Epiphany.

We've lived in Saipan for more than three years now and have been aware of a sort of magic here. All this time I couldn't put my finger on exactly what made Saipan feel so special but I finally figured it out. Life here is simple; it's laid back and calm, and ultimately it makes it so much easier to focus on the important things.

That's the magic of Saipan.

There's no unspoken pressure to fit in, no Target to lure us into buying things we don't need, no Martha Stewart catalogs to try to emulate. Our walls are uncurated, our wardrobe full of t shirts and we eats bananas all year long. We have nothing to prove to anyone because everyone is just so accepting here. There's no pressure to be anyone but yourself. You're not constantly caught up in the hustle and bustle of "busy life." You sit by the beach and watch the waves crash, you eat outside on your doorstep to watch the sunset, you collect sea glass and shells with the kids and you just enjoy the moment.

I've never felt so free as I do here in Saipan. Sure we don't have Walmart or Target or any kind of one stop shopping. We don't have big shopping malls or theme parks or even real street addresses-- heck, half the world won't even ship here. But it's that kind of simplicity that forces you to go back to the basics. I've learned how to make countless things from scratch, I fix things instead of buying a new one, I read books with my kids because we don't have cable, I don't wear makeup except to church, I live. I really, truly live.

Every place has it's good and it's bad but Saipan will always be in my heart. I've never felt such a deep seeded sense of home and self freedom as I do here. It's going to be bittersweet these last 10 months we spend here but I will never, ever forget it. Viva Saipan, and viva island living.