This month felt like living in two worlds at once — the one we’re still in and the one we’re slowly preparing to step into. It was busy in the best and messiest ways, and somehow it all blurred together into a month I don’t want to forget. Here’s what it looked like for us.

Friends, Playdates, and Saying “Yes”

February has been so busy! There have been a million playdates and so much friend time — sleepovers, playgrounds, anything and everything. I’m really trying to let Ivey spend all the time she wants with the people she loves. I know things will never be quite the same for her, so almost everything is a “yes,” and then I just figure out how to make it work.

Work Whiplash + Choosing the Departure Date

Work, on the other hand, has been… a lot. I’m resurrecting an old project, and the Navy suddenly decided some of my paperwork was due months ago. So now I’m rushing to finish things I didn’t know I needed to finish, while also training the people who will take over my old responsibilities.

And tucked into that avalanche of tasks was a seemingly small one that had a major impact: choosing the day we’re flying off the island.

When I tell you I wasn’t ready to do that… I am absolutely not kidding. I was very comfortable living in the vague space of “one day we won’t be here anymore” and letting that be enough. Picking a date makes it real and real is scary.

Since nothing is really forcing me off the island and no job is waiting for me on the mainland, I’ve decided to let our upcoming road trip set the timeline. We’re planning a long, slow cross‑country loop once we get back to the mainland, so I’m reaching out to the first few people we hope to visit to coordinate dates. From there, I’ll work backward — flights, house turnover, shipping the car, shipping our household goods, and everything else that comes with a move. Oy vey.

The Great Detour: Planning the Journey

As for the road trip itself, I’ve made some progress. From July to November, we’ll be in the U.S., road‑tripping from the West Coast to the Midwest and then down the East Coast. We’ll be catching up with family and friends we miss and love. I’ve told Ivey we will always travel for the people we love, so now I’m proving it to her.

In November, we’ll kick off the overseas leg of our adventure. Our first two stops are already booked. I’m monitoring flights and will lock those in when it feels right.

Moving Progress: Loosely Defined

My friend and colleague David has been helping me with the garage hobby items I don’t know what to do with. I don’t even know what most of that stuff is called, let alone what it does or how much to sell it for. He’s truly taken a load off my plate. Honestly, just not seeing it in the garage anymore helps so much. Thanks, David.

Meanwhile, David’s wife, Jennifer, is teaching Ivey how to cross‑stitch, and it is just the cutest thing. Ivey has taken to it really well — her stitches are clean and even, and she genuinely enjoys it. Threading the needle is still a struggle, but I help with that part. Spending time with Jennifer has been so great for Ivey, and maybe she’s learned a fun travel friendly craft for the road!

In other moving preparation news, Ivey and I each did a solid closet clean out. Mine could handle a few more attempts, but… baby steps, right? I’m not the greatest at purging but I’m REALLY good at collecting. Something to work on in this next phase. On that note- if anyone has any ideas about how we can “capture” these upcoming places without buying and carrying around tchotchke’s or creating clutter- toss me your ideas! I already plan on doing journaling with Ivey to help her remember and taking photos.

Rainy Season + Cozy Days

The island has decided to bless us with true rainy season. It’s been rainy, blustery, and incredibly windy. We’ve had school closures from high winds and road closures from flash floods. I do love some good messy weather, though. There’s been lots of snuggling, soup, and indoor crafts. Can’t complain there!

We spent a lot of time watching the Winter Olympics in Milan. If we were home, the replays were on. We (I) were most invested in ice skating, skiing, and snowboarding, and I made sure to catch all the big moments.

I remember loving the Olympics as a kid — I feel like every Millennial has at least one ice‑skating core memory. I kept trying to tell Ivey the backstories of the skaters, and I’m not sure she cared, but who knows what will stick. There was also a lot of curling this year. Maybe the Alpha generation’s core Olympic memory will be curling…

Ivey’s into learning how to crochet at the moment. She had joined the knitting club at school last term, but it didn’t quite stick, and I cannot figure out how to make my hands to different things at the same time.
She asked me to teach her, so we each got a “learn to crochet” kit from Woobles, and we’re working through it together. Eventually, we’ll have matching little crochet frogs. Maybe. We tend to be “project starters” and not “project finishers.”

The Emotional Middle: Time, Presence, and the Slow Goodbye

Time is passing — and it’s passing fast. I’m trying to stay present and mindful while still preparing and being smart with the time we have left. I know we’re having some of our “last” moments here without even realizing it. I’m hopeful we’re appreciating things as they happen.

I’ve never been good with goodbyes, but I know they’re coming. It’s such an interesting place to be: knowing we’re leaving while trying to live like normal; constantly thinking about the future while forcing myself to stay here, now.

I’ve been on this island for 17 years, and it still doesn’t feel real to think about leaving without coming back. I know I’m not an “island girl” at heart and this isn’t the place where my soul feels the most joy, but Hawai‘i has become my home. It’s woven into my story. And the family and community we’ve built here — that’s the greatest gift this place has given us. I will forever be grateful for our people here, and I will miss them (you) the most.

That’s a Wrap on February!

February felt like a blur of rain, paperwork, playdates, and tiny moments I don’t want to forget. If January cracked the door open, February swung it wide. Between the storms, the Navy surprises, the crafts, the chaos, and all the people we love, this month stretched us in every direction — in mostly good ways. We’re getting closer, whether I’m ready or not, and all I can do is keep showing up, one day and one “sure, why not” at a time. We’re moving toward something new, but we’re still here — still laughing, still learning, still making frogs out of yarn. And with Ivey proudly announcing “bombastic” as her word of the month (and neither of us knowing what it meant), it feels like the perfect accidental summary of February. I hope March brings more of the same.