I suppose my first post should really update my friends and family (and acquaintances who are curious) about what I’ve been doing the past five and a half months in Hawaii.
The offer to move to Oahu arose out of a conversation with my uncle while I was in Hawaii in October. I couldn’t tell if he was joking and I think he thought I was interested, but not committal, but by the end of the week we showed our cards and I made the decision to return in February for an undetermined amount of time.
I spent November-January babysitting for one of my favorite families, packing up my house, traveling to Kiawah Island for my cousin’s wedding, Charleston to visit my cousin who had just moved there, St. Louis to see family for Christmas, skiing in Colorado for New Year’s, St. Louis again for another cousin’s wedding, babysitting for my favorite family again, and getting my house ready to rent out.
Finally, I flew out of the Midwest where I had lived my whole life and landed on an island in the middle of the ocean with no return planned.
After arriving I stayed with my aunt and uncle while I got on my feet and started my job. The last weekend in February I moved in with my friend Jordan and his girlfriend Chelsea (who became a fast friend).
March and April were filled with hiking, swimming, beach lounging, trying new restaurants, finding local activities like Art After Dark, and hanging out on Kaneohe Bay. In May I took a trip to Kauai which would ultimately change my time on the island for the better (a story many people have heard but, is really for another time). The rest of May was filled with a visit from my good college friend Paige and my cousin Matt.
I kicked June off volunteering at Turtle Bay Oceanfest, then my parents visited for 12 days. I took my mom and aunt on a belated mother’s day evening starting with a chocolate bar making class at Madre’s Chocolate and finishing with a progressive dinner around Chinatown (Tchin Tchin, Duc’s, and Fete). I also started playing volleyball in the very casual 808 sports league, met a friend at a Lanikai Brewing Company who introduced me to a yoga class on the beach in Lanikai, and my cousin Ally and her husband Andrew visiting for their honeymoon.
July brought on housesitting for my aunts friend, a wonderful 4th of July with my friend Kevin taking my friends and I out to the sandbar on his catamaran then watching fireworks at Kailua beach, paintballing for the first time, and a trip to the Big Island (next blog post).
Plenty of details have been skipped over, but I plan to do my best documenting my future adventures here.
I hope you enjoy watching my life in Hawaii unfold.
midwest2oahu 