Take it or leave it

Ever since I made the decision to move to Hawaii, my mind has been consumed with all the things I will need to get done and my first task was to leave my apartment so I gave my landlord 30 days notice and started packing.

Since I am trying to take only the bare essentials with me, I will have to fit everything into one large rolling duffle bag, one checked suitcase, a small carry-on suitcase, and a backpack. I will also have with me a very large rolling duffle bag for my road bike. Anything else that I might need in Hawaii, but that can't fit into my luggage, I am putting in a box and leaving with my friend to mail to me once I have an island address. The rest of what I am keeping, but will not need in Hawaii, I decided to put into longterm storage so that moving a large crate over wouldn't be necessary.

Of course moving to Hawaii via suitcases on a one way flight requires drastic downsizing so I found myself looking at everything I own with a simple take it or leave it policy. I realized that I don't use half of the stuff that I've accumulated over the years so I recycled, gave away, or trashed what I wasn't keeping. I used my minivan to move the items going into longterm storage but decided that transporting my minivan to Hawaii may be a waste of money in the long run, and because my attempts to sell it have so far been unsuccessful, it has found a temporary home with my parents.

Accomplishing it all wasn't easy but my first task of packing and moving out of my apartment was completed by my move out date. I was now temporarily homeless so I spent some time traveling across the U.S. to visit most of my family and some of my friends. I also enjoyed working with my mom at her shop where I earned some extra money for getting myself back to CA. I am very grateful that I took this time to see my family and friends because they are what means the most to me in this world.

All too soon it was time to fly back in CA to finish my last three weeks at my part-time job before going to Hawaii and, thankfully, a very kind-hearted friend offered me some generous help. She is the one who made the impossible possible. First, she invited me to stay on her comfy sofa with an expansive view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Next, she helped connect me with another temporary job so I could earn even more travel expense money. Then she lent me her truck so I could get around and for moving my Hawaii stuff into her garage for final sorting. It is indeed the little things that mean a lot and there were just too many other things to mention here. I will always be extremely grateful for her wonderful hospitality and I look forward to returning the favor whenever she can come see me in Hawaii.

So here I am, the day before my first one-way flight to Hawaii, trying to finish determining what to take with me now and what to box up for shipping over to Hawaii later. It has been my greatest challenge of this move so far since most of what I need to take now will only be what I need in order to accomplish my first two tasks in Hawaii...to explore the Big Island for a week before I try to complete the Hawaii 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon in Kona on Saturday, June 2nd. Most of what I have packed is, in fact, just for the race.

The rest of what I have packed into the suitcases will be for my one way flight to Oahu on June 3rd where I will face two of my biggest hurdles yet in moving to Hawaii: finding a job and an affordable place to live.

So, please follow me on my Aloha Anecdotes...the first flight to Hawaii leaves tomorrow morning!

Hawaii 411

Here are a few facts about Hawaii that I found interesting:

**Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth (2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines).

**Hawaii is the widest state in the United States (when measured from east to west).

**Hawaii is the only U.S. state whose land area is increasing (from volcanic eruptions).

**Hawaii has its own time zone. It's called Hawaiian Standard Time. There is no daylight savings time in Hawaii, which means that in summer, Hawaii is two hours behind the U.S. West Coast, while in winter, Hawaii is three hours behind the U.S. West Coast.

**Hawaii has the highest life expectancy in the United States. The average projected lifespan for people born in Hawaii in 2000 is 77.1 years for males and 82.5 years for females.

**Hawaii has Honolulu, the second most expensive city to visit in the United States, after New York, according to the 2011 Hotel Price Index.

**Hawaii has the southernmost point in the United States, Ka Lae on the Big Island of Hawaii, visit here and you’ll notice a constant 27 knots per hour wind blowing east to west, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year.

**Hawaii has the largest and most active volcano in the world (Kilauea volcano on the Big Island).

**Hawaii has the tallest mountain in the world. The Big Island’s Mauna Kea, when measured from its base at the ocean floor. It rises 13,796 feet (4,205 m) above sea level and another 17,000 feet (5,181 m) extend to its base below the ocean’s surface.

Hawaii seems so far away but I'm already enjoying learning about this remote, tropical paradise. Which makes me wonder about the definition of the word paradise...according to an online source (http://i.word.com/idictionary/paradise) it is "a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight".

So, what's your definition of paradise and where do you expect you would find it?

Aloha Invitation

Aloha! {"Hello!"}

Welcome to Aloha Anecdotes!

This is where I'll share stories of my journey relocating to Hawaii.

I invite you to join me on June 3rd as I step off a one-way flight to Oahu with a couple of suitcases and my road bike.

I've never been to Hawaii before, and based on some of the reactions to my decision to move there, you'd think I was planning to relocate somewhere off the planet! :)

I know this won't be easy but, if success were guaranteed, then it wouldn't be a challenge.

I welcome this challenge and I'd love for you to come along by following my Aloha Anecdotes to see what it's like.

Maybe you've already done something this crazy before or you know someone who has?

Please post your comments in the section below. ~Mahalo!~ {"Thank you!"}

Aloha, {"Love,"}

Terry