Hawai'i: My new home.

Well I finally made it to Hawai'i and moved all of my stuff in to my new apartment. It would've never been done if my wonderful mom didn't come with me and help me drag HUGE amounts of stuff from Wal-Mart and the Ala Moana shopping center on the bus all the way to Waikiki. I can tell you it was one of the most complicated things I've done for the sake of relocating :) But now my apartment looks like a home! Well, almost. I still need a plant and a Tiki to hang on the wall, but I have a really big room, a tiny refrigerator (think mini fridge), and a large lanai where I sit in the mornings drinking my coffee and admire the city view.
My place is actually located in an old hotel building they converted to student housing and it's called The Ohia. It has 17 stories and I was lucky enough to get a corner unit on the 12th floor and it's really big compared to a lot of the other rooms. It also means that in addition to a lanai I have a huge window looking out on the mountains so the views are spectacular! Across the street I'm blessed with a Starbucks and a Jamba Juice (even in Hawai'i they always put one next to the other!), and the beach is about a 5min walk.
The pictures I posted above are from the Sheraton Waikiki where my mom and I stayed while she was here. That is the view from our balcony and I have never woken up to a more beautiful view, but alas, I had to give it up since she went home on Wednesday :( Oh well, maybe I'll sneak over there for a peek every once in a while!
Yesterday I was in the loby of my building and I ran into another San Jose State student I recognized from being in the Greek system! It was great to see a familiar face so we introduced ourselves and proceeded to go grocery shopping. Later that evening we walked around the streets of Waikiki in search of a place to grab a bite. We first attempted The Cheesecake factory but the wait was over an hour so we found The Hula Grill and had a drink and appetizers, the crab and macadamia nut wontons were SO incredibly good! They make a mean mango margarita as well :) Next week I think we're going to brave the waves and try surfing. We're both really excited and hope we don't turn into a lunch snack for a shark!
All in all things have been absolutely fantastic and I still can't belive that I live here! I still feel like I should be hopping on a plane sometime soon to go back to reality, but I'm living it already! If anyone would like to keep in touch, you can write me an email, send me a letter, or give me a ring on the phone. Here's my email address and if you want my other contact info, email me and I'll be more than happy to provide it. trippi_chic@hotmail.com
More pictures and posts to come as I settle in more completely...