Time For A Change

Mikey and I are seriously considering a big move, somewhere no where near Vermont. Our dogs hate the snow and they won't walk outside if it's too deep, a foot is over their heads, and the salt makes their feet burn. We want to move to the Big Island, Hawaii, ideally. It actually is beginning to look like a realistic goal. The thing I'm having the most difficulty with is figuring out how to get all six Chihuahuas and three cats over there - I really don't have it in me to leave them behind. There must be a way other than flying them. I flew my dog I used to have home from Oregon to Massachusetts and he's hated me ever since. He didn't even want to move to Vermont after that traumatic experience. He freaked out and decided he would only stay with my mom who happens to be the person who picked him up at the airport. And the chichis just can't handle it, they are so finicky. They fly them like they're regular inanimate cargo, like food or tires. I want to take them and my car over by boat. Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone ever taken a boat from California to Hilo, Hawaii? Please let me know if you have any ideas. I've been checking out apartments and houses to rent within a half hour of Hilo - looks good on that front. Other islands were really expensive but Hilo has better deals than Vermont and we're one of the poorest states out there. There are a ton of jobs and a methadone clinic. Also let me know if you have any experience with the Hilo methadone clinic or travelling on methadone. Has anyone ever received travel bottles from their clinic to drive across country? We want to ship the basic stuff like our clothes and Mikey's glass blowing equipment. We can stash most of our stuff at my mom's house until we know if we're staying for a while. We are thinking about selling all our furniture and the pellet stove we just bought this fall and just blasting in a few months. I really want to have an apartment to move into right when we get there, I know it is possible to rent a place out from someone over the Internet - craigslist has a ton of cool listings. If anyone knows of a place for rent outside of Hilo with a nice yard for under $850.00 a month, let me know about it - we're hoping to move by the fall at the latest. I haven't been this excited about something in a long time. I always felt like I really needed to live near my family in case there was an emergency - but there is always an emergency and I hardly see them as it is. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to find that I see them more once we move. It makes life seem less daunting when you have something to work towards. There is a University of Hawaii campus right in Hilo so I can finish school and I'm sure Mikey could blow glass there as well as anywhere. I really can't see a reason not to move. 'If you're not livin good, travel wide' right?