Return to Paradise

Ron & I wondered how we would feel coming back to the mainland. Would it be weird, would we miss Hawaii, would we want to stay here?? The flight seemed to go very fast and we were in Nicki's car and off to Walled Lake last Friday. The weather was perfect for a warm Michigan fall day and everything was green and full with a few trees turning and the smell of autumn in the air. We shared dinner with the grandkids and 'talked story'(that's a Hawaiian phrase) with them and learned about Haley's new school, listened to her practice her bit for a play tryout and listened to Casey's campaign speech as she is running for student counsel. Sat. & Sun. we attended soccer games for all of them and saw Chloe score the first goal for her team. Back home we met some of Ethan's friends, all girls. Yes, he is a ladies man already at only 4. Spent time with some friends, my mom & sis, and gave them samples of our soon to be coffee. It was really lovely and I think I was homesick for MI for the first time in a long while. That time was all too short and we were off to Knoxville. It would have been easier if all the 'stuff' in our storage unit had just 'poof' magically dissapeared. We have been without it for 6 months now and knew it would be difficult in all sorts of ways to decide what goes to Hawaii and what cannot. We know we probably don't even need 50% of what we decided to take and are already laughing about a few things we mistakedly threw out. Emotionally it can be hard to do that, but we are now through it and ready to move on. We've decided that Sept. must be a good time to visit both TN & MI because we are truly enjoying most everything we grew to love here (except the traffic). Ron is off right now bike riding with a team of his friends and I took off for a 45 min. workout walk here in Sheila's neighborhood. I wasn't out 1/2 a block when a car passed me and the driver waved, and then soon another car, driver waved and of course I waved back. I didn't know them nor they me but that is just TN and is part of what we miss about it. Sydney is studying about places and cultures and mentioned Machu Piccu in Peru. She said she would like to go there sometime and it reminded me that everyone has goals and I encouraged her to keep that goal although many others may supercede it at times. Now back to paradise. Ron & I never really had Hawaii as a dream to move to, we just kinda developed it as we moved on with our life. Certainly producing coffee there sounds adventurous to me but not what would have kept me there. But I know just the ocean, beaches, and always warm weather was not enough to keep Ron there so the 'coffee shack' will become our next new home because paradise is different for all and can be different for each one of us at various times. One thing that still holds true is, we go back to our curent utopia, you'all get to spend the cold winter here. And that's why we feel we will be living in paradise!!!!