First week in Hawaii

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!!!

This week has been very different to say the least. I had no idea what to expect when coming here. I am glad that I didn't have expectations. The first few days all I could think was "what have we gotten ourselves into!" It rained constantly the first 2 days with flash flood warnings. We are staying on Ford Island which is WAY too close to Honolulu. Traffic in the Honolulu is INSANE!!!! For example, I went to the commissary (military grocery store) yesterday. It is 2.5 miles away. It took me 1 1/2 hrs just to drive back!!! You seriously can sit in one spot for 10 mins.

We have been house hunting all week. This too is frustrating to me. When I call someone...I expect a call back in a timely manner. It is just good business. Even the realtors won't call you back for several days. Some houses we thought were taken and that was why they didn't call back. But no, they just took their sweet ass time. I am NOT a patient person. I think this is extrememly rude. That is the reality I am going to have to get used to though. The people here are in no hurry for ANYTHING!!!

Upside...I think we have found a house. I absolutely LOVE it. It is 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath. But it has a large loft for a game room/guest area ;) We REALLY want visitors so the extra space was really important to me :) The kitchen and living area are open. I really like that. I will actually have a pantry!!! Yay! The boys' rooms are a little small but with the loft it won't really matter. I like their toys to be seperate from their beds anyway :) The house is in Ewa Beach. It is located on the opposite side of Pearl harbor than Honolulu. Big plus! The subdivision is Ewa by Gentry. Really nice neighborhood with lots of bike trails. It is about a mile from the beach. I'm thinking we will make several bike trips down there.

We went to Kailua beach the other day which in on the east side of the island. Beautiful!!! Here are a few pics of our trip.

Once we are settled and I am away from Honolulu...I think I will love it here. The mountains are amazing. It is definitely an adjustment though.

Day 2 and Parker's FIRST STEPS!!!

I can't believe it! Parker took his first steps tonight!!! I stood him in front of me and begged him to come to me. Everytime he tried squatting to crawl and just stood him back up. After just a few times he took a step. The next time he took 2 and then 3!!! He is amazing! He's NOT even 9 months yet! He will be 9 months Christmas day. He won't take more than 3. Something about that third step...makes him think he needs to dive for you! lol

I failed to mention where we were actually staying right now. Military housing has a waiting list about 6-9 months long. :/ So, we are staying in the Navy Lodge on Ford Island. It is so neat to be staying here. The bridge to the Island goes right by the USS Arizona Memorial. Everytime we drive across the bridge I try to imagine what the attack on Pearl Harbor was like. The lodge is actually pretty nice. It is a large room with a seperate bedroom. No fun sleeping in the same room with your kiddos tho! We have a small kitchen, so at least we are able to cook basic meals.

Took my first trip into downtown Honolulu today. Unfortunately it was during rush hour! OMG! I lost my patience very quickly. The Wal-mart and Sam's are in the same building. Wal-Mart is on the 1st floor and Sam's in on the 3rd. Very weird...and a cluster F*** of people. Sorry but there is no way to say it nicely! I have now vowed to avoid downtown Honolulu at all cost!

House hunting is about to begin. We have found several online and are going to call tomorrow to set up appointments. We would like to move into a house beginning-mid January. Housing is insane here. There is no such thing as a decent yard. The prices are crazy. Thank goodness the army gives us a housing allowance. We are hoping to find a house in the Mililani area. Location is great for Ben and getting to work. I really like the Ewa Beach area but it is a little further than Ben would like to drive.

Prices...not nearly as bad as I expected. We went grocery shopping yesterday and I was surprised. I have to admit...we did go to the commissary on post. But even today at Wal-Mart and Sam's I didn't think the prices were much different. Chicken and milk were the 2 things that were noticeably higher. Milk is $4.07 a gallon. Gas is $3.49. High...but not as high as I thought it would be. I guess I expected the worst!

It has rained pretty much non-stop since I got here. It should be overcast tomorrow but no rain. I am hoping I can FINALLY get some pictures to post. I think we are going to head to the beach :)

Home Sweet Home Hawaii!!!

We are here!!! FINALLY!!!

First off, I have to say that my boys are truly amazing! We had 2 1/2 hr flight to Minneapolis and then a 9 hr flight to Honolulu. They were great. Parker got a little restless once, but he didn't even cry. He just got a little fussy. Blake and Hunter were fabulous. They watched movies and played games the whole flight.

We arrived a little after 5pm Saturday. Day light was very short. We went to eat dinner with friends of Ben. Very sweet family...I think we will be getting along very well :)

Unfortunately today it rained ALL day!!! Flash flood warnings even!!! We still managed to get out and drive around some neighborhood though. We were able to cross out and circle a few. :) I was really hoping to get into military housing. We even (thought we) put our name on the list back in August. BUT...it didn't do CRAP! So the waiting list is 6-12 months!!! Not sure we can manage a 1 bedroom hotel room for that long. It is really nice but only has a mini fridge and a 2 burner stove top. Did I mention that I LOVE to cook?!?!? I can't even make Parker's baby food :( So I think we are going to find a temporary home.

Our biggest concern is Blake. He has had to move schools too much in such a short time already. We really don't want to make him change more than he has to. I am really considering home schooling him until fall. It would keep him from having to change 2 more times! I would LOVE some input on this!!!

I HAVE to find a Christmas tree and figure out how to make a Christmas dinner without an oven!!! I'll let you know how all of that goes.

As far as Hawaii goes...it really is beautiful! Some parts are better than others. I will post pictures as soon as the rain stops and I can take some!!

My time in Arkansas has come to an end...

Bittersweet...that is the only word that can really sum up how I am feeling about this. I am so excited to be in Hawaii! Ben keeps sending pictures and telling me how beautiful it is. I want to be there with him so badly. So ready to start my life again. I feel like it has just been placed on hold for 4 months. But...I am so sad to leave my friends and family.

Today is my day to finish up errands. Mom and Jonathan are coming to spend the day with us. We are going to take the van to get a tune-up. While it is getting serviced we are going to hit Wal-mart, Ulta, and get some lunch. Tonight is my last night with Nikki :( I hate good byes and I really don't want to say goodbye to her and Kendyl.

Tomorrow I will be packing everything into the van. It will be Blake's last day of school and I promised him that I would come eat with him. After school we are going to see Santa!!! Then having dinner with Chelsea and going to see the lights in downtown Fayetteville. We will stay the night at Ken and Cathy's house.

Friday morning we will load up the van and had to Dallas. Linda and Ken are going to follow us down to help with all the luggage and the boys. I have to drop the van off to be shipped to Hawaii. We will find something fun to do in Dallas for the night. I am so thankful to Linda and Ken both for making the trip with me.

Saturday morning at 8am we board a plane for Hawaii!!! It will be a very long day. For Christmas the boys got tons of stuff for the plane. Maw and Papaw gave them DVD players so we should be set! Thanks!

In Hawaii...Ben is getting us into temporary housing. He found out yesterday that we could be on the waiting list for a house for 6 months! Give or take! He already bought a vehicle over there. He found a nice trailblazer and seems to really like it. My first order of business will be to find a Christmas tree for the boys. If we are having Christmas in a hotel, we at least need a tree!!!

I will try to update as much as possible. I linked my phone to my blog. As long as it works I should be able to update regularly. I will post pics soon too! Love you all!

Finally getting EXCITED!!!

All this time I haven't been able to get excited about Hawaii. It always seemed so far away with a thousand things to do in between. The time has raced by though! Ben leaves tomorrow!!! I take him to the airport in the morning. He will have a very long day of flying. We decided for him to go ahead of us so he can get us into temporary housing and buy a vehicle. The boys and I only have 8 days left!!!

What am I excited for? My own house, my own space, a baby free bedroom :) I am so appreciative to my mother-in-law for letting us stay with her. It really helped in so many ways with this move. But I am a control freak (yes I said it) and I need my space to control! I like things to have their place :) Of course I am really excited to see Hawaii and all of its amazing beauty. It will be so fun to learn more about photography in a place like that. I can't wait to see what kind of pictures I get. Ben and I want to learn how to scuba dive and take the boys to surf lessons. We will be able to learn a whole other culture and way of life. This will be an experience of a life time. We feel so lucky to be able to go on this adventure.

With all this excitement there is some sadness. It is SO far away! Anyone who knows me knows how much I cherish my friends. They have been there through so much. It has been so nice to see many of my old friends again. Feels like old times, just all grown up. And then there are friends who step in your life and within moments they have changed it forever. I have been so blessed with the most amazing friends. I will miss them terribly!!! My family too!

Please come see us in Hawaii!

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband :)

In a world where love is rare, where marriages fail more often than suceed, where there is so much pain...I am lucky to have my amazing husband. I am married to a man who amazes me, inspires me, takes my breath away, makes me feel all ends of my emotions' spectrum, and still after 11 years gives me butterflies.

Happy 29th Birthday my love. On this day I want to say exactly what I am thankful for...you. I fell in love with this crazy, funny, full of life guy. I lived life being scared. Scared to be risky, to let loose, to have fun...to get in trouble. You taught me how to let go, how to live, how to embrace life and the fun in it. You taught me a love that I had never felt before. No matter where we are or what we are going through, our love is still there...even if we lost sight of it at times.

You are a man that a wife can be proud of. You are your own person and don't let others change who you. Your heart is so big. Your family, friends and patients are taken care of with kindness and compassion. You serve your country bravely...and look damn good in that uniform ;) And our boys are incredibly lucky to have a dad who is so involved and loving.

Thank you for loving me. Thank you for the life we share. And thank you for being able to fall in love over and over again with such an amazing man.

Life just races by...

It has been a couple weeks since I posted last. It as been a crazy time. We are FINALLY a family again. We had an amazing week in Texas. Ben and I even had a couple nights alone!!! We made so many wonderful memories over the last couple weeks with family and friends. Too many to go into detail! I hate being so behind!!! Instead I want to take a moment write down some of my thoughts.

I am constantly looking at myself and trying to learn more about what makes me tick and why. I feel like through reflection you are able to become a better person. I also think while looking in, you should also look out. I have had a lot of driving time which equals thinking/reflecting time. I have come up with some new goals.

#1: To be more cheerful. Life is so much more fun when you walk through it with a smile.

#2: To let go. Grudges only hurt yourself. Rather than hanging on to anger...be productive and find a way to fix what is making you mad.

#3: (most important) Love who I am. No one is perfect. Of course I have my flaws, but for the most part, I think I am a pretty amazing person ;)

I tend to take everything to heart. I over think things. Sometimes things are the way they are just because they are. Life happens, things change, people make mistakes but how you choose to handle it is up to you. Be someone who you are proud to be. Make choices that you can live happily with. Then at the end of the day...if someone doesn't like who you are, let them go. You shouldn't have to change for anyone.

A happier, less angry person is who I want to be. I am so lucky in life. I have the most amazing friends and family. I have happy, healthy children. A husband who I can laugh with, learn from, and continue to grow while hand in hand. Nothing else really matters.

I could go on for forever...