Hello! It’s been about a week since my actual birthday, June 28th to be exact, and wow do I feel it! Every year I get asked, “So do you feel older?” This year I can actually truthfully say, yes. I don’t know what it was about this year feeling different. Maybe it was the fact that we are going through the Coronavirus pandemic, maybe it was the fact that I didn’t want to do anything at all to celebrate, or maybe it was the daunting realization that I am now in the next chapter of my life.
My 22nd year was filled with many self actualization moments. I made personal life changes, graduated from college with my Bachelors in Business (double-major, whoop whoop!), accepted a full-time job, focused on my finances, and really narrowed in on what goals I have for myself – all “grown up” things to think about. These milestones were not completed single handedly. I had the support of my family, friends, and my boyfriend. I was raised with the following Hawaiian saying..
“No task is too big when done together by all.”
Everything I do is with the support of my loved ones by my side. I look to them for their advice, guidance, love, and so much more. Without my support system, I would not be the 23 year old woman I am today. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a support system to be there for you!
Back to my “quarantine” birthday, I was able to take a three-day weekend to truly relax and spend it in the best way I could. On Friday, my boyfriend cooked me a beautiful steak dinner and we were able to stay in and watch movies with a good bottle of wine. Ever since the Coronavirus had its hold in Hawaii, we have been staying in and cooking dinner on our nights together, which I love. On Saturday, we started our day off with yummy lobster rolls from Earl, a local sandwich shop. In my later food posts you’ll come to realize that I LOVE seafood. The lobster rolls were overflowing with lobster meat, and I was in heaven. We also had to get garlic fries because, why not?
Later that evening my boyfriend treated us to a dinner at Michele’s, a French restaurant right on Waikiki Beach. Walking into the restaurant (with our masks on of course), we were greeted with hand sanitizers, a temperature check, and warm greetings from the host staff. I’m glad that our restaurants are taking precautions to ensure the safety of their guests. The ambiance of Michele’s is beautiful! We even got to watch the sunset next to the Waikiki skyline from our table. I can’t thank our friend enough for the great table, and all the delicious food and drinks. My boyfriend and I eat out often, but when it’s a birthday or our anniversary we go all out to make it even more special. We ended our night playing games back at his apartment and watching a comedy movie.
Our view of Waikiki, complete with the heart shaped lights from the hotels!
To continue my birthday extravaganza of extra-ness, I spent my actual birthday (the 28th, Sunday) with my family. We went to Rigo, a new(ish) Spanish and Italian restaurant located in Kapahulu. I was craving their seafood paella, and wanted an excuse to bring my family out of the house. Everything at Rigo is great, and I knew that there would be something there for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, I spent the last day of my extended birthday weekend at the beach. My boyfriend and I picked up poke bowls, snacks, POG-mosa ingredients (champagne and a passion-orange-guava juice blend), and headed off to Waimea Bay. The weather was a bit iffy, but nonetheless it was a perfect and relaxing end to my birthday. I don’t get to go to the beach as often as I’d like, so it was definitely a day well spent.
Thank you to all my friends and family who wished me a happy birthday! I can’t wait to see what my year has in store for me 🙂
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