Walk, Beach, Target, and Menchies

Thursday is beach day. I decided to throw in Starbucks, walking, and Target though too. I am very particular about my driving (gasp). I like for my errands to be "arranged". If I'm going to make the effort to drive to Kapolei, then I want there to be several Kapolei activities accomplished. After dropping the neighbor off at school, then Gabe off (have I mentioned how GREAT he is doing in 1st grade?!), I headed towards west Oahu. My first pit stop was the drive thru Starbucks where I started the day with an iced grande black tea with coconut (I heart coconut...there are new coconut M&Ms too, but I digress). I headed on to Ko Olina www.koolina.com and walked the "4 coves". It is a beautiful walk along the beach---it truly lives up to its name "Place of Joy" (it doesn't even matter that the coves are man made), the path is wide, and the fellow morning walkers are chipper. After getting pretty sweaty I plopped down on my portion of sand in cove three. I played with my iPhone (a.k.a. commented on Facebook, checked email, etc.), sipped my tea and soaked up the sunshine. It was an extremely gorgeous day. As we say in Hawaii---"Lucky I live Hawaii!". My good friend Lena lives in the area so I called her up for a "Target date". Thankfully she was happy to oblige. My initial goal was to find an additional case for my new iPhone and a bathing suit (thus the need for moral support from Lena). Thirty dollars later (at least I didn't break the bank), we walked out with a few all white dishes (another thing I love), a gossip magazine, a reusable shopping bag (I heart the earth), and yes, coconut cookies. We weren't quite ready to bid each other farewell, so we decided to grab an early lunch.

I wanted to introduce Lena to "Aloha Salads" but as we walked up our ears were greeted with the oh so pleasant sound of THE LOUDEST FALSE FIRE ALARM on the planet. Those poor workers! We were told it is a recurring issue...so please bear with the sandwich artist at Subway and salad makers at Aloha Salads if they can't quite hear your order next time---they just might be deaf! We waited outside (since the alarm was a million times louder inside) for a few minutes hoping our ears would adjust and sure enough we were rewarded with silence. At this point Lena suggested we treat ourselves to the new frozen yogurt place Menchies www.menchies.com. Yes! Who needs a salad for lunch anyway? I have fallen in love yet again. Friends, please visit your nearest Menchies...the flavors were divine, the toppings were endless, and the price was right. Try not to drool on your computer screen.