“I’m not stressed, I just don’t remember the last time I felt relaxed.”
From planning a wedding in three months, to immediately packing up our lives and beginning our move across the globe, the last 6 months have been hectic to say the least! Some of us (Adam) handled the craziness better than others (Loaf), but we have officially made it and we are so happy to finally be settling into our new home on Kwaj!
The journey became real on January 6th when the movers came to pack up our home in Arlington, MA. The place where so many memories were made became a memory itself in just a few short hours. The emptiness drove us out almost immediately and that night, we packed the remainder of our things into our carry-on luggage, and our nomadic life began! We first lived in a hotel in Lexington, MA right near our work. Hotel life was fun - we got to eat dinner in bed almost every night while watching Judge Judy on cable TV, AND (as if it gets better than that), free coffee in the lobby every morning.
As our time in Boston came to an end, we tried to make the most of the time we had left. Days were busy, but that didn’t stop us from having some fun! We managed to sneak in a few more North End nights filled with our favorite Italian food and espresso martinis. Our sophisticated evenings of fine dining would only last so long before we found ourselves dancing at the Harp with 21-year old’s and eating late night pizza on the side of the road. You could say we have mastered the art of balance.
On February 2nd, we began our road trip to Iowa to drop off Adam's car and say goodbye to our Midwest fam. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Peterson and spent our days playing cribbage, thrifting, and listening to their travel stories from back in the day. Also, Grandma made me try a peanut butter and pickle sandwich, but I’d rather forget about that.
While in the Midwest, we made a quick pit stop in South Dakota. What brought us to South Dakota you may ask? Lots of casinos and zero state income tax. Long story short, for tax purposes, Adam and I are now official residents of South Dakota! We spent the night in Sioux Falls’ finest Water Park & Casino Hotel and in the morning, we headed to the RMV. The appointment was at 7:30 am and by 8:00 am we had two South Dakota licenses hot off the press! It was overall an easy process aside from one little hiccup. . .
Adam decided that the most appropriate time to look up the required documentation for our license appointments was 5 hours into our road trip at a rest stop. Pretty much everything that we needed (passports, marriage license, birth certificates, etc.) was left in the safe at the hotel. Luckily, my mom was able to overnight them in time and mission “Become a South Dakota Resident” was a success!
The process of getting to Kwaj seemed like a bunch of mini “missions” that we split up between the two of us. My main mission (mission almost impossible) was to get the cats from Boston to Kwaj, which you would think is something simple but it surely was not. It was a tough move, but the kitties were absolute troopers throughout the whole process! Not only did we completely uproot them from their home of 3 years, but we took them to live in a hotel room with us for 30 plus days. Within those 30 days, they went back and forth to the vet about 5 times for various testing, vaccines, and certifications. By the end, me, myself, and my unmedicated ADHD somehow pulled together a whole organized binder with 4 sections: Flights, Hawaii Quarantine, Boarding, and Kwaj Importation. Each tab having its own unique and wildly detailed set of guidelines which made my noggin hurt.
On February 14th, the Gjersvik Fam began their journey overseas! We dropped the cats off at Logan Airport early that morning. Since we were traveling into Hawaii, the cats had to be cleared by animal quarantine before entering the state. This meant that they had to fly in cargo with luggage opposed to with us on the plane, so they could be brought directly to quarantine once landed. This was something that I was not aware of at the time we agreed to bring the cats. It was a horrible feeling knowing that they would be spending an 11-hour plane ride alone, but the Hawaiian Air crew made us feel better, and before takeoff the Captain made an announcement to let us know the cats were safe and comfortable in cargo!
The flight to Hawaii was quite the experience. It was LONG, the movie selection was sparse, the WIFI was nonexistent, and, to top it all off, the flight was jam packed with passengers under the age of 3. Our flight arrived late into Hawaii, so not only did the kitties have to travel 11 hours alone, but they had to spend the night in the airport without us. The following day they were cleared by animal quarantine and brought to boarding where we were able to visit. Despite the craziness, they were doing great and were so happy to see us!
Our 4-day trip to Hawaii turned into a 7-day trip due to flight cancellations, which we were not upset about. We hiked, explored the island, and ate so much raw seafood that its truly a miracle we didn’t leave Hawaii with a parasite. Each morning started with a walk where we would stumble upon new cafés for coffee/breakfast. Pretty much every café was stocked with the most delicious pastries, Acai Bowls, and Kona Coffee Beans which are grown on the Big Island. The amount of money that Coffee Addict Adam spent on Kona beans shall not be discussed. The man needs help.
After a long week of exploring Hawaii, on February 21st, it was time to ship out! We boarded the plane with our two sweet kitties and off we flew into the future. The flight was only 6 hours, but there is such a drastic time change that when we landed on Kwaj it was February 22nd. The plane door opened and we were hit with a wave of humidity and SO much love. Our new MIT family lined the airport and greeted us with open arms. We were finally HOME!
At this point, it’s been about a month since we’ve arrived and we couldn’t be happier or more excited that life brought us here. In typical Adam and Loaf fashion, we didn’t think twice about saying yes to the opportunity (even though we knew hardly anything about this tiny island located in the middle of the ocean 6,000 miles from home). We weren’t sure what to expect, but it’s been such a pleasant surprise. Being able to find joy in small things is one of my favorite parts of my relationship with Adam, and it will surely come in handy during our stay here. Although its only been a few weeks, its clear that life on the island is what you make of it, and I can already tell ya, we’re gonna have FUN :).
L I F E I N P I C T U R E S
