Transitions (again)

Although this month started off kind of rough (aka: many many jet-lag inspired temper tantrums from my dear Maddie, and David's month of Bar prep hell)...

...we got over those two hurdles and began really enjoying ourselves. 

Maddie checking out the lone fish at the Honolulu Aquarium...

Listening to the ukelele concert at the Zoo...and buying orchids ...

View from Ka Iwi hike...ahhh....

Seriously,  sometimes I wake up and can't believe that I live in a place this beautiful.  The sound of the birds in the morning, the tradewinds...I feel the tension and stress of the past 10 years draining away day by day.  It's funny, because it isn't really the views from the beautiful hikes or the rainbows and sunsets that make the most difference - it comes down to the mundane little things that make life so much more manageable here. The short commute, the fact that people are civil while driving, the spacious house, the UNBELIEVEABLY good customer service...what it really boils down to is the fact that people here are NICE and COMPETENT. It is such an unbelievable combination that I haven't experienced in over 10 years.  The whole, "That's not my job!" mentality just doesn't exist here.   Amazing. Think about what America could be if people were civil and actually cared about their jobs and fellow citizens.  Maybe I am still too jaded  from working in urban hospitals....

So our month of relaxation has been winding to an end. Maddie started daycare again, and has been transitioning remarkably well. Her teacher, Ms. Kim stumbled on Maddie's profound love for Elmo on the first day and when I dropped her off on Day #2, all it took was her waving an Elmo phone and Elmo book in front of Maddie's face, and I was able to pluck my octopus- child off my neck with only semi-deafening shrieks, compared to the blood curdling screech of Day #1.  And while I worried and worried that Maddie would be traumatized by this whole transition, it goes to show you that children are far more resilient than their parents, because when I went to pick Maddie up on Day #1, she was drawing happily with crayons, and she looked up when I arrived, gestured casually to the seat next to her and said, "Sit down, Mama, Sit down." - totally at home in her new environment.  I am sad that our time at home together is coming to an end, but the Loh-Austins are a resilient family and it is time to restart on individual lives.  At least now we've got a couple rainbows to help brighten our every day.