Aloha

In about four hours I will no longer live in Hawaii. It hasn't sunk in at all, I haven't really felt any emotions about it. I've been living each of our last Hawaii days to the fullest and really trying to stay in the moment. I am very excited for what lies ahead of us but I'm trying to keep that in the future and let today be about today.

Thank you to all of you, the small handful, that tune in to read my ramblings. This blog has been fun and has really kept me focused on what a journey this is.

Our time in Hawaii has been incredibly special. When we stepped of the plane four and half years ago I hoped for fun, a tan, and some relaxed days. I had no idea I would be changed so deeply, and so much for the better.

I am a better person having lived in Hawaii, having paddled, surfed and swam in the waters. I am a more patient and open person for all the variety of people I've met here. I am stronger and more optimistic for all the wonderful friends I've made. Bryan and I are better together for having made our lives here.

I am happy to be leaving. I look forward to visiting. I hope desperately that all of our friendships remain strong. I hope, without any chance of this being a reality, that I keep my tan. No matter what, I know Hawaii will travel with me. It's not goodbye, it's thank you, and let's meet again soon.

Aloha, Hawaii.

Justification

Why are we moving?

Because this morning I opened the cabinet to get a plate and there was a COCKROACH sitting there next to my plates. I couldn't find a slipper (and I can't do it with a papertowel because then it would get too close to my fingers) so I grabbed a clean spatula - that we use for FOOD - and whacked at it. But I missed. ARGH!

~~~

Of course, that's not why we're moving at all. Shockingly, I've nearly gotten over the cockroaches. I rarely have complete meltdowns because of them anymore.

We're moving because it feels right for our future. Because we'd like to own a home someday. And I want that home to have a fireplace and a yard. And we want to pay less than $133 for two days worth of groceries (no joke, I just spent that. But it also included beer for two weeks). We want to be closer to families and our mental images of "home." We want our kids to have a childhood that looks and feels close to our own. We're moving so we can grow our careers and make more money - hey, I'm being honest. Also, after more than four years we still can't find a great deli sandwich or kick-ass Italian.

I suppose you could say we've been living on a cloud the last four and a half years. It's like we're in a dreamy movie. Who is every lucky enough to live on a beautiful island for years with great success? We've been lucky. It's time we try our hand in the real world again.

One Perfect Day on the North Shore

On Sunday last week Bryan and I headed to the North Shore for a day of beach and paddling-watching. We stumbled upon the most perfect little beach and stayed so long we missed the paddling-watching. But we weren't too sad.


This beach was absolute relaxation.






Finally we pulled ourselves away from the sand and sea and headed on over to the canoe race. Turns out we'd missed our friends race. Oh well! So we headed into town for food. We cannot go to the North Shore without a stop for the best Thai food on the island. On this day we had dessert first because they close early. Shave Ice, so good!




After dinner we weren't ready to head back to the reality of the other side of the island. So we wandered around a bit, discovered a sweet quiet beach, and watched the sun go down.



A day for the record books. It was perfect!

End of an Era

In a few weeks one of our favorite friends in Hawaii will move away, to pursue her dreams and studies. She's one of those extremely special people that you're certain you could never find again in life. So when there's a party in her honor, you go - because you love her and also because you know it will be an AWESOME time. And when she asks that you wear animal print or caveman attire, you don't think twice and you raid the local discount stores for tacky clothing.

We had an incredible time on Saturday celebrating the end of the era of Katy in Hawaii. There was animal print as far as the eye could see, lots of good times, and one hell of a dance party.

Holoholo to Kauai

A few weeks ago I got an email from a good friend saying "I want to holoholo. Who wants to go to Kauai?"

Holoholo: a Hawaiian word meaning to go out, especially for a ride for leisure

What do you do when you get an email like that? You say yes, absolutely yes. Then you help look for a condo rental, and book your plane ticket.

And just like that we ended up in Kauai last weekend with our two closest couple friends in Hawaii. It was a fantastically easy weekend filled with laughter, total relaxation, drinks, drinks, and more meat than I typically eat in an entire week. Oh, and the utter beauty of Kauai.

We waited out the rain at Tunnels beach, taking in the scenery and bonding with the fish through a snorkel.







At Secret beach we explored little pools, strong waves, hot sand, and a truly relaxing beach.





We hiked a pretty path to a sweet little falls. Some swam, some jumped, some just sat and took it all in.






A weekend goes by too fast.

Two Sunday

This was my day yesterday. Some friends and I planned to go "sailing" on a friend of a friend's boat. Some of our fellow paddlers were paddling solo canoes from Molokai to Oahu and we wanted to cheer them on. Turns out there was no wind so we took a fishing boat out. There was also no sun but lots of grey clouds and rain.

We cheered our friends on, had some drinks, gossiped about paddling and managed to catch a fish along the way. One of the best rainy day Sundays I have ever had!

Once again, can you believe my life?!

One Sunday

This was my Sunday last week. Hiking with my brother, breath-taking views, and animal planet along the trail. Can you believe my life?!

Magical

Last Saturday during paddling practice I was huffing and puffing, sitting in the first seat of the canoe when someone said "dolphin!" I looked up a bit and pretty much saw this:



It was absolutely incredible to have this one dolphin swim along at the same speed we were paddling our canoe. S/he stayed about ten feet in front of me, never broke the surface of the water, and cruised with us for about 15 seconds. The dolphin powered by his own body, our canoe powered by our bodies.

***

On Tuesday I was sitting in the canoe in the Ala Wai canal when we heard splashing sounds. A quick glance to the left and we all saw a tiny (12 inches across) stingray JUMPING out of the water. It probably jumped five times or more. It sort of looked like this:



Incredible.

Fishing for Birthday Fun

My birthday gift to Bryan this year was a "surprise adventure." I organized a charter fishing boat for us and four friends. It was absolutely incredible. We spent the entire day at sea (my brother can attest because he was sick the entire day) and ended up catching SIX mahimahi.

The day started before dawn, on the Blue Nun Too, as we sailed out and watched the sun rise over Diamond Head.


Then we settled in, got some fishing lessons, watched for "bird piles" and then quickly got to catching some fish! A day of fishing pretty much looks like this...








On our way back the guys threw some lines out but the sun was getting warm so I decided "fishing" for me looked like this:

To take in these views:


We got back to the dock, had some beers, talked some story, and eventually hauled our fish out to be weighed and filleted (it rhymes!). A little celebration and photo ops were in order.







Eventually we each left with an entire side of fish, and a desperate need for a nap. A truly awesome day. We would do it again in a second!