Bucket List

Upon deciding to move back to the mainland we composed a pretty extensive bucket list of things that we must do on the island before we leave. I feel pretty good knowing that we've crossed off 90% of the list in 2 weeks.

Last week we headed to the Southeast side of the island for some jungle exploration and tried to see the lava. We went to the jungle to visit some friends and try to understand why they call the people who live in Puna..."punatics".

We woke up surrounded by birds, jungles leaves, and even a pet monkey. We set off to explore hidden beaches and new territory. We found ourselves in pine forests that lead to cliffs that overlooked the ocean and windy roads through the jungle. It was breathtaking. Munson loved running around the woods and smelling all the trees. Seeing her run around made us even more excited to explore the Rockies with her. She's going to be such a mountain dog.

We spent the morning in Puna and then headed over to Volcano to try to see some lava action. Although we live on an active volcano that is dumping lava in to the ocean every minute, trying to see the actual lava is not as easy as it may seem. Unfortunately, it wasn't flowing in a great spot so we settled for the most recent flow's hardened rock versus the smoldering hot lava. Most of the Big Island is covered in lava rock. We have very few sandy beaches here. Most of the beaches are made of lava rock or you at least have to cross it to get to the beach. The lava rock in Volcano was beautiful. You could see every ripple and air pocket from the previous flow. Crazy to think that just a few years ago the whole town was nothing but hot lava.

We spent the night with our favorite uncles and 6 dogs and rested up for a 5k rainforest run we were going to do the next day.

We ran our first race together through the rainforest and volcano village. Although it was just a few miles it made us excited to move to Denver surrounded by a ton of running clubs, bike trails and hiking paths.

Our last few stops were to a Buddhist temple in Naalehu to visit the monks and peacocks and the most Southern point of the island. Uniquely named 'South Point'. South Point is a famous cliff, off of which Tommy jumped.

We headed back to Kona sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful island but excited for our new adventures.

This past weekend we celebrated with an aloha party to help close our stay here. We invited all of our friends, made a ton of food and dressed in our finest luau attire ready to say "aloha".

Our time on the island is coming to a very quick end. 3 weeks from today we will be headed to the airport and back to the mainland. It's a very bittersweet feeling but we're more excited than anything.

Hold the Phone

We have really big news.

For the past few months we've thought a lot about our lives here in Hawaii. Our jobs, our living situation, our friends, etc. We love Hawaii. The past year+ has been absolutely incredible and we have loved every minute of this grand adventure. But we're ready for something else.

We thought long and hard about this decision. We made a list of our top locations, reasons to move, job possibilities, etc. and we decided to make the leap....to Denver.

We love Colorado. We always have. Tommy has spent many summer vacations/snowboard trips/long weekends and climbing trips in Colorado. Whereas I lived in Denver for 2 full years and felt so comfortable the entire time.

With the busy 'tourist' season quickly ending in Hawaii and a small time frame to fly with a pup, we had to make the decision and book the flights fairly quickly. We will be leaving the island indefinitely September 19. We will be flying to Des Moines for a few weeks to gather our belongings, look for jobs and get situated. From there, we'll pack it all up and head to the Rockies.

It's very bittersweet. Hawaii has been good to us and it's hard to leave. But, we're ready.

So that's that. We'll see you on the mainland!

The anticipated trip to Maui

I'm sure you all have been sitting in suspense just dying for the next blog update. Well, wait no longer...here it is folks!

Maui was quite an adventure. It is a beautiful island and exactly what you think of when you picture "Hawaii". Long white sand beaches, endless tiki bars, winding roads with jungle scenery and being able to see 3 of the other islands in the distance. (because Maui really is, that small)

We had a fabulous vacation. Flying in to Maui was a little nerve-wracking as we were packed tight in a 9 passenger plane and felt some pretty gusty winds. But the view was spectacular and we made it there alive.

Upon arrival we headed over to grab our rental car. We had initially signed up for an extra small/compact car. Perhaps something similar to a geometro? But instead, we got upgraded cheap for a silverMustang Convertible. Talk about living it up on vacation! The car was fabulous and nothing beats the feeling of driving with the top down right along the coast of the ocean.

Friday we spent the day exploring beaches and hanging with our dear friends the Feeny's. Drinks and food are never out of reach with this crowd. We turned in early in anticipation for the big race. The HCRA Canoe State Championship!

The race site was crazy. There were thousands of people there from all over the state. After the canoe blessings and opening ceremonies the show began promptly at 9am. Kai 'Opua started off strong and won the first two races. Then it was our turn.....the Novice B's. We have been working since April for this. We set out to go to states and were determined to win. Nerves were high and legs were jittery as we paddled out to the starting line. We said it was just another race and to just give it all.....and boy did we give it our all.

We put so much energy in to that boat that boat couldn't even handle us. Mid-way through the course, our ama lifted up and we huli'ed (flipped). We gathered our senses and with 2 minutes left to finish the race we tried to flip the boat back over and bail all the water out. Unfortunately, the swells were coming in pushing more water in to our boat than we were dumping out and our boat was swamped. We had the escort boat help us on and take us back to shore....not finishing the race.

We were all pretty upset. We worked really hard for this and couldn't finish the race. However, I like to look at it as just another adventure. Every paddler huli's at some point. It's unfortunate that our time had to be during the state championship...but c'est la vie.

I keep replaying the huli in my head. I'm still not sure what exactly happened or what we could have done differently. But what I do remember is how beautiful the water was. How clear blue the ocean seemed and how I could see the reef crystal clear hundreds of feet below. I remember how nice the chase boat guys were and how helpful the uncles were that helped us flip our boat back. I remember how close I felt in that moment with my paddle girls and how we all shared a laugh on the chase boat. I remember feeling the aloha spirit as we got back to the beach...and being okay with it all. Because that's what paddling is...dedication, love, and aloha.

As soon as we got to the beach it was Tommy's turn to go out and paddle. The mix team was now feeling exceptionally nervous because of our performance but they paddled strong and crossed the finish line in 11th place. They were lei'd on the beach with high spirits.

After the race we celebrated in Lahaiana with friends. We had a few cocktails and had a delicious dinner of pasta and lobster. (Hey, we're on vacation!)

The rest of our vacation was spent exploring the island. We ate incredible food, saw breathtaking beaches and went on the most beautiful ride of my life. We drove along the Northern point of Maui which was windy and at some points terrifying...but gorgeous none the less. We drove along cliffs on one way roads. We saw jungles that reminded us of Hilo, forests that reminded us of Jurrasic Park, Mountains that reminded us of Thailand and rocks that reminded us of Utah. Crazy to think that it was all one island.

We were sad to say goodbye to Maui but confident that we will back again. Hopefully with friends and definitely in a convertible.