The Honeymoon Period

We have been living in Hawaii for almost one month. I thought it would be a good idea to record some of my initial impressions about living here before we become so settled that I have trouble recollecting them.... I am not suggesting that the layers of turquoise and blue in the ocean will ever NOT be breathtaking, or that the pleasant breeze, flowering trees and scent of plumeria will eventually go unnoticed. I am ever-so-hopeful that we never become hardened to the exquisiteness of the Hawaiian Islands. But, for fun and posterity, I want to capture my early thoughts while I am still experiencing the "newness" of it all. Just in case...

We arrived late at night on July 27, 2012, collected our luggage, rented a car, found our way to our hotel in Waikiki, and crashed for the night. Early the next morning, I heard music. Hawaiian music. A man and his ukulele. Clearly.  It sounded like it was coming from our lanai...We were very fortunate to have been upgraded to an oceanview room - but we were still on the 15th floor, and our sliding door was closed. So this would be impossible, right? Keep in mind, I was very groggy from a short night's sleep and may have considered it possible momentarily.

Curiosity overcame grogginess, so I walked to the sliding doors, opened the curtains, and looked out onto Waikiki beach. I thought it must have been midday. Runners, shoppers, and a crowd of tourists and sightseers covered the beach. Surfers speckled the ocean. And, to my astonishment, a man stood amidst the hustle singing and playing his ukelele live onstage. Surreally, we had been awakened by the beautiful music of the Islands. Days start early and in full-swing in Hawaii (Carpe Diem), and we had just gotten off to a really great start of our own!

The next observation that struck me right away was how the adults here are having just as much fun as the kids! Up and down the beaches adults are running into the ocean, jumping in the waves, giddy, rolling around in the water, and coming up sputtering and laughing! With a smile on my own face, I watched a grown man step out of the ocean and lay flat on his back in the warm, dry sand. He spread his arms and legs out as if to make a snow angel, then he took a moment to absorb and breathe in the pleasures and sensations. He then began burying himself in the sand. Just because. And he was happy.

My daughter finds the teensiest, tiniest, most beautiful little seashells, and she loves doing it! To Hopper, the tinier the better. Most of us would overlook them, assuming they are all broken or crushed up pieces of larger shells. I am continually amazed by the perfect little treasures she brings to me.

Dragonfruit is really tasty and fun to eat.

I love to eat and live to be outside. Put them together - wow!

I should indulge in at least one dip in the ocean every day. Being in the ocean is invigorating and makes me feel like a kid again. Playing with my kids in the ocean helps me feel happy, healthy, connected, and overwhelmed with the potential for our new life!