I Love Poipu

When we moved to Poipu, I said many times that we wasted two years of our Kauai life living in Lihue.  Poipu seemed so far and away superior to anywhere I've ever lived.  I do not feel any differently after three and a half years of living here.

We are moving to another city, and it will be great.  We will have close babysitters, live in a beautiful house, be much closer to the church (which we frequent quite a bit more than once a week), and test drive a neighborhood where we've tried to buy.  Our kids will have friends nearby to play with, and I will not always be hot (Poipu is hot).  I will have a functioning Master Bathroom and closets (!), and hopefully my wood floor will no longer "sweat" and turn into a slip-and-slide every time it rains.  Our landlord will not kick us out every 6-9 months.

But my heart aches thinking of leaving the south shore.

I love hearing the ocean from my windows every day and every night.

I love starting every one of my runs on the coast.

I love whale season, and watching them breach steps away from my house.

I love Shipwreck Beach and cliff.  I love watching the sun catch the cliff near sunset and light it up brilliantly.

I love that Brady's work is 1.5 miles away and he joins us for lunch 4 days a week.

I love walking to the pool, the park, Baby Beach, and Brennecke's Beach from my house, with Zachary dragging his boogie board and Kate jumping along from sidewalk square to sidewalk square.

I love the greenbelt.  My kids run, somersault down hills, play soccer and baseball, ride bikes and scooters, and use up the seemingly limitless space behind our house.

I love the quiet.  With the exception of a few rowdy vacationers here and there, the noise of Poipu comes from the water.

I love our Sunday walks on the cliff.  I love watching the ocean crash against the rocks.  I love watching for turtles (and seeing the occasional pod of dolphins and even a manta ray!).

I love our neighbors.  We only have a couple that aren't vacationers, and they are so friendly to our kids.

I love our short walks to the Hyatt to swing and check out the "fishies."

I love the sunsets.  I know that every place on the island has spectacular sunsets, but we have a great vantage point here.

I love the palm tree positioned right behind our house.

I love the blue paint, the plumeria trees, and hibiscus bushes that surround our house.

I will miss Poipu.  What a happy place it has been for our little family.

When you go to Europe and other travel destinations, guidebooks tell you to approach your trip as though you will be back.  See what you really want to see, but don't be desperate and think it is the only time in your life you'll be there, or any interruption to plans or disappointing experiences will make you crazy.  That's how I have to see our move from Poipu.  I think we might be back.  That makes me less sad.