life long friendships

If you have ever moved, I'm sure you know how difficult it is to start over in a new place.

Once your housing situation is worked out and you are fully unpacked, you feel more at home by making friends.

Kids just start playing with the nicest kid that is near them, but for some reason it gets harder as we age. Making friends is a lot like dating, isn't it? And for some of us, it can be difficult.

Do you enjoy their company?
Do you have similar interests and hobbies?
Are you able to have an honest conversation with them?
If they are parents, can you stand their kids or their parenting style?
Do they smell funny?

Just kidding... kind of.

It took me a while, but I finally found a group of people that I am proud to call my friends. They are inspiring, intellectually challenging, and FUN!

We have done many things together, from celebrating holidays and birthdays, to baby showers and double dates. We also attended the Operation Homefront Celebration in Honolulu and the Hui 'O Na Wahine Mock Dining In on Schofield Barracks.

Erinn (of The Graber Life) and I ran the Color Run in Kapolei and hiked the Aiea Loop Trail!

Could I be any luckier?

Actually, I can! They are also very giving and generous individuals.

 

Erinn started Patchwork For Preemies last year. Once a month we get together to sew quilts that we donate to the Tripler NICU. I love being a part of a group that gives back!

I owe it all to Lacey, my first friend on the island. Her family opened their home and hearts to us when we first arrived on the island, just days before Thanksgiving. It is because of her kindness, generosity, and friendship that I felt so comfortable making friends here.

We've celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Fourth of July, and birthdays together. We've gone on a whale watching tour with our families, had game nights, and started Crossfit together! I cannot list it all, but as ohana we have helped each other through both good times and bad.

I was pouting in that picture because we were going to Crossfit for the first time and I was scared. Now I'm pouting because they are PCSing! 

We will miss them but I know PCSing is just another part of the military life. We wouldn't have met them if we didn't PCS. I'm sure we will see each other again one day, even if we do not end up at the same duty station.

True friends are hard to find, so when you find them you keep them forever! :)