After defending my dissertation proposal, and finally becoming a PhD candidate, I took off to Hawaii on my own for a trip before going to Winnipeg for Christmas to see my family and friends. This time around, I went to the islands of Oahu, Big Island, and Maui. I did a variety of activities, including hiking on volcano craters, snorkeled with sea turtles, beached, and surfed. It was a nice escape from the cold of Edmonton!