When I moved to Hawaii in 2003, I made the commitment to stay here over each non-Christmas break. My thinking? If I was going to have a life here, I should be here for making the most of it. And so, barring a trip to two great weddings one summer and one great trip to Europe over a spring break, I’ve held to that decision. It hasn’t been easy, really. In fact, it’s been pretty darn hard, making a life where everyone else already has one.

So I’ve decided that maybe it’s time to get out and about for a while, and my first stop is Seattle, Washington. For a good number of days, I’ll be hanging with some dear seminary friends that recently moved from one end of the state to the other. I hope to bookend my time with them catching up with some former students, seeing how things are for them. I’m hoping to see some beautiful sights, enjoy some open road. But there’s something else that has me truly, utterly excited.

On one of my first nights in Seattle, I’ll be attending a premiere for Where the Wild Things Are. This is cool in its own right. What is even cooler is that one of the movie’s script-writers will be in attendance and talking about the movie. What is coolest is that the writer is Dave Eggers, the author of You Shall Know Our Velocity!, the book that got me started as a reader of contemporary authors here in Hawaii. He is the man. The show is being sponsored by 826 Seattle, a tutoring service that Eggers helped start in San Francisco a number of years ago. I also hope to spend some time there seeing how things are done.

But (wait for it) there’s one more cool thing that I’ll get to do.

I will also get to attend an event at the center where another one of my favorite writers will be speaking. Yes, I will get to hear a live talk by Michael Chabon, known for winning the Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay a few years ago. He’s also the author of Wonder Boys and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. He’s also a big fan of genres and comic books. His essay collection, Maps and Legends, is an amazing set of writing.

And what’s also cool is that both of these writers (and half a dozen more of my favorites) have new books coming out over the next few weeks.

So maybe it’s a good time to be leaving, even if it’s just for a few days. I’m going to get to work a part of my life that I don’t get to work very often anymore. I get to revisit dear friends for the first time in years. I’m going to get to do some things I’ve only dreamed of doing. I don’t even know what to begin to expect. But I’m excited. . . very excited.