The 3 years I lived in Hawaii

I had the privilege to live in Oahu, Hawaii for three years. It was such an amazing experience and my time there went by way too fast! I often think of my memories I had there and wish I could go back to that time in my life. The "Aloha spirit," was a real thing. Being there made you feel so happy and free. Even when I had the worst days, I would walk down to the beach and just sit and think. I would always leave feeling so peaceful and happy. I miss it.

There were tons of pros and a few cons to living in Hawaii. Some pros were awesome weather.. every day. Even when it rained, it was still so warm and beautiful. My favorite part about the rain was when I was driving down the highway, the rain would come off the mountains and make tons of small waterfalls. You would always be so tan, even when you didn't try. There weren't very many rainy or gloomy days so you would always feel motivated to get outside. I was very skinny when I lived in Hawaii because I was always out doing stuff! Plus, it was warm at night so I would go on nightly runs.

We also had the privilege to live a couple blocks away from the nearest beach. So we didn't even have to drive there! My kids loved it. Our house was located to the right, just outside this photo.

You had the option to visit all kinds of different beaches, public and private. Some beaches had calm waves, which was better for the kids. Other beaches had rough, vicious waves, which was awesome for surfing. Also, depending on which beach you went to, some had heavy grains of sand and others had small grains of sand. You could go to the east side of the island to see the sunrise on the beach or you could go to the west side of the island to experience the sunset on the beach. I was lucky enough to be able to do both multiple times. One time I did both in one day. It was unique because the sunrise and the sunset both gave you completely different feelings and emotions while you were there. Visiting the sunset would allow me to wake up early and go sit on the beach and think. I always felt so encouraged and refreshed in the mornings on the beach because I had the opportunity to think alone and make some goals for that day, or for the future. I felt peaceful watching the sunsets on the beach. I would drive home feeling calm and thankful for all the blessings in my life.

You could experience the beach life of Hawaii, or the green life, which was great for going on hikes or going camping. Hawaii had a lot of green trees and mountains.

Oahu also had the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen! And they smelled so good! These are flowers my son picked for me!

Most houses didn't even have air-conditioning. All you really needed is to just open your windows and turn on some fans. We even had a hammock on the tree in our backyard! It really was living in Paradise!

One of my favorite things to do was get in my car, turn on the music, roll down the windows, and drive alongside the beach.

Some cons were high gas prices, milk was $7.00 a gallon, and sand was everywhere. You'd find sand in your house, in your car, the kitchen, and even your bed. You couldn't drive very far and couldn't go on long road-trips. (It only took about 30 min to drive from the north side of the island to the south side.) Numerous people would complain of, "Island Fever." But I never felt that way. I loved everything about this island. Traffic was terrible! There were only 3 highways on the whole island, and the speed limits were typically 35. You only had the option to do things that were on the island, and most of those things were very expensive and crowded with tourists.

My personal adventures living in Hawaii

Some things I got to experience while living in Hawaii are jet skiing, parasailing, boating, surfing, paddle boarding, hiking, skydiving, kayaking, Pearl Harbor, scuba diving, the Dole Plantation, sandbars in Kaneohe Bay, snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, and the nightlife in Waikiki (downtown Honolulu).

Here's my husband & I jet skiing on one of our very first dates :)

When we were dating, we went out one night to meet friends at the Trump tower.

This is us kayaking one beautiful morning!

Hanauma Bay

The best part about living in Hawaii

was that I met my husband there. I had the honor to make him my husband and marry him on Bellows beach. In my opinion, Bellows Beach was the prettiest beach on Oahu! The only people that were there were my husband and me, the minister, and my best friend Amanda. It was magical; a truly beautiful experience in every aspect. I wish I could go back to that day and relive that moment all over again!

A few months after marrying my husband, I became pregnant with my fourth child. I gave birth to our baby boy, Brixton, at our local hospital in Kailua. We actually came up with his name one day shopping at the mall in Honolulu. They had multiple surf stores there that sold the "Brixton" brand. We loved it!

My husband has a motorcycle and we would go on tons of rides. One time we drove from the east side all the way to the west side. I think it took an hour after dealing with traffic. It's insane how small the island is and how each part looks so different.

I went skydiving twice! My younger brother came and visited us after his high school graduation. As a graduation gift, I took him skydiving and scuba diving. IT WAS SO AMAZING to skydive over the island. It was so breathtakingly beautiful. Thankfully, I purchased a video of my skydiving adventure. I watch it often!

Actually, this is a funny story. When I was dating my husband I asked him, "What was one thing you would never do?" He said, "Skydive." So of course, I purchased skydiving tickets for us and drove him there for a fun-filled surprise date. He did it like a champ! He did a backflip out of the plane! We both loved every minute!

I always wanted to try scuba diving. But doing it one time was enough for me! It was a terrifying experience and I had anxiety the whole time we were swimming the ocean floor. It was beautiful down there and we got to see so many different fish, shark, turtles, and a creepy eel. Breathing out of a mouthpiece while carrying an oxygen tank on your back.. knowing if the mouthpiece slipped out of your mouth, it wouldn't be possible to swim 50 feet to the top fast enough to catch a breath!! That thought TERRIFIED ME. I'm glad I got to experience that, though. Now I can cross it off my bucket list!

The first time I went surfing was with my brother. It was so physically challenging fighting the waves and carrying that heavy surf board. Balancing while on water is challenging in itself! But I stood up once and was so proud :) When we were finished, we turned in our boards. My brother was bending down to take off his foot strap and at the same time I was holding my board and turned around. As I was turning, my board hit him right smack across the face and gave him a bloody nose! HAHA not fun but it's one memory I love to look back on. That same day we got to stand about 10 feet away from a seal that was coming to shore to rest.

Drinking my first real coconut!

Paddle boarding with my daughter!

My husband is in the U.S. Navy. We lived on MCBH in Kaneohe Bay. He operates equipment while flying on P3 airplanes. This is where I would go watch him take off and land.

Hawaii is true paradise.

The energy, the beauty, the people, your surroundings. How could you be anything BUT happy when you're there? Hawaii will always hold a special place in my heart.

Important events happened: a marriage and a baby. But more than anything, I found myself. I found out who I was, the true me. I'll always be thankful for that time in my life.