The Journey Begins...

Written: January 2, 2014

And I’m off! 

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a great New Years Eve.  I know I did!  Over Christmas, I spent a week at home in Connecticut with my family and friends, filling up on delicious home cooked meals and maybe a glass of wine or two. ;) 

After that, I flew back to Madison, to spend a few last days in town with Dave.  It was nice spending nights in, just cuddling up since we’re not going to be able to see each other for 4 months.  Since we moved in together, we’ve spent almost every day together for the past 2.5 years.  It’ll be a strange adjustment not to come home to him every night, but it’s only for 4 months and it’ll fly by.  Nonetheless, good-byes are never easy.

For New Years Eve, we drove down to his brother and sister-in-law’s in Illinois.  They were so kind and thoughtful and threw a Hawaiian themed New Years/Good-Bye party with Hawaiian pizza and all!  The spread was incredible and the entire house was decorated.  Ringing in the New Year with Dave and his family was a blast and if you guys are reading this, I really appreciate everything you did!  The mid-night champagne was popped and kisses were had.  Time to bring on 2014!  It’s going to be a good year.

On New Years day we went to Dave’s sister and brother-in-law’s house for a family feast and gathering.  Again – the food! So delicious and the company was fun as always.  Dave brought me to the airport this morning amidst a near-blizzard.  Did I expect a pleasant, sunny day for my departure to Hawaii?  Well, I guess I was hoping.  Instead, I was sent off with this:

Now…now I am on my way to Maui.  Finally, getting a career started in something I have a deep passion.  I am incredibly excited about this opportunity.  It’s not easy to find an internship relating to marine science when you’re not in school and/or don’t have a science degree.  I could not have passed this up.  I know I definitely couldn’t have done this without the help, support and endless encouragement from Dave and my family.  Thank you‼ 

While I’m in Maui, I’ll eventually be living in a house a few blocks from the beach in Kihei.  Can’t complain there!  A couple of the other interns and I will be living together.  And get this, there are 3 dogs that we can play with whenever we’d like.  Bonus!  The only downfall to the house is that we cannot move in until January 7^th.  So for the first week, I’ll be staying in a hostel in Lahaina. 

Lahaina is where our research vessels are located and our office is located in Ma’alaea Harbor.  My first day of work is January 4^th.  Once I get a few days of work under my belt, I’ll update you on what exactly I’ll be doing.  I do, however, have my first Island Rhythms Sunset Cruise booked for Saturday.  Pictures to come! ;)  These cruises are run by PWF and all profit goes towards our research.  This is the first of the season of the kind, so it will be a great opportunity to get to know my fellow co-workers.

I apologize if I am rambling but it’s a long flight and I still have 3 hours to go.  I’ll leave you with this Maui sunset.  Aloha!