Thursday, November 28, 2013

It's time to be grateful

Today is thanksgiving. A day to be grateful for everything in your life. It's also my first major holiday away from home. Without all the regular family traditions I've found I've had lots of time to think about all the things I'm thankful for. Here's a few:
10.  The beautiful weather. I'm amazed at how sunshine really does impact my mood!
9. Sunsets, my new favorite holiday. 
8. Having a job that helps pay for all the things I want/need. 
7. I blessed everyday with good health. Working in a hospital, I know the value of feeling well. 
6. I am extremely grateful for my iPhone. It has helped keep me entertained, keep me in touch, prevented me from getting lost and most importantly... FaceTime!

5. Comfy shoes. With all the walking I do, you can't underestimate comfortable shoes. Right now my yoga mat slippers (aka flip flops) are my favorite!

4. I have amazing friends who make me feel like I'll never be alone. Wen though they're miles away I appreciate all the email, calls, texts and Facebook messages. 
3. I have the best extended family. I am lucky enough to love all my Drake and Gumbel family. 
2. My sweet Josie. I am grateful for every minute that we have spent together the last 12 years. 

1. My Mom, Dad and sister. They are not only my family, but some of my best friends. I love them more than anything!

Happy Thabkdgiving!!!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

In just one week...


In just one week you can learn a lot. 

Since moving to Honolulu I've learned the following (in no particular order):
- You can feel like a forgeiner even when you're still in the US.
- The weather report/temp means nothing. Humidity and air flow make a bigger difference (you'd think if know that coming from Atl). 
- It can take 3 hrs to run a simple errand when you don't have a car. 
- And on that same note, comfy shoes are not so comfy after walking 6 miles. 
- Hawaii doesn't have squirrels, snakes or billboards... Weird. 
- Hawaii does have lots of pay phones... Weirder. 
- Little dogs love to be pushed around in strollers (or maybe their owners just like pushing). 
- I cannot eat Asian food 3x/day. I also can't eat hot food when I'm feeling hot. 
- I do like eating cold noodles and acai bowls... Yum!
- It's been seven nights and I've seen seven different sunsets. 

Now for some pictures:
Here's the yummy acai bowl I mentioned. I'm gonna need to learn to make these at home!
And here's another yummy, cold soba noodles. 
Yup, just a little hula at the mall. 
Something about the sun here makes me want to take backlit photos. 
Not 1, but four Hawaiian pay phones. 
And this was my favorite photo of the week taken mid-afternoon at Kuhio Park in Waikiki. Mahalo!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Hawaii bound

Well today want the day. All the hard work of the last month paid off and I'm officially in Honolulu, HI! Today was a day of ups and downs (literally with the flight), but here's a quick summary of my day:
- 4 am wake up call
- 5 am leave for the Atl airport
- 7 am fly to Chicago
- 10 am fly to Honolulu
- 3 pm arrive ( though this feels like 8pm to me)
- 4 pm was busy... meet boss, see new apt, sign lease
- 5 pm discover toilet doesn't work
- 5:30pm meet Hawaiian plumber
- 6 pm walk to grocery store to discover they only accept cash 
-7 pm walk to a 2nd grocery store and buy the "essentials"
-7:30 pm pass up the combination Pizza Hut/Taco Bell to try a more authentic Asian dinner
- 8 pm start watching tv
At some point I should probably go to bed since it's currently 1am to my body... Yikes!!!! Let's end with some pictures:

Land ho! My first sighting of the island over the wing of the plane. 
Local grocery has a "southern" section, though it was mostly Zannarrans (yuck). 
The "essentials" which set me back $50 😮

Asian Mix dinner of noodles, tofu and veggies. As a bonus they through in some orange chicken.  Mahalo!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

It's so hard...

 Like the old Boys II Men song used to say, "Its so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.... Ooooh". They also had that sad song about the end of the road. Now that I think about either song would work and both are making me a little teary. Sniff sniff. 

Last night my sister, Allison and Jessica hosted my going away party. At my request the theme was Mexican Luau. The whole thing was bittersweet. I enjoyed seeing so many friends, but that many "goodbyes" at once was like an emotional roller coaster. 

Let's focus on the evenings highlights by looking at some pictures:
Quintessential group selfies. 
Cheesey luau photo-ops are a must!

The whole family joined in on the fun. 
Heather and Levan win the award for best dressed.

Overall the event was a great success... Mahalo!!!