5 Slang Phrases That Perfectly Sum Up Why Hawaii Is So Damn Happy

There's more to it than just the beaches and aloha.

 Carla Herreria by Associate Editor, HuffPost Hawaii

Hawaii is often defined by its awe-inspiring beauty, but for those lucky enough to live there, the Aloha State is much more than an idyllic paradise.

It consistently ranks as one of the happiest states in the country, and its unique mixture of cultures, spirit of aloha, and carpe diem lifestyle can all be summed up in the words -- or rather, the slang -- of the islands' kama'aina, the people who call Hawaii home.

Below, five phrases and words unique to Hawaii that can teach all of us to live happier, more fulfilling lives.

1. Chance 'em:

1. "Take a chance," 2. "Go

5 Slang Phrases That Perfectly Sum Up Why Hawaii Is So Damn Happy

There's more to it than just the beaches and aloha.

 Carla Herreria by Associate Editor, HuffPost Hawaii

Hawaii is often defined by its awe-inspiring beauty, but for those lucky enough to live there, the Aloha State is much more than an idyllic paradise.

It consistently ranks as one of the happiest states in the country, and its unique mixture of cultures, spirit of aloha, and carpe diem lifestyle can all be summed up in the words -- or rather, the slang -- of the islands' kama'aina, the people who call Hawaii home.

Below, five phrases and words unique to Hawaii that can teach all of us to live happier, more fulfilling lives.

1. Chance 'em:

1. "Take a chance," 2. "Go

As most of the world knows by now, Mt. Kilauea is certainly on a roll and Madam Pele is not in a very good mood to say the least!  Have you heard of the curse that Mt. Kilauea, our active volcano holds inside of her?  It is compliments of the Goddess of Fire: Pele.  It seems so harmless to want to take home a small bit of lava rock from the volcano on the Big Island, but you may want to read on…

It is said that the Fire Goddess Pele considers all of those rocks her children, and should anyone abduct one of her children, they will suffer any number of maladies.  It is a curse of bad luck, be it health, financial or emotional, some have said it had brought them ruin, and they mail the rocks back to the summit.  Piles of lava continue to arrive

A new study shows that Sotheby’s International Realty is the most trusted residential real estate brokerage in the nation.

The study, which was conducted by Lifestory Research, was based on nearly 6,300 opinions collected over a year period across the country. Data was gathered by people submitting anonymous opinions about whether they trusted the businesses they interacted with.

“Sotheby’s International Realty produced the highest score,” according to the study.

Source: Lifestory Research 2018 America’s Most Trusted® Study

After comparing the results to other organizations of similar size, the study found that Sotheby’s International Realty is the most trusted real estate brokerage in America.

The rank order of trust of the brands were:

This is great news for Maui Condo Owners! If you don't own a condo yet, be sure to keep these numbers in mind. Maui’s Kāʻanapali (#3), Nāpili (#15) and Wailea (#16) beaches all made TripAdvisor’s 2018 list of the 25 Best Beaches in the US.

The travel planning and booking site announced its Travelers’ Choice awards, which also included the following Hawaiʻi locations (along with their respective rankings): Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve on Oʻahu (#5), Lanikai Beach in Kailua (#10), Waikīkī Beach in Honolulu (#12), Kailua Beach Park (#13), Hāpuna Beach in Puakō, Hawaiʻi (#17) and Poʻipū Beach Park on Kauaʻi.

Many Tourists visit TripAdvisor when planning their yearly holidays.  If I owned a vacation rental, I would be sure to post this on my website.

What could be better than spending an evening enjoying one of the most authentic Hawaiian luaus? My friend and I were treated to a night out of island music, great food, drinks and entertainment at the Feast at Lele held beach-side at 505 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui. Whether you arrive by land or by sea - this is a special island treat.

The Feast at Lele is a first class luau under the stars, complete with intimate dining and white table linens - not the usual fare at most luaus. Every table had a great view of the dancers with the backdrop of the setting sun over West Maui. Couples enjoy individual table side service while feasting on 4 courses of local island cuisine and a very entertaining and educational trip thru the South Pacific. We tasted

There are 2 types of properties in Hawaii - fee simple and leasehold.  It is very important to know the difference.  You are familiar with fee simple as its probably what you own now. This means you own your home/condo and the land under it.

Leasehold is a bit more complicated.  In a condominium complex that is leasehold you own your unit, others in the complex of course own their units, and collectively you own the building.  However, you don’t own the land under the building.  Someone else owns it and each month you pay that owner a lease payment.

Over the term of the lease your monthly lease payment is usually renegotiated every 10 years.  There will be terms in the lease that describe how and when the lease payment amount is to be renegotiated.

In Hawaii AOAO fees - (also know as maintenance, strata or HOA fees) are a part of condominium life.  AOAO which stands for Association of Apartment Owners.  In Hawaii, every condominium development is required to have an AOAO (Association of Apartment Owners).  The association is comprised of the condo owners who are responsible for running and maintaining the condominium complex.  So, when you become an owner, you get a vote in how the complex is managed and you have some responsibility for maintaining the property.

With AOAO fees, you need to know not just how much you have to pay, but what do you get for your money, i.e., what is paid for by the AOAO, what are the extra costs that come out of your pocket, are there any assessments pending (and how

I have been asked this question recently and thought I'd give you my experience.

A few years ago my Mother, girlfriend and I ventured over to the island of Molokai to visit Kaulapapa Settlement where St. Damien preformed his lifesaving work with the Lepers and to experience the island of laid back island of Molokai.

We rented a room at Hotel Molokai, its not a 5 star resort but it has all of the amenities, including a beachfront pool, wifi, cell phone service, bar & restaurant and is styled after a Polynesian Village.

Hotel Molokai is full of character, reminiscent of a slower time, is quaint, as well as reeks of the aloha spirit.  Our room included a small kitchen, bedroom, a loft and a large lanai with table and chairs.  It is a genuine 

When you live in Hawaii life is definitely at a slower pace and most of us do not have family living here so we build our own family or "ohana".  This is a fun sampling of life in the islands.

There's FRIENDS…then there's "HAWAIIAN FRIENDS"

FRIENDS: Ask what to bring. HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Always bring food even if you say we don't need to.

FRIENDS: Will say "hello". HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss
... ... ... ...
FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs. HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Call your parents’ aunty & uncle or mom & dad

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry. HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Cry with you or make you cry

FRIENDS: Will listen and tell you what you want to hear. HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will tell you da truth whether you like it o' not AND