Markets, Beaches, and Burgers

     Yesterday was a bit of a somber day as it was the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.  I watched several tributes on television and a handful of shows about that terrible day, and they all made me terribly sad.  Like everyone else, I thought about where I was on that day, and I remembered watching in my 10th grade World History class as the second tower was hit.  I also remember thinking at that moment that I was witnessing something that would change this country.  Little did I know at the time just how much it would alter the course of my own life. 

     In thinking about all of this, I thought of staying at home all day to watch different coverage of this memorial or that as a sign of respect.  Then, I decided that that wouldn't be the thing to do.  This country is based on freedom, and that's what so many people have been fighting for throughout the last ten years.  I thought the best thing I could do would be to go out, enjoy the day, and enjoy all the freedoms this country provides.  I also felt that enjoying my day that way would be a bit of a symbol of this country's strength and resilience, so my friend Sarah and I went out to enjoy a morning on the North Shore of the island.

We started out at the farmer's market in Hale'iwa.  We nibbled on samples of LOTS of yummy foods, checked out beautiful arts and crafts, and enjoyed the lovely flowers for sale.  I came home with some delicious bread and some coconut-pineapple jam.... Oh so delish!

Our visit to the farmer's market was followed by a little trip to the beach to catch some sun and watch some people surf.  Gotta love a beautiful beach...

After the beach, we were starving, so we stopped at one of my favorite burger places... Kua'aina Burgers.

Sooooooo good!

Yup.... That's a whole half an avocado on my burger. And you know what?  I ate the whole dern thing.  

Oh. So. Yummy.

And yeah, those are our "I'm eating" faces.  Great, right?

All in all, we had a great morning enjoying some of the simple pleasures this strong, resilient country provides.  Hope you all had a nice weekend, and hope your week gets off to a great start!