The first step

Aloha!

As I said in my last post, I have a grand plan of running around Oahu by my next birthday...the BIG 50.  Just in case you think I was just blowing smoke and fizzled out on another goal, I am here to tell you that I actually started.  What I'm not so good at is follow up on documenting it.  BUT I did take pictures so better late than never, yes?  Since I plan on running part of it again tomorrow I figured I'd better write this tonight.

I will say that I have been a bit busy lately.  Between working OT and running and the in-laws visiting, I've hardly had a minute to myself to just breathe, let alone blog.  All fun things (well maybe not the OT) but fun can be stressful too.

After I began my epic journey, I ran the Hapalua Half Marathon.

Not my best race but not my worst either.  I was very glad to have my family out cheering me on.

So about my journey.  I ran 5K to begin.  From home to the fountain at Kapiolani park.

It was a beautiful day and I felt really good starting out.

While this run was actually shorter than most of my easy runs (time constraints due to that pesky thing called work) I actually felt pretty reflective and relaxed.  There are so many reasons that I run and so many people that I run for.  This first 3.1 I was able to think about that and my WHY.  We all have a WHY.  The important thing is remembering what (or who) it is.

I got to the fountain and was greeting by my number 1 fans, T and B.

B never stops cheering for me and T always makes sure he is there at the finish, whether it's a training run or a race.  I couldn't do any of this without these two.

I felt great afterwards, though a bit panicked because we dawdled too long at the fountain and I was late getting ready for work.

So tomorrow, I start at the fountain for my easy 4.  I am super excited that it is a flat area.  I don't get many flat runs anymore!  I have a race coming up next month and I'm bound and determined to do better.  To stick with it.  To do this for me.

For those of you that made it this far:  thank you!  I know this is probably boring listening to my self-centered babbling but at least the pictures are pretty :)

Peace, my friends!

So....Why?

I've had a lot of people ask me why we want to move to Hawaii.  Aside from the obvious (it's paradise...HELLO!), what started it was my husband's ambitions.

My husband is the smartest person I know.  He may work as a paramedic but his true love was always research.  Specifically marine biology and coral genetic research.  His dream was to go somewhere where he could do research for a living.  For that kind of research, we had 3 choices:  Australia, Florida, and Hawaii.  In the first 2, he'd have to actually go away for months at a time to live on an island and do his research.  While he may at times prefer this, I would not.  That left Hawaii and the University of Hawaii.

As I began researching the university and the hospitals there I began to get on the bandwagon.  U of H has a pediatric nurse practitioner program and the children's hospital services the entire South Pacific with fixed wing transport.

It still took me a few years before I was really comfortable planning such a big move.  I didn't want to leave my older kids and, frankly, I was scared to fail.  As the kids got older and moved farther and farther away with their own lives I decided it was time to live my own, scared or not.

I've run into a lot of people who have tried to talk me out of it.  "It's too expensive"  "It's too far away"  "What will you do with no family?"  I don't know if people think this is spur of the moment and that I've done no research on it at all, or what.  Yes, I know things cost more but I'll also be making more.  Yes, it's far away but there are planes.  Yes, some family will be far away but some of the most important people in my life are coming with me so I think we'll be ok.

No other news on the ER job yet.  I'm continuing with my planning as if it doesn't exist.  I have a lot to do in a short 9 months!

Take care of yourselves.  Smile as if you are up to something.  And hug someone for no reason.

Peace.