Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year)
It's hard to believe another year has passed already. I like to spend a few minutes on New Year's Day reflecting on the past year so I'm ready to move forward with a good attitude into the new year. I'll be honest - 2021 was a hard year for us. We moved to Hawaii expecting it to be the picturesque paradise portrayed in social media and movies. What we got instead, due to the pandemic, was an overpriced version of Gillian's Island, with a lot more people stranded on the island with us. Most venues were shut down and most restaurants were take-out only. Products and goods were hard to come by and expensive. Just as the island was starting to open up in the summer, a new wave of Covid outbreak hit and the state imposed even stricter guidelines, which caused things to close back up in September. Yes, Hawaii is beautiful. The beaches and mountains are Instagram-worthy. The culture and food are amazing. But...and it's a big but - living here and vacationing here are...