Our Own Island

My family had to evacuate New Zealand at the last minute before the country shut its borders and we have been on the Big Island of Hawaii for the past couple of months. In retrospect, we should have stayed in New Zealand (the only country that has seemingly been able to control COVID) but Hawaii is not a bad place to be in isolation. Trust me, I’m not complaining. We are fortunate enough to be staying at my parents’ vacation home since our house in Mill Valley is still being rented out.

Due to the global pandemic, I haven’t been able to photograph families and as a result, have been documenting daily life on the island. By island, I mean our own personal island (the house, backyard, and neighborhood). Our family’s island. Since the beaches are closed, the girls and I spend our days in the house, in the pool, on scooters, and picking up trash. My daughters are all about saving the planet and when my eldest spotted a plastic bottle on the side of the road the other day, she lost it. “Plastic is bad for the earth! We need to pick up this rubbish!” So that’s what we do every morning. We leave the house in gloves, carry a bag, and search for garbage.

We have also started a family band. I play the guitar while the girls handle percussion and vocals. We call ourselves The Adventure Girls and our album will be dropping soon. We have also been baking lots of chocolate chip banana muffins together, reading books, and having impromptu dance parties in the kitchen. We have learned a lot about the planets, pineapples, and lizards. We’ve shared so many laughs, meals, and snuggles. With pockets full of flowers and Justin’s peanut butter cups, I’ve tried to document as much of this time as I can.

Our world will never be the same but I am counting my blessings every day. When a crisis hits, you are forced to reevaluate what is important. I feel so grateful to be healthy and safe with my family, spending all of this time together. Of course there are times when I have anxiety about the future of our country, my business, what kind of world my children will be living in, and on and on and on. Despite the worry, I can honestly say that I am enjoying each and every hug and appreciating every smile more than I ever have before. I feel fortunate to be in isolation with a husband who keeps me laughing and my two girls who live in the moment. I know for a fact that I will be looking back on all of my photos from this crazy time for years to come.