Missing October

Aloha everyone,

I just simply can't believe it's already October. I feel like it was literally just yesterday that I was going out for Halloween in Miami- me as a cop, Daland as a mullet wearing redneck. And now, that time of year is upon us once again. It always seems to creep up on me. It is really scary how each year is moving faster than the last. Has it really been 6 months since my 24th birthday?! I digress...

Last Sunday all of our stuff from the mainland FINALLY arrived. We were the first delivery of the day (whew!) but we were having some problems with figuring out payment. When we tried to get money out the day before from ATMs, were only able to get about $400 out per card. To make things worse, we were told our daily limit was exceeded for the day. We thought we were in big trouble, but decided to just try again in the morning. Morning came- no luck. Then I thought, oh I'll just pay it with my Macy's VISA. Well, the guy came upstairs and swiped the card: DENIED. At this point I'm just really upset. It took them so long to get our stuff here in the first place and now we're going to have to wait another WHOLE day! So while I was on the phone with the Macy's customer service people, Daland decided he'd try his card one more time. Low and behold, it worked! So we were able to pay the rest of the balance off, and the boxes started coming up the stairs. When they came in with the first box, I was mortified. It looked as if it had been beaten to hell and back. The box was ripped open in certain spots, had to be re-taped and was crumpled in on the corners. Luckily, we only had a few casualties (only 2 of which were significant). We lost 1 dinner plate, 1 drinking glass, a collectible UM figurine, and the worst- my swarovski crystal turtles that Daland gave me for our first Christmas. But alas, besides those few mishaps, all of our stuff arrived in the same condition it left Florida.

The apartment has really come together and finally feels like "home." It's spacious, airy and bright during the day, and warm and cozy at night. It's perfect for us. The only thing is, we have no one to show it to! No one to have a "house warming" party with... so a lot of this is bittersweet. Especially since, as I mentioned before, it's October...the start of my favorite time of year...the holidays. Even though Florida is not known for seasonal changes, there is always a different hue in the sky in October, especially around dusk. There is always a slight different feel in the air. Even if the leaves don't change colors, enough changes in the stores, and the restaurants, and the malls to make it look and feel like Fall. That is something I will miss this year... something that I began missing this morning when I woke up, realizing that it was indeed, October.

I guess that is just something I will have to deal with. I will have to start recognizing the little nuiances that makes it feel like Fall in Hawaii. So far, I haven't seen much Halloween stuff except for a few decoration isles in supermarkets. And of course, the weather never changes here in the slightest. A few degrees at most. But I have to remind myself that this is a part of life. I was at work the other day in a conference room for a talk on a sea turtle conservation program in Brazil when I spotted a really beautiful poster. The quote on the poster has given me comfort- making me realize that in order to really live life, you have to take some risks... the quote read:

"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

And that is exactly what I've done...