Getting Cold, Reminiscing on the Past

Well, here in Maryland, we had a few days of upper 60's and even into the 70's at one point this last week. Today it is back to the freezing 40's.  Not liking it too much.  To think, this time last year I was probably sitting on the beaches of Waikiki studying or surfing out at Lighthouses or Canoes.  Oh the memories...oh well, the saying is "you have to sacrifice things to get things in return" I guess thats one of the reasons I am here in Maryland...pale, cold and surfless.
I love Hawaii, probably my favorite place on earth because, well, there really isn't a place on Earth like It.  Even though I was only there for about 5 months last year for school, I still got to see and experience a lot, and not from the tourists perspective, I really got a feel for the culture of the place, seeing it from the inside out, not the outside in; My surfing progressed and I also met some great people.  During my time there, I really got a sense of my identity, who I am, what I wanted in life.  Being 5000 miles away from anyone you know and your loved ones gives you a lot of time to think about things, good and bad.  I found getting away to the North Shore was such a different world than the South.  The northerners want to "keep the country, country" and they are doing a great job of it.  Its an escape for many, including me, of the hustle and bustle business and tourism of the Waikiki/Honolulu district.  I mean it was almost like the Univ of Hawaii was a tourist attraction; I cant tell you how many times I saw tourists from Asia or other parts of the world doing the peace thing in front of the schools sign.  Regardless, I love that place, and I cant wait to go back.  Here are a few pictures that I took while there, I'm sure I'll have more of these times when I rant about it, but its all in good nature. I hope that all of you get to experience what I did, even if its for a month, to go there by yourself or with a friend or two and just live it up, and take it all in.  Enjoy!