Hey everybody!

It's exam season, which means the next few days, for myself at least, are going to be spent with my head in the books from morning till night. As difficult as it has been to convince myself that no, I don't need to go to the beach, I know that all of this studying will be worth it in the end. Like many other schools, the day before finals week is typically given as a "Study Day" for students. However, you all have been reading long enough to know that the chances of me studying on a day off of school are slim to none.

But you'd be surprised, I actually did spend my day off studying, albeit briefly. I used Friday to catch up (and finish) my Chinese homework for the semester. I missed out on hanging out with the girls, but I'm glad I was able to get my work done. I know that, had I gone out, I would not have finished everything on time.  

The next day Eric and I decided to go on a hike. Originally we were torn on the Kaniakapupu Ruins and the Lyon Arboretum, as both looked to be very interesting hikes, but in the end we went with the Arboretum. 

My first mistake of that day was making the conscious decision to wear jeans.

Looking back this was a horrible decision, as I've really hyped myself up to be this experienced hiker. Instead, the impression I got from the pictures of the Arboretum was that it was more like a garden, and I figured jeans would be the way to go. Obviously, I was very wrong. We were hiking for about 3 hours and I can't tell you how many times I wished I was in shorts. However, complaining aside, the Arboretum is a very scenic hike that just about everyone can enjoy. If you are considering going, I would recommend bringing bug spray. This seems obvious, but it's always the obvious things that you end up leaving behind. This was our second mistake. 

Here are some pictures I took of some plants in the hike. Some are indigenous and some are not, but either way they're all stunning in person.