15 Things I Love About Living In Hawaii

I love…

1. That a bikini can and often does replace a bra (hmm…maybe that’s why they are scoopy)
2. That fast food is grabbing some poke and chop sticks at the grocery store (Foodland is my fave poke)
3. Many times a bath for my kids consists of taking a dip in the ocean…shhhh (they do get real baths too, I’m not that bad!)
4. People let you in when you are driving. Almost to a fault, they will totally do the opposite of the “rules” and wait to let you in. It rocks…and sometimes it doesn’t, like when I am behind the car that’s being so nice as to stop at a green light to let a car go….just to be nice..  
5. To go along with number 4, I love that they don’t rush you at a check out line. They ask how you are and really want to know. They talk story with you and it doesn’t matter if they have a line of people behind you. This is cool, unless, you are in line behind the people talking story, then it can be frustrating.  BUT it makes you stop, chill and take solace in knowing that it isn’t your fault that you HAD to take longer to run that errand. It slows you down, which can be really really nice.
6. That my doctor suggested exercise to battle any postpartum after I had my daughter…her words “Just throw on clothes and go! No one in Hawaii cares what you are wearing” And that, folks is why I moved to Hawaii…people just simply don’t care what the hell you are wearing! Ah, I feel so free!
7. That my neighbors drop off huge bags of mangoes at our door steps {mahalo auntie!}
8. That I am actually used to the smell of plumeria in my nose…it’s just the smell of Hawaii! I used to ooh and ahh over it when I’d deplane on a trip to Hawaii but now, it’s just how it is. Love that!
9. We do have seasons…whale watching season and jet ski/parasailing season. Who said we don’t have seasons?!
10. That we live in slippas (otherwise known as flip flops). I have a rainbow of slippas and love that NONE have heels! Hallelujah!
11. Our traffic is because of people pulling over to take a picture of either a whale, the sunset or themselves perched on a cliff overlooking Lanai (be careful folks!)
12. Speaking of Lanai, I LOVE that I have views of both Lanai and Molokai from my living room. Love that!
13. I love that you can get spam on rice or a taro pie at McDonalds
14. That they have unmanned stands on the side of the road selling fruits or bundles of flowers and they trust that you will leave money in the box that’s either sitting on the table or hung on a fence…and I choose to believe that everyone does pay.
15. I love that time stands still during sunsets in Maui. Seriously…people stop talking, stop walking, stop driving (see number 11) and actually get up from their dinner tables at restaurants to go and watch the sunset. It’s like a nice big collective inhale and exhale taken by everyone and the exact same time. ahhhhh….