Settling into our new home in Hawaii

When Brian and I used to rent overpriced high rises in San Francisco, we had our landlords and property managers on speed dial. All we had to do was call the landlord or property manager whenever things in the apartment broke down or needed to be replaced.

Now that we are homeowners of both a townhome and condo, we no longer press speed dial!

Moving into and settling into our new townhome in Kapolei which is the first home we are moving into as homeowners has been a lot of fun as well as a lot of work. It's so cool being able to make your home your own. Because Brian has been slammed with his business, I've taken the lead managing our move and home and Brian helps out in between work breaks.

So far during our first few weeks, we have:

• Unpacked and put away about 40 boxes shipped from San Francisco that were stored in my parents garage all year

• Furnished and decorated the bedrooms and bathrooms

• Worked with a contractor patching up and painting large holes in the wall that were left by the prior owner

• Worked with an electrician installing a new doorbell, ceiling fans, and changing the garbage disposal

• Worked with a plumber installing new faucets

• Hired a pest control company to spray and fumigate our home inside and outside quarterly

• Hired a locksmith to change all of our locks

• Hired an appliance technician to fix a leak in our washing machine

• Deep cleaned and scrubbed all of the mold in our fridge that the prior owner did not clean with vinegar and baking soda

• Bought a used patio set on Craigslist for our lanai (patio)!

We are still waiting for the living room furniture to arrive.

The furniture company we bought our bedroom furniture from unfortunately badly scratched our wooden floors. While accidents do happen, what really upset me was that the furniture company claimed zero responsibility for it due to a legal waiver that I had signed without fully reading.

I'm learning about the joys and headaches that come with homeownership. Working with contractors, electricians, plumbers, pest control companies, locksmiths, appliance technicians, Craigslist furniture sellers, and unethical furniture companies. I'm also learning about natural cleaning products like baking soda and vinegar.

Feelin' like a grownup with real responsibilities now!