Last night was our last night in our Wailuku sublet and we have mixed emotions about it. We are very excited about having our own place again and unpacking the suitcases for good, but Wailuku really feels like home now. We were so incredibly lucky to have Cheya and Ashley as our neighbors. At a time when we were feeling completely lost and alone on this island, they took us out, introduced us to their friends, answered our millions of Maui questions and became great friends. I know we will still hang out with them all the time, but it was nice having them right next door. Cheya’s dad Mark, who lives in the main house has also been wonderful to live next to. Not only is he a super nice guy, he’s also a talented artist who has lived a very interesting life.

Living at the base of the West Maui Mountains, overlooking the Central Valley and the ocean has been incredible. Every single time I drive up the driveway and see those mountains, I can’t comprehend that I live here. It took a couple weeks but we eventually grew to love all the strange jungle sounds and critters. That first night I could barely sleep with all the unusual sounds just outside the window. Every night a cool breeze comes down from the mountain and creates the quintessential perfect evening under a sky filled with all the stars we never got to see living in a major city. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up living back in Wailuku some day.

Then there’s Skunky. Oh Skunky, we are going to miss you SO MUCH! She was the first the welcome us to the house and seemed to immediately adopt us as her owners. We will miss her long meeeeeeeeooooooows that last longer than any other meow we have heard. We feel like we are leaving our pet behind and it’s breaking our hearts. Luckily Cheya and Ashley have agreed to keep feeding her and giving her love after we leave. Skunky is the best!

The car is now almost fully packed and in a few minutes we will say goodbye to Wailuku and hello to Kihei. Thanks for taking such good care of us, Wailuku.