How many idiots does it take to move into a house? Well, none here! Cause we kicked this move in the behind! Of course, after sheer exhaustion and bodily pain that is. The military owes my poor feet a pedicure after all this is said and done. And a manicure for the broken nail and chipped polish I endured.
Thursday, we were able to pick up the keys to our house and brought in a mass of cleaning supplies and laundry (which I was able to put into the brand spankin' new, beautiful washer and dryer that came with the house). We sat anxiously awaiting the movers coming Friday morning. You can't imagine the excitement over seeing your belongings after 5 months and 2 days! It was like Christmas around here! But, it was also a daunting task as well. Especially when the truck pulled up with 6 packed crates. All I could think was, how do two people have so much stuff??? (As Corey would late point out, how does Megan have so much stuff???) And to Corey's credit, most of it is mine. But dangit, if I didn't supply his house with pictures of family and friends and yummy smelling candles...he'd miss it! At least that's my justification.
But with moving 5,000 miles away, there comes heartbreak. If you'll please bow your heads and take a moment of silence for those we've lost along the way...
The DVD shelf where all of our classics and comedies, drama and action films resided.
The Cusinart Grind and Brew coffee maker that brought me so much warmth and energy.
The desk hutch which held all of the instruments to writing cards and letters to the people I love.
And the lower, left corner of our 47" Toshiba LCD TV, which is now lost in the abyss and where a dent is now permanently in its place.
Thank you.
And where we've lost some things, we've had to replace them, which was sort of fun too do. Yay shopping! And hopefully the claims process with the moving company won't be so awful and we will be reimbursed in a timely manner (as my gut instinct laughs at me).
So, after two days and 80 boxes we have made some definite headway! The place is starting to look good and becoming organized. Give me another 24 hours and it will be perfect! :) And by the end of next week I promise to have some pictures for ya'll!
Corey has this week off for house-hunting leave (which is really intended for moving in) and hopefully since the house is in really good shape, we'll be able to go out and do some things. Maybe go to the beach or snorkeling, go see some movies and get anything else we need for the house.
Now that the house is really in order, I'm starting to have to think about job hunting (terrifying!). I am not looking forward to this at all. I think this is my least favorite part about moving. I hate starting over. I have no idea where to look or what to do, but that doesn't change the fact that I still have to do it!. Waaaaahhhh. That's me crying. But, if there's anything that I've learned from my life, it's that God truly does provide. Somehow, I have always been taken care of in the job department, so I'm keepin' the faith!
Hope everyone is well and know that we miss everyone tons!
Aloha for now! :)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Pineapples with PEACH!
Being that we LIVE in Hawaii now, PEACH and I think it best that we get all of the "touristy" stuff out of the way up front so that we start to conform and fit in within a certain amount of time. Not really sure if my pasty skin and freckles will ever fit in over here, but I can try. So yesterday, we took a trip up to the center part of the island to the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa.
(And may I just say, it's hard to continue this acronym nonsense when his name is as long as the acronym he wants me to use.)
May I first express to you Corey's love for Pineapple. All he has been able to talk about is visiting the Dole Plantation again and eating pineapple. He even planned on eating it to the brink of wearing away the inside of his mouth, then switching to the low acid pineapple. So naturally, I was there to cheer him on. It was quite beautiful when we got there.
We walked around the store a bit where we found just about anything you could imagine...in pineapple. Pineapple candy, pineapple jelly, pineapple salad dressing, pineapple candles, pineapple relish on a hot dog. We stuck with the pineapple ice cream and some candy. Oh, and Corey's notorious shot glasses. And where Corey gets a shot glass...I get a Christmas ornament.
While there, they had an area where you could pick an oyster, open it and see if you got a pearl inside. I did! I remember my grandmama and granddaddy did this when they visited Hawaii a few years back and she got hers set in a ring, so I did the same. So now I have a beautiful pink pearl and crystal ring. I'm quite fond of it.
We took a ride on the Pineapple Express, their small train that rides around the plantation. Filled with cutesy music and narrating, it actually allowed you to see some beautiful flowers, plants and views. And yes...they have tractors in Hawaii! I feel at home!
Once we left the Dole Plantation, we decided to drive about 15 minutes north and go see North Shore.
We stopped and had lunch at this great Seafood/Mexican restaurant (i.e. Fish Tacos!). You can't imagine how much better the seafood is here. The fish is so fresh and there are so many different types to choose from. Although I miss my catfish from back home, it doesn't get much better than this.
We drove on, trying to get to Pipeline...but so was everyone else on the island it seemed. So we stopped about halfway to put our toes in the sand, and boy was it gorgeous!
Although we knew how big the waves were out there, we definitely underestimated how high up they came, and the power they possessed. Needless to say, we ended up with soaked pant legs and a sandy car.
After a long day, we hit the hay only to wake this morning at 8:30am to the last 1:30 of the SEC championship basketball game (which our Wildcats won). This is gonna take some getting used to.
We hit the gym early this morning as we were both feeling like we've entered some sort of time warp where old habits take over your life and you forget that you gain weight when you eat way more than you exercise.
After pumping iron, we decided we'd take a walk down to the USS Utah memorial which is on the same property as our hotel.
It's very easy to forget what happened at this place. You come on and off base multiple times a day and the area has been reconstructed and modernized with bridges and lighting, roads and buildings. But when you walk up to the water and see this sight, it's hard to forget how men and women give their lives to defend this nation and how brave they remain through the trials and tribulations of our country. Past and present.
For lunch we went to this local place called The Dixie Grill. Oh yeah. Their slogan..."Put some South in your mouth". You know we were there! A place in Hawaii that actually serves sweet tea! Praise the Lord! They had really good pulled pork and brisket, with BBQ sauce from all the different regions of the south. I'm really glad we've got a place to run to when we're feelin' a little homesick for some southern food. Now, if only they had some collard greens.
We went to check out Hickam AFB where they have a much calmer Commissary and BX (Base Exchange). Might be shoppin' there from now on. They are ocean side, so we drove down to take a look. We found a people beach, and a doggie beach. Might be spending some time at the latter after we've settled in to our house! We will see :)
Corey's back to the grind tomorrow, doing more check-in things and leaving me alone for the day. But I've got plenty on my agenda. It takes a lot to shift two lives into a new state!
We're missin' everyone and hope yall are well! Lots of love!
Aloha
(And may I just say, it's hard to continue this acronym nonsense when his name is as long as the acronym he wants me to use.)
May I first express to you Corey's love for Pineapple. All he has been able to talk about is visiting the Dole Plantation again and eating pineapple. He even planned on eating it to the brink of wearing away the inside of his mouth, then switching to the low acid pineapple. So naturally, I was there to cheer him on. It was quite beautiful when we got there.
We walked around the store a bit where we found just about anything you could imagine...in pineapple. Pineapple candy, pineapple jelly, pineapple salad dressing, pineapple candles, pineapple relish on a hot dog. We stuck with the pineapple ice cream and some candy. Oh, and Corey's notorious shot glasses. And where Corey gets a shot glass...I get a Christmas ornament.
While there, they had an area where you could pick an oyster, open it and see if you got a pearl inside. I did! I remember my grandmama and granddaddy did this when they visited Hawaii a few years back and she got hers set in a ring, so I did the same. So now I have a beautiful pink pearl and crystal ring. I'm quite fond of it.
We took a ride on the Pineapple Express, their small train that rides around the plantation. Filled with cutesy music and narrating, it actually allowed you to see some beautiful flowers, plants and views. And yes...they have tractors in Hawaii! I feel at home!
 | ||||||
| Banana Trees |
Once we left the Dole Plantation, we decided to drive about 15 minutes north and go see North Shore.
 |
| Hello ocean. It's so blue it almost blends right in with the sky. |
We drove on, trying to get to Pipeline...but so was everyone else on the island it seemed. So we stopped about halfway to put our toes in the sand, and boy was it gorgeous!
Although we knew how big the waves were out there, we definitely underestimated how high up they came, and the power they possessed. Needless to say, we ended up with soaked pant legs and a sandy car.
After a long day, we hit the hay only to wake this morning at 8:30am to the last 1:30 of the SEC championship basketball game (which our Wildcats won). This is gonna take some getting used to.
We hit the gym early this morning as we were both feeling like we've entered some sort of time warp where old habits take over your life and you forget that you gain weight when you eat way more than you exercise.
After pumping iron, we decided we'd take a walk down to the USS Utah memorial which is on the same property as our hotel.
 |
| The USS Utah capsized after being hit by three torpedoes and was later pulled up to it's right position to clear the channel for ships to come through. This is it laying on it's side. |
 |
| Only one man was saved from inside the USS Utah after it capsized. |
For lunch we went to this local place called The Dixie Grill. Oh yeah. Their slogan..."Put some South in your mouth". You know we were there! A place in Hawaii that actually serves sweet tea! Praise the Lord! They had really good pulled pork and brisket, with BBQ sauce from all the different regions of the south. I'm really glad we've got a place to run to when we're feelin' a little homesick for some southern food. Now, if only they had some collard greens.
We went to check out Hickam AFB where they have a much calmer Commissary and BX (Base Exchange). Might be shoppin' there from now on. They are ocean side, so we drove down to take a look. We found a people beach, and a doggie beach. Might be spending some time at the latter after we've settled in to our house! We will see :)
Corey's back to the grind tomorrow, doing more check-in things and leaving me alone for the day. But I've got plenty on my agenda. It takes a lot to shift two lives into a new state!
We're missin' everyone and hope yall are well! Lots of love!
Aloha
Friday, March 11, 2011
Quite the Aloha.
Judging from the phone calls at 2:30 am, the text messages and the countless Facebook posts on our walls, I take it that you all heard of this little 8.9 magnitude earthquake that took place in Japan last night and set the island of Oahu spinning for 10 hours last night. Quite the Aloha, I have to say.
But before all of the madness ensued, I actually had a very lovely greeting to Hawaii! The flight was just as everyone expects, long and fairly wretched. But I hung in there. And thanks to the development of technology, Delta has created a lovely way for me to not expand my mind while traveling, not use my uninterrupted 10 hours for good, but to waste my time away by watching movies. Yes, 3 1/2 movies to be exact. And I won't lie, none of them were from the "Independent", aka thoughtful, category of films. Hey...I had to be entertained.
I had some beautiful views as the plane arrived, so I was getting very excited.
Then Corey, my sweet sweet husband, met me at baggage claim with a beautiful Lei made from real orchids. Quite the welcome if I do say so myself. Cause really, it's not like an Elvis movie when you get here. Well...only if you've paid for it as part of your vacation package. And, let us all remember, this is not a vacation... :)
We made our way to the Navy Lodge where we are staying for the time being which is on Ford Island right near the Pearl Harbor memorials. And it was just our luck that yesterday the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, pulled into dock. They are truly so majestic. It's amazing how this a piece of metal can hold 3,200 sailors and, basically, act as a floating city.
We drove around and explored the area some. We went to the NEX (Navy Exchange) and the Commissary, which from now on I will be referring to as the Pearl Harbor Mall. I never believed that a military exchange would ever have as much as they do or be as big as it is. Two stories, five sections, vendor carts and a food court. It's like they think we're needy or something :)
We had dinner with our friend from back home, Rob, who has been stationed out here for a while. It was good to catch up and hear what he thought of life on the island. After we ate, the realization that I was working on 3 hours of sleep and jet lag started kicking in and all I could think about was collapsing in my bed and not waking up for 12 hours.
And then...the fun began.
In hopes of catching this week's elimination on American Idol before passing out, I started flipping through channels to find it. Luckily, I didn't get that far without seeing footage of the earthquake in Japan. My heart went out to them and all we could think about was our friend Lesser who is stationed in Misowa, a short distance from the heart of the quake. But then all of a sudden, I heard the work tsunami. Um, excuse me, a what???? Oh wait, Japan and I are in the same ocean, aren't we? Ah ha ha...ha...ha...dang it.
Soon the talk about how long it would take to reach us set in. And of course, all anyone could do was speculate. Speculate on the amount of time, speculate on where exactly it would come in, speculate on the height. So, naturally, I was a bag of nerves. According to news casters it would be 6 hours and 5-8 feet tall.
They started practicing the evacuation sirens about an hour into our countdown which did nothing for my confidence in the situation. And all I can think is, if you're just practicing, how on earth are we gonna know when you really mean it?!?!?! Which, thankfully they never did. Although that didn't keep us from driving up to the NEX which is about 30 feet higher up than where we were staying, and not directly on the harbor. We almost immediately came back, because darn it, if I'm gonna die, it's gonna be in a comfortable bed. No, it's okay, I wasn't THAT dramatic.
But they did end up closing the bridge to Ford Island, and our hotel, so we couldn't have left again if we wanted to.
Finally, exhaustion set in and I couldn't stay awake for the main event. But I woke up, alive, and heard the tsunami came in at about 8 feet and did minimal damage thankfully. And most was in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. Thank ya'll for all the thoughts, prayers and messages. It truly meant so much, and it was so nice to realize that even though we're 5,000 miles away, we still feel like we have family close by.
So today was a new day, and it wasn't going to be filled with tsunamis :) But it WAS filled with an exhausted morning at the housing office. We have two houses available for us, one of which we won't be able to see the inside of before we have to make our decision by Tuesday. Military life is fun! Remember when I mentioned that there is always bad with the good. Case and point. We can have a house by Tuesday (good), but it's really not what we had in mind (bad). But, it excites me to think that we might have all of our possessions back by the end of next week! We're still thinking it over and testing out the waters outside of base housing, but by Tuesday we could be ready to sign some papers.
(Interjection...Corey has just decided he wants an acronym for his name in this blog. Just like DH-Dear Husband in other blogs, except he wants to take it to a whole other level. He has chosen PEACH - Perfect Extraordinary Awesome Charming Husband. We'll see how long this lasts.)
After seeing the houses, we decided to take a road trip down the H1 to the scenic route up to the Kaneohe area. It was stunning. We pulled over at a couple of lookouts and took some photos.
There were multiple times that took my breath away as we rounded a corner or went over the top of a hill and saw was awaited us there. Places like these on this island are truly magical.
So, now we've got the weekend to do even more exploration before Corey gets back to the grind. Can't wait to see what we find!
But before all of the madness ensued, I actually had a very lovely greeting to Hawaii! The flight was just as everyone expects, long and fairly wretched. But I hung in there. And thanks to the development of technology, Delta has created a lovely way for me to not expand my mind while traveling, not use my uninterrupted 10 hours for good, but to waste my time away by watching movies. Yes, 3 1/2 movies to be exact. And I won't lie, none of them were from the "Independent", aka thoughtful, category of films. Hey...I had to be entertained.
I had some beautiful views as the plane arrived, so I was getting very excited.
Then Corey, my sweet sweet husband, met me at baggage claim with a beautiful Lei made from real orchids. Quite the welcome if I do say so myself. Cause really, it's not like an Elvis movie when you get here. Well...only if you've paid for it as part of your vacation package. And, let us all remember, this is not a vacation... :)
We made our way to the Navy Lodge where we are staying for the time being which is on Ford Island right near the Pearl Harbor memorials. And it was just our luck that yesterday the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, pulled into dock. They are truly so majestic. It's amazing how this a piece of metal can hold 3,200 sailors and, basically, act as a floating city.
We drove around and explored the area some. We went to the NEX (Navy Exchange) and the Commissary, which from now on I will be referring to as the Pearl Harbor Mall. I never believed that a military exchange would ever have as much as they do or be as big as it is. Two stories, five sections, vendor carts and a food court. It's like they think we're needy or something :)
We had dinner with our friend from back home, Rob, who has been stationed out here for a while. It was good to catch up and hear what he thought of life on the island. After we ate, the realization that I was working on 3 hours of sleep and jet lag started kicking in and all I could think about was collapsing in my bed and not waking up for 12 hours.
And then...the fun began.
In hopes of catching this week's elimination on American Idol before passing out, I started flipping through channels to find it. Luckily, I didn't get that far without seeing footage of the earthquake in Japan. My heart went out to them and all we could think about was our friend Lesser who is stationed in Misowa, a short distance from the heart of the quake. But then all of a sudden, I heard the work tsunami. Um, excuse me, a what???? Oh wait, Japan and I are in the same ocean, aren't we? Ah ha ha...ha...ha...dang it.
Soon the talk about how long it would take to reach us set in. And of course, all anyone could do was speculate. Speculate on the amount of time, speculate on where exactly it would come in, speculate on the height. So, naturally, I was a bag of nerves. According to news casters it would be 6 hours and 5-8 feet tall.
They started practicing the evacuation sirens about an hour into our countdown which did nothing for my confidence in the situation. And all I can think is, if you're just practicing, how on earth are we gonna know when you really mean it?!?!?! Which, thankfully they never did. Although that didn't keep us from driving up to the NEX which is about 30 feet higher up than where we were staying, and not directly on the harbor. We almost immediately came back, because darn it, if I'm gonna die, it's gonna be in a comfortable bed. No, it's okay, I wasn't THAT dramatic.
But they did end up closing the bridge to Ford Island, and our hotel, so we couldn't have left again if we wanted to.
Finally, exhaustion set in and I couldn't stay awake for the main event. But I woke up, alive, and heard the tsunami came in at about 8 feet and did minimal damage thankfully. And most was in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. Thank ya'll for all the thoughts, prayers and messages. It truly meant so much, and it was so nice to realize that even though we're 5,000 miles away, we still feel like we have family close by.
So today was a new day, and it wasn't going to be filled with tsunamis :) But it WAS filled with an exhausted morning at the housing office. We have two houses available for us, one of which we won't be able to see the inside of before we have to make our decision by Tuesday. Military life is fun! Remember when I mentioned that there is always bad with the good. Case and point. We can have a house by Tuesday (good), but it's really not what we had in mind (bad). But, it excites me to think that we might have all of our possessions back by the end of next week! We're still thinking it over and testing out the waters outside of base housing, but by Tuesday we could be ready to sign some papers.
(Interjection...Corey has just decided he wants an acronym for his name in this blog. Just like DH-Dear Husband in other blogs, except he wants to take it to a whole other level. He has chosen PEACH - Perfect Extraordinary Awesome Charming Husband. We'll see how long this lasts.)
After seeing the houses, we decided to take a road trip down the H1 to the scenic route up to the Kaneohe area. It was stunning. We pulled over at a couple of lookouts and took some photos.
(There's PEACH)
There were multiple times that took my breath away as we rounded a corner or went over the top of a hill and saw was awaited us there. Places like these on this island are truly magical.
So, now we've got the weekend to do even more exploration before Corey gets back to the grind. Can't wait to see what we find!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm leavin' on a jet plane...
The sentimentalist in me just chose as the font to this newly sculpted blog, "Georgia". I will now proceed to forget what a sap I am.
In about 10 hours and 2 minutes (which undoubtedly will be significantly less by the time I finish this entry because I am currently trying to empty my folks DVR box of the episodes of my stories I've missed over the past week and a half before leaving, thus being a little distracted. Please don't judge.) I will be jumping on that big metal bird and flying off to, what is so lovingly referred to as, "paradise". Although, all I've been hearing over the last four months is "Oh, that must be so terrible," and "How awful for you". Sarcastically of course, with a wink at me at the end of the statement. I know, I know...it's amazing! You don't have to tell me twice. But, despite it's beauty and excitement we, unlike tourists, have to work there for 3 1/2 years. But still, I'm not complaining :) It's going to be quite the adventure!
Another element of this adventure is that we are going on military orders. Although we've completed one duty station already (where does the time go?), we've never been through a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) and all that goes with it. The day the movers came in and took all our belongings away, just to sit in a wooden crate for 4 months, was just the beginning. But everything they've thrown our way, we've handled with grace...and a few choice words on Corey's part. Remember, he's a Sailor ;)
And now we've reached the culmination of all the paperwork and phone calls and moving boxes, and we're actually ready to live in HAWAII!!!
Corey made his arrival yesterday to the lovely island of Oahu. He said the flight was quite grueling, weighing in at a mean 10 hours and 10 minutes. But the nerd in me got some good news on that front, they are playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 as a choice of an in-flight movie. (Yeah, I know...)
He's been running around like a mad man getting checked in at the million-and-one offices that require a signature, picking up our car and scouting the area since he got there. He sent me this picture today of the view outside our hotel window.
This is Ford Island looking onto the harbor. Sadly, it's been a very rainy day on the island and it's still early in this picture. But I'll take it!
Still getting used to the time change. Getting a phone call at 3 am when he was just getting settled down for the night was interesting. But my excitement for hearing all about what he was seeing and doing far surpassed the need for sleep. (One story inspired the name of this blog when Corey said "I haven't even been here a day yet and I've already seen 3 rainbows." Oh, and a play on my daddy's favorite song.) And we'll be adding another hour onto the time difference once the states that actually still observe daylight savings time (which I've stopped keeping up with) "spring forward". At least the phone calls between me and my folks will stay within a reasonable limit because they will only consist of the things they've done all day, because I won't have even had a day yet. (Just kidding Mama and Daddy, I'd talk to you till I was blue in the face.)
So, now it's my turn. I can't wait to get my feet on the ground over there and start this new chapter and experience all that it's going to bring with it, the good and the bad. Because in the military, there is always some bad with some good. Even for an eternal optimist like me. More often than not, things don't go the way you plan. In fact, you learn not to bet on anything. But I know I can bet on the fact that Corey is still Corey and I am still me, even 5,000 miles away. And there's always an adventure where we're concerned.
So here we go! See y'all in paradise!
(And for anyone who may have been keeping a running count on the level of my distraction...we're down to 8 hours and 55 minutes.)
In about 10 hours and 2 minutes (which undoubtedly will be significantly less by the time I finish this entry because I am currently trying to empty my folks DVR box of the episodes of my stories I've missed over the past week and a half before leaving, thus being a little distracted. Please don't judge.) I will be jumping on that big metal bird and flying off to, what is so lovingly referred to as, "paradise". Although, all I've been hearing over the last four months is "Oh, that must be so terrible," and "How awful for you". Sarcastically of course, with a wink at me at the end of the statement. I know, I know...it's amazing! You don't have to tell me twice. But, despite it's beauty and excitement we, unlike tourists, have to work there for 3 1/2 years. But still, I'm not complaining :) It's going to be quite the adventure!
Another element of this adventure is that we are going on military orders. Although we've completed one duty station already (where does the time go?), we've never been through a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) and all that goes with it. The day the movers came in and took all our belongings away, just to sit in a wooden crate for 4 months, was just the beginning. But everything they've thrown our way, we've handled with grace...and a few choice words on Corey's part. Remember, he's a Sailor ;)
And now we've reached the culmination of all the paperwork and phone calls and moving boxes, and we're actually ready to live in HAWAII!!!
Corey made his arrival yesterday to the lovely island of Oahu. He said the flight was quite grueling, weighing in at a mean 10 hours and 10 minutes. But the nerd in me got some good news on that front, they are playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 as a choice of an in-flight movie. (Yeah, I know...)
He's been running around like a mad man getting checked in at the million-and-one offices that require a signature, picking up our car and scouting the area since he got there. He sent me this picture today of the view outside our hotel window.
This is Ford Island looking onto the harbor. Sadly, it's been a very rainy day on the island and it's still early in this picture. But I'll take it!
Still getting used to the time change. Getting a phone call at 3 am when he was just getting settled down for the night was interesting. But my excitement for hearing all about what he was seeing and doing far surpassed the need for sleep. (One story inspired the name of this blog when Corey said "I haven't even been here a day yet and I've already seen 3 rainbows." Oh, and a play on my daddy's favorite song.) And we'll be adding another hour onto the time difference once the states that actually still observe daylight savings time (which I've stopped keeping up with) "spring forward". At least the phone calls between me and my folks will stay within a reasonable limit because they will only consist of the things they've done all day, because I won't have even had a day yet. (Just kidding Mama and Daddy, I'd talk to you till I was blue in the face.)
So, now it's my turn. I can't wait to get my feet on the ground over there and start this new chapter and experience all that it's going to bring with it, the good and the bad. Because in the military, there is always some bad with some good. Even for an eternal optimist like me. More often than not, things don't go the way you plan. In fact, you learn not to bet on anything. But I know I can bet on the fact that Corey is still Corey and I am still me, even 5,000 miles away. And there's always an adventure where we're concerned.
So here we go! See y'all in paradise!
(And for anyone who may have been keeping a running count on the level of my distraction...we're down to 8 hours and 55 minutes.)
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