Well everyone, the time has come. We have officially taken everything off of the walls in our home, and the reality of the move has finally set in. Crazy... Three years here in Hawaii. Two homes, one amazing daughter and a lot of learning experiences later we are moving from the island and heading back home. (Or close to it.) This has been such an amazing and crazy adventure, filled with both the good and the bad. I don't even know how to describe the rush of emotions I'm feeling.

It's sad to think that it will be a long time before I see these amazing friends that I've made again. I'm not very good at saying goodbye. But I'm also filled with this amazing sense of relief. I don't want to sound horrible or anything, but guys, we made it through! We made it through our first duty station and we are better for it. You don't know how scary this adventure was for the two of us. We had never lived this life before or lived this far away from family. We didn't know anyone and we didn't know what to expect. It was so huge for us and we made it! I want to shout it from the rooftops!!!

Now, I'm not saying that it was a rough life for the past three years and that we really struggled. I don't want to sound as if we made it through hell. haha It's just a great feeling to have done this and move on. To start fresh. To meet new people and to have new experiences. To say goodbye to the crap that we did endure while here (because it wasn't all sunshine and aloha.) To be grateful for all the things we learned and experienced. To breathe a sigh of relief because soon we will be breathing southern air!

 God put us here for a reason and I've had to remind myself of that so many times while being here. I guess he knew I needed to meet the people I did. To meet my first friend here, Kim, who took me under her wing and showed me what aloha really means and kept me sane when I thought I couldn't take anymore. For Andrea who became the military wife friend I was craving and helped keep Hawaii and daily life as interesting as can be. For Noreen who mothered me and always made sure I knew how much she cared for me. For Li-Anne who helped me become the teacher I am today. And those who weren't as welcoming who showed me that I'm much stronger than I ever thought I was and kept me in check. God knew we needed the sand and the sea and the warm weather to keep our spirits high even when we missed home like crazy. This is where we were supposed to be and now He has called us somewhere else.

Hawaii, I am going to miss you. Maybe not as much at first, but I'm sure when the cold weather hits I'll be longing for you again.

Aloha Hawaii.