“Why? Why would you leave Hawaii?!”

This is the question I am often asked when telling people where we moved from over a year ago… that is, at least by people who have never lived in Hawaii.

Hawaii is a beautiful state. Everywhere you look there is evidence of the glory of God; from the vibrant painted sunsets, the crystal-clear waters filled with vibrant fish, to the tropical forests graced with gorgeous waterfalls, lush with exotic vegetation and fruit filled trees. The land is stunning, no doubt about that.

Some people complain of feeling trapped on the island, not being able to travel. That was never the case for me. I had no problem being surrounded by water. What I did struggle with was the high cost of living, the inconvenience of everything being so far away, the poorly run government, and most of all, the way some of the people treated each other.

When we first moved to the Big Island, our children were young. It wasn’t until my daughter entered middle school that she and her younger brother began being bullied for not being from the island. Soon after that, I began experiencing unfortunate differential treatment at work. There seemed to be so much hate between the different cultures and races, but especially directed towards people not from Hawaii. We had wonderful friends and family that we loved dearly, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore the longing in our hearts for something new.

When we came to Alaska on vacation two years ago, we were struck by the warmth of the people, the magnificence of the scenery and the feeling of community. We witnessed a patriotism we had not felt for many years. We were surrounding by people who shared our love of Christian values, hard work and appreciation of the outdoors.

We have been blessed with incredible friends in Hawaii. It was a period in our lives I would not trade for the world. And although we were met with many challenges while we were there, it helped to bring us to where we are today. But of course, I feel that way about all experiences in life. Every door opens – or closes for a reason. So now we are in Alaska in a neighborhood we love, working careers we feel so blessed to have. The kids are enjoying school and love all that Alaska has to offer. We have met even more wonderful people that have made life all the more precious.

So why did we move to Alaska? I love to think we moved for the adventure. The bears, moose, eagles, mountains, snow, skiing, kayaking, hiking, and also the people, community, serenity and patriotism.

It was so hard to leave our dear friends and family, but we had to make the decision to follow our hearts and do what was best for our little family of four. And who knows what tomorrow will bring.