Our one year Hawaii anniversary!

K, G, and I have been here one year now. Living in Hawaii has been both amazing and amazingly frustrating, but after one year we are finally getting a grip on island living. So, in honor of the year in paradise:

The top 5 amazingly frustrating reasons not to live in Hawaii:
1) The streets are too narrow for our large automobiles!!! As illustrated in this picture, taken at Bellows Beach after my unfortunate run-in with an ill-placed garbage can on a narrow street last Wednesday night (note the passenger side mirror):

2) The ticks are relentless....poor Gaffney
3) It is the most expensive place you will ever live. Ever.
4) We can't go for long drives on the island. First, it is an island, so there are no long drives. Second, the traffic is here is miserable since every family has an average of 2 cars and it is an island with not many roads.
5) It is 2,500 miles to our nearest friends and family.

And now....The top 5 amazing reasons to live in Hawaii:

1) You can camp on the beach, any time of year. The picture to the right was taken at Bellows this weekend. I would have taken more pictures, but the battery in the Cannon Powershot died (has anyone else had this problem with their Cannon battery? It doesn't hold a charge anymore.)
2) The food is incredible. I mean, just incredible. Japanese noodles (udon) are my current favorite thing to eat ever.
3) The people we work with are amazingly nice and accepting
4) The weather is perfect. You get to wear slippers (flip-flops) to work everyday of the year.

and finally,
5) It is amazingly beautiful here. I feel like we have just begun to discover all the intricate details of this place, but I am not concerned. It took about 4 years of Tucson to appreciate all the back country, all the twists and turns of the light during the different seasons, etc, etc. We will be in Hawaii at least another year, and I hope in that time, we will grow to love this place and ignore the top five frustrations! Aloha!