Moving... Put off.

My husband and I got married in Maui, Hawaii.  He had vacationed on Oahu once before, and I had never been.  My mom actually came up with the idea for us and it fit perfectly!  We packed up and flew out for our destination wedding with my mom, dad, and sister in August of 2012.  It was beautiful and perfect!

Makena Cove, Maui Hawaii

Had to throw in this one! His smile is perfect and we were supposed to be funny!

Naturally, we stayed for a week for our honeymoon.  On the plane ride back home, I had picked up a flyer on the Hawaiian Airlines credit card.  The rewards sold me on it and we have since been able to go back to Hawaii twice.  The first time back after our honeymoon, we went to Oahu.  It was a nice change of scenery with a lot more to do, but obviously way more people than what we found on Maui.  While there, we made a decision that we were making it a goal to move to Hawaii for at least 2 years.  This was in January of 2014.  The next month we put our house up for sale and it sold in April.  Things were getting real!

While moving out of our home, we had a yard sale and sold almost EVERYTHING in it.  We sold our bed and all the spare beds we had, washer/dryer, kitchen supplies, home decor, everything but the couch and love seat.  (They were old, but looked new, and we couldn't even give them away if we tried).  We even got our dog ready for the move!  That wasn't easy or cheap.  Did you know that they need a microchip, two rabies vaccinations, AND a blood test to test for rabies before even stepping foot in Hawaii?!  The blood test itself cost close to $400.  If you're thinking of moving to or visiting Hawaii and want to bring a dog, check out their list here to make sure your dog doesn't get quarantined upon arrival!

In May, we finally moved out of our home and started to live in our camp trailer.  We parked it at an RV park so we could have all the amenities.  Our plan was to have my husband move out there in August to find a job (if he didn't already have one) and a place for us to live.  We tried doing it all online but it's tougher that way, in my opinion.  I was planning on going out at the end of October because the rule is the dog can't be there until after 4 months have passed from the time the blood test was taken.  I didn't do it early enough.

Our plan was pretty close to solid and we were so excited.  Nervous, but excited.  June 18th I had went with my mom to get our hair done.  We were talking with the stylist about moving to Hawaii, and my mom had said, "You better not move there and get pregnant!"  I sort of laughed it off because my husband and I had talked about having kids and what it would be like to have kids in Hawaii.  Two days later, I found out I was pregnant!

Before we spread the word, my hubby and I talked and agreed that we wouldn't be moving to Hawaii when we were planning.  We would find a place to live where we were so I could stay close to my family for the duration of the pregnancy and birth.  I knew I was going to want and need my mom around and I'm so glad we stayed!

For our "babymoon", we traveled back to Oahu, 7 months pregnant and all.  We had points from our credit card and it was super cheap, so we went for a week.  It was relaxing, and the first time I felt my baby kick my ribs! (not so relaxing!)  My husband learned to surf while we were there and we rented a smart car!  Lots of fun memories for our last vacation of just the two of us. :)

We love Hawaii and would still love to move there, but I think being closer to family is what's best for our daughter.  She loves her grandma and her aunt and it will kill me to see her cry every time we FaceTime.  Hell, she already does!  Even if she just saw them an hour before!

My hubby and I both are in the process of building our own businesses so we can have all of the time and freedom in the world, so until the day comes where we can take the time to travel back and forth constantly, we'll stay here! :)  I may have to home-school my child if we do that, now that I think about it!

If you could choose any place to live in the world, where would it be?