Life on the Island

This morning I woke up with a plan for the day starting with a YMCA workout. Instead we've been hanging out, making breakfast and the kids have been playing so nicely I just didn't want to get in the way of that. (Of course as I sit down to start this blog post, both kids have now realized that mom is busy doing something and they are both now crawling all over me, trying to sit on my lap). Do this happen to anyone else? Ugh. It reminds me of a Relief Society meeting we had a few weeks back on parenting with love. It was about positive reinforcement, like if they are playing well together, than you go and tell them how happy you are that they were playing so nicely. All I could think of was, if I interrupt them to tell them that, it will just remind them that I'm around and then that's it for playtime. I sure hope someone else deals with this.

Anyways, off topic. We are settling in nicely to island life. I am happy to report that I have not seen any cockroaches on premises, our home seems to be bug free which seems to good to be true. But I will continue to pretend that if I don't see them, they don't exist. I LOVE our home. It really is perfect for us in so many ways. We have a constant ocean breeze which in Hawaii sorta means life or death in the summer when it gets really toasty. Our dishwasher works great. Woods floors hardly ever have to be cleaned (not that I don't). The kids are comfy in their room which is equipped with built in blackout shades so when nap time rolls around, it's dark as night in there. I mean who has one room in the house with blackout shades. It's a gift I tell you. Our polynesian neighbors across the street are loud and friendly and I hear a "chee-hoo" every now and then when things are getting really exciting. We have very elderly neighbors next door that I like to check in on and they let us borrow their dog to take to the beach or park anytime we want.

Our ward is amazing. We felt welcomed in like family the moment we showed up, and especially when everyone realized we weren't just vacationers! I love that everyone gives you a hug and kiss on the cheek. It's something everyone should do. The people here are very open, un-assuming and non-judgemental. There is no drama. There are no clicks and really no one is left out. No one cares how much money you make. Keeping up with your neighbors does not exist. I'm finding that even though I'm spending more money on groceries, I spend a lot less in other areas. Like shopping for instance. I've never considered myself very fashionable. I mostly pay attention to what other people are wearing that I think is cute and then go out and find it at TJ Maxx. The thing with Hawaii, at least where I live, is no one is really concerned with fashion trends, new clothes, or brand name clothes. My friend Rachelle said she loved that she could send her son to school in anything and he would never be made to feel like he wasn't wearing "cool" clothes. It's kinda nice. In a werid way this in comforting cause I've felt overwhelmed at times to fit into social norms and there isn't that element here. Don't get me wrong, I love wearing cute clothes and having my kids wear them too, but it's not anywhere near my top priority. This does however leave me susceptible to dressing mom-ish so I'll definitely watch out for that:) I told Ryan to tell me if I was ever letting myself go. Of course he won't.

Some things that have surprised me about living here is that it's colder than I thought. Since I lived in Hawaii during the summer, I just thought that sweating was a way of life in Hawaii. I have actually worn hoodies and sweaters on many occassions. I think though, that my body is getting used to the heat too. Like there are seriously times that my car reads 83 degrees and I am like, there's no way that can be true! Most of the time it feels like 75 but says it's 85. I have heard that Kailua stays about 5 degrees cooler too, since its on the windward side. Speaking of wind, that has surprised me too. More times than not, it is windy at the beach, which kinda sucks. Not to say it isn't glorious, but sometimes I'm so over the wind. I have heard this is an especially windy winter/spring so hopefully summer will be less breezy. But the Hawaiian air never gets old. One of my favorite feelings is leaving an air conditioned room (where I'm freezing to death) and walking back out into the warm, fragrant hawaiian air. It is the best.

Ryan and I went on a date last night to Buzz's steakhouse. We just sat there and thought, wow, we actually live here. We actually made this happen and followed through with one of our dreams. Ryan has already had great things happen at work and as far as I can tell, project managers are fighting over him to get on their team for projects. I am certain that his job prospects and much better at this company than the last which is a great feeling. He is so busy so I guess there's no shortage of construction on the rock.

For the first two months I was really having a hard time with the move. I knew it was right for us but it didn't change the fact that we sacrificed so much to be here. I missed my parents so much it hurt my heart. I realized that in leaving, we were giving up something that we might never get back. I missed our sweet spot in South OC and have realized on many occassions what an amazing place it is to live. The future is still wide open. There's times when I'm sure we'll move back to CA, it just feels like home. Then there's times that this Hawaiian life feels so right for our family. I'm glad that we just get to enjoy each day as it comes. I love a slow-paced life. I can soak into each moment and just focus on what's important. I am loving my kiddles at this age. They are so funny and keep me laughing all day. There is no doubt in my mind that we have been blessed in very specific ways by our Heavenly Father. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve all the wonderful things I'm given in life. I chalk it up to having such a great companion who deserves the world. I'm trying each day to do better so that I can deserve it all.