Who I am is best explained by showing you what I have done. After all, I am the sum total of my experiences. So, let me take you on a tour of some of the important things in my life.
To start, this is a picture from the year anniversary concert for a magazine I used to manage with my friend Carl. That was in my early 20’s and those were good days. The magazine was called S.L.A.M. for Support Local Arts & Music.
This is Alice’s Restaurant, which I managed. I also curated the art that was on the walls and switched it out each month for First Friday.
I did a lot to try to support the arts in Phoenix, because I believe that arts and culture are the best part of a society. They are what makes a place shine, and they are an expression of our beauty and our uniqueness.
I worked, saved, and got scholarships. My health has always been kind of a challenge, so college was an uphill climb (even though I love learning). However, I ended up with two degrees. I guess I did okay.
After college I moved to Asia. I taught at a school called Avalon English for three years, and did my best to take my vacations to destinations in Europe and Asia so that I could explore.
I know doing a few years overseas is not practical for everyone. However, it was a really great experience for me and I am glad that I did it.
There was definitely a feeling of camaraderie in the expat community in South Korea, and in all the places that I traveled to. I made a lot of life-long friends both among the expats, and among my Korean co-workers.
I got married in South Korea in the summer of 2013. My husband had to take an unaccompanied tour right after. That’s when I ended up spending a wonderful year in Oregon with my adopted family.
When Rich finished up in Mississippi, we moved to Guam together. It was beautiful there, and we loved swimming with sea turtles.
I wanted to go somewhere like Italy or Spain next.
When we ended up with orders to Hawaii, I had a lot of feelings because my biological family were Portuguese Hawaiian on my mom’s side.
At first it brought up a lot of painful memories to be in Hawaii. It was like I was in some kind of internal struggle with the islands. In the end, Hawaii won. Maybe it was the malasadas that did it, because they taste like New Year’s morning with my great-grandma Ginny. They taste like my childhood.
Hawaii ended up feeling more like home than anywhere else I’ve been, and I find myself hoping this is the the place where this rolling stone finally gathers some moss.
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