Hawaii felt different for us. As my husband and I reflected on this trip, we don’t just miss the beach, the turquoise waters, or Disney Aulani in my case. We miss a sense of familiarity. We truly felt like it had such a homey feel that we could not shake off, possibly because we’ve never encountered such warmth before in our domestic travels.

There’s something incredibly tender about the way children mimic the world around the them. This morning as I was already thick into my morning routine of washing bottles, cooking breakfast, and cleaning up spilled milk from my toddler horsing around, I overheard the kiddos playing “house.” But this time, it wasn’t just sweet, it was familiar.