The 9th Island - 6 months!

When we told people in Oahu that we were moving to Las Vegas, the response was always the same: the 9th Island! Having been here for six months now, I can totally understand that response - there are a bunch of Hawaiian restaurants here and a few stores and/or products from the Islands. Sadly, no Hawaiian Winner (hotdog) musubi here though.

There are some things that we missed about Hawaii but we are adapting well to Vegas. Quality of life is so much better here and having friends here already has been a blessing. The summer heat here takes your breath away but working from home made that more than bearable. I think living in Hawaii without air conditioning for almost 18 months prepared us for the Vegas summer!

Lo and I both had jobs set up before we moved here so it's almost felt like we haven't really had a chance to explore what Vegas has to offer. Lo switched jobs about a month after she got here for a fully remote job and I start my new fully remote job on Monday. It seems like we've been in a constant state of change since we got here so we are looking forward to having things settle in to place since the Holidays are coming.

Over the last six months, I had time to reflect on the following:

• Prices in Hawaii were so high that we got out of the spending trap. We still buy a little but we've become big fans of Goodwill. 
• I realized that since 2006, I have moved into seven places without ever seeing them in advance. I've also started several jobs without ever meeting my bosses in person before the job started.
• Mexican food was hard to find and expensive in Oahu so we mostly ate Taco Bell. Taco Bell and Jack in the Box were our go-go fast food places. In Vegas, there's cheap Mexican restaurants on every corner. I've eaten rolled tacos in about 10 different restaurants! All that to say, I've discovered that I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food anymore. I'd rather have Taco Bell - lol. Side note: but I'm not a fan of Jack in the Box here.
• We have found an amazing Mexican grocery store called, La Bonita. We can get a week or two worth of fresh produce and meats for under $40 - my weekly shopping trip there usually costs between $17 - $22.  A head of cauliflower once cost me almost $12 in Hawaii so this store has been an awesome asset to our budget here. 
• People have been really nice here. It has made our transition to the 9th Island so much easier.

We are looking forward to the Fall weather coming soon and for the holidays. We are glad we made the change to Vegas so for. We'll keep you updated on how things are going on the 9th Island!