As crazy as it might sound, moving to Hawaii was not an easy decision. We loved our life and were very comfortable with how things were in. So before we get too far into our Hawaiian adventure, we want to share a few thoughts about leaving the place we came to love.
St. George
We moved to St. George, UT in 2013 kind of on a whim. We rented out a vacation rental for a month thinking we could always move back if it wasn’t what we hoped it would be. We ended up staying in St. George for 6.5 years.
We loved it there, and we can easily see ourselves returning there someday. With its dry climate and mild winters, you can be outside year round. The city is clean and very family friendly. (I’ve never been to a city with more parks and splash pads.) It also has some of the best mountain biking and hiking trails found anywhere in the world. If you love the outdoors, it’s paradise.
Aside from the landscape, we were also leaving behind people we came to love. During our time in St. George, we lived in 3 different houses and we met some of the best people this world has to offer. People who give and serve and drop everything to help, no matter who it is.
We had so many friends who helped make the move possible. We could not have done it without their support and hours of help. Watching kids, loading the trailer, packing boxes, providing meals. We already miss them dearly (and hope they can come visit soon!).
And then there was family. Saying goodbye to your brother, sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews was the hardest. Our kids have grown very close these past few years. And this isn’t just any family. They are an “elite” family.
For example, here we are the day before our move, sitting in our garage on the last few pieces of furniture waiting to be packed, eating a home-cooked meal, made by my sister-in-law (which was still warm) and delivered by my bro. Elite.
These guys stepped in BIG time the last few weeks leading up to the move. They watched our kids for hours while we feverishly prepared for the move. Especially the last few days before we left. Our kids spent more time with their aunt and uncle than they did with mom and dad.
And then there were these snack bags, personalized with specific snacks and included a little love note on the front of each bag. Next level, right?
The Goodbye
Saying goodbye the next morning was not easy. But alas it was time to hit the road. My brother invited us to sleep at their house the last night, which made getting out the door the next morning a breeze.
This is what it looked like when we pulled out around 6am. Everything we owned was in the back of that truck and in that U-haul trailer. (We shipped our other vehicle a few weeks prior.) Everything else had been sold or donated.
We can’t thank our friends and family enough. They were seriously so much help and we could not have pulled off this move without them.
(Quick sidenote: Leaving during COVID was rough. We weren’t able to get around to everyone and do a proper goodbye like we had planned. It’s almost as if we snuck off in the night. But we want all our friends to know how much we appreciate all they did for our family. We already miss them tons!)
A New Chapter
We’ve always looked at life in “chapters”. Batching experiences together and giving them an overarching theme helps us remember those times better and also helps to prevent life from just running together.
So as one chapter closes, another one opens–the Hawaii chapter.
Next up, we’ll share what it was like traveling during Covid, and what we found in our house once we finally made it there (something we did not see coming).