Arrangements

A lot has come together in the past few days. I now have a plane ticket for Friday, September 29th. I leave Iowa at noon and hit Denver and San Francisco before landing in Lihue (on my island, Kauai) around 7 PM. From there I have a 30 mile drive to Waimea to the apartment reserved for me for the month of October. From what I gather, it's the penthouse suite (#302) but there is a law on the island that no buildings can be built higher than a palm tree. So we'll see if the building really has 3 floors. I'm picturing pulling into Waimea around sunset, hauling all my luggage upstairs, and crashing hard that first night. That will give me a whole weekend to settle in and explore before I start work on Monday morning.

My apartment is near the beach and across the river from where I work. I'll have a rental car during October, but judging by the map I think that it wouldn't be a big deal to walk or get a bike. We'll have to see. There is also a bank, market, and a "Big Save" within walking distance. I was so excited I just stared at the map the other day. I think that I'm blocking out the whole work thing for right now and focusing on the Hawaii part. Anyway, I was hoping to get a driver's license and bank account right away but since I'll show up on a Saturday I won't count on things being open. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.

It may not seem to be that much to you, but having my plane ticket and apartment really sealed the deal for me. It's finally starting to materialize as reality. I talked to a friend who has recently moved to Honolulu and got some perspective and advice on what to expect. Talking to her also reminded me that soon I'll be off starting something new and different. It's exciting and scary all at once. But making decisions are what grown-ups do, right?