It's been a while

It's been a while -- several months to be exact. Things have changed while others have remained the same. Unfortunately, writing in my blog has been pushed to the side as I try to advance in my relationships and career.

I changed jobs from the hospital setting to a physician office laboratory. It's a nice little place that I like to call the "Unicorn" of Medical Technologist settings. I have every weekend off and I'm not stressed out as much as I used to be. I get to see patients, nurses, and doctors. It's like being back to working at the Urologist laboratory when I was doing the Whole30 two years ago. This means that I get to spend more time with C, go hiking, and actually see the beautiful sunsets. It's been a great change for me.

Hiking is still a major part of my fitness, but I have added personal training and spinning classes to the mix. I truly enjoy my personal trainer, K, who was a rugby player in Europe. He's very supportive of C and I, encouraging us to try harder or go faster. He's a big believer in writing everything down,. I've been doing so off-and-on. I just have issues with the weekends getting in the way.It's been fun, however, to see how much I have advanced in the last three months that I have worked with him.

May was relatively busy for C and I. We did two major hikes -- one in Maryland and on in Virginia  then flew out to Hawai'i to vacation with his family and see his brother.

The Maryland hike C and I went on was a spectacular hike in Patapsco State Park near Baltimore. The foliage was so green and fresh that  it almost hurt our eyes. The Mid-Eastern states had received a lot of rain at that point, making us wish we could pipe some water over to California.

Also, Patapsco state park has a little cascading waterfall that little kids played in while their parents watched from a downed tree that crossed the path. The shouting of the kids, however, disappeared after walking about a mile away from the cascades. C and I got lost when we reached a point in the trial that lead out of the park. I didn't want to leave the park in fear that we wouldn't be able to find a way back in, so we headed to uncharted trails for the mountain bikers that meandered around small ditches and trees. The total mileage was around eight, with a small break after crossing the swinging bridge. The end was a little under a mile of uphill climb that was taxing, but still fun to do.

Ruined house in the middle of Pataspco State Park

Cascade waterfall with kids 

The following weekend, C and I went to Prince William National Park that has been a very fun hike for C and I over the past year. During the winter, we walked in the freezing cold and saw leaf-less trees and ice-covered streams. This time, the trees were glorious and the laurel was blooming. Everything looked so much different than the last time we went that we got a little turned around at one point.

My trip to Hawai'i was my first. We started off in Honolulu with C's family. Our hotel was located in Waikiki so I got to see some of the tourist attractions that Oahu had to offer. We moved to the big island which was one of my favorite places. I loved the deep cerulean blue oceans next to the black sands, the dark lava tubes, the glowing caldera, and the waterfalls.We returned to Oahu to swim with the sea turtles, travel around the island to the North Shore, the Valley of the Temples, and Pali lookout. I was even able to pay my respects to those who lost their lives in Pearl Harbor. It was fantastic!

Black sand beach on Big Island

Lava Tube!!! 

As a girl raised near the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, I had never swam in such crystal clear waters. Being able to see the bottom of the reefs at 15m was amazing, but I am already thinking about another trip to hike all those mountains! The rainforests of Hawai'i need me to explore them! 

I didn't want to leave Hawai'i. I wanted to forever bask in the sun, learn to stand-up paddleboard, and sleep under the stars. Maybe I'll just keep returning back. 

I returned from the beautiful islands with a serious illness and spent the next month not able to hike for long. I was miserable, but by my birthday, I was back to normal. 

That is all for now. I'll be back with more tidbits of my life soon.