The Quick Version….
Our move to Hawaii has been….interesting. We’ve had our ups and downs here, and we’ve been on some pretty wild adventures! Now that we’ve tried it, I totally understand why Hawaii isn’t overpopulated…..it’s ridiculously hard to move here!
Most of our time here has been spent jumping over some kind of hurdle. It seems like once we get one thing taken care of, another untimely event occurs….but we’re together, we’re in the tropics, and we’re surviving! What more could we really ask for?
Baby Pineapple on Our New Farm! Just Had to Share Because It’s so Cute!
I’ve been slow to update everyone on our adventure because we’ve hardly been able to keep track of it ourselves! We’ve finally just moved into a place that we hope we’ll be at forever though, and that means no more moving! Yay!! So in the midst of our unpacking, settling in, learning a new place, etc. I’ve decided it’s finally time to post an update. Here’s a quick re-cap on the last few weeks.
About a week after arriving here, we got hit by Tropical Storm Iselle. At the time, it felt like Hawaii might just be telling us to go home….but now we can see it was really a blessing in disguise. We had just moved into a rental (that we planned to be in for a couple months) and it was, of course, in one of the areas hit the hardest. Trees were blocking roads, power lines were laying on the ground (everywhere!), and there was a lot of clean-up needing to be done.
It was obvious that we wouldn’t be able to stay in that rental. Everything there was electric, so we had no power, no way to cook, and no internet to get work done. We waited for a few days until we were 100% sure that it would be a while (maybe even weeks) until the power came back on, and we decided to move to a new place.
Since Hilo (a nearby city) hadn’t been hit by the storm very hard, we picked up and moved to a condo there. We’re not much for condo living (we’re more country than city) but it was a wonderful reprieve, a place to cook and relax, and it even had a pool….so Charlie was really happy!
The Coffee Trees
We stayed in Hilo for about two weeks. While we were there, our realtor convinced us to go take a peek at a beautiful new listing she had….for a coffee farm! We knew the chances of us being able to purchase a farm were slim, but we still came to look. Let’s just call it love at first sight! We decided to do everything possible to make this farm work.
So, we put in an offer, it got accepted, and we decided to take early occupancy, which means we only had to wait a couple of weeks to move in. In the meantime, we went to stay on the other side of the island for a couple of weeks. The Kona side (or the West side) has lots of beautiful white sandy beaches, and we had a wonderful time hanging out at the beach, swimming, etc.
Our New House
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we just moved into our beautiful new home. The house is 400 square feet, and is perfect for a family of three. Just enough space, but small enough to make sure we’ll spend lots of time outside everyday. The coffee farm is 9 acres, really private, and such a treat for us. It’s going to be a wonderful place to raise Charlie, and a wonderful new lifestyle. Nick grew up on an orchard, so he feels right at home. He’s really looking forward to working with his hands, tending to the trees, and producing some super yummy coffee!
Palm Trees Line Our New Driveway
I’m looking forward to gardening, having chickens, knitting on the front porch, and drinking the super yummy coffee! Haha. We’ll be creating a website for the farm soon, and I’d love to have you check it out when it’s ready. We’ll be selling our deluxe coffee and blogging about our adventures!
So that’s the quick and dirty recap of our time in Hawaii. It’s been a whirlwind of a month, and we’re super ready to settle into our new place. We’ve created some pretty amazing stories though, and we’ve already grown closer as a family….it’s exciting!
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40 Comments On “The Quick Version….”
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Awesome Melody !! It sooo super ! We live on a country site and its sooo nice to wake up in the morning and to see all green around you !!
Keep us posted !! You found a lovely house !
Warm Regards 🙂
LOVE it! I certainly wish I could sit with you and knit on the Big Island! It’s a wonderful island with so much to offer. I hope that you your adventures there are amazing and that you have GREAT success with the coffee farm (and knitting). Two of which are my loves. 🙂
Sounds like you both have been guided to the perfect place by mishaps and coincidences. I like to say that the Lord guides us ever so gently to the path He has chosen for us. 🙂
Thanks Christine! I definitely think we’ve finally made it to where we’re supposed to be 🙂 Come visit! I’d love to have a knitting buddy on the front porch overlooking the coffee trees!
Are you near Killuea? I just read in the newspaper where there is a steady lava flow going on. We send our blessings. A tropical storm and volcanic eruption in the same season are a lot to contend with.
The place we stayed in during the hurricane is right in the lava’s path, but luckily we’re out of it’s reach now. I know! We moved from a place with NO natural disasters, and now we’re living somewhere that’s had two states of emergency declared in the month we’ve been here….LOL
Comgrats on your new farm. We are hoping to fond something similar in the very near future just in Kentucky. I will most definitely give your coffee a try, heck I own most your patterns why not your coffee lol! I am so glad things are working out for you all!
Awesome Twanna! I sure hope you guys find your little slice of paradise too. Farm life is rather amazing so far! And I would love to have you try the coffee! Hehe….I’m just trying to invade every aspect of your life 😉
looks and sounds great. And they do say that all good things come to those who wait. Congrats.
Thanks Deb!
Lucky you! So glad that this had a super happy ending, wonderful!
Thanks Lorinda! We are definitely feeling extremely lucky and blessed right now 🙂
Sounds perfect….. sounds like you had a wonderful realtor, By the way who did you use? A friend of ours daughter is a realtor on the big island. Our plan is to retire in a few years to one of the Islands- You are living our dream-especially the coffee farm part—- can’t wait to order beans from you….. Aloha
It really is wonderful Carrie, and you should go for it as soon as possible! We definitely did have a wonderful realtor, and we got really lucky that this listing came to her about a week before we got here….so it wasn’t even on the MLS yet! Her name is Heather Hedenschau with Big Island Brokers 🙂
Thanks for replying…. We visit yearly but will have to wait out the 7 years for retirement— <3 Looking forward to following your blog
7 years isn’t too long! Plus yearly visits are pretty great too 🙂
So exciting..my brother, of blessed memory, lived on Honolulu for 30 years. I live the big island and look forward to news about the coffee farm and your new life. Sending you Aloha and mahalo for you beautiful patterns
Thank you <3
Melody.. not sure why I said I lived on the
big Island.. must be a typo.. I live in Florida, but I have visited the Big Island several times.
I just figured you meant you love the Big Island 🙂 For a minute I was super hopeful about meeting you in person though, haha!
Spuds amazing and absolutely awesome and even going through everything in the beginning makes memories that will last a lifetime! All the best in this new chapter of your life, new adventures await!
Thank you Lynda!
Of course that should have said SOUNDS not spuds! Sorry!
Hello Melody,
Loved receiving your email and update. You and your family have had quite an adventure thus far. So very happy for you now that you and your family are finally settled into your forever home. It sounds absolutely fantastic. Love the pics you posted thus far.
Wish you a wonderful life filled with exciting adventures which will erupt with fantastic stories. Looking forward to reading all about them as time goes on.
Thank you so much Susan <3 That means a lot! We're so excited to be living some of our dreams!
Wow Melody looks awesome. Like a vacation spot! Living in Florida I know what you went through with the storms, electric & yes what a mess! Living in the warm climate you will see all kinds of yes eew bugs, insects, & very odd wild life you never saw before. We came from a big city in New Jersey & got an eye opener our first few days here. Palmetto Bugs, Camelions, Rabbits, Turtles, Foxes, Lots of Red Ants that leave puss bites when you get bit. So we wear shoes all the time.But wouldn’t change any of it. What a farm you guys have. Now maybe you can get that llama & shear your own yarn! Lol Wishing all of you the best in your new HOME!
Thanks Christine! We are love, love, loving it here so far! Definitely different things to get used to, but so far very worth it….My brain is exploding with thoughts of llamas, and angora rabbits! Hehe. First we’re gonna focus on chickens and the garden though so we can start some self-sufficiency.
Good for you guys. After everything you’ve been through you need mini vacation!
Congrats Melody so glad you found your forever home, the Lord had it all planned!
I love reading about other countries and looking at your photos it sure is pretty, reminds me a bit of where I live here in South Africa. Can’t wait to read your farm blog and hear all about your settling in.
All the best for a wonderful new life and many happy memories.
God bless Amanda xxx
Hi Melody,
We live in a country side. We have trees and vine yards around us. I know that best thing in life is to live a quality life. Wishing you all the best into this new step. Your place looks wonderful.
Thank you so much Yanna! Yes – I think it’s easy to get caught up in all the craziness of life and forget to really live….we’ve definitely been “living” here 🙂
Melody, it looks beautiful!! Good to see you are finally settling in!! I wish you the best and much happiness in your new home!!!
hugs,
gramzie
It’s SO wonderful to see you so happy and content. You definitely deserve it! Loads of things will be growing on your new farm and the 3 of you will grow in knowledge, peace and love as well. Aloha
Congratulations! I am so excited to see how your new farm works out! My husband and I always thought it would be so fun to have a small farm, maybe a Christmas tree farm… but a coffee farm would mean you would get free coffee – even better! I’m excited to read about your new adventures and let us know if you ever need a house sitter. Haha!! 🙂
Georgia Renne, Portland, OR.
Thanks Georgia! We’re really happy here so far! A Christmas tree farm would be perfect for Oregon 🙂
Wow! Well you guys definitely made it through the storm and found a beautiful pot at the end of the rainbow! Such great new beginnings. Thank you for sharing and I hope to hear more.
Thank you Maria! We certainly did fair well. We’re feeling very lucky and blessed to have found this beautiful place <3
That is a lovely place to stay…..This would do wonders to your knitting and crocheting, Melody. It is like a vacation 24*7!!!!! Feel so happy for you.
Good luck.
Thank you Smitha! Yes – it has already allowed me so much more time to knit and crochet…I’m definitely enjoying our time here so far! I really appreciate the well wishes 🙂
Thank you so much for the free patterns. I too live in an Island called Puerto Rico. There are coffee plantations here also. Hope everything goes well for you and your family.
Thank you Rosa! Glad you enjoyed the freebies – you’re very welcome!