Just when you think you have had enough...

Tonight David and I were invited to a cruise around Ford Island on the Admirals Barge. To be honest, we are moving into our house tomorrow, I have a million things to do, David just flew back from San Diego late last night...this wasn't a big priority for us. Both of us after being without a home for the last 2 1/2 months are beginning to wonder if this is the life we can handle anymore and we are both exhausted. Just when you think you can't do it another minute God grants you the gift of perspective (mixed in nicely with a glass of wine, a delicious dinner, and good company.) Not only was this a private cruise aboard a lovely boat but to my surprise it was a bit of an historical trip. Not only did we sail right next to the old WWII Battleship Missouri but we also stopped at the Arizona Memorial (after hours) and got off for a private tour. I was actually brought to tears seeing that ship at sunset with her 1100+ sailors still entombed. I was really too moved to even think of taking out my real camera but luckily had enough presence of mind to snap just a few shots of Her and the Mighty Mo with my handy iPhone. (I am always thinking of you folks). I wish you could have been there to experience it with me. We continued around Ford Island and were treated to some little known WWII facts which I can't wait to share - it was a fantastic evening!

USS ARIZONA flag at half staff honoring Senator Kennedy

USS MISSOURI

Gun turret visible from the deck of ARIZONA

Move over Don Ho!

Click on the button to play video

I guess all siblings go through the "perform together" phase. When I was little it was me on the piano and Matt on the violin (he really loved that!) Who knew I would have a child playing the ukulele one day? As you can see Emily is perfecting her "salon girl" persona. We are still working on tiny bubbles!

Nevermind

Please disregard that last post and replace it with this one...

YAHOO - just got a call and we are good to move in on the 28th...as in a week from today!!! Perhaps my polite but firm complaining did some good or more likely God is taking extra pity on me today (He can see me in that padded room). Regardless, replace that 20 days with 7. 7

Now the real fun begins, delivery of 11 crates of junk. I'll buy you a ticket if you will help! Any takers...anyone? Helloooooo

Still waiting

Well, my normally sunny, glass half full, cheery old disposition (no laughing anyone) is starting to fade. I (we) are sick and tired of being displaced. We need our clothes, soccer gear, toys etc. I am disheartened that they have all but stopped working on my house as of late and have lodged polite but firm complaints for all the good it has done. We know the couple that will live in the house next door to us (met her in Starbucks the other day and turns out her husband is a classmate of David's) and they got a call yesterday saying their move in date has changed to Sept. 10. I haven't gotten a call but won't be surprised if I get one. That's an agonizing 20 days from now. 20.

The good news is the girls have today off from school and Olivia has Monday off too. That gives us a few days of not having to leave the house at 7 am and spend the day waiting around for everyone to be done with school, soccer and meetings. Hopefully that will restore us a bit.

Ok, enough complaining (not really but it sounds good). We are still trying to fill our free time with fun events. Here are some pics of our week:

Hickam Beach where we went sailing last weekend

Emily's first haircut!

Driving home in the rain

Stopping by to see Daddy at work :)

Emily's first Day

There's my big girl on her first day! She was very excited and seems to really enjoy school. I think we are in the process of replacing Sam (the old bf) with a new man named Jayden. He is really the only one I hear lots about and when she got in the car today she started to cry about missing him already! What am I going to do with this one?

Here is where she and I spend our afternoons while waiting for Olivia to be done with school. The house across the street is soon to be our house (the middle one with no-one standing on the stairs) and the double parking carport is behind my van. Driving 80+ miles a day to get the girls to school and back is getting old. My days are spent waiting around on this side of the island until they are done and driving back and forth. We are more than anxious to get on with our lives and stop living out of suitcases.

Once again my life and my husbands are going full throttle in opposite directions. He is swamped with work and I'm swamped with everything else. He said to me this morning, "hey, isn't our anniversary like around now?" Hmmmm, why yes, it's tomorrow. I think this makes two years in a row that I have all but forgotten it. Bad, bad me!! It makes me laugh that 15 years ago we were running from a hurricane and waiting to move into our house in Hawaii! Add a few kids, some pounds and grey hairs and not much has changed. It's been a great ride honey - happy anniversary and maybe I will get to see you tomorrow :)

Testing 1, 2

I had an idea...could I email myself photos I took on my iPhone and then post them on my blog? You bet I can! The no photo slump is over!! Don't tell anyone that I took this photo while driving Olivia to school one day. These mountains never get old to me. They are breathtaking - this photo doesn't do them justice.

Here's where the girls and I spent our Sunday (no Daddy today...he is battening down the hatches for the approaching hurricane). Don't feel too sorry for me do ya? That little surfer on the left is my Olivia!

Ok, now that I know I can do this you will be seeing more of us. 3 posts in one day, that might be a record.

Barbie Candy Glam

Just realized I could probably dig up a photo of this on the web. Awesome isn't it? :)

Barbie Head

I know a picture is worth a thousand words but since I can't download mine yet you will have to settle for my thousand words. We were killing a little time yesterday in between events and went to the Air Force Exchange. Emily found a styling head (you know, the big barbie head on a stand) that she just had to have. This one had the added bonus of being able to make your own glitter lip-gloss in various scents.

For those of you who don't know, Emily is obsessed with glam. Everyday begins with picking out an outfit right away (always a skirt or dress, she WILL NOT wear pants or shorts of any kind, color or style). She does her hair (complete with styling gel) and at least 5-10 items of decoration...clips, bands, etc. Most often she will let me do the style but I am always under the strictest guidance as to where to place what. Next comes the lip-gloss (I have given up that fight) and the bracelets which get placed on wrists and ankles and finally the shoes. Most often they don't match the outfit but they are always shiny and fancy.

Right...back to the head. Normally I would have said something to the effect of "$20 for that piece of junk, no way" BUT having spent the last week as a "salon customer" of hers and having most of my hair pulled out by the roots I gave it a second look. Now Barbie can be the customer and her hair can end up in knots. I was liking that.

We bought the head and even made some lip-gloss last night. It stunk to high heaven and took me back to my 2nd grade Bonnie Bell days but it was very glossy and glittery which is really our only goal in this house. As expected it is a piece of junk and the spinner that mixes the gloss/color/glitter barely works and as we are trying to figure it out and put it together David says "I guarantee not a single man had his hand in making this toy" (sideways look from me) "seriously, we would at least have made it work!" (laughing in spite of myself because he's right) Bottom line is right now it is 9:53 am and my children haven't bothered me once because they are playing with the head. Nuf said.

Back to School

Hopefully most of you saw my photo of Olivia on her first day from my new iPhone - she looked really cute in her uniform! She doesn't love that part but she agrees it would be tougher if she had to wear the standard Catholic plaid jumper! I am thrilled to report she had a great first day. She said she made tons of friends and all the girls were really nice (let's hope that holds out) and she was happy with her schedule. I noticed she has 4 hours of religious education a week, that should be interesting :)

On to the really important stuff though. My iPhone rocks. I must be getting seriously old because I am still marveling at the fact that for $300 I have a device roughly the size of cassette tape (for the rest of you oldies out there) that can surf the web, take photos, send email, play music, movies, give driving directions, and much, much more. Oh yeah, it's a phone too. I am still tinkering and learning the depths of it's greatness but I do know that my husband and kids are wildly jealous which probably means it won't be long until I hear CRASH "uh, sorry Mom. It was an accident!" Let's hope it's fairly sturdy - hey, maybe there's an app for that :)