how could you do this to me? stay!

this summer one of my very best girls announced she was moving back to maui.

i said, “hooray!? awesome news! you love maui! you are going to be so happy!”

i thought, “no! don’t leave me! how could you do this to me? stay!”

long term friendship can be that way. after decades of leaning, it can be hard to stand on your own. i am crippled without my people.

but i after praying on it and then praying on it some more, i found a way to marry the thoughts in my heart with those which came out of my mouth. besides, a quick google search showed my well crafted plan to hold my friend hostage in my attic could potentially result in major time behind bars.

i gave my blessing and made my girl vow to spend every waking minute before her departure with me. true to her word, she did.

before she even had the chance to leave new jersey, my husband, our friend mike, and i had our flights to maui booked. with silly text messages, funny memes, and incessant phone calls, we anxiously counted down the days until the trip.

i looked forward to our visit to maui for all the obvious reasons; black beaches, clear water, picturesque sunsets, and of course… the food. but mostly, i needed to see for myself that my bestie was and would be deliriously happy in hawaii.

maui is far from home. like stupid far. flights are long and expensive. i know there will be years i will not see the girl with whom i once shared a one bedroom apartment. some years she will not see her family. i needed to know, to really know inside my bones, that my girl has a home in maui. that she has people on the island who love and understand her.

nearly the moment we landed my fears were quieted. throughout our trip, we met droves of incredible people. people who took time from their jobs and their lives to get to know us, to feed us, to give us tours of secret corners of the island. we watched the sunset and then rise with strangers who turned into friends. we adventured, laughed, partied, and marveled with the guys and gals our girl now calls family. and as i boarded the plane for my return flight home i felt a sense of calm wash over me. i am leaving my girl in many good hands.

thank you to each and every person who helped make our time in maui truly magical. aloha!