My First Steps On Oahu

Yesterday, (New Years Eve) I woke up around 5am in Denver, Colorado and boarded a plane to start my new life. Dad drove with me to the airport and waited with me all the way until security checks. It was heartbreaking to look back and see him getting smaller and smaller as I walked away. I love him tremendously and he'll always play a huge role in my life. Needless to say, I shed a lot of tears that morning. I had a 6 hour layover in Seattle, so I had some lunch and watched movies on my laptop. Much Ado About Nothing is a good one to keep you entertained for a while...

On my final flight I sat behind a single mom and her young son which gave me an interesting perspective on things. Her name was Colette, and she and her son were moving to Oahu to live with her fiance whom she had only met via internet. That's definitely a leap of faith considering she was changing not only hers, but her child's life as well at the drop of a hat. We chatted for a while and I tried to use the topic of BYU-H to move into a gospel discussion, but it didn't work very well. As we exited the plane in my new home of Hawaii, I helped Colette and her son out to their car and we exchanged pleasant words of parting.

I waited only a few minutes more until the Stansfields (family friends) found me. It was so nice to see a welcoming face, and they presented me with a beautiful purple lei! Then we drove through town about an hour to their home in Kaaawa. It was the most beautiful drive I've ever been on! Yes, it was pitch black at almost midnight, but apparently New Years is a big deal in town because every house on the island was lighting hundreds of fireworks! The entire valley erupted into fireworks as the clock struck midnight, and did not stop until nearly 4am! Brother Stansfield said they were all celebrating because they heard a Spillane was moving into town ;)
When we got to their home, Sister Stansfield had prepared a lovely little holiday feast of potato cheese soup, french bread, Martinelli's, and Fresh Pineapple with Li Hing Muy powder on it! SO SO good.

Today I was up bright and early because of jet lag and I went on a walk with Sister Stansfield and her daughter Mindy around the neighborhood. I met some of the local ladies, and got lots of information about my new home. Such a beautiful walk; nothing but ocean, lush forest, mountains surrounding me, and the sweet scent of the flowers in the trees was heavenly. When we got home, Brother Stansfield took us out in kayaks (1st time in my life) just across the street from their house, and I got to see my first sea turtle! Such a fun experience, I love it here!