Kama'aina

June 2017 - July 2018 was the best, funnest, most magical little capsule of time in my life that I got to live in my dream place with my most perfect sidekick.  Moving to a new city on an island thousands of miles away, completely unlike the Midwest in every way is the scariest thing I've ever done.  When I was planning the move, I underestimated how much I would need someone to be here experiencing it with me by like 1,000.  The most ideal sidekick would be someone who pushes me to try new things, is up for anything, makes everything big or small fun, and just in general DOWN FOR IT...this is Koriann's exact spirit.

 

June 4:  I moved here.  Got 2 weeks of fun-employment before starting my job I was so blessed to have been offered before leaving the mainland.

June 19:  Started a job where I have found the best people who I'm so lucky to get to spend my 9-5 with!

June 30:  Koriann arrives and we ate our first dinner watching the sunset over the beach.

  July 1:  Moved into our dream apartment, perfectly located, beautiful views, close to a beach.

July 7:  Koriann started her job as a preschool teacher ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR APARTMENT

Everything fell perfectly into place for us #blessed #nobutreally

We quickly added a member to our family.  Pink Floyd.  Kork's secret talent is blowing up gigantic pool floaties in record time.  Literally took her a commercial break during Real Housewives to bring Floyd to life.  Floyd sadly gave into his life on the streets, and shortly after getting clean (literally in Waikiki during the fireworks show), he came to his untimely demise when he met the latch on my trunk :( 

 Koriann is the best birthday mom ever.  She's been planning my birthday parties since 2011.

 
 
hikes; new ice cream places; hidden beaches; regular tourist spots; trivia night; a waterfall; concerts; local festivals; sports ball events; parades:  her answer was always yes.

On the Hawaii episode of Anthony Bourdain:  Parts Unknown, the Molokai bruddah says in response to 'who is "Hawaiian"?':

"If you love this place, and you don't want to...abuse it, we on the same team.  If you can malama our Aina the way we love it....we can be more than friends, we can be family.  I can aloha you."

Koriann is 100% Hawaiian in that definition of the word.  She spent her days here loving the children of this Aina, exploring its lands, and appreciating its beauty.  

Are you even best friend twins if you don't buy the same pants and force a boyfriend to follow you around town to every mural you can find and do a photoshoot?  

Kork made this place her home which helped make it home for me.  She's always been one of my very best friends, but having her here in this unfamiliar, far from home and some times scary speck of sand in the middle of a giant ocean provided me peace.

I'm the loud one, but don't get it confused, because while Koriann is not obnoxious like me, she's definitely the BRAVE one.  She's never afraid to speak up, ask for directions, or just try.   

thank you, thank YOU, THANK YOU!!   Having you here with me this past year has meant everything. I would not have been able to thrive here and fall as in love with this place without you.  I will never forget this year ever, and will always return to our memories when I need sunshine in my life.