My Dear Mainland,
Despite recent news of Kim’s “North West” child, my heart will forever remain faithful to the oysters, good beer, salty cold Puget Sound, ferry beers (a sub genre of good beers but worthy of its own title), and the “Rock” ..ye old Bainbridge Island. Coming home was the perfectly timed breather I needed from paradise; not to mention the main reason for coming back was to see my younger sister, Sally, graduate from college. Now Sally and I may have had our differences growing up, but from day one she’s been my best friend, and as best friends go they have their every once in a while falling out. Our falling out was called: We’re both in high school and hormonal and you’re stealing all my clothes. Now that this stage of closet sneaking is (pretty much) past us, we have returned to our unconditional love and support for each other. I mean hell, at her graduation party we were beer pong partners and literally couldn’t lose (except to our parents, please don’t ask), that’s what I call a natural athletic freakish sister bond talent. Not to mention we invented the “Mosquito Dance” at the party which basically is the “Elainey” for all you Seinfelders out there, but add a lot of slapping oneself and your partner who has willingly accepted to dance with you like this. We also make a weird slurping sound of drool when we think of something yummy, which is totally gross and weird that we both do that, and are easily the loudest laughers at any party when we’re together. Call this whole description what you want but as most tend to yell when they see us together is simply “THE BAUMGARTNER SISTERS!”…see you at the Pub in December, we’ll be the one’s uncontrollably laughing and drooling over your nachos.
SO…As the older sibling, what we tend to do is “trail blazing” or setting a decent path for our younger brothers and sisters to follow. But like any proud parent or a semi-wise daughter knows, trail blazing is code for “Fuck ups” or the caught drinking, breaking curfew, dating literally the worst, chopping off our hair, dying our hair and/or adding feathers to our hair, you know…the usual. Yet seeing Sally graduate, in the same building where I nabbed my empty leather-bound “Western Washington University” booklet, I saw her blazing a trail on her own in the least F-able way. She, amongst all the other young hopefuls of mostly Education, English, and Human Services degrees were there reminding us of all ages on the hope that in an unemployable-depend on happy hour prices-live at home and hang out with high school friends for life, that we can’t give up. Now, I can never pass up on a decent happy hour, and that will never change, and love my friends from high school, but she also reminded me that even though I’m starting entirely from scratch in Hawaii, I’m doing something good. It is important to always trail blaze, whether it is for the good or not so good, for if we follow the path groomed, paved, and really quite lovely, we tend to lose our innate ability to wander and explore. Granted this may not be the easiest way, but at least the odds of having a machete in hand and a solid partner in crime by your side ready to take risks with you are high. It is important to find something to believe in everyday; whether it’s a room full of relieved and slightly hungover and/or soon to be drunk graduates, a compliment from a stranger, writing blog post, or a simple quote. You can see the cheesiness of it or believe in it, it’s totally up to you.
And as I sail away back to Hawaii, I choose to hold on to these words because the bloody marys are free and I believe in it all. I am one lucky girl to call two islands home. My grandma was so generous to make dinner for us all on her deck or ahem, Lanai, my last night, and instead of writing about it I hope you’ll enjoy the photos from dinner and the ferry ride back this AM for the airport. Now, back to this bloody mary…
Freshly Squeezed 
Rebecca
June 25, 2013
Aloha is the “Push Me Pull You” of salutations. Aloha from the other Washington, with its own island of blazing. Blazing HEAT. xoxo and love you Pants.