{Hawaiian Living}

Hawaiian living.

So, I know that I have been terrible at writing these past few months. With moving, unpacking, being pregnant,&trying to make a home in a new place--I just frankly haven't wanted to write anything down yet. But now that we have that behind us...

Viola! I'm writing a new post! 

"We live in Hawaii" is often a frequent statement that S&I say to each other. Not because we are clueless to where we are currently living, but because it still seems so unreal. It's usually said by us during a reflective moment at the beauty that surrounds us or when we think about Little Miss being born here. 

I'm not sure when (or if) it's really ever going to sink in. 

Living here is MUCH different than vacationing in Hawaii. 

We don't just spend our days at the beach drinking yummy drinks, eating at a restaurant every night, or mastering surfing. 

Instead of Hawaii being a vacation destination, it has become our new and lovely home where we are just going about the normal things in life:

Work.

Church.

Grocery shopping. 

Cleaning.

Yard work.

Walking our puppy.

Putting together a nursery.

Making friends.

And then on the weekends we try to venture out and take advantage of what the island offers. 

But some weekends are spent hanging out at our house watching movies&cuddling.

BUT there are some quirks about living in Hawaii that I want to share with you guys. Like, the fact that no one told me that the whole state has gotten rid of plastic sacks at stores and you have to bring your own. (What!) We had to find this out the hard way, more than once because I am notorious at forgetting that places like Target doesn't  have any. So then you place everything back into your cart and into your car, one item at a time...

Or the fact that this island doesn't have some important stores. 

Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann Fabrics.

NONE. 

Add my creative-I need crafting materials for the nursery-self crying in the corner! 

Let alone all the restaurants that I may or not be craving...

Or the fact that when driving around the island, sometimes we forget that Hawaii is part of the states and not a third world country. Seriously, after going to Mexico, Cambodia, and Haiti--there are some places that you wouldn't know the difference. 

Oh, the fact that we only go to downtown Honolulu if we want to be surrounded by MILLIONS of tourists. 

And most of the time, foreigners.

Every restaurant has multiple languages on their menus.   

Two words: Rice & Spam.

Everrrrrrywhere.

Hawaiians have rice with every single meal, yes, EVERY meal.

Even breakfast! haha which the Husband loves. 

Even if there isn't anything to put over it, you still have rice.

And you can order spam anywhere, even fast food restaurants.

Uh, no thank you! Been there, tried it.

Once was enough. 

(And even then, Mallow loved the extra treat from under the table..sh..)

 When you come in contact with someone, 

you are greeted with a hug and a kiss. 

Even if you are strangers. 

Believe me, you become fast friends!

This one caught me a little of guard, but I definitely get my quota of hugs in a day. 

We went to our first local BBQ the other day and learned how different it is. First, everyone takes off their shoes outside the home as a sign of respect. (Even the guy who set up our internet took off his boots every time he came into our house.) Second, you are treated like family from the very moment you step inside. And third, when you are starting to leave, the host hands you a plate full of food. Everything you just ate and loved all wrapped up in a plate for you to take home and enjoy the next day. In Scott's words, "They need to teach the rest of Americans this tradition!" 

He was beyond excited! 

Oh yeah, you can drive all around the island with people in the back of your truck. Even on the highways. 

For a pregnant woman who is already feeling her mothering instincts, this is SCARY. Especially when our first time having people in the back of our truck was heading down from the mountain with all the switchbacks. 

Hawaii is EXPENSIVE.

This part was definitely an eye opener to me + culture shock.

Most everything has to be imported here, so it makes sense, but still a shock when you're living here.

Thanks to the military, they try to make up for that a little.

Island time is real. 

BBQ at four, really means that people will show up at six.

Haha this is taking some time to get accustomed to. 

The homeless population here is an outrageously high number.

There was a time (maybe it's still going on) where states on the West Coast were actually paying a one way ticket for homeless people to move to Hawaii. You'll drive past an empty lot only to find it completely packed with tents for a homeless community.

 You'll also notice it under all of the bridges.

The awesome part is that our church here makes it their mission to help out and minister to these communities. 

Although there are a lot of differences, and sometimes we really do feel like we are living in a different country, it has been such a great adventure for us! We are loving all the new experiences&learning about new cultures and traditions.

We are having a blast finding new Uncles&Aunties for Baby H.

And we are absolutely loving this pregnancy season! 

(Even when I get hangry & overheat in this awesome weather. hahah)

And LOVING being around Mountains again.

So, here's to living in Hawaii!