Hawaii Observations #1

*I would like to preface this post by saying that if you are from Hawaii or know someone who is then please dont take offense at this post*

I have been living on Oahu for about six weeks now.  I have been making a list of things I have noticed in my travels around the island.  I would like to use this post to share my insights thus far.

1. Driving with Aloha sucks
         I had never heard of this until moving to the island but this is how everyone drives around here.  I am from the south where everyone is hospitable and gracious but driving with aloha makes Southerners look like Damn Yankees (couldn't resist!).  Now dont get me wrong, I appreciate it when I want to use a cross walk and everyone slams on brakes to let me go across.  When I am in a hurry it is great to know that people are going to stop for me and let me in.  However, when I have been waiting in traffic for awhile and someone just gets let in before me then I tend to get rather pissed. 

2. Everyone backs into parking spots
         I have been known to drive forward while parking so I can just pull out of the parking spot but I rarely back into a spot.  Mostly because I am afraid I am going to damage my car or the ones parked next to me but also because it takes more time than just pulling in.  Roughly 80% of the Hawaiian islands' population is on Oahu and that makes for some pretty packed parking lots everywhere you go.  It is a pain when you are waiting to leave a parking lot or get a spot while someone is taking 10 hours to back into a spot.  It is even more frustrating when you factor in #5!

3. The radio plays Katy Perry too much
       I never realized I was a radio snob until I moved here.  There is only one station that plays the standard 90s-today music and it tends to be the one I listen to.  Every other song seems to be Katy Perry which is pretty much like dragging nails down a chalk board.  I have started saving money to buy a satellite radio system the first day we really started driving around the island.  All I can say is thank heavens for ipods!!

4.  Island Time is alive and kicking
        It has been great learning to slow down and not be so uptight but sometimes island time is not all it is cracked up to be.  When I called to get cable they set us up with an appointment date 20 days away.  Calling in to maintenance has proven to be just as frustrating.  They have even called to push an appointment back 17 days that was still a week away because they were that backed up.  I am all for a relaxing day drinking in the sun and wasting the day away but if I need stuff done then it needs to get done!

5. Everyone wants a huge, lifted truck
      When I say everyone I mean everyone!  Stay at home moms will take their children to school and soccer practice (not really sure if they have many teams out here) in some of the most jacked up trucks I have ever seen...and I am from the South!!  We bought a Ford Ranger when we got our here because my car isn't good for hauling much stuff.  Dave has talked about putting slightly bigger wheels on the car but nothing crazy.  We own one of a handful of cars on the island that are still pretty much how they came from the factory.  Most cars are lifted a minimum of 6 inches and have tires bigger than I am tall on them.  This makes backing them into parking spots even more interesting and time consuming. 

6. I need more tattoos!
      It is no secret that I have a love for tattoos.  I have always had plans for a few more tattoos but after getting here I felt the need to speed the timeline up.  Everyone seems to be sporting at least a half sleeve of amazing work and I am jealous.

7. I am the only Honda Insight on the island
       Gas prices out her are crazy and will soon top $4/gallon I am sure (and that is with the military discount we get).  I am more happy then ever to have a hybrid.  I have been driving my car around right after Christmas and have still not filled my tank up again!  There are a lot of hybrids on the island but they seem to be either a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic.  I find myself looking every time I am out and about for a fellow Insight owner but have come up empty handed.
*Update: After writing about this observation on my computer, I came across another Honda Insight in the Target parking lot.  I was so happy I almost left them a note!*




I am sure that more observations will come and I will be sure to fill you all in.  Again, I hope I have not offended anyone :)

Exercise shmexercise

Throughout my life, I have had a battle with my weight.  It has been a long road but I am finally at a point where I can see a healthy attitude about food in my life. 

Part of this journey has been figuring out what activities and exercises I like to do.  In Charleston, I was lucky enough to stumble upon two of the greatest things in the whole world...Roller Derby and MUSC's Bootcamp.  Participating in these two programs opened up my world to two whole new families.  I have learned so much about myself in the past year in large part to these two groups.  It was not uncommon for me to be working out 5 times a week with Bootcamp and 3 times a week with Derby.

The hardest thing about leaving Charleston was no longer being a part of these groups.  Luckily, I have found that with both Derby and Bootcamp once you are family you are family forever no matter how far away you are!

I am trying to get my act together to start practicing with the Derby team on Oahu.  I need to buy new gear and dont really have the money right now (not having a job sucks!).  Eventually I will get the gear and get out on my skates again.  Until then, I am helping out with the team's bouts so I can get to know the girls.

My bootcamp family is awesome and has really helped me make this difficult life transition.  We have an annual holiday weight loss challenge that I was a part of (half in Charleston and half in Hawaii).  I am happy to say that I won!  This challenge really helped me not go off the deep end on my sad days.  With the holiday challenge over a new challenge was started up and without even asking rules were make so that I could participate.  I dont know what I would do without these challenges.  I have not found a workout routine that I love yet but I now have a reason to make sure I find one. 

Hawaii is the land of activities.  There are always people running, biking, walking, etc when you go outside..more so than anywhere else I have seen.  I have already started a list of things that I want to try but have not gotten to: Bikram yoga (hot yoga), bootcamp class on base, TRX class on base, outrigger canoeing, and stand up paddleboarding.  I cant wait to start crossing things off this list and adding new stuff.  Hopefully, I will find stuff I love to do and will have a new workout routine. 

Until then, I am on the treadmill everyday and have even have the dogs walking on the treadmill (videos of that coming soon).

I guess the point of this post was to get out my frustration on not having the safety net of workouts that I had in Charleston and to put my plan of action out there so I will have to do something about it.  I am grateful for the family I had in Charleston that continues to support me on this journey and I cant wait to find another family in Hawaii.

Getting Settled

Dave and I are mostly settled in our new home.  We are waiting on maintenance to come fix a few things around the house but are not holding our breaths on that one.  We have gotten most of our pictures on the walls and it is looking like a home.  We are still missing chairs for our dining room table but they should be here on monday!  We have learned the hard way that shipping usually costs more than the things you want to buy.

I will have photos or video tour of the house up soon.  I need to locate the cord for my camera!

I am looking for a job but until the right one comes along I have decided to have a go at being crafty.  I have an Etsy account that currently has nothing to sell on it.  Last Christmas I stumbled upon a great gift idea that I made for everyone.  I am going to take that and turn it into stuff to sell on Etsy.  I hope to have my first prototypes up this week.  I will share the link once I have something to sell.

Dave and I have gone out on a few day trips since being here and I really wanted to show pictures from our latest trip.  We went to the North Shore last weekend when the waves were 25-35 ft.  We took our cameras and got some amazing shots.  There were so many people on the beach, on the side of the road, on rock cliffs above the ocean, everywhere!  It took us about half an hour to drive 4 miles but we had a good view of the ocean for most of the drive.  I have never seen the ocean that crazy in my life.  The surfers made it look so easy out there even though I would have peed in my pants.

Well I think I am going to go hunt down my camera cord and hopefully have photos to post tomorrow.

Hi!

My name is Adair and welcome to my blog.  I recently moved to Hawai'i from South Carolina.  I am starting this blog as a way for family and friends to stay up to date with the happenings in my (oh so exciting!) life. Stayed tuned for updates from the middle of the Pacific.

More to come...Aloha!