Missile Alert Wake Up Call for Kona Girl

Last weekend everybody on Hawaii with a phone, received a text emergency alert at 8:08 a.m.:

BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII, SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Well, I don’t know about you, but it really frightened me. Not only did my husband and I get the text, but we also heard the announcement on the radio as we were driving to Waimea. For 38 minutes, we were subjected to the thought that my wonderful island paradise of Hawaii would become floating debris in a beautiful blue ocean of hungry sharks. That I, may become nothing more than fish food and not have the opportunity to tell all of the people in my life how much I love them. It is quite a wake up call when you think you may only have minutes to live. What do you do? Who do you call? I was saddened to think that even if I had listened to all of my safety cautious prepared friends and taken all of their advice to stockpile my home with all of the necessities to survive an apocalypse, it wouldn’t have mattered because I was 45 minutes from my home. (Do we pile two weeks worth of food in our car? What about drinking from water bottles that have been exposed to sunlight? Do I need to travel with a change of clothes? How would client’s look at me if I did have all of this stuff in my car while I am out showing them property? Yes, this is really what goes through my head).

The reality of not seeing my children again, not having that last goodbye to my mother, not finishing the book I was reading and not ever knowing who Arie would pick on the Bachelor… it was a bit too much for me. I have had a few days to think about this and ponder decisions I have made in my life. In the time of stress, we occasionally make rushed and crazy promises… I am not the exception. I promised I would finally start my Hawaii Life blog. Mind you, I am not a blogger, have never blogged before today, and now only feel inspired to do so because of all of the crazy stories in my head, which in all honesty is probably where they should stay. Getting the stories from my head to the keyboard will be a challenge, but hey, I’m up for it, plus Hawaii Life really wants us to blog. I am an avid reader, but not an avid writer. You would think the two would go hand and hand, but apparently not in my case. I am beginning this blog to share with anybody out in the cyber world my life on the big beautiful island of Hawaii. I am a resident of Kona and have been living and selling real estate here for just over three years. I was born and raised on a farm in Virginia, OK, the truth is, I was born in West Virginia, but that will have to wait for a future blog. I sold real estate in Washington, California, and Nevada before the opportunity came to move to Hawaii and sell in paradise, I couldn’t turn it down. So here I am, working and selling real estate with my husband, Maverick, living our dream in paradise.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of a more beautiful place to be. The lesson I learned with the missile warning is that life is short, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. Why are so many people waiting until they retire to move to their dream location? Until the kids are grown? Until they have so much money in the bank? How would you live your day if you thought it would be your last?

My goal with this blog is to help anyone who is thinking about moving to Hawaii with your questions. I know I had lots of them before I moved here and didn’t have anybody to ask. Think of me as you Dear Abby of Hawaii, or better yet, Dear Karen of Kona. I may not have all of your answers, but I promise to research what I can for you and help you the best I can. I have a few ideas for upcoming blogs but would love to hear from you.

Upcoming topics:

Moving to Kailua Kona
Buying a Home on the Big Island of Hawaii
Is Elevation Important?
How do You Learn Hawaiian?
What is Poke?
Do Sharks Eat Non-Residents?