Why I Need a Vacation From My Vacation in Hawaii

This Thai table is part of the reason I need a vacation from my vacation.

Yes, it is true, I need a vacation from my vacation. I planned this trip in April of last year, and I carefully thought about how I might feel leaving our vacation house in Hawaii for the first time. It’s hard when I’ve been here for more than 30 days, getting in the groove of living in Kailua-Kona, even with all of the geckos, which I don’t mind half so much anymore. I expected this particular winter vacation to be different because I would be fending for myself in Hawaii.

Little did I realize how different, though. For starters, I did not visualize myself installing strand woven bamboo floors, or changing out light fixtures, or fixing ceiling cracks after the earthquake. Or a million other repairs and updates we ended up doing to this home because I could. Actually, I had hoped to shop for furniture but the sellers / tenants have not yet figured out their Visa situation and might get sent back to Canada. We can’t furnish the house until they leave.

It did not stop me from buying a dining room table, though. I made a list of all the items we needed to buy (someday) to furnish our vacation home in Hawaii, and made the rounds of the top furniture stores in Kona. Just to get an idea of cost, design and delivery time. This way we could try to coordinate the delivery of a few crucial pieces of furniture to coincide with our next trip. The problem is I cannot pass up a good deal, and I found a Thai table that is perfect for the space in our dining area at 75% off. I talked the store into keeping it for me for 6 months and bought it.

I love this table. It features a Japanese lacquered top. The chairs are part rattan and part wood, with a removable cushion. I’ll never find another like it. But this is work. It’s why I need a vacation from my vacation.

Then, today, I bought new 2-inch faux wood blinds for the house and woven wood window coverings for two slider doors. We will have them installed next month, and the owner of Aloha Blinds promised to send photos plus check on the installation so the tenants aren’t responsible for verification. She installed our original bamboo slider door covering in the living room. The existing mini blinds are an eyesore, 25 years old, peeling and somewhat bent.

Cheri, the owner of Aloha Blinds, offered me a job. Said I would make a good salesperson for her. She was serious, too. I suppose when Sacramento real estate stops being so lucrative in 2025 . . . I did not tell her I am a top Sacramento Realtor.

Between planning activities with my husband and spending a fun week with the love of my life over Christmas, listing and selling homes in Sacramento, shopping for furniture and doing home improvement projects here, it’s no wonder I need a vacation from my vacation. Which means today I head over to Maui for 10 days. On the beach in Kaanapali. At a resort where they will feed me and clean up my room.