T Minus 68: Sound of Angels Singing

An RV? What the hell, I thought to myself as I realized it was only a dream. My brain imagined The Hubby, the dogs, and me living in a fifth wheel - somehow connected to the Jeep - down by the beach. While maybe a cool idea, it would be all but impossible. There are no RVs in Hawaii!

A large piece of coral I
found on Baby Beach

I made breakfast, the usual, with a different kind of english muffin this morning. These are thicker and bigger than the previous ones I tried. I used the same setting on the toaster oven, thinking I might need to crank it up next time since they were bigger. Wrong! The same setting nearly ruined my muffin, making it a bit more toastier than I like. As I spread my pineapple preserves on my not-quite-burnt muffins, I realized I only had enough of those left for one more breakfast. After that, it will be guava preserves every day.

While enjoying my breakfast, I saw a text come in from a friend back in Indiana. She wanted to let me know that she had received a call from the owner of a condo who was checking my references. Her text read, "I nailed it :)" I knew I felt good vibes from that guy, but I didn't want to get my hopes up just yet. After talking with her, though, they would have to see that we would be the best possible tenant they could ask for, right?

I dashed off a text message to The Hubby to let him know. As I was texting him about my weird RV dream, my phone started ringing. Area code 808. Sunday. Nobody calls to offer you a job on Sunday, right? I answered. This was it. The skies parted. Harps played. Angels sang. This was THE CALL! We got the apartment! I made arrangements to sign the lease tomorrow and then I let The Hubby know he could stop worrying about being homeless when he gets here in October.

I got him! The Ka'anapali Trolley

I texted my friend back east to thank her for the wonderful referral she must have given the landlord. I texted my mother-in-law to let her know the good news. I shared with everybody I could think of. Everything I came to Hawaii to accomplish, I have accomplished. Find a job. Check. Find a place for us to live. Check. 19 days. I feel good!

The Hubby and I started talking about beds. I suggested I just get an air mattress to sleep on for a while. He pooh-poohed that idea and told me we would just order an actual bed next week. Our 17-year old original Tempurpedic is gone and will have to be replaced. We spent a few hours researching mattresses, frames, texting our finds back and forth. I need to go measure the bedroom in the new apartment so I know what size we need next.

Suddenly, I realized I have nothing else left to do. It's a long time until October. Not wanting to think about what I'm going to do every day between now and then - hopefully work takes up a good chunk of my time - I focused instead on what I wanted to do this afternoon. I considered a nap, but finally opted for a walk over to Baby Beach to splash around in the water a bit. I found a ziplock to put my phone in and stuffed in my backpack along with a beach towel and a bottle of water.

The small swells at Baby Beach

Baby Beach was crowded. There were people everywhere and I couldn't find a place to settle in. I walked up and down the beach in knee-deep water, carrying my bag, enjoying the sun while I searched for a suitable place to put my things. I finally picked out a small area with some vegetation covering it that I thought was high enough up the beach to be out of reach of the tide. As I put my bag down, I saw a football-sized piece of coral lying nearby. Wedged in between its finger-like parts was a nice sized piece of sea glass. I left the coral there for others to be able to enjoy but I collected the sea glass. Tumbled sea glass is hard to find these days.

As I was putting away my find, I noticed a large group of people leaving from a prime area on the beach. I collected my things and relocated. I watched kids building and digging in the sand, while others ran in with the tide being chased by the small swells. Tiny crabs occasionally made an appearance only to quickly disappear back into the sand. Maika'i Ola.

Sea glass and a small piece
of black coral. Black coral
is the Hawaii state gem.

The realized the tide had creeped ever closer to my spot on the beach so I decided to head back to the apartment and get ready for work. Work - the word implies effort, but none is needed for this job. Sure, there's the occasional dusting, and maybe even a small bit of paperwork now and then, but it seems my biggest task is talking to guests.

At work, that was pretty much all I did tonight, too. We didn't do a lot of sales - maybe Sundays are slower - but I got to know the shop a bit more and learned some more about the more than 300 artists we represent. I have a long, long way to go!

Working at Ka'anapali until 9:00 will present some issues for me. Without a car, I need to take the bus. The last bus leaves Ka'anapali at 9:00. The store closes at 9:00. There is no way I can make it to catch that bus. It is 3 miles from the shop to the apartment - The Hubby would just walk, I'm sure - so I need to figure out a permanent solution for getting home. I could take the bus to work and ride the pink cruiser home. 3 miles is a long way on a bike for me right now though, especially at night, and it makes me more than a little nervous to think about riding on Honoapiilana Highway. There are no side streets for me to ride on so I would have to ride on the main highway - kind of scary. I would definitely torch off a ton of calories, though!

A frog/toad on the
Hyatt walkway

Tonight, though, Bonnie gave me a ride home. I thought it would be Maureen but Bonnie offered to do it when we were closing up the shop. Walking to the car, we saw a frog, or maybe a toad, and when I got home I found a giant grasshopper-like thing in the kitchen window blinds. I don't know what that thing is, but he is huge!

A grasshopper-like critter that
stopped by for a visit

Tomorrow, I sign a lease for my new apartment. Did I mention I found an apartment?!?

Aloha!