Somewhere, Over the Rainbow

Honolulu, Hawaii will forever be my favorite place that I've had the privilege to live in. Moving to Hawaii was terrifying. I was leaving behind a job that I loved and was respected at as well as all of my friends and the life that I was used to in order to start over in a new place. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it all again? No hesitation.

My decision to move to Hawaii was based on my best friend in the entire world. Her husband is active duty Army and he got orders to PCS (move) to Hawaii for the next three years and I decided that I wasn't being left behind this time like I was when they PCS'd to California. I was going to go with because 1. Hawaii 2. I can be a nurse anywhere 3. I didn't have any TRUE attachments to Texas and 4. I didn't want to be away from my best friend and her girls, who are my favorite tiny humans in all the world. So I applied for a few jobs and, to my surprise, I got one of them 72 hours later. It would be six months before I would actually leave and start said job, but I got it and I was THRILLED. Little did I know that just a short four months later I would be laid off due to COVID.

Being unemployed in Hawaii was both the best and worst part of 2020 for me. On one hand I was devastated to be unemployed, I'd never in my life been fired or cut from a job in any way so this was a serious blow to my self esteem, but on the other hand it was amazing. I qualified for unemployment and thankfully didn't have to wait to incredibly long for my payments to kick in, so I wasn't at risk for losing my apartment or my car, thankfully, and I was able to relax a little bit, but the best part of unemployment was the time that it gave me to explore the island.

I went to the beach and relaxed in the sun, I got pretty good at paddle boarding, I hiked so many different places, I snorkeled, and I explored so many different parts of the island. It was magical. Losing my job was devastating, but the growth and happiness that I got from exploring Oahu was worth every tear that I cried and every hurt that I felt. I was able to spend so much time outside in nature just soaking up Vitamin D and fresh air and it was the best thing for my health, both physical and mental, especially during this pandemic. I could see myself happily living in Hawaii for the rest of my life if that's where this next adventure leaves me, but there's so much more of the US to explore, that I won't be surprised if I decide to settle down somewhere else instead.

In just 72 short days I'll be at the end of my second travel nursing contract and leaving for spring break vacation back to Hawaii and the island that I once called home and I can't WAIT. This time I'll be bringing my parents and youngest brother with me to explore and experience the beauty that is Hawaii and I'm truly so excited to take them. I'm also so pumped to see all of my friends and eat all of my favorite foods again, but let's just focus on showing them around for now.

Can't wait to share some of my favorite Hawaii hikes, beaches, and eats with y'all over the next few posts!