Things continue to be great here. Other than constant internet issues, Maui has treated us well. Darlene went from being worried about finding work to possibly having too many job offers. In the span of a few days, she was offered a part-time position at a large company, offered a part-time job assisting our current landlord who is a successful painter and sculptor and getting a job interview at a restaurant that she would really like to work at. She has a good shot at getting this restaurant office manager position and since it’s full-time with benefits she might not be able to even take the job she was offered. It’s a tough call for her and a bit of a gamble but I think things will work out.

The position with the artist is really cool and she would get a chance to work side-by-side with our friend and neighbor Ashley who also assists him. He’s a really nice mellow guy (like most people here) and his house is INSANE. It’s one giant open space surrounded by windows that overlook the ocean. Oh yeah, and most of the space is filled with a beautiful indoor pool that features a living room built over the center like a bridge.

Skunky pretty much officially lives on our lanai now. She used to just come by at dinner time but now she kind of never leaves. It kills us that we have to move in a couple weeks and leave her behind. She’s basically our pet now even though apparently she has another home someplace. Although I find the lizards to be very cute, it’s still funny to watch her casually grab one and eat it whole in less than 5 seconds. She’s not playing around.

Our new Hawaiian bank account is open and our car is scheduled to arrive on Monday. After that, we will get new license plates, driver’s licenses and invest in some stickers for the back of the car that will make us look more “local.” Apparently this simple step can go a long way when it comes to preventing car break-ins. Life is starting to feel normal again as we complete these small tasks. The next big step will be moving into our new place and patiently searching for good deals on used furniture and having family members slowly ship us the mountain of flat-rate USPS boxes we left them with. It will be nice to see some of our stuff again.

“Our” pet cat Skunky.

 

Skunky is getting more and more friendly.

 

Our friend CJ gave us a papaya from his yard. It was the best papaya we have ever tasted. We can also walk right into the back yard and pick fresh bananas and avocados. These perks will be missed after we move.

 

The Central Valley is mostly large sugar cane fields and when it comes time to harvest it they light the field on fire, leaving only the stalks behind. It fills the air with smoke and the smell of caramelized sugar. Luckily this does not happen very often. Sometimes ash will gently fall from the sky and it’s referred to as “Maui snow.”

 

We bought some decent snorkel gear.

 

Crazy night sky over Kahului.