A HONU (hoe-new) Experience

“Swim with the current, Be a good navigator, Stay calm under pressure, Be well traveled, Think long term, Age gracefully, Spend time at the beach.” -Sea Turtle ("Honu")

Aloha!
We're back!

I've never felt so happy on a February 2nd in my entire life, ha! I wake up every day feeling so good here. Some days are better than others obviously, but the air is so warm, the birds are always chirping, and the sun is out EVERY MORNING!

Sunrise is at 7am and sunset is just before 7pm. So balanced, and so much light within a day.

Life just seems to flow here - like a cushion of sun, water and clouds cradling you like a baby.

Bills aren't as hard to pay, traffic isn't annoying, cockroaches aren't as much of a bother, and biking seven miles into work at 6:00am - I always have a smile on my face :)

Speaking of work... An update from the last post:
I took neither of the jobs at Grand Wailea. Long story short, I'm working at Andaz Beach Crew! It's the best job! I work on the beach in a little kiosk and schedule/help out with all the whale watching tours, snorkeling trips, etc. We rent out snorkel gear, paddleboards, kayaks, boogie boards. It's so much fun! The pay is good and I get tips! (Oh how I've missed tips!) Also, I work with all native Hawaiians who teach me something new about the ocean, wind, and sea life every day.

Aaron is still working hard aboard the Calypso. Check it out: Molokini Adventure Aboard Calypso.
He also picked up another boat job working for Maui Snorkel Charters (both jobs also get tips)!
Every day he goes to Molokini and swims with whales, turtles, dolphins, fish, and sometimes sharks 😉  He is the best of the crew, seriously. He does all the intense work on the boat-- one small example: he dives down 30 feet next to the Molokini crater and ties the boat line to the mooring block at the seafloor.
For both of us, our work hours are anywhere from 5am-7am arrival time, and we're both off by about 3pm. It's a great schedule while living here in Maui.

〜☽☾〜

When we're not working, we're either hanging out with Kristina and Matus, or the friends and family who have come to visit. We've traded the essential elements of Seattle hangouts (living room fires and late night dinners/bar scene), for warm sunset walks and BBQs on the beach.

My sweet friend Remy came to visit and stayed with us for 4 nights. We went on the road to Hana and explored Maui. We also relaxed and laid by the beach :)

In mid January, we took a trip to Molokai and had the best time with Kristina and Matus. Talk about ISLAND LIFE. They have no street lights, and all grocery stores are tiny/locally owned or fruit stands. We took a tiny jet plane over from Maui and it was only $50. Super bumpy and kind of freaky... but the views were amazing. We were able to rent a car from some random lady who was a friend of the VRBO owner where we were staying. She left the car unlocked at the 'airport,' with the keys in the visor. Felt like traveling back in time :)

Our Hike Tour Guide named "Sweetheart"

Between splitting time with friends and family and working throughout the week, we're 'remembering to remember' to spend time together, ha.
Being such lovers of friends and having a good time, its sometimes difficult to follow through on our priority to spend quality time together, communicate intentionally, but also to just have fun alone together.
But all we can say is -- we've never been more happy in our relationship, in our personal lives, and in our life-journey together.

〜☽☾〜

In early January, I spent a lot of time alone (because I didn't have a job yet), but this was something I secretly wanted --- time with God and myself, and time to wrestle with some deep emotions and thoughts about my life.
With only two hours of sleep (thank you anxiety-induced insomnia), I spent a few of those days crying on the beach, with low self esteem and thoughts of 'what the heck am I doing with my life.'

I know this is a natural part of transition/change, and surprisingly, I was able to embrace and (almost) celebrate these sad days, because I knew I was getting somewhere... "I am growing," I thought.

Back in Seattle I struggled with this feeling at times of wanting to leave, by myself, and travel to the farthest part of the earth with no connection to society. It's hard to explain.
It wasn't just an "I need to escape" type feeling, it was deeper than that. Like a desperate need to communicate solely with God, and grab hold of God's life line (like a Jesus tested in the wilderness for 40 days type of thing *Matthew 4*)

My step dad Tom asked Aaron and me before we left Seattle, "What are you running from?"
We were both a bit frustrated by this question because we truly felt that TOGETHER, we needed to come out here and experience life as a married couple (and thank GOD we did!!!), but when he asked that, it actually did strike a chord within me...personally.

You know, being out here on a beautiful volcanic rock in the middle of the Pacific has made me realize more thoroughly that I cannot blame Seattle. I cannot blame the rain, darkness, people, politics, or the (sometimes) heartbreaking changes I've felt in friendships as I reach the end of my 20's.

I could run to the end of the earth and when I am there,  who am I with?

Myself   (& God). 

I'm learning how to forgive, love, and trust myself again.
I also am trying to grasp the fact the God forgives and loves me too.
It's a freaking trip- I can live most of my whole life not doubting once that God loves me, and I can love myself and who I am in the world...But then BAM...we grow up. We have experiences. We make mistakes. We meet some messed up people. We get hurt. We help others...and still get hurt. Dads die, grandparents die. Families have drama, friends have drama. We experience love and amazing grace that we don't deserve. We are 'rewarded in life' when we absolutely don't deserve it.

I'm thankful to be (in a sense) beyond the hump here in Maui.
Any time you try something new or get out of your comfort zone, you're going to feel self-doubt, fear, and some sadness. BUT IT GETS BETTER. We keep plugging along, and we keep making life work.

Aaron and I went on a beautiful hike yesterday and were talking about the 'hard times.'
We're SO thankful for the hard times!
Seriously, one of our favorite memories here in Maui is when we left the farm and were literally homeless for the night. Thank God we had our 1987 Honda Prelude (we bought for $995) that we could sleep in. But at the time, we were both a WRECK! Mad at each other, pissed off at the world, and then we went to McDonalds for dinner to save some cash. Gosh. It's hilarious though, because seriously, that is one of the best memories I have stored. We also went and got some whiskey at the ABC Store (which helped a bunch, ha!).

Anyway, life is a funny time on this planet and I'm just thankful to be apart of it...with the man of my dreams (barf, I know 😜)

Miss you all back at home and LOVE you!