Fun vs. Nature

Another week just flew by! Things have been crazy at work...my client load is getting pretty full and I'm starting to recognize more of the challenges and problems (maybe even obstacles) we have as a counseling center here. I love the people I'm working with and wish all of you could meet them. There are a lot of really fun things about working here and the people are definitely at the top of that list.
So I had some big plans to get out and do some exploring and go hiking and lots of other things this week, but the weather did not agree. It was really rainy and cold...just yucky really...all week, until friday. This weekend has been beautiful, and yesterday I was able to spend most of the day at a place called Waimea beach. It is gorgeous and the waves are really big. I went with Vickie and we hung-out on the beach and did some boogie boarding and some body surfing. I had a very good taste of how powerful the waves are here. I'm always really careful because I know how dangerous it can be. However, the waves yesterday were perfect! Big enough to shoot you, at break-neck speed, up onto the shore if you caught them right, and only occasionally get pummled by them. There were a couple times I got smashed into the sand and had a thorough salt water cleaning of my sinuses! :) All in all we had a really great time and got some sunshine. That made for a fun and relaxing day.
Last night, I drove into town...to Honolulu...with some friends. We hit Wal-mart, had dinner, and went to see Australia at the dollar theatre. I was really fun and I loved the movie! It was long, but I would definitely recommend it to those who haven't see it yet.
The pictures above and below were taken as the evening sun sunk behind the mountain. We caught these last beautiful rays as we drove along the coast toward Honolulu. You get some pretty amazing scenes with the ocean crashing in a few feet away on one side and the majestic peaks rising up immediately on the other. Wish a picture could capture it, but they all pale in comparison to the real thing.
This week should be busy and full again...especially if the weather stays nice. Hopefully, I'll get to do some hiking and explore a place called Goat Island, as well as hit a couple of basketball games. The big deadline this week is internship rankings. I have to have my sites ranked and submitted to the people that do the internship matches. Then it is all out of our hands and we don't hear where we are matched until the end of the month (February 23rd I think). A little nerve-racking! Hopefully, this week will bring more adventures, stories, and good pictures! :)