Well, I’m back from an amazing trip to Hawaii. I had never been to the Big Island before and from the moment I stepped off the plane, I fell in love. Most people said that I would NOT love the airport in Kona because it lands on a lava field, looks dry, and not so tropical, but I knew we would get to the tropical. So I was able to enjoy the wonder of a huge lava field. I mean, really? The Big Island is the youngest of the islands at about 900,000 years old. So it doesn’t have the largest sandy beaches, but I truly believe it has so much more.

The beauty of warmth! I am always cold…always. We live in Ventura California where it stays 60-70 degrees all year. Many love that about where we live, but for me, it’s just too cold! So when I stepped off the airplane (you have to take a smaller plane from Maui or Honolulu to get to Kona) and the warmth hit my arms and face, I was in heaven. The rest of my family was a bit warm because of the Lava fields and sun, but I felt my body finally warm up all the way through to my bones. Ben looked at me with a smile and said, “You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Yes, yes I was.

We rented a jeep because we knew that we wanted to do a couple of the roads to certain beaches that would need a bit of four wheeling. And then finally, we were on our way. Our condo was on Walua street so we could walk to Alii Drive where the main hub of activity is. All week, when I couldn’t seem to get on Hawaii time, I would wake up anywhere from 4-6 AM. So I would simply walk to a cafe called Java On the Rocks. It sat right on the ocean and the best part was…I didn’t have to wear a sweater!

I’m not sure how to explain how the week went, or where to begin, because there’s a lot to tell you. There’s a lot to tell about the changes in our lives that happened because of this amazing Island. All I can say is regardless of what you believe, it was a truly spiritual connection that I had with this place. Every day was like a dream.

The view from Java on the Rocks where I went to breakfast every morning at 6:00 AM!

So let me go back a little bit in life to explain what’s happening next.

I’m a true believer that life happens regardless of what you do–good and bad. I also believe that nothing is coincidence. For example, had I not come back to California when I did, I would not have gotten involved with acting again, that led me to get into fitness, that led me to start writing a blog, that led me to become a trainer, that has truly given me an amazing career. If I had not gone through the steps that I did, I would not be here…and I am so grateful to be here.

After five years in Ventura, we started to feel as though our time here might be ending. A few months ago, a friend of ours spoke to us about the Big Island of Hawaii and gave us many reasons why it would be awesome to live there. We of course agreed, but our first instinct was, “Yeah right”.

The more that I looked into it, I found that Hawaii (the Big Island) was actually cheaper to live than Ventura, (housing, etc). Yet that wasn’t all I found. I started looking into fitness there on the Island. Honestly it wasn’t until I could see it with my own eyes, that I found that the Big Island is a perfect place for me to continue my career with the blog, training, and writing. Everyday there were tons of people moving, running, canoeing, swimming, surfing, and many other things. It was like I was surrounded by my biggest dream–A warm world where people move every chance they get.

Yet, it’s not saturated. The fitness world is huge, yet not saturated. AWESOME.

You naturally move more and eat less. AWESOME.

So let’s just say before my family was convinced, I was in love.

Then the strangest thing happened.

On the second day, Ben got a call from my best friend’s husband who goes out to Kailua Kona once a month, that there was a possible job opportunity for him out there. How could timing work out any better? It couldn’t. Yet that’s how things have happened in our lives. We don’t seem to move ourselves, we simply sit back, declare our trust, and then we are moved.

Now granted, I’m a bit adventurous, so I never leave any open door without going inside and peeking around for a while.

So as Ben was interviewing for this position, I went and checked out a gym called M2 Fitness. Again, I fell in love. It is perfect for me–small, intimate, and down to earth. I spoke with Mary, the owner, and she and I just hit it off. On another note, our favorite restaurant in Kona turned out to be right by M2 Fitness called Jackie Ray’s. I loved the Club Med salad with chicken. Oh so good!

By the end of the week, Ben had been offered a job, I had found a gym that was perfect, and we were all in love.

But really, with the logistics of everything, could this be happening?

To be continued…

Lava Fields, Kailua Kona