Hey my esteemed readers! I’m currently on a ferry, enroute to Vancouver. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be driving down (okay, I’m not driving, I’m passenging) with my beloved and his family (also mine, then) to Bellingham and then getting on a plane. To Hawaii. You may have already gathered that, from my title. Did you know “aloha” means both “hello” and “goodbye”? There’s a little bit of something nice in that, though I haven’t put my finger on it yet.

I haven’t been to Hawaii since 2004, when we visited Maui with Ben and Ashley. I, for one, am very much stoked. I wonder if, when we come home, I’ll find a kitten I can’t resist and name it Oahu (that’s how Maui the Hairy got her name). I also ended up getting a Hawaiian tattoo in ’04. So you just never know what could happen. Could be I come home with a mohawk. Or a surfboard. Or, more likely, a new bikini. And sand in my hair that doesn’t come out for 2 weeks.

*** Time Passes***

And now it’s Sunday, and I’m sitting on our patio listening to the crashing waves and finishing this post. I couldn’t remember the incredibly pithy and witty topic I was going to write while I was on the ferry, so I gave up. But now, my friends. Now. NOW I AM IN HAWAII AND I REMEMBER HOW MUCH I FRIGGING LOVE IT HERE. For reals (obviously, based on my use of caps lock, right?). Last time I was here, it was spring of 2004 and I spent much of the ensuing 3 years trying to find a way to move here. Then I got all busy, what with accruing more student debt getting my MBA. And now I am back and I am in love with Hawaii. If I weren’t already married, I’d get down on one sandy knee and propose a lusty engagement, followed by a long and happy life growing old together. With Adam. Of course. And Grimby and the cats. They’d love this sand.

Anyway, I’m here and drinking toasted coconut beer:

and eating my body weight in dried mango: Thank you Ben & Ashley for creating a monster.

Here is my view. Life is very hard for me. Clearly.

It’s so far to the beach.

We’re staying in Hale’iwa on the North Shore of Oahu. You know; Pipeline, where I won’t be surfing.

We haven’t been to Waikiki yet, but we will, oh we will. Also, I have a theory: Hawaii is way more fun than working. I’ll keep testing it and let you know how it turns out (Spoiler Alert: The theory is correct. I already know this to be true.).