Aloha

I am so glad you can be a part of our Hawaiian adventure.
Enjoy! --Kristine

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Things I miss

Me and Tyler show off our matching "Live Simply" tee shirts.
Considering that I wear mine all the time (Thanks, Kelly!)... I must be taking the message to heart.

We are just starting to do some tasks to prepare for our departure so the fact that we're leaving in a matter of days is feeling more real. The car has been sold and the paperwork was signed and mailed in last week. We realized at the last minute that we had misplaced the title, but due to some miracle of DMV efficiency a new copy was mailed to us from Kauai County within a couple of days.  Tag's turtle traps have been packed away and his research samples have been sent home.

We're finishing off the last remnants of food in our house and eating more than our fair share of animal crackers, walnuts, poultry products, and peanut butter. Please remind me to never buy organic animal crackers in bulk again. Their little happy faces are starting to irritate me-- it is a complete zoo overpopulation scenario in the container and animals are losing their parts. Just horrible.

I'm imagining that we'll continue to find sand in our clothes, bags, and shoes for months to come. Our double stroller has remnants of the beach in every pocket, and the screws have rusted from the salt water spray. These emigrating sand grains will be our souvenirs of beach living. We never bought a big memento from this adventure, but we do have lots of pictures and stories to share. I also have the deepest tan I've had in years (all in the name of fixing my Vitamin D deficiency).

I just noticed that the stroller was in the back of this picture and had to include it

I will miss Hawaii. In fact, I'm already working under the assumption that we'll visit annually because there is so much left to do. At the same time there are many reasons why I am looking forward to our return to Chico. Tag and I have been talking about why it will be good to be home, and both feel like it is the right time to change scenes and begin the next act. What's on our list? Well, I'm most excited about:

  • Sleeping in my own bed! I love my mattress almost as much as I love my family. I love my pillows, sheets, blankets, nightstand, window shades, and even my alarm clock. It will be the first of many happy reunions to come, since we'll arrive at our home around 11pm on Sunday.
  • Seeing Addy! The cat is one of my oldest, most lethargic friends in California. He will be glad to get the generous treat provisions from the kids, and I will be glad to be alternately ignored and pestered by him during his endless cycle of feline mood swings. 
  • Catching up with California friends! I miss you. I want to hear about your summer adventures. I want to hug your kids and see how they've changed. You are the main reason why we'll choose to leave for the airport early enough to make our flight. 
  • Cheap groceries! Holy cow it is insanely expensive to eat on this island. I swear the melons fly here first class, with their legs up on a footrest, streaming live TV and Internet and drinking fine wine. They arrive at Safeway and are put on the shelves next to rubies and platinum.  
  • Peak season at the Farmers' Market! I am so excited to eat heirloom tomatoes, fresh off the vine. I miss my favorite artisan bread and local almond butter, and I'm finding it hard to live without sweet, fully ripe berries.  
  • Returning to work! Crazy, I know. But I love my co-workers and I am a sucker for having some new challenges. Plus, I'm broke. It's time to see the numbers go the other way in my savings account. 
  • Picking up our new family member! We're getting a dog when we get home. We're really excited about our addition and have been brainstorming Hawaii-inspired names. 
  • Sissy! My sister and her partner, Sarah, are making a cross country road trip to see us at the end of August. I can't wait for the kids to see their aunties! Plus, they are donating their old Subaru to our household when they depart by plane. It's great timing because driving the Outback all the way to Hawaii would have been way too much to ask. 
  • Fully-stocked kitchen! I have worked hard at assembling a kitchen filled with all of the best everyday tools (garlic crusher, lemon juicer, egg slicer, espresso maker, etc.) and random implements (crepe maker, tart pans in assorted sizes, egg poacher, etc.). I miss cooking with all my awesome gear. I also really miss my dishwasher. I think I'll say that twice because I feel pretty strongly about it. I miss you, dishwasher.
  • The Prius! She sips her fuel so sparingly. Gas here is always at or above $4/gallon. Need I say more? Plus, I miss her navigation system because she always tells me where to go with a calm voice and adjusts the route when I miss a turn. My readers know about my directional incompetence. Need I say more? 
  • Bidwell Park! I will never tire of visiting my local park and noticing the seasons changing based on the appearance of the leaves. And seasons, yes, they are good too sometimes.
  • My trees! Tag and I planted several baby trees when we moved to East 7th Street and I get inordinately excited about tracking their growth year over year. I know they had a wet spring and so they should have all kinds of new branches for me to talk to, um... I mean look at.
  • Sierra Nevada Brewery! Three cheers for good hometown beer! Darling Reader, let's get one together when I see you.
We are so lucky to have a cool place and cool people to return to... See all of you Northern California peeps soon!

Morning climb this week

No comments:

Post a Comment