One of the highlights of this year for me so far is NO DOUBT my trip to Oahu, Hawaii! My friend Kali and I booked this trip spontaneously late last fall, and it was everything I dreamed of. I’m dying to go back already & explore the island more (and the other islands!), but for now, come relive my January trip with me & let wanderlust hit you even more than it probably already is?⤵️

We started off our trip with a hella touristy snorkel cruise, where we rode on a boat through the stunning blue waters of Oahu and got to snorkel with a TON of dolphins! It was the most beautiful day, and we got so lucky with the huge amount of dolphins we saw. More and more kept swimming under us and it was so peaceful, calm, and incredible.

My next adventure during our trip was when I decided to go SKYDIVING!! I ended up going all by myself because neither of my friends wanted to, and after locking myself out of my friend’s car at a gas station without my phone, having to have USAA come unlock it for me, having to move my reservation, and driving across the island, I FINALLY made it to the airfield. Skydiving is something I’ve always been absolutely terrified of, so I wanted to do it and get over that fear. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, and I’m 99% sure I’ll never do it again. But I’m so glad I did it – and that I did it in one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

The next day, Kali and I went on a zipline tour, and it ROCKED. The level of thrill was perfect (I wasn’t scared out of my mind like I was skydiving – yay!), and we lucked out with the insanely awesome weather. Zip lining through the forests of Oahu & learning more about the island’s agriculture was one of the biggest highlights of the trip.

We also had gooood food during our trip, including crepes & the BEST garlic fries I’ll EVER have, at little food trucks on the northern part of the island, and another crepe restaurant near our friend Kaitlyn’s house, where we were staying!

To end the week, we ate the yummiest freakin’ snow cones in the world aaaand shot with Kaitlyn & her boyfriend, Shawn, on a beautiful beach in Waimanalo! It was the perfect kickoff to a weekend full of shooting!

Saturday morning, we drove to the Ho’omahluia Botanical Gardens – one of the most jaw-dropping places I’ve ever visited. The lush green mountains of Oahu had the coolest fog creeping over them, yet it wasn’t raining for our shoot with Moriah & Caleb. Add that to a SURPRISE PROPOSAL and the most romantic downpour as soon as she said “YES!,” and you’ve got the most perfect morning on the island.

We ended Saturday with a hike to a stunning waterfall (Lulumahu Falls) with the most kickass couple, Brooklyn & Benson, a hike we didn’t know would take quite a while and be filled with mud from that morning’s rain. All SO dang worth it for the magic we created!

We got up early on Sunday for a sunrise shoot at Kahana Bay with our couple Stephanie & Koa, and got the most gorgeous, soft light coming over the mountains for us! I learned that nothing gets much better than a sunrise in Hawaii!

Aaaand we ended our trip with a bang, with Hayley & Tyler’s shoot at Mākua Beach! The beautiful rocks & golden hour sunlight we got made for the perfect end to an incredible week.

Like I said, I’m already counting down the days till I book my next trip to Hawaii. It was one of the best weeks of my life, and I am so grateful to every person who contributed to making it awesome! Mahalo, & I’ll be back soon, Hawaii!???