Stories
"I couldn't even remember his name."
Paul and Jessie met during grad school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Jessie kept mixing up Paul with another person from Texas. She never really noticed him, until one day, he brought homemade tacos to a beach party.
Everyday life
Friday Fireworks
In the early days, when Jessie had just graduated from grad school and Paul was still a student, a budget date night consisted of walks on the beach and free fireworks shows at Magic Island.
How Many Roommates?!
About three years into the relationship, Paul moved in with Jessie...and her seven roommates. They lived in close quarters for years, but they were happy times in good company.
Quarantine Hobbies
Jessie and Paul picked up a lot of unusual skills and hobbies during quarantine times. Jessie learned how to solder while trying to fix some busted twinkly lights.
Lunch on North Shore
North Shore is famous for its shrimp trucks, but when these two visit, it's all about the kiawe-smoked huli huli chicken.
Sparkly, Purple Cliché
In a cliché moment, Paul won an enormous teddy bear at the 2020 Punahou Carnival. While scanning the hanging blue, pink, and green bears, Jessie was utterly delighted when the game operator pulled out the one and only purple bear hidden under the booth.
Weekend Hikes
Paul and Jessie love the outdoors but hate risks. Hikes provide them with what comic artist Nathan Pyle's "Strange Planet" alien character describes as "medium danger."
Dog Whisperer
Paul is in his natural element when napping and being chosen over Jessie by yet another dog (even Jessie's sister's/family dog).
Surveying His Domain
In 2022, the couple moved into a little 700 square foot rental. Finding space to rearrange and build furniture was like a deranged game of 3D Tetris.
Distant travels
Among the Giants
In June 2022 Paul and Jessie spent three amazing days in Sequoia National Park feeling like ants. One trip highlight was seeing movement between the trees, panicking that it was a mountain lion, sighing in relief to see that it was a just a bear cub, then panicking again as mama bear emerged.
The Rockies
In summer 2023 these two proudly hiked 12 miles across Rocky Mountain National Park. They still got left in the dust by Paul's younger, much fitter sister.
Peeking at Peaks
Paul, Jessie, and their friend Calder caught the perfect moment when the clouds parted to reveal the peak of Mount St. Helens. On this memorable September 2018 trip, Calder also followed them to Portland, OR where he crashed Jessie's friend's wedding.
Island Hopping
In December 2021 they took a turbulent, twin-propeller plane ride to Moloka‘i. Despite being the next island over, it was like a different world with its sleepy towns and small population. Lacking a single traffic light, Jessie marveled at Kaunakakai's peak rush-hour traffic of 5 cars at a stop sign.
One Way In, One Way Out
Paul and Jessie sluggishly hiked across 9.5 miles of Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park, practically narcoleptic from the Dramamine they took for the 1-hour boat ride over. The intense quiet and isolation didn't help their sleepiness, but the terror of missing the boat back to the mainland kept them going.
Memorable moments
Honolulu Marathon
Paul would do anything for Jessie, including run the 2018 Honolulu Marathon with almost no training. Over 26.2 entertaining miles they witnessed a man towering over them on stilts, a samurai wearing wooden clogs clip-clopping ahead of them, and a Japanese marching band complete with instruments.
Total Solar Eclipse
The stars aligned! Actually, the sun, moon, and earth aligned in 2024 right where Paul's family lives in Texas. This prompted a quick visit home to witness the once-in-a-lifetime event. Paul's dad demonstrated how a partial eclipse casts crescent-shaped shadows through the holes of a collander.
New Wheels
Jessie's car chose the worst time to call it a day, during the height of the pandemic car shortage. Thanks to their friend network, Paul was able to snag a brand new 2022 Toyota Corolla while it was still on a cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
Halloween in Waikiki
Paul and Jessie rarely do couple's costumes for Halloween, but a whacky wavy inflatable tube person just doesn't make sense without a shiny new car to wave at. They hit the streets of Waikiki in October 2024, passing out candy from Paul's truck bed.
Dragonboat Racing
Despite being not at all athletic, Paul and Jessie were part of a summertime dragonboat team for several years. Jessie stands here with one the 400-pound dragonboats on race day.
Paul Wages Star Wars
Jessie would do anything for Paul, including endure four days surrounded by diehard Star Wars nerds. Paul channeled his inner Darth Revan at the 2022 Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.
