mangos, pineapples, bananas, taro, coffee, sugar cane and coconuts. It was very interesting to see each in its growing environment. Especially the pineapple, close to the ground with pointy leaves surrounding it. We got to get off the tour train and explore some lavender bushes and rub it against our fingers to release the essential oils, mmm therapeutic. We also learned how to husk

It took a bit longer than anticipated to get to Maui. The airplane was delay for about 2 hours due to maintenance issues. The flight itself is 5 hours so travel was a bit tiresome. Its worth it once you step out of the plane you're greeted by the tropical breezy wind. The drive to the condo was a 50 minute drive. It was beautiful, filled with green saturated foliage and tricolor water. Light blue at the shore, turquoise in the middle and a deep gem blue in the distant. The condo has the Pacific as its backyard. Inviting views telling you relax and enjoy. Our first expedition was to Haleakalā National Park Summit. Haleakalā means "The House of the Sun", is a dormant volcano and the tallest peak on Maui, reaching 10,023 feet above sea level. My cousin's friend kindly volunteered to drive up to the volcano summit so we could experience a Hawaiian sunset and the afterglow of the night sky. The trip up the volcano was 20 miles and took about an 1 hour to ascend due

Every year my cousins and I have our summer girl trip. We've gone to Santa Fe, Portland, Big Sur, San Diego and the like. It's a nice time to reconnect and enjoy being away together. This year we set our sights on an island, a Hawaiian island to be exact. Maui is the island of choice for this trip. This will be my first time to Hawaii. I'm very excited! Everyone who comes back from their Hawaiian vacation say it is the most wonderful place in the world. The beautiful beaches, tropical weather, amazing sights and magically sunset and sunrises. I look forward to seeing all of it with my own eyes. Five days of island paradise. Soaking in the culture and lifestyle of the island. No rushing. Not in a hurry to get anywhere. It's about enjoying the present moment. Along with the culture I want to experience some local delicacy. Poi, poke, fresh seafood and fruits! One of the best ways to experience and appreciate a new place is to eat the food. I plan to do a lot of a