Aloha,

I just went on a crazy adventure. I am officially a "spontaneous" young woman (as if moving to the middle of the Pacific on six weeks notice wasn't enough, or any of my other antics). 

So Nakota and I haven't been able to get together and hang out because our schedules don't seem to be compatible AT ALL which is really unfortunate because he was going to be my one friend in Haiku. We had intended to hang today but things kind of got crazy, photoshoot here, appointments and class there, etc. Anyways, we were texting at maybe 11ish and trying to figure out a plan to actually hang out when out of NOWHERE he goes "wanna go to a waterfall right now?". I said I had to be up for work early, blah blah blah, is it far ,blah blah blah aka excuses, but ended up saying yes or agreeing to go as long as he picked me up and I'd be back early because I had work tomorrow. Ten minutes later he's outside my house and I'm running to the car w towels because I was told to bring them. Random. So we go to his house and walk towards THE WILDERNESS. I am not a nature girl, lets get this straight now. So its PITCH black, the stars are sprinkling the sky and I am terrified because there are long stalks of grass blades that made me think of children of the corn. Seriously. So he's laughing because I'm freaking out and leads me on this muddy, grassy, rocky, tree filled DARK forest taking turns and looking at trees for directions and things. I'm not kidding. I'm also completely freaking out, not dressed right, don't have the right kind of shoes on AT ALL and have my iPhone flashlight on bright illuminating the path. Thanks Steve Jobs, you saved my life. Anyways, we continue on this path and he's telling me stories of this, that, and the third about Hawai'i about the aqueducts and whatnots. All kinds of things I would never know and he's breaking the big leave type things looking like Tarzan in the middle of the forest at midnight. I am terrified because I know if he leaves me, I am going to die in the forest. Lucky Sarah knew I was with him, but I forgot to leave a number but she would have called 911 and sent troops and found me. LOVE YOU. YOU ARE SO DEPENDABLE. Anyways, back to my story. We are going through water and rocks and I am slipping and sliding all over. Thank goodness I wore a sweatshirt. I also had my glasses on because I will be damned if I am dressing up at 11pm for a gentleman I met at the beach ONCE. Anyways, I am holding him for dear life (bless him, seriously I am a handful when I'm uncomfortable/scared/nervous/etc) and cursing myself out under my breath. I don't think he thought I was going to react like that. But we go to the aqueduct or whatever and I thought that was the waterfall. It had water falling over it. In my head, that is a fake waterfall and I would have been happy. I was already in the middle of the forest. Water? Waterfall. Awesome. Done. Take me back. It was still REALLY pretty for being a fake waterfall. He told me if I fell in I would probably die and be suctioned by this thing he pointed to. Sweet man, I tell ya. Apparently its a ten minute walk further in the forest from there to the REAL waterfall. I literally heard chirping and crickets and bugs and moving things. He told me there was nothing to be scared of besides the wild pigs. ARE YOU JOKING?! I LITERALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE. We walk UP this giant rocky muddy hill, DOWN into some tangled with branches valley thing, UNDER some trees and he is karate chopping the big leaves and breaking them so I have a path to walk behind him. Seriously, bless him. Anyways, he's showing me the coffee plants and showed me this AMAZING ginger flower. He told me it was a variation of the root we're commonly familar with and peeled it and let me suck out the ginger flavor. Seriously, amazing. It was sweeter than what I thought, and I think its better than any ginger root I've ever gotten. Anyways, my hair was down at this point and he gives me the flower and tries to put it in my hair. Seriously, they do this in Hawai'i. People also wear Hawai'ian shirts. It's real. OBVIOUSLY I didn't put it in my hair as it was out and I have no idea what I looked like (probably ridiculous), but I digress. Anyways. I hear the water POUNDING and we are climbing up rocks all while I am internally cursing at myself for actually following this long haired Hawai'ian man into the wilderness like a ridiculous person. We end up at the waterfall which was SPECTACULAR. SO beautiful. Even in pitch black darkness, I can only imagine how majestic it must look in proper light. Anyways. After him climbing/walking and me CRAWLING (not kidding) over rocks and such as not to fall, he goes "are you going in?" and rips his shirt/clothes off. I proceed to look at him like a chicken with 15 heads and start doing my nervous Molly-I'm-Speechless laugh. This doesn't happen too often. I literally had NO words and was blurbering like a moron. OF COURSE I DID NOT GET IN THE WATER. Are you joking. I thought I was going to fall off the cliff and die. And he told me there were CRAWFISH IN THE WATER?! Jokes. He showed me I wouldn't drown but by this point he was in his boxers or whatever and ready to go. I'm fully dressed and not budging still freaking out but I'm sure he didn't realize how scared I was. My glasses were getting splashed with water from the waterfall, it was PITCH BLACK, there were rocks and my iPhone was illuminating everything and probably getting water damaged by the constant water hitting it. I would not turn that sucker off though. NO WAY. I am scared of the dark. You heard it here first. I didn't know it either though until I was put in PITCH black darkness that started at 8pm every night. Sue me. Get me a nightlight. Anyways, after much persuasion I decide I am going in the water. I wasn't prepared to go in the water (AT ALL) so I obviously didn't pack a swim suit. Really, this story gets better. I get down to my MATCHING (thank God today was a good day lol) set and am about to go in until I punk all the way out. I sat on a rock with my knees to my chest and almost started to cry because I couldnt even handle the amount of ridiculous that was going on. Anyways, I did not go in but I told him I would in the daylight at some point. Not today. Not the first time we hang out. Not when it is freezing cold outside. Not at midnight in water I can't see. And not with my glasses because I really can't see. I felt kind of bad cause he took me all the way out to some super awesome spot but NOT REALLY because there was no way in hell he could have gotten me to go in. Anyways, I put my pants on backwards and inside out, refused to fix it and marched on back with him. We got to the tree in the path where he looks at the sky and tells us what direction to go (seriously, I'm not making this up) and he goes "we're not supposed to be here. Be quiet" and stops walking. I FREAK OUT and am dead silent and step on a branch. OH MY GOD. I thought he was going to kill me. Anyways, he's holding my torch (phone) and at that point had turned it off so that it wasn't showing light. MY HEART IS GOING A MILLION MILES A MINUTE. Anyways he walks slow and I'm CLUTCHING onto him and he goes RUN and runs. I obviously run. I AM SPRINTING OMG SO FAST OMG I WAS RUNNING THE 5:30 MINUTE MILE JESUS IT WAS CRAZY for about 20 yards and then he stops running and is cracking up. ARE YOU JOKING!? OMG the amount of anger radiating through me could have caused Storm from X-Men to get angry and start a hurricane, caused the Hulk to go green or whatever angry thing. He literally was like "Okay sorry, jerk move" and I had my heart pounding and I had no words. Again. Twice in one outing. OH goodness. When we got back to his house, he made me tea (thank goodness) and offered me a few things to soothe my mentally distressed self. I just took the tea...and managed to burn myself. Really, it must be my charm LOL. We spoke a little and apparently I have a lot of living here to do on Maui. I feel so lucky to have such an awesome tour guide that is going to be my local little gem to show me around (he doesn't know that yet but he is my only friend so he's going to do it ahah). Seriously, the beauty here is absolutely amazing and I know its just my luck I managed to meet someone who WANTS to show me these places. I really intend on taking advantage of all the adventures he wants to take me on/places he wants me to see, etc. but at this time I am completely terrified. It's such a culture shock to be out of my element (especially in the pitch black darkness and forest) and try to appreciate it. I know I'll remember this story for the rest of my life and I can't even begin to find the words to thank Nakota for opening my eyes to the bare surface of the beauty on this island. I am completely aware of the fact that someone took their precious time to show me something that I would have NEVER found by myself and those kind of people don't come around often. Sometimes it's hard to be fully aware of both sides of the story....especially being that most of this one was of me completely freaking out.
Anyways, I just got home maybe ten minutes ago. SERIOUSLY. I can't believe that just happened. I am seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY proud of myself for not crying tonight. JEEEEEZUS. Talk about an eventful Monday. WOOSH.

Picture I sent to Sarah titled "If I die tonight, this is what I wore".

With warmest aloha, 

MJ