ALOHA!

ALOHA!

We have lived in Hawai'i for one whole year!  And to celebrate, Eric and I made plans to not leave our house for the entire weekend.  So I thought maybe, in between binging different things on Netflix, I could blog a little about our life over the past year! 

Mostly we have spent our first year here catching up on all of the small day-to-day moments that we missed over the (intermittent) two years Eric was in Korea.  Even though Eric and I have had the last year to do that, it hasn't felt like enough time yet to be fully caught up.  We just can't get enough of each other.  So I think it might surprise (maybe even shock) some of you if I told you that even though we live in paradise, we rarely leave our house.  

I know.  I know that we live in paradise.  I know that living here is truly a once in a lifetime experience.  And yes, everything here is as incredible as you can imagine.  It's just that we are LOVING being together in an actual house again with all of the comforts we didn't know we missed so much after four years of living in an RV.  And since we are super spoiled having a beach and a sandbar less than a mile from our front door, when we do leave our house, we don't have to go far and can come right back home in less than 2 minutes.

But that's not to say that we haven't explored any of our new home state!  We just.... go out for a little bit, and then hurry right back home.

This is very zoomed in.  It is illegal to get within 50ft of a monk seal in Hawai'i.

U.S.S Missouri

Nightly view from our living room couch.  The sunsets here are magical and always different colors.  I loathe these blinds but there's nothing I can do about them.

In the last year we've managed to get all of the little things of living in a new area figured out.  Things like traffic, learning our way around, exploring the four different Costco's here, and setting up our house and stuff.  We have the nicest neighbors, and even they will tell you that they rarely see us outside our house.  I joined a gym about a month after we arrived and I continue to do HIIT 3-4 times every week, but my perimenopause would have you believing that I haven't stepped a foot inside it.  Eric and I have learned to avoid Waikiki, that the Windward side is magical, parking is a constant headache, and so far, Waimanalo Beach is our favorite of all the beaches here.

Something that surprised us about the Island is how big it feels.  Back when we were going through the PCS process we knew almost immediately that we would be moving to Hawai'i, giving us more than 8 months to prepare.  We didn't make any big announcements about it, not even to our family, but Eric and I would talk about it a little with only a few people that we saw every day.  One of the things that we kept hearing about was a thing called "island fever" - something people say when they feel claustrophobic living in a small area where there is no easy (or cheap) way off.  But we have never felt suffocated here.  Probably because we don't leave our house.  But even so, the island feels huge to us!  

So far, Eric and I have hiked three different trails on O'ahu, explored (or tried to) the Big Island, and just last week Moloka'i Island too.  There are still three more islands to see!  We spent that one week in the Philippines.  And along with everything there is on O'ahu, I don't think we'll ever run out of things to do here.

Koko Head Crater looking down - we hiked this earlier this year when our kiddos came to visit.

Y'all already know how I feel about Manila, but seeing the Big Island was really cool!  Except that the two Kona Low's we got that week made the weather absolutely horrific and we couldn't actually 'see' anything.  (A 'Kona Low' is a slow-moving, extreme winter weather storm - this Kona Low caused over a billion dollars worth of damage to the State.  But we didn't get just one, we got TWO back to back!  And when we thought we were in the clear, the second one formed and hit as we were getting to the Big Island.).

Our first day on the Big Island was more of the extreme amounts of rain that we had been dealing with on O'ahu.  Everything was flooded so we couldn't see out our windows and the roads were washed out.  But the rest of our week there wasn't *as* bad so we were able to meet up with dear old friends, hike along the rim of a volcano, see all four national parks, night snorkel with Manta Rays (one of the top five experiences of my entire life!!!), and compare the black sand beaches to Vik, Iceland.

Kamehameha the Great - the first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

Night snorkeling with Manta Rays!

We had a heckuva time getting off the Big Island.  First we lost our rental car keys.  After 45 minutes of pure panic we found them in the garbage.  And then, because of the second Kona Low, O'ahu was not allowing any in-coming flights, forcing us to wait three hours at the airport until they felt it was safe enough for planes to land there.

Our experience on Moloka'i was way different, thankfully.  The weather was picture perfect!  But different because it's a totally opposite vibe of the Big Island or O'ahu.  Moloka'i is teeny tiny, just 38 miles long and 10 miles wide, and everyone knows everyone (literally).  There are no street lights, stop lights, chain restaurants, resorts, or any touristy infrastructure of any kind, not even air conditioning.  While there is a steady stream of flights on and off the island, it's just "puddle jumper" airplanes that get you there and back.  There were no crowds so the beaches were *pristine,* no traffic, and the speed limit never went above 45mph.    

Moloka'i from the air.

Lanai in the distance.  We're planning a day trip there at some point.

The view from our Airbnb balcony.

They call this the "Phallic Rock," but I thought it looked like a turtle.

It probably goes without saying that Hawai'i is a gorgeous place.  There are no words for how absolutely gorgeous it is here!  The colors are more vibrant than anywhere else in the world I've been to.  And staring out at the ocean truly feels like we live on the edge of the world.  

But Hawai'i is so much more than its beauty - the culture, language, the food, people and their customs are deeply important and are truly what makes Hawai'i so special.  The illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893 makes us even more appreciative of our time here (but to be honest, we shouldn't be living here at all  Hawai'i should be its own country run by its rightful King or Queen.  And we should only be visiting.  That's just my two cents.)

At some point Eric and I have to get our acts together and attempt to spend more time truly experiencing all of the things that make Hawai'i so special.  We will!  Don't worry, we will.  Just for right now, we are happier than ever and trying to stay in the moment.

Manila, Philippines

Eric and I just celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary!  Sweet 16!  And for us, especially sweet because this was the first anniversary in two years that we're together for and could properly celebrate (hashtag: army life).  Except that, because of the on-going government shutdown, we had to cancel everything.

We were going to do it "big" this year since it's our first anniversary in two whole years that we're together for.  We don't do anything big, but big for us was fancy dinner reservations and a stay-cation at a nice hotel on the beach.  

We were really excited about it.

Instead, we had to scale back our plans to a nice, but not fancy, dinner and then sunrise snorkeling the next morning.  It might not have been what we originally planned, but with so much up in the air right now, we couldn't justify frivolous spending.  Our anniversary was a fraction of the cost because beaches here are all free, and still as magical as we hoped it would be.  Living in paradise now, there's no shortage of magic here.

So the shutdown can suck it.

A lot has changed for us in the last few months!  We PCS'd for the 7th time and are having the time of our lives here.  But most of it we are choosing not to share - everything about this chapter feels too precious to post about.  

Mostly, we are relishing every second of being together again permanently and can't bear to be apart for more than a regular working day.  So when Eric was going to be sent to the Philippines for two weeks for work, we were absolutely heartsick about it.  I'll spare you the details, but pitiful doesn't even begin to describe how sickeningly heartsick we were at the thought of him leaving.

So we bought myself a ticket to the Philippines too!

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would be visiting my 28th foreign country and that it would be to Manila, Philippines: one of the very few places we have ever been to that we hated.

Aside from Manila being very English-friendly, and the food and hospitality at the 5-star hotel we stayed at being spectacular, I don't have a single other good thing to say about it.

I was extremely bothered by an aggressive interaction with a pedicab driver on my first full day there, and by the very young children begging for money (I don't think I will ever get over seeing a 3 or 4 year old little boy holding an infant begging for money).  And none of that I want to talk about, and all of that made it hard for my spirit to embrace Manila in a kind way.  Bad weather seemed to make it all feel worse and the only part that we got a kick out of was when we ordered room service, something Eric and I had never done before.

I don't care to ever go back. (To Manila.  The rest of the Philippines, yes, absolutely!  I want to make that clear in case the Universe is reading my blog.)  

So this is turning out to be a blog full of nothing since that's all I have to say about Manila.  

Or is that all of my blogs?  

Don't answer that.

You know the saying..."if you can't say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me."  

'Anybody' being Manila.

For now, Eric isn't going to be sent anywhere else for work, so you'll find us here...

...peaceful, serene, together, and preciously, privately, in the moment.

Japan 2024

 I decided to take a step back from social media a little while ago when I realized that what I know to be good and right no longer, or maybe ever, aligned with friends and family that I thought I knew.  So then when I stopped checking Facebook regularly, imagine my surprise when I also realized how negatively it had been affecting my spirit that whole time.  And whelp, those two realizations were all I needed to never look back (or, at least, much much less).  

And since I no longer wanted to scroll through social media, I also no longer desired to be a part of any of it in the same way that I had been.  

You could say that I'm in my "say less era."  

But.  I am currently in the middle of our 7th PCS, living in an empty apartment, sleeping (or trying to) on an air mattress, with only a camping chair as a smidge of comfort to relax on.  I am obsessively counting down the days until I see my husband again, and with the school year over and done with, I am bored out of my mind. 

I know that I have to post this to social media in order for my little blog to be seen.  But I figure, what better way to fight boredom than to blog about our Christmas trip to Japan!  Setting my ambivalence aside for a sec, it does feel like for this occasion.... maybe social media can come in handy?  

What the hell.

Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Tokyo, Japan

For me, my trip from the Midwest to Japan was long but uneventful.  I skipped out on all of the Christmas parties at school to jump on an airplane with an excited heart, but somehow I managed to sleep most of the way and arrived in Tokyo raring to go!  For Eric, it was a totally different story.  While he had the shortest distance to travel, because of exceptionally unrealistic expectations from someone on his end, it triggered a chain of events that took him a full 24 hours to get to me and he was beyond exhausted by the time I walked through customs.  

The details of those 24 hours aren't important, but what is, is that we arrived safely and fell into each other's arms in the middle of baggage claim.  And from that second on we mentally juggled wanting to see every single part of Japan that we possibly could in the 10 days we were there, and desperately wanting to hole up at our hotel and shut everything and everyone OUT, except each other.

We didn't.  But we wanted to.  

But we didn't.

Don Quijote (aka Donki)!!!

The Hachiko Statue is placed in the exact spot where Hachiko waited every single day for nine years (1925-1935) for his owner to return.  It's a heartbreaking story and we don't deserve dogs.

10/10

Meh. 3/10

Guess which one is for the person who only eats what she knows because she has an extreme fear of food poisoning, and which one is for the person who has a garbage gut and will eat literally anything.  Bet you can't guess.

I thought of our daughter this entire trip.  It's been weird traveling without her these last few years.  When you give birth to a tiny baby girl no one tells you that you will blink and she will grow up to be an actual adult someday, who will go out into the world and create a beautiful life of her very own.  Eric and I constantly have these little moments of panic where we feel like we're forgetting something important.  Those moments are getting a little bit less nowadays, but it's been a major adjustment having an adult daughter now.  

Anywho...  All of Japan has a vibe she would just love and fit right into!  The clothes that they wore were couture and were way cooler than I'll ever be.  Their clothing was devoid of all color, except black, so I stuck out like a sore thumb with my light teal winter coat, but they didn't seem to mind my color choice, or my beaming smiles at how incredible they all looked.  Isabelle though, would fit right in, and I know she would just love Tokyo!

True to our nature, we didn't see a lick of the nightlife in Tokyo.  But every morning we got a kick out of seeing people stagger out of the bars and find the nearest trash can to puke in.  Which, in Japan, there are none.  

Tokyo was everything we thought it would be, lively, bright, safe, and oh so so sooo busy.  Tokyo was pristine, the people were friendly, the food was incredible, and we felt safer there than we have almost anywhere else in the world (with Korea almost exactly tied).  We were there during their "low season," but with the amount of bodies around us at every turn, we couldn't tell.  I literally cannot imagine touring Japan during high season!     

We knew that Japan is an extremely and densely populated country with an increasingly over-tourism problem, so we were prepared for crowded trains and long lines.  But you guys, there are no words for how extreme the sheer mass of people in every direction truly was.  That aspect alone was a sight to behold.  And we struggled because of it.  All Eric and I wanted was to be together, everything beyond that wasn't a priority, so in the moments of being overwhelmed, we thought that maybe we should have booked a trip to a relaxing resort instead, (I had had a few resorts in Thailand pulled up on my phone), but there was just NO way we were going to leave this chapter of our lives behind without seeing Japan!  

And because of that fact alone, we wouldn't trade this experience for the world!  Japan is absolutely exquisite and I wish for everyone to see it!

But, with all of the love in my heart, Japan: all the nopes on seeing you during high season, friend.

Walking to the Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo, Japan

Looking back at the mass of people we walked to the temple with.  Incense in the air.

Tokyo is an obvious must-see for everyone once in their life.  There is so so so much to do there that it would be impossible to see it all in one trip.  For us though, we really wanted to get out of the city.  We have been to cities all over the world: NYC, Seoul, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London, Budapest, and now Tokyo, just to name a few, so if I am being honest with y'all, we were sick of the city vibe (a bratty (and privileged) thing to say, I know).  So we consciously did not spend a fair amount of time in Tokyo.  Not enough time to give it a fair shake.  

But also, Japan is so much more than just Tokyo.  And Eric and I wanted to see more.  

To me, more was Mt. Fuji!

There it is!

You might recognize this spot from Instagram.  

In the Spring, these bare trees are covered in cherry blossoms.

I booked a day trip with a tour group to Mt. Fuji.  It did eat up an entire day we had in Tokyo, but this way it got us out of the city.  And, we didn't need to worry about driving, trains, traffic, or parking - we just sat back and enjoyed the ride.  Which, if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that's how we roll when we go on trips like this.

We couldn't hike any of the trails because of the time of year it was, so the tour we booked drove us up to the half way point (the 5th station) where we could walk around, get warm at a little cafe, and see the summit up close.  I was fully aware that we were not going to be able to hike any part of Mt. Fuji, but it still hurt my heart a little driving up the mountain rather than walking it.  Still, I was so giddy at seeing Mt. Fuji that not even that could bother me!

Even though it was the coldest day of our trip (~17 degrees), it was glorious!

Right underneath the summit - in that light teal blue winter coat that made me stick out everywhere I went.

After a few hours, the tour took us to a small village near the base of the mountain.  I'm sorry to say that I cannot remember the name of the village.  I have all of the information on it in our photo book that is now tightly packed into a crate that is who knows where right now.  All I got for ya are these pictures.  Sorry!

We had just enough time to get lunch at a little restaurant that is known for their handmade Udon noodles.  I can't remember ever trying Udon before and my goodness, it was incredible!  And exactly what my belly needed after spending three hours in frigid temperatures.  This particular village is known for the spring ponds that are fed from the water coming off of Mt. Fuji.  The people in this area cook with that fresh water, bathe in it, and drink it.

The water in the ponds was crystal clear!

100/10

I can't remember the name of these either, but it is doughy on the outside with red bean paste in the middle. 6/10

For the next part of our Christmas trip we headed to Osaka, Japan.  Osaka is another very lively city that is known for its nightlife and food.  We stayed right in the heart of Osaka for three days.  But knowing what we know now, we wish we would have cut our time there down to only one full day and went to Hiroshima instead.

Eric and I are not nightlife kind of people, and no matter how hard we try, we just can't get ourselves to stay out late.  We've accepted that about ourselves and it just is what it is.  So for us, Osaka was wonderful and we got to see all that we hoped to, but Osaka wasn't the vibe for us, and our vibe wasn't for Osaka.  

Ya know what I mean?

The Glico running man - he has been overlooking the canal for more than 80 years.

We took every single one of these steps upright on the tops of our legs, not a single one on our butts.  I don't know why the 'stand goal' didn't get the memo that I was standing while I walked over 8 miles every day, but whatever.

The Namba Yasaka Shrine - this was Eric's favorite.

Osaka Castle - built in 1583.  We went all the way to the tippy top!

Rikuro's Cheesecake - when I tell you I HAD TO have this, I mean it.  It's all I could talk about!

Very joyful girl! Until I took a bite... 4/10

The last few days of our Christmas trip were spent in Kyoto, Japan.  And y'all.... Kyoto was BY FAR our favorite!  It had a much slower place with all of the architecture you think of when you think of Japan.  It was an absolutely stunning place and once we got there, we were glad we didn't book a resort in Thailand.

Kyoto is 50 km north of Osaka; a less than 20 minute train ride away.  Knowing what we know now, we could've just stayed in Kyoto and saw Osaka on a day trip.  You live and you learn.  

Kyoto is the center of traditional Japanese culture and Buddhism, as well as fine textiles and other Japanese products.  We purchased a tapestry of sorts (I can't remember the name), but it's been packed away since I got back to Kansas in January and I haven't seen it since.  I am just dying to get a house in the new state we are PCS'ing to and get it hung!  

Anyway... In Kyoto, in the historic part of the city, strict building codes limit the height of buildings in order to preserve the overall look of the historic city.

Ryozen Kannon Temple - Kyoto's female "giant Buddha."

This orb is said to manifest spiritual energy.  You're supposed to walk around it three times with your right hand on it saying out loud what you would like to manifest.  We did it, and IT CAME TRUE!!  I shit you not!

His and hers matcha. 10/10

One of my favorite parts of our entire trip was the Fushimi Inari Shrine.  It is an important Shinto shrine that is famous for its thousands of orange torii gates that straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.  This is one of the top things to see in Kyoto so they say to go early to avoid the heavy traffic.  The higher up the mountain you go, the less people.  The entire trail would have only taken about 40 minutes, give or take, but I just didn't have it in me after walking 20k+ steps every day (on our feet, not our butts).  So we went up high enough to get past the majority of the people, just not all the way up for me to "count" it as a true hike.

It was truly one of the most beautiful shrines I have ever seen!

At the main entrance of the shrine.

The Torii gates went as far as your eye could see.

For the most part we lost all track of time in Japan.  It was what we both needed, especially Eric.  For the last 10 days of my Christmas break I flew back to Korea with Eric and we got to spend quality, peaceful time together.  We got to decompress and remember what it was like to be together at "home" again.  It was an awfully pitiful and heartbreaking goodbye when it was time to take me to the airport in Daegu.  Doubly heartbreaking for Eric since our cat, Carley, came back with me.

We are still super pitiful about it!

Japan is one of the most exquisite countries that we have ever been to!  So much so that I had to say it again.  I didn't purposely leave such an incredible experience off my blog.  It's just that I genuinely haven't cared to participate on social media for a little bit now, and whelp... this little blog needs social media for it to be seen.  Until now I kept this entire experience tucked sweetly in my heart.  

I don't foresee myself making any sort of "comeback" to social media.  But I also don't think I'll ever stop blogging.  It's all very conflicting.  For now, all I can tell you is that Eric and I are happiest in our little and peaceful bubble, and we can't imagine changing it.