This vagabond life: Hawaii bound

While in Antarctica, I did a lot of thinking. I had planned to travel for longer than I did, however, circumstances came up and I decided to end my trip earlier than planned.
Dinh and I were unsure of where we would live after the trip. He was still at our house in Nicaragua.
I honestly didn't know if our relationship would survive the big trip. I mean, there were times when we seriously wanted to kill each other.
You think I'm joking.
Imagine spending 24/7 in a car with someone for 2 months straight. It was rough sometimes, but it definitely made our bond stronger. We worked through our differences and are much better off because of it.
As I was shivering in Antarctica, I thought about how badly it sucked to be cold.
I seriously hate being cold.
It was then and there that I decided we should move back to Hawaii. I emailed Dinh from the ship and he was on board with the decision, too.
Done deal.

So, after Antarctica, I made the long journey back home to Minnesota from Argentina. I was excited to be back "home", like usual. Familiar lands and familiar faces.
Straight away, I got to work trying to find another job in Hawaii. It happened a lot quicker than I expected and I ended up having to head to Hawaii about a week after I got home. The job would not wait. So off I went. Across an entire ocean, back to my well known paradise.

Allllooooohhhaaaa!!!!
The plane touched down, the doors opened and that intoxicating tropical air hit my face. I realized I had made the right decision.
I rented a car and stayed in a hostel for a few days while I looked for a place to rent and waited for my car to arrive. I had shipped my vehicle from Seattle. Dinh would be meeting me in a couple weeks.
I left my furry daughter, Harely, with my parents in Minnesota until I could get settled, then flew back about a month later to get her.

"Don't forget to bring me to Hawaii!"

In case you didn't know, the process of bringing a dog into Hawaii is quite tedious. It involves blood work, lots of paperwork and then waiting for 4 months. You don't have to put your dog in quarantine if you follow certain steps. My vet back in Minnesota is excellent and she had helped me with the process last time. This would be the second time bringing Harley to Hawaii, and it's never a simple affair.

Enjoying the view

Travelin' dog

It's not the most pleasant experience to take 3 different flights with a dog. But Harley has become accustomed to traveling in planes and does pretty good. I actually hide her on my lap under a blanket once the plane takes off. She stays really quiet and sleeps most of the time. No one ever knows she's there, except the person sitting next to me. I think it's totally cruel to leave a dog in a little bag under the seat for the entire flight. Serrrrriously.
Harley was totally happy to be back in warm weather. She loves Hawaii, as you can see from the pictures.

She actually smiles on the beach

Does it get much better?

Since I only had to work 3 days a week (and Dinh doesn't work because he is retired), Dinh, Harely and I had plenty of time to have fun in Hawaii, like we usually do.