Aloha from the desert

[alohanini]

Aloha from Arizona!

Just wanted to introduce myself here -- I have been dreaming of living in Hawaii for several years now - since my first visit to Maui. I've made several trips to Hawaii, continue to research and read, and have been reading the posts on this site for some time now to learn as much as possible. I am still quite awhile out from making the leap - about a year and a half, but I'm trying to learn and absorb as much as possible to make informed decisions.

While my first love is Maui and I would LOVE to live there, I was drawn to Oahu for the jobs. Recently, I have been drawn to the Hilo side of the Big Island because of the more reasonably priced real estate (realizing it may be that way for a reason).

I have four beautiful dogs collectively known as 'the boys' coming with me. They're all spoiled rotten small dogs, ranging from 1.5 to 16 pounds. (I know about the quarantine laws and guidelines)

I am absolutely positive of my desire/draw/calling to live in Hawaii. I view it as the next chapter of my life - a new beginning. I just want to slow down, live simply, and enjoy life. :rolleyes: My move would be for keeps - for better or worse!

Until then, I look forward to learning a lot here, getting to know all of you, and becoming a contributing member of this forum.

Mahalo--

[1stwahine]

Aloha and welcome to HawaiiThreads.com!:D

Auntie Lynn

[leashlaws]

Aloha and welcome! I only wish there had been something like this when we decided to move here 23 hears ago! Or maybe not, we might not have come!
However it was the best decision we ever made and cannot imagine living anywhere else.

Always glad to hear of pet owners! Life would not be the same without my
two girls who just ate and now are staring at me for their daily 2 miles.....
A hui hou and good luck! How's the heat down there?:)

[kani-lehua]

aloha and welcome fellow dog owner!

what a good parent you are, leashlaws. thought about taking my furries for a walk today. but, am still recouping from the fiasco IN the mango tree (i got stuck up there). the legs aren't feeling too good at the moment. thank goodness no one was around to see me pretending to be a monkey.

[leashlaws]

They'll understand that you can't do it today - either that or they'll get that
dejected look and stare at you all day but you can live with that! Taking M&K
daily is like valium, it just takes the edge off their attitudes ever so slightly.
They really need that! Plus it's good for me too, our neighborhood is all hills
and long stretches of road so it's very beneficial. Next an hour in the pool!
Hope you have a great day! Get better!:)

[alohanini]

Thank you for the warm welcome! :D

The heat here in southern Arizona is miserable! People say 'it's a dry heat,' which it is - not really sticky and sweaty, but it is OVEN HOT! :eek:

One of my boys came from the shelter in Maui actually. I wasn't looking to adopt - he just fell in my lap. (isn't that how it always works?!) He hates my guts for moving him from paradise, but I've promised to get him back there and in the end I think he loves his good home with me.

I echo your sentiments leashlaws -- My boys are my life! I wouldn't consider a move without them. . .

[achow]

Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Threads! Glad to have you be a part of our virtual family here.

[kani-lehua]

mahalo leashlaws! now, if i only had a pool for these aching legs of mine. just got up to start some laundry and the left thigh muscle started cramping. ouch!

alohanini: all my animals are adopted. 4 dogs (had 5 but one passed 2 years ago) and 4cats.

[Lei Liko]

Welcome to HT, alohanini!

I visited AZ for the first time last April to meet my BF's mom and brother. His mom lives in Prescott Valley and his brother, in Glendale. I love love love his mom's house. It's just so...quiet, and I hope to visit her very soon. Fell in love with Sedona as well!

Whereabouts do you live?

[leashlaws]

mahalo leashlaws! now, if i only had a pool for these aching legs of mine. just got up to start some laundry and the left thigh muscle started cramping. ouch!

alohanini: all my animals are adopted. 4 dogs (had 5 but one passed 2 years ago) and 4cats.

Well at least you can do laundry.......my washer's electronic board crapped
out (less than 2 years old......) and they can't come until the 17th, then I am
sure they will not be able to fix it so I'll have to wait for a parts)....already
it's a week and I have the Mt. Vesuvius of laundry piled up! :(

[kani-lehua]

bummer, leashlaws! as of the moment, no broken appliances. just achin' muscles. now the good 'ol bum hip has decided to act up. and, i don't think da furries have forgiven me. the one guy is lying on his bed (twin size human bed) giving me da stink eye.

[alohanini]

kani-lehua - You in Kailua huh? I love that part of Oahu. I visited it extensively during my last visit. I stayed down in Makaha, but found myself gravitating towards that part of the island. Even dropped an injured bird I found off at a vet there for rehab pick up.
Bless you for adopting! All mine are rescues too.

Lei Liko - I'm in Tucson. Up north around Prescott and Sedona is pretty (and cooler!). I make a trip to the Phoenix area every once in awhile for shopping and eating. :p

[GypsyLika]

Aloha Alohanini ~

Phoenix has an Aloha Festival every 3rd week of March, also Tucson has a couple of halaus.

[kani-lehua]

alohanini: yessiree bob. over here in kailua, o'ahu. but, can't wait to move to the big island. from the sun and sand to the chilly forest up at mauna loa estates, volcano.

gypsylika: love them double shakas!

[turtlegirl]

Well, any friend of birds is a friend of mine! Aloha and welcome! :D

[alohanini]

Thank you all for the welcome! !

GypsyLika - Thanks for the info! I'm going to look into that.

kani-lehua - I have my sights set on the Big Island too. Housing is more affordable and it seems more like the pace I'm looking for. I'd LUV to get to Maui, but the Hilo area seems more attainable financially (as long as I can get a job ! :confused:).

turtlegirl - Thanks! I've read a lot of your posts - lots of helpful information you've put out there.

[kanahina]

Aloha and welcome!

I used to live in Bullhead City, Arizona (It's right across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada) way back in 1980 (I think!) And yes, it got unbelievably HOT! We used to hit record high temperatures around 115 degrees in the summer - ugh!

[alohanini]

Aloha kanahina!
I know Bullhead City - never been up that way, but I know of it. You know the pain of triple digits for sure! There are looonnnngggg stretches of triples here. . . :(

[cabanalane]

There are more and more former Hawaii resident in Tucson. You can tell by the safety sticker on the bottom right of the car bumper.

During monsoon season, the hot air + the rain = the Hawaii weather I missed. I just go outside and breath that in.

It's almost here.

[thornpicker]

Aloha!
I too am from Tucson and can't wait to live in Hawaii again. We have been researching home prices and job opportunities on the Big Island and decided that since we're not retired or even close, that we should give Oahu a go. So much more going on for young people--if you like a big combo of city and rural life which we do.

We found through many visits to the Big Island that although we could afford a beautiful home with some real land, the job scene is really lacking for us in our fields. The land prospect looked really good, but we think that while we're still fairly young, we should have a nice big city to play in with the option to get away quickly. Have you been to the Big Island and if so, what do you like most about it to get you to move there over an island like Oahu?

I have been in Tucson for 15 years and I've truly had enough of the summers here, monsoon or not. I find the monsoon to be nothing like Hawaii weather except for when it's DONE raining--then it's tropical. Otherwise, it's just miserably humid. Today it's dry as a bone and 107 degrees. I'd stick with that all summer if I could avoid the monsoons!!

Just my opinion!

So, Alohanini, when are YOU moving to paradise?:)

[kani-lehua]

aloha and welcome, thornpicker!

within the next couple of years, we will be selling one of our houses on o'ahu to move to the big island, mauna loa estates, volcano, big island. at the moment we are in our mid and late 40's so by the time we move, we'll be in our early 50's.

we just love the climate up at volcano and can't wait to live in the forest if madame pele allows it to be so. currently, we live in our second house in kailua, o'ahu. lots of sun and surf. however, it's not the quaint town it used to be and it seems to get noisier by the moment. we're looking for peace, tranquility and spirituality when we build our new home.

good luck with your move!

[cabanalane]

I love the Hilo (Big Island). It's the Island I've been to the most, having lived on Oahu for 25+ years. To start it's big(ger), most of all, it was the people that I gotten to know. In the last 10 years, all the modern stores are there, so it's just like the mainland (Oahu). And not just KTA to shop. There is not a lot of job opportunities on the Big Island, where as there are more on Oahu. As much as I would like to return to Oahu because it's "home" I wouldn't recommend it. Just because Honolulu is just like any modern city on the mainland. The H1 & H2 freeways are worst than any hwy in Phoenix during rush hour. Housing is expensive, and tiny. Everything is expensive.

I would love for you to experience living in Hawaii. I just don't recommend getting into something some is trying to get away from, by moving to Hawaii.

[alohanini]

Aloha thornpicker - Like you, I have been researching home prices and job opportunities for awhile and I will continue to do so. Those are the most important factors to me - being able to buy a house AND having a job to support myself. Maui is my first love and I would love to live there. Unfortunately, I believe I am priced out of the market there. Real estate is expensive and finding a job that earns enough money will be difficult. I don't want to end up working JUST to cover a house payment.
Oahu is appealing because there are many job opportunities. Again though, real estate is very expensive and small as cabanalane points out. I would be looking at something very old and very tiny -- best case! I think I'd even be priced out of townhomes considering the HOA/maintenance fees.
The Hilo area seems more financially doable for me. It seems I can afford a decent house - I don't want something big because it's just more to clean and furnish. I have a pretty diverse background and I'm rather adaptable so I believe I can find a job there. I am nowhere near retirement and still young (late twenties), however I don't yearn for the city scene. I crave a slower pace of life and want to be some place peaceful, tranquil, and spiritual (aloha kani-lehua! :)).
Basically, I understand that each island is very different and poses its own set of pros and cons. It seems to come down to what you can live without and what you aren't willing to give up. I'm about a year and a half out from making the leap and while I haven't absolutely settled on an island yet (maybe because I'm still holding out for Maui! :p), it seems the Hilo area has more of what I want out of life. For me: I can do without the hustle and bustle of the city scene, city life amenities, and a bigger population. I can't do without a house, a job I enjoy, and a tranquil environment. I just want to slow down, enjoy a simple life, and stop to smell the plumeria (so to speak).

I've been in Tucson for about eight years and I had enough of the summers by year three. I look forward to the monsoons though - to me, it's a little relief from the heat and changes things up.

[thornpicker]

Aloha!
Sounds to me like you have the right outlook and know what you want which is really smart. Doing a lot of research and visiting often is what has helped me change my mind a million times as to where to focus our move.

I lived on Oahu for a couple years when I was in my early 20's and loved it. Since then I have returned to visit many times and made the Big Island my main focus when thinking about relocation. I have, however, changed my mind about that island after many visits, mainly because after living in the one horse town of Tucson for so long, I feel the need to live in a real city at least for a little while. The beauty about Oahu is that while you can have the big city (which to me is still a slower pace of life than most mainland cities) and still get away from it all and frolic on a deserted north shore beach.

Housing is the real challenge for me--getting a job on Oahu is easy. If you are looking at anything under $400,000 in Honolulu, we're talking old and small. Getting away from town a bit (and dealing with a commute) is what we're currently looking at since we have found a lot of condos that are in decent shape, are a decent size and some even have a small yard. Like you, I don't want to work only to spend all of my money on a mortgage....

Have you ever been to the Puna area of the Big Island? I have spent a lot of time there (a friend of mine from Tucson used to own land there) and really love it. You can get a lot of house and land for the money down there but you'll have to commute into town for work which is worth it for the peaceful atmosphere you'll have when you get home. To me, that side of the island has the most appeal to me because of the tropical wet climate--it's just magical.

Part of my outlook for this move is to make myself realize that no matter where we end up, it doesn't have to be forever. If, after awhile, Oahu is too crazy for us, we can always head on over to the Big Island and go for a slower pace of life.

We're all so lucky to have so many choices in our lives!!

Enjoy the monsoon, alohanini--they should be here soon!
Thornpicker

[alohanini]

Aloha thornpicker --
I only know what I want because I've had soooo long to think about it, dream about it, and wish for it! LOL! :D
I am very interested in the Puna area and I'm looking very closely at it. I haven't spent a significant amount of time there YET! I will do that over the next year for sure to get to know the area.
When are YOU moving to paradise by the way? I didn't see a date in your posts, but I may have missed it. . .

[thornpicker]

Aloha Alohanini,
I totally understand the dreaming about it and waiting for it to happen feeling. Then again, I understand that patience and good planning is what can make our move a positive experience. I hope to sell my house in 2 years, so anytime after that is my estimated time frame to move. We'll probably go back next spring and look at more neighborhoods--we didn't look at as much as I would have liked to when we were there last month ( it was just too beautiful out to sit in the car);)

Lots of clouds today--starting to feel monsoony.

Thornpicker

[akrauth]

Aloha nui! You've come to the totally right place! Take off your slippahs and make yourself at home!

[kani-lehua]

alohanini: was just wondering? what is it that you do? i didn't see in your posts that you mentioned your occupation?

[alohanini]

thornpicker - How 'bout those monsoons?! Had quite a time getting home today with all flooding and road closures!

Mahalo for the welcome akrauth! I appreciate it! I look forward to learning a lot here and to becoming a contributing member in the future.

kani-lehua - I have a degree in political science and I've carved out a career revolving around event planning and executive level, technically inclined administrative type support. . .

[thornpicker]

I really enjoyed the rain yesterday--I actually like driving in it even though most people get a little freaked out by all the flooding. Glad I got new windshield wipers last weekend! It cooled down to 75 degrees and we opened the front and back doors of our house and enjoyed the humidity and the wonderful smells of creosote.

Tempted to drive up Mt. Lemmon--it's been in the mid 70's up there!
Let's hope it keeps raining!

Thornpicker

[Desert Isle]

Tucson has a couple of halaus.

When I read your post I had to look it up. I found this one: http://www.leiolahulahalau.com/

...and it says they perform here:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/taste/51168.php

That restaurant's way on the other side of town from me but I'm definitely going to have to make the trip.

HT is even teaching me things about my own backyard. :)