Today was our first day at Whole Foods in Maui.
I was nervous for a little while before clocking in and getting everything underway, but I soon realized that the Maui store has more in common with my old store than I thought. There are still the same satisfying interactions with people, but also the same problems everyone runs into.
Today I was mostly doing paperwork and getting informed on all the different policies, since I moved to a different region. But once that was done, I got right into bagging. Helped a ton of people outside, talked to them about Maui and got back into my groove. I see myself fitting in well with my team and I'm back to bagging early in the morning tomorrow.
As for Candace, she was hard at work almost immediately. The former Wine Specialist has been gone doing his art gig for the past two weeks, so she had to go through a bunch of backstock and figure out how to make all the new displays. I did not see her at all for eight hours, but from what I hear everyone loves her at the new store and they are super excited to have her. Also apparently her whole Specialty Team lives near us in Haiku so we have already been invited to the next get-together when they are all off of work. Score!
After work, Candace and I took the back way home towards Paia, a nice little plantation town that has recently gotten a bit more touristy and boutique-filled. We stopped at this pizza place called The Flatbread Company, who ironically are known for their amazing organic salad. We got a share-able plate of salad and their special flatbread pizza of the day which had bacon, parmesan, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and local onion marmalade. It was probably the first or second-best pizza I have ever had. Maui does NOT mess around when it comes to food. The restaurants have to be stellar or they just do not survive.
After scarfing down the whole pizza between the two of us, we made our way home in the dark. Driving upcountry is a little scary at night! There are zero lights around so you have to be very careful to not hit any wildlife or miss your turns. Luckily with Candace's navigation I made it home safe and sound. Now after putting in some dishes to be washed I decided to write an entry for y'all and then head to bed since I have to get up super early. Good night!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
From Hotel To House
Life is good.
Candace and I woke up this morning craving a beach. We decided to go down two miles to the Kahana Beach Park and were pleasantly surprised when we were the only people on the beach. After our breakfast of banana bread, we got in the water and marveled at the views. You could see the huge mountains to the west and the expanse of the ocean in front of you. After getting our fill of the beach, we went back to the hotel and checked out. We were scheduled to meet the couple we are renting a cottage from for the month so we headed out to Haiku to check it out.
We met up with Katheryn and Zam, our fun-loving homeowners who are on vacation for the next month. They gave us a brief tour and bid us adieu. The house we are staying in is truly beautiful. We've got about two acres total of land here to ourselves, and we've been informed that we can explore to our hearts' content. The house has a big window right in the main living area that gets all the perfect ocean breezes, meaning we don't have to run any fans or air conditioning. You just have to be quick when the rain comes since it can happen without much warning!
We ventured into Kahului for our errands this afternoon. We needed groceries first off because Candace misses cooking her own meals. After having to keep our kitchen clean and traveling, we've had our fill of takeout food. Of course, this created a perfect opportunity to go see the new Whole Foods we are working at starting on Tuesday. The store is beautiful, with plenty of outdoor seating and a HUGE produce section. After meeting the produce guy Rob, we left with a veritable cornucopia of fruit. As a plus, almost all of it was grown on Maui.
The first thing about produce in Maui is that if you buy local everything is inexpensive. The dream of 99 cent pineapples is real, so we picked one up straight away. We were also tipped off about canary melons, which I have had before but they were super expensive back in Texas. Here they were about three dollars for the whole thing. Not too shabby! We also picked up some strawberry papaya, a giant avocado that has a great nutty flavor to it, and some asparagus to go with the local Kajiki fillets(blue marlin) we bought for dinner. The fish is plentiful and looks amazing in Maui, so we are going to work our way through it all one fillet at a time.
The next stop was Starbucks, as Candace was getting a bit decaffeinated through our shopping. With our coffees in hand, we set off for more supplies at the local Kmart. You know, all that stuff you realize you can't live without once you arrive. Our main goal was the firmest pillows possible, as the ones left with us were way too squishy for my giant head.
After grabbing that, we headed back to the house and have settled in for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow we'll get back to the job of setting up for semi-permanent life on Maui. Tonight though, we will just bask in the beauty we have lucked ourselves into and hope we can keep it going as long as possible.
And with that, I think I will grab a local brew and relax listening to the birds and breezes of mountain life in Maui.
Candace and I woke up this morning craving a beach. We decided to go down two miles to the Kahana Beach Park and were pleasantly surprised when we were the only people on the beach. After our breakfast of banana bread, we got in the water and marveled at the views. You could see the huge mountains to the west and the expanse of the ocean in front of you. After getting our fill of the beach, we went back to the hotel and checked out. We were scheduled to meet the couple we are renting a cottage from for the month so we headed out to Haiku to check it out.
We met up with Katheryn and Zam, our fun-loving homeowners who are on vacation for the next month. They gave us a brief tour and bid us adieu. The house we are staying in is truly beautiful. We've got about two acres total of land here to ourselves, and we've been informed that we can explore to our hearts' content. The house has a big window right in the main living area that gets all the perfect ocean breezes, meaning we don't have to run any fans or air conditioning. You just have to be quick when the rain comes since it can happen without much warning!
We ventured into Kahului for our errands this afternoon. We needed groceries first off because Candace misses cooking her own meals. After having to keep our kitchen clean and traveling, we've had our fill of takeout food. Of course, this created a perfect opportunity to go see the new Whole Foods we are working at starting on Tuesday. The store is beautiful, with plenty of outdoor seating and a HUGE produce section. After meeting the produce guy Rob, we left with a veritable cornucopia of fruit. As a plus, almost all of it was grown on Maui.
The first thing about produce in Maui is that if you buy local everything is inexpensive. The dream of 99 cent pineapples is real, so we picked one up straight away. We were also tipped off about canary melons, which I have had before but they were super expensive back in Texas. Here they were about three dollars for the whole thing. Not too shabby! We also picked up some strawberry papaya, a giant avocado that has a great nutty flavor to it, and some asparagus to go with the local Kajiki fillets(blue marlin) we bought for dinner. The fish is plentiful and looks amazing in Maui, so we are going to work our way through it all one fillet at a time.
The next stop was Starbucks, as Candace was getting a bit decaffeinated through our shopping. With our coffees in hand, we set off for more supplies at the local Kmart. You know, all that stuff you realize you can't live without once you arrive. Our main goal was the firmest pillows possible, as the ones left with us were way too squishy for my giant head.
After grabbing that, we headed back to the house and have settled in for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow we'll get back to the job of setting up for semi-permanent life on Maui. Tonight though, we will just bask in the beauty we have lucked ourselves into and hope we can keep it going as long as possible.
And with that, I think I will grab a local brew and relax listening to the birds and breezes of mountain life in Maui.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
The Beginning of a New Chapter
A new chapter in our lives.
That is what Candace and I are starting tomorrow.
If you have not known us for a while, let me catch you up:
My wife Candace and I have lived in Austin, Texas for the past seven years. We left our parents' homes and set off for Austin after falling in love while working at a bookstore in Plano. We have worked at Whole Foods ever since, learning, loving, and adventuring all the while. We've traveled to London, Paris, Bangkok, and many places between.
Which brings us to the next chapter in our lives. Candace received an e-mail at work from her fellow Whole Foods workers in Kahului, Hawaii. They were in need of a new Wine Buyer, which incidentally was the position Candace held at the store in Austin. She was intrigued but wavered on actually applying. She was happy in her job. Her team was fun and got along. But she came home that day and asked me if she should apply for the job. "Of course! Why haven't you already?" I told her. "There is no downside. Either they tell you they don't want you or you get to work in Maui!" It took a little convincing but she decided to send off her application the next day.
After a long interview process with lots of uncertainty, Candace was offered the job at the Whole Foods in Maui. We were ecstatic! However, there was lots of work to be done. Leases broken, knickknacks sold, and friends commiserated with. Well, we've arrived. Our apartment is empty, Our friends have seen us for the last time in a long time. And we are making the next leap in our young lives.
I hope you'll join me as we find out everything we can about this wonderful opportunity presented to us. About life on the island. The beauty and agony of living so isolated from the rest of the U.S. The natural beauty surrounding us. The things we miss and the things we cannot live without.
Please come along and share with us. Comment on our posts. Share it with your friends. Hop in and enjoy the ride.
That is what Candace and I are starting tomorrow.
If you have not known us for a while, let me catch you up:
My wife Candace and I have lived in Austin, Texas for the past seven years. We left our parents' homes and set off for Austin after falling in love while working at a bookstore in Plano. We have worked at Whole Foods ever since, learning, loving, and adventuring all the while. We've traveled to London, Paris, Bangkok, and many places between.
Which brings us to the next chapter in our lives. Candace received an e-mail at work from her fellow Whole Foods workers in Kahului, Hawaii. They were in need of a new Wine Buyer, which incidentally was the position Candace held at the store in Austin. She was intrigued but wavered on actually applying. She was happy in her job. Her team was fun and got along. But she came home that day and asked me if she should apply for the job. "Of course! Why haven't you already?" I told her. "There is no downside. Either they tell you they don't want you or you get to work in Maui!" It took a little convincing but she decided to send off her application the next day.
After a long interview process with lots of uncertainty, Candace was offered the job at the Whole Foods in Maui. We were ecstatic! However, there was lots of work to be done. Leases broken, knickknacks sold, and friends commiserated with. Well, we've arrived. Our apartment is empty, Our friends have seen us for the last time in a long time. And we are making the next leap in our young lives.
I hope you'll join me as we find out everything we can about this wonderful opportunity presented to us. About life on the island. The beauty and agony of living so isolated from the rest of the U.S. The natural beauty surrounding us. The things we miss and the things we cannot live without.
Please come along and share with us. Comment on our posts. Share it with your friends. Hop in and enjoy the ride.
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