Hot Hawaiian Summer

It's funny, I never used to care about the weather.  Back in Omaha, I usually only checked the weather when the sky started turning different shades of green or when I when I was going to try and fit in a round of golf.  One of the most common statements I would hear prior to the big move was "I could never move to Hawaii, I enjoy all four of the seasons" or "Hawaii? Isn't it pretty much the same temperature every day?"  Well I can tell you with a certainty, Hawaii does have "weather" and it can change from day to day just like any other place. The thing is, I don't think you really notice until you've spent some time here because it will affect your routine. Windy and/or Cloudy? Your snorkeling buddies are totally going to cancel your Sunday AM dive.  No wind? Its going to get a bit warmer and there is a good chance you wont see a good sunset for a day or two because of the VOG. Rainy? Hope you have a good book downloaded because finally you have an excuse to stay indoors. Hurricane/Tropical Storm brewing in the vicinity?  Time to put on some body armor and brave the crowds at Safeway and Costco. See? Weather...

Well we just happened to have a Tropical Storm in the area last week which affects wind on the island.  I was initially worried we could get rain, but the storm shifted northeast and suddenly we were in for a hot, HOT weekend.  Add to that the fact that we have guests in town, staying in the condo would just end in some sort of  luchador-style cage match. If only I had some sort of frozen confection to keep everyone cool....

I was honestly worried about how I would fit an AD reference in this week

  That being said, there is really only one thing to do. Stay inside and run the AC?  At $0.35/ kwh that is just not an option.  So we headed west. Since rain was no longer an issue, I figured we would take our guests west to Lahaina. Funny story, Lahaina was originally named Lele, which apparently means "Relentless Sun" making it a questionable choice for a day trip on a particularly sunny day. Nonetheless, we ended up at one of my favorite spots to snorkel: Kapalua Bay. I'm assuming a short post followed by some pictures would  be sufficient. Enjoy! Photo Credits: My sis-in-law

Kapalua Bay

humuhumunukunukuapua'a

Everyone crowding around a Sea Turtle that came close to the shore

If I had $100....

....I'd be short $13.96 at least according to this recent study by the Tax Foundation.  I'll wait for the collective "Duh" to die down. The truth is this while it isn't surprising it is interesting seeing it laid out visually.

If you've ever been to Hawaii, there is a pretty good chance that a small part of you wondered if you could live here. Nothing puts paradise in perspective like stepping inside a local grocery store. Those stories you hear about the cost of a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk are accurate. Unless you come from an area in the light yellow, you probably did a double take when filling up your rental car with gas. I think back to our first trip to Costco and Wal-Mart (movers tip: never... ever go to both in the same day unless you have made an appointment with a suicide prevention counselor). We were in desperate need of basically everything. Funny how the teller at Costco and I had two completely different reactions to the total reaching $400. I started reconsidering just how badly I needed that 50 ct box of Rice Krispy Treats and she just yawned. Next on our way to Wal-Mart , Rice Krispy Treats in tow (don't judge me), I set a mental budget of a couple hundred dollars. Once again, I was shocked at how much we paid for so little. To be completely honest the sticker-shock subsides after a couple of weeks. Well at least until we received our first electric bill! Suddenly I'm walking through the house shutting off lights, and teaching lessons about energy conservation the only way I know how. J. Walter Weatherman-style

".. and that's why you never leave a room without shutting off the lights."

All told I think it takes about a month before you acclimate to the high cost of living in Hawaii.  The addition of a Target didn't hurt either. Their prices are only marginally higher than they were in Nebraska so it has offered a bit of relief. Meal planning is key. I watch cooking shows during my downtime which used to mean I'd get some inspiration and then run to the store to buy whatever spices and ingredients we didn't have on hand. Now it just means I live a little more vicariously through the hosts. Occasionally splurging to make a special meal. 

Another area that I had to make major adjustments is in my business. Fortunately I have a job working for a software company on the mainland so I didn't have the difficult transition a lot of people do when moving to Hawaii. To keep me out of trouble I've almost always had a side business.  It doesn't take long to realize that most businesses here have a paltry web presence relying on Yelp and TripAdvisor to communicate with potential clients and visitors.  Most business owners fall into one of 3 categories. 1) Lives off island (I'm looking at you Canada) 2) Is doing "fine" with their current amount of exposure and isn't interested in increasing their web presence. One guy even seemed like he wasn't entirely convinced this whole internet thing was here to stay. or 3) I found WordPress and know just enough to make a few simple changes and am interested in customization as long as I don't have to pay the going rate.  Tough crowd.  I came here thinking that I would be able to fill the web development void, only to find that it's not as lucrative as on the mainland. I've since been in contact with several designers/developers that have had to keep their mainland business contacts. If you are planning on moving here with a similar skill set try not to burn any bridges as you leave town. Looking at the info-graphic below really puts things in perspective. See the average business owner that lives here in Hawaii doesn't have any breathing room in their budgets. Same goes for the wealthy, they seem even more judicious with their spending. Probably why they're living in a house with a view and I'm living in a condo.  So what do I do about my situation? I pivot. Following the lead of successful businesses here on the island I'm going to focus my efforts on visitors who most likely live in a state where the dollar goes a bit further (Sorry D.C.) More on that as the story develops. 

So is it worth it? For people that move here expecting to maintain the same lifestyle probably not. In fact just about everyone here knows at least one family personally that moved here thinking they were going to be on vacation 24/7. Most of them are gone inside of 6 months . For those of us willing to cut back and enjoy all that Hawaii has to offer it's absolutely worth it.  Speaking of which, I'm going to pour myself a hard-earned and over-priced drink and enjoy the rest of this beautiful day.

(Click the pic to go to the source)