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farklers

Well, the title says it all. we have been playing farkle almost as much as we have been working lately. For those of you who are clueless here, farkle is a dice game. Super fun, super easy, and super addicting. Our days are filled with work, and our nights at sea are filled with one farkle game after another. We have still been doing plenty of adventuring in between, so here it goes.
Emily and I have been traveling the islands soaking in as much as possible before she leaves to continue her adventures on another ship. It is sad to see her go, but she has some fun things in store, and I will get to visit! Of course we are always attached at the hip, and even the captain questions us when he sees one of us without the other!
Emily's parents came to visit and we showed them a good time on each of the islands. We took them to Volcanoes National Park. We told them they were going to get to see the volcano and have lots of fun. We didn't tell them it was a 5.5 mile hike through the crater of the volcano! Oops! They were good sports! First we went to the top of Kiluea to see the actual smoke coming out of the top before heading to the crater rim trail.
After conquering the rim, we headed into the crater and straight across for the lava tubes! We saw several steam vents along the way and kept ourselves entertained with volcano jokes! It was pretty hot climbing on the lava rocks and the steam coming between the cracks kept us plenty warm.
The next week, our friend Patrick seemed like he needed a little cheering up. Leave it to us to do just that! Emily and I snuck into his room and filled it wit balloons, a banner, and Snickers bars everywhere! It is always fun to add a little smile to someone's day!
That week we found out there was a carnival in town in Kauai! You better believe that Jarret, Josh, and I took full advantage of the opportunity. We rode the rides, played the games, ate funnel cakes, drank freshly squeezed lemonade, and walked away with prizes too!
On Monday, Patrick, Emily and I went to the mall. There is a train that drives little kids around the entire mall. They had an open car so we decided to hop on! The three of us could barely fit in the little train, and we passed lots of friends during our ride. It certainly made for a fun afternoon!
That next day, Alex, Emily, and I took a trip over to Akaka falls. It is a 440 foot waterfall on the big island. We had plenty of fun exploring, and may or may not have hopped the fence a few times to get closer to the good views off the path!
Thursday is one of the closest and prettiest beaches, so it is a really popular day for the studio and shooting images. I usually can't get a free minute at all on those days, but I was able to get a couple hours off last Thursday, and Patrick, Emily, Joe, and I took full advantage of my free time. We had always seen a lighthouse across the bay, but we decided to see it up close and took the hike around to find it! We had so much fun, climbing trees and playing on the golf course along the way!
Once we arrived, the view was awesome! Plus, we found the seat of a car, just planted right in the middle of the gorgeous landscape. It was such a fun adventure and really broke up my busy work day.
I have heard guest raving about the waterfalls in Maui, and I was determined to see them for myself, so Patrick, Emily, and I did just that this week. The first waterfall we found was so pretty. The water wasn't warm, but that didn't stop us from jumping in!
The trails between the waterfalls were filled with gorgeous scenery. We had almost as much fun in between the waterfalls as we did at each one! We made our way through a murky water-filled tunnel, and climbed through some tangled trees. Then we found a tree that was carved with the letters EMI... so of course I made Emily make a LY with her hands!

The second waterfall was super slippery, but we swam right over and climbed into the falls. It was great to be under the water.
We passed the last waterfall three times before finally finding it. We had to wade the waters of the creek to get to it, but it was the prettiest of them all and totally worth it! We could actually go to a cave behind the waterfall. It was also the most freezing of all, but we kept each other warm!
With Emily and Patrick leaving in two weeks, I am going to be in desperate need of adventure buddies, but it might be good for me to get some more rest and relaxation. I have certainly been wearing myself out with all of our escapades! We will see what else is in store for us while they are still here!

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