storytelling:chapter 1 land of aloha~part 1

I, we...me, "hubby" and our two cats, have finally arrived in Paradise. No, not the town in California, which I never found California to be, not the island in the Bahamas, which I'm sure for many Paradise is there, but the Land of Aloha! You know, the "Big Kahuna", Duke Kahanamoku, luaus, poi, pineapples, hula girls and torch swinging polynesian boys, leis and getting "lei'd", "bookem' Danno!", plate lunch with two scoop "goop" (starch and more starch), half naked blinding "haoles" (whites/caucasians/foreigners) on the Waikiki Beaches, the North Shore, Elvis, President Obama, shave ice, spam, Mai Tai's and Blue Hawaii's, malasadas, names and places you can barely pronounce and the warm, wonderful people of Hawaii. A place I call "My Paradise: Land of Aloha".

It wasn't a difficult decision, at least on my part, to make the drastic and maybe an unrealistic move to Hawaii. I was living on the East Coast for 5 years now and I was just hating the bitter cold frigid winters. It wouldn't be so bad if the winters were 1 month instead of 3 or 4. But it just drags and it becomes quite depressing. The thought of layering clothes upon clothes so that now, you're not only are carrying 8 to 9 pounds of extra fabric on your body (wool no less), you have to schlep your humongous fashionable handbag containing all the "essentials" just in case you go to dinner or a night out on the town. Add your labtop that's inside another humongous fashionable shoulder bag and there you have it. Your the weightlifting champion for another winter season! Another variable was that I was getting sick and tired of people's "I see you, but don't give a shit about you and you can wait til I'm ready" attitude. Whatever happened to courtesy and customer service? And I don't want to hear "but, that's New York". No, it's not New York. It's not the New York that I knew. It's another New York; rude and self centered. 

I lived on the island of Oahu for 13 years. I knew the island. I lived in Kahala and then the North Shore. I went to Leeward Community College and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Although I hadn't returned to Oahu in over 25 years, some things don't change. I'd say it all began with my mom asking me if we wanted to go to Maui for Christmas in 2007. She has a timeshare 2 weeks out of the year. The last time I was on Maui was when my mom and dad acquired the timeshare. They had retired and moved to Kauai from Los Angeles, right before Hurricane Iniki in 1992. It was the first and last time my parents and I shared a Christmas together as a family in 17 years. 

At first I told my mom that I didn't think "hubby" would be up for the idea. After my dad passed away (in Kauai) from a sudden heart attack 8 years ago, he had no intention of ever coming to Hawaii. There was no reason too. My dad was gone. What was the point?  But I asked him anyway and he said "yes, why not". I couldn't believe my ears..did he just say "yes"? So that was it. I phoned mom and immediately began booking and arranging our Christmas holiday on Maui, Kauai and Oahu. All I can say is that it's the best vacation we've ever taken! While on a 2 day visit to Oahu, "hubby" says to me that out of the 3 islands he's visited, he really liked Honolulu. It was a thriving city and big enough. He saw the possibility of living and working in Honolulu, becoming one of the "locals" (and I use that term loosely, as "hubby", being from the UK, has his own "pidgeon english"!). And that being said, that seed was forever planted in my brain. The point of inception! That was all I needed to hear.  And like my "hubby" says, once I get an idea or notion in my brainbox "fuggedabouit"!

to be continued...