Friends and family have teased us saying that we're running our own Bed & Breakfast while living here in Hawaii. I suppose there's some truth in the statement...we've had a pretty consistent run of visitors since we moved into the apartment at the end of July. It's definitely kept us busy (and has kept me from keeping up with the blog on a regular basis...) and it's making the year go by that much faster. We're always looking ahead and looking forward to the next visitor. I think the longest stretch without company thus far is about 3 weeks.
Personally, I absolutely love having people visit! Especially since I'm not working full-time this year (although I have recently started substitute teaching...). Instead, I've enjoyed my "job" of being a hostess/island tour guide. It's so exciting to be able to share our Hawaii experience with friends and family who come to visit. Dan definitely enjoys the visitors, too, but his work schedule keeps him pretty busy, so he doesn't always get to spend as much time with them as he'd like.
Right now, we have company "booked" through February! (so...hint, hint...inquire about your trip soon if you want to visit before our year is up) But here's a quick recap of the past 4 months.
August:
My brother was our first Hawaii guest. He stayed with us August 7-16, arriving less than two weeks after we moved into the apartment...definitely motivation to unpack and get settled! We had such a great visit with Jon. Dan was still on ER that month, so his shift work allowed him to be "off" more than other months, and the three of us were able to spend a lot of quality time together exploring the island. Some highlights: lots of hikes, good beach days, snorkeling, swimming with sharks (Dan and Jon), Jon went skydiving at the North Shore, and great dinners (both at home/out).
[Note: Jon was also our first official visitor when we moved to Erie...I'm noticing a trend and hope it continues!]
September:
[Quick break from Hawaii visitors]
At the last minute, I flew back to the mainland at the beginning of September for my cousin Derek's wedding. I flew into Virginia and met my parents in Virginia Beach for the wedding weekend. I am so thankful for Dan, who really encouraged me to go. He knows how important family is to me, and knew I'd be really sad if I missed the wedding. I'm glad he pushed me to go, and I had a wonderful visit with my Dad's extended family. After the wedding, I drove back to New York with my parents and enjoyed a few days visiting friends/family there. Overall my mainland visit was great, but too short! I would have loved to travel to Erie to visit friends/coworkers there (maybe next time). The wedding was beautiful, and of course, a huge highlight of weddings in our family is the dance floor...
I flew back to Hawaii on September 15, just two days before our second guest, Dan's mom, arrived! She stayed with us for a week and then spent a few nights visiting friends/family on Maui. Unfortunately, Dan was working Surgery and then Trauma while his mom was in town, so he didn't get to spend that much time with her. However, we made the most of the time he did have off. And while Dan was at work, I enjoyed the quality time with my mother-in-law. I'm thankful for her and the time we spent together. Some highlights of her visit: Pearl Harbor, visiting Dan at Tripler, beach days, hikes, and running my first 5K (I'm so glad she encouraged me to run it with her)!
October:
My dear friend Lindsay and her husband Dan came to Hawaii from October 7-13. Lindsay and I met freshman year of college and instantly became good friends. We've kept in touch throughout the years, and I'm certain we'll be lifelong friends. My Dan was still working Trauma during their visit, so again, he wasn't around as much. But I had a wonderful time showing Lindsay and Dan around the island. Highlights from their visit: lots of hikes (I think we did one almost every day), visiting the North Shore (huge waves + shrimp truck), eating a lot of shave ice, and enjoying the beauty of Kailua/Lanikai.
A few weeks later, my parents came to visit! They stayed with us from October 23-31. It was so great to have my parents in town. Dan was working Family Medicine during their visit, so his hours were decent during the week, and he had the weekend off. Prior to my parents' visit, Dan pointed out that my family really plans their vacation time around food. It's funny, but totally true. Consequently, we planned our days around the delicious dinners we'd eat. We had many meals out, and cooked several at home, too. Other highlights from their trip were: renting a pet-friendly boat and going out to the Sand Bar at KBay, hikes, Pearl Harbor, beach days, shopping days, surviving our first Tsunami warning on island, and obviously, the food.
[Note: saying goodbye to visitors is always the hardest part, but my parents' goodbye was okay this time because they're coming back in the spring with my sister!]
November:
At the last minute, Dan found out he had Veteran's Day weekend off. So we called up his cousin Luke (who lives on Maui), and he and his girlfriend Linda flew over and stayed with us for the weekend. They're just wonderful! We had a great visit with them, and it was a great feeling having family so "close." It made us realize how we need to take advantage of them living in Hawaii, too, and we hope to see them a lot more in the next few months. The big highlight from their trip was visiting the North Shore. In the 10 years he's lived in Hawaii, Luke had never been to Oahu. He's a big surfer, and loved surfing the waves of the North Shore. Linda and I had fun finding shells on the beach (she makes incredible jewelry), and all four of us, of course, enjoyed some North Shore shave ice.
Well, here we are at the end of November. It's been a great, and busy fall with friends/family. Dan and I are now looking forward to our next visitor.
My cousin Jeremy arrives on...Wednesday!!
