Home Owners

Gavin surprised me at work with a beautiful lei poʻo from Faye — she truly makes the most stunning flower leis. I was able to wear it to RumFire with our friends and to our ward Valentine’s couples party, which was also so much fun.

This year, I’ve really wanted to be more creative, so I decided to paint my table pink. It originally came from Home Depot with black legs and a black stand, and I realized I am just NOT a black‑table person. I didn’t think it would bring me joy, so pink it was!! While I was spray‑painting it at Chase and Anita’s house, I realized it was turning out much brighter than I had planned. But once I started, I committed. It looked pink in their garage but honestly, there was no turning back. In the end, it looks amazing in our house. I had to sand, prime, and perfect it, and there are definitely some imperfections, but I would take those over a black table any day.

I also had a really fun Young Women’s activity with my girls. We invited several ward members to come share their "love stories" how they met, first kisses, proposal stories, and memories from their wedding days. It was truly magical. Some people even brought their wedding dresses and photos. We laughed all night long and bonded. I honestly think the leaders and adults may have had even more fun than the girls, but the girls were such great sports. I had no idea how some people met, and hearing their stories was so special.

Now onto the house drama.
We’ve been hearing the phrase “any day now” since December, and it has definitely gotten old for Gavin and me. Getting a new‑build condo on Kauai is incredibly exciting! But if you’re the first people to live in it it’s also a process that really tests your patience. There are so many permits and final approvals that need to happen, and no one ever seems to know exactly how long it will take. For weeks, we kept getting potential move‑in dates, only to have each one pass by.  The good thing about the delay was that Ava and Sawyer were able to do the final walk through with us.

We told our landlord at the beginning of February that we would be out by the end of the month. At one point, we honestly thought we were going to be homeless. Our entire house was packed up and stored in Chase and Anita’s garage. We were living off of just a few outfits and had no food in our fridge. As the end of the month got closer, the pressure really set in there was so much to do in such a short amount of time.

We went hard on our days off and managed to haul multiple loads to the dump ourselves. One perk of working at the Sheraton was being able to grab tons of boxes from work such a blessing. Anywhere we could save money, we were doing it. We did so many dump runs but it felt we were still brining so much stuff to the new place. Once our place was empty it felt like we were closing out on huge chapter of our life. We spent the first four years married at this place. I almost didn't recognize the place once it was empty. Look at shower floor? FREAKY........ How did I shower in that for 4 years. 

When we got word that our potential move‑in date might be around February 20, we were thrilled. We signed all the paperwork and transferred the funds which, by the way, was incredibly nerve‑racking. I was praying the entire time that the money went to the right place. The instructions even included a warning letter about wire‑transfer scams, which didn’t help the anxiety, especially since we were wiring over about half of what we owned. Thankfully, everything went through smoothly.

Then on Friday, February 27, we got the text: our keys were ready.
We both left work early that day and rushed to see our new place. We were stoked out of our minds. I couldn’t believe this place was ours. Buying a home was actually a smooth process thanks to our amazing realtor, Dani. She walked us through everything and made sure we understood all the paperwork all we had to do was show up.
The moment we got our keys, we started taping and painting. I was determined to paint before moving anything in because it’s so much easier when the house is empty. It made for a stressful couple of days since we were still working our normal shifts and had to be completely out of our old place in one day. It was a rough weekend for our friends because no one could really help, but luckily Dani let us use her big van, and Gavin did almost all the moving. I don’t think I carried a single item in or out. He also got the washer and dryer set up with help from a ward member another blessing!

We slept in our new home for the first time on Saturday the 28th. I started painting our bedroom that day, so we slept in the living room. Gavin left shortly after to hike the Nāpali Coast for three days with Chase for his 30th birthday, and while he was gone, I got straight to work painting everything. I painted the bathroom blue, added green stripes in the kitchen, and had the best time doing it.
I completely underestimated how much work moving is. Everything feels chaotic at first trying to decide where things go, assembling furniture, and living among boxes. Almost everything came in IKEA like boxes with a million pieces and pages of instructions. Thankfully, Gavin is a mastermind at building furniture and crushed it.

While Gavin was gone, I transformed the house. I got so much done. I think it was better that he hiked the coast so I could paint. I don’t love the living room color it’s not exactly what I envisioned but after going back to Home Depot to remix paint, I decided to just leave it. Friends came over to help, and we laughed and chatted the whole time. It felt so good to finally have people over. We didn’t ever host at our old place.
When Gavin came home, the bathroom was done and the couch was set up though we couldn’t sit on it for three days because the cushions had to inflate. They arrived completely flat, but eventually our patience paid off. Now the house is looking sooooooo cute. We’ve loved organizing, decorating, and figuring out where everything goes. Gavin absolutely killed it with the closet organizer.

My favorite parts of the house are the kitchen stripes, my pink table, my rug, my orange couch, and my quilt that came all the way from India it’s the most comfortable blanket I’ve ever owned. I would recommend it to anyone. We are also obsessed with having our own washer and dryer. Doing laundry at home feels revolutionary we feel like new people.

Every day we wake up and can’t believe this place is ours. It’s finally starting to feel like home. We’ve put up pictures, unpacked our dishes, and couldn’t be happier. Plus, it’s only a six‑minute commute to work.
We also live right by the Hapa Trail and Big Save, which makes running and quick grocery trips so easy. I truly can’t believe this is our life. We are so grateful and so blessed to have the opportunity to own a home in Kauai. I didn’t take many photos of the moving process, but I’ll always remember how it felt.

Our first meal at our table was ice cream but it was perfect. We love being home and spend our workdays dreaming about getting back to our cozy space.

The one downside: they forgot to install the internet. Because of that, we didn’t have Wi‑Fi at first — but they’re covering our electricity, water, and internet until it’s resolved. They even set us up with Starlink. We were the first ones to move in, and I don’t think anyone else was as ambitious as we were — moving everything in and painting in one day. It’s been funny seeing everyone else’s first projects. One neighbor ripped out their closet shelves, another removed their door lock. Once people see my stripes, I think they’ll wish they did stripes too.

As you can tell, I’m obsessed with our house. I never would have imagined, in a million years, that I’d buy a home on Kauai. I owe it all to God’s goodness and blessings. Without Him, none of this would have been possible. Everything fell into place exactly how it was meant to.

At one point, we were given a terrible interest rate that made us question whether we could even afford it. We decided to fast, and afterward our loan officer told us they could offer a 5.99% rate instead of 6.99%. We couldn’t believe it. We also got our keys before the end of the month, avoided being homeless, and because of the Wi‑Fi issue, we don’t have to pay water, electricity, or HOA fees for a while.

A few weeks earlier, I had been feeling anxious about the finances when the Spirit reminded me to trust Heavenly Father — not the numbers in our bank account or on paper. Looking back now, I can see He was right.
Mallerie and Gavin are homeowners.
February 27, 2026.