Dreadnaught Darling Presents: Suzi

Suzi hanging out her 37th floor apartment in Waikiki

Suzi hanging out by a tree in Waikiki, showing off her dreads.

I have so much to write about this magnificent person!  Suzi is in my top ten people that exist on the planet, seriously.  Suzi and her husband Adam are much of the reason I made the leap in going green, living in The Fortune Cookie, and to say that I am grateful for their influence would be a huge understatement (I actually gave them props in a previous post, Seeds of Change).

Suzi is one of those people that light up a room.  She has a smile that reflects in her eyes and a kindness that just emanates from her.  Her and Adam (A & S) originally lived in the Seattle area, she worked for the airlines and he worked for a warehouse.  On a whim, they decided to fly to Hawaii for a week using airline buddy passes … about 5 or 6 years ago now.

Once in Hawaii, they absolutely fell in love with it.  After a few trips there and a lot of plotting on their part, they decided they wanted to move there.  They started planning, saving, downsizing and generally changing everything in their lives to make it happen.   Well, they did.

So about a year ago, after I left my job, I went to go visit them in Hawaii.  They are ridiculously happy.  She worked for Starbucks on the ‘Mainland’ before they moved.  Starbucks let her transfer to the store in Honolulu.  Eventually, Adam started working for them too.  So, they get to keep a piece of the Northwest with them by staying caffeinated properly in paradise.

Two days before I left for Hawaii, Suzi asks if I would make her a partial set of dreads.  She commented she wanted them installed at the base of her head so she could display them when off of work, and hide them when working.  I contemplated this for a bit and whipped up a small set of dreads before I left for Hawaii.  The dreads you are seeing in these pictures are the dreads I made for her.

Suzi showing off her locks for me again.

Suzi is a phenomenally talented artist (I could go on for days about this, but I won’t).  If it requires an artistic eye, she is brilliant at it.  I am in awe of your art skills Suzi, just sayin.   Living in Hawaii seems to have brightened and improve her skills even more.   Which I would not have thought possible.

Suzi has always dreamed of being able to quit her day job and focus on her art.  I would like to throw out her Etsy Store and encourage you to pop over and take a look, maybe buy a print.   In the hopes that it will give them enough moola to come visit us on the mainland.

There are two local Farmers Markets in the Waikiki area that she frequents.  She has a wooden plate and her own utensils in hand when she goes (as does Adam).  All of the items they buy, they bring their own bags for.   Her and her husband live in a tiny apartment that is around 200 square feet.

Recently, she started training for a marathon.  Last I read, she was up to 16 miles.  That is epic, and makes me exhausted thinking about it.  She does not own a car and walks (or more recently, runs) everywhere.

Her and her husband are high school sweethearts and have been together almost 15 years now.  If you met them, you would still think they were in the Honeymoon phase.  They would give a Care Bear pancreas issues, but I couldn’t be happier for them.   What makes them dynamic as a couple is the love and support that is evident in their everyday lives.

Suzi, thank you for being such a fabulous human being!  I miss you terribly and hope that you haoles make it back to the Northwest someday, but not before you’ve lived it up on the island for awhile first.

~Kera~