Previously on...

A lot has happened in our lives since September.  Because it would take an impossibly long time to update this blog, I will just provide a small recap.

November 2009:

HOMECOMING!!! After six l-o-n-g months my love returned from his cruise around the world.  I missed him so, and was excited that he was home to finally help me with all of the stressful moving woes.

DECEMBER 2009:

We finally made it to Hawaii.  It was a long, stressful process, but the moment we touched down, I felt like we were finally home.  From day one, I could not believe that we were so lucky to live here. 

We spent a really long time hotel hopping while looking to buy a home.  Yes, we are crazy and decided to buy a house in Hawaii.  In a place where 600 square feet shacks are equal to mansion prices on acres of land on the mainland.  But we knew that we a) didn't want to live on base and b) that because of the economy prices were good (good for Hawaii, but still not easily swallowed) and c) we wanted a place to make our own.

So we stressed some more by trying to find a home to buy and while living in various locales around the island.  We moved hotels 4 times.  We spent every day searching for a home.  And then we finally found it: a simple, Hawaiian style home (that's the nice way to describe it) 2 miles from the marine base, 1/2 a mile to the beach!!, and within walking distance of Kailua town.   We had to find new and creative ways to explain to our family and friends on the mainland that yes, it's perfectly normal to pay such an astronomical price for a 50 YEAR OLD!! home with single wall construction and no air conditioning.

But just as we thought the stress was over, on Christmas eve we got devastating news that my husband's father had lost his very short battle with brain cancer.  There are no words to describe how the loss affected everyone in the family, and the blanket of sorrow that was spread over the Christmas season.  But we held it together long enough to fly to Lake Tahoe to see the family.

JANUARY 2010:

After our hotel jumping (and even a stay at a military cabin on the beach), we finally moved into our home and settled into our life in Hawaii.  This includes all the normal stresses of moving: scheduling unpack dates, cleaning our (new to us) house, unpacking, sifting through the broken and shattered items, finding time to enjoy the area, and job hunting.

the view from the beach by our cabin

FEBRUARY 2010:

February was a blur mostly due in part to the extensive remodeling we did on our home.  Because our money could only afford us a 50+ year home, there was a lot to be done.  This included installing hardwood floors and lots and lots of painting, painting, painting.  (I still can't understand what was running through the mind of the former owner who decided to paint the trim and molding black.  That shit was a bitch to prime and paint white!)

The biggest news of Febraury was that I was offered a job.  I definitely did not expect to find one two months after arriving on island, and I definitely never expected it to be at one of the nicest private schools on the island.  (and only 1 mile from my house!)  I was estatic.  Bad news was that it is more of a red headed step child position- I am the extended day preschool teacher, which means I pick the kids up at 2:30 and stay until 6:00.  But it's a job, a teaching one, and it pays.  And it doesn't hurt that I have mornings to run, enjoy the beach, or work on the house.

MARCH 2010

More house work (notice a theme yet?) more floor work, more painting.  We both started to fall a little more in love with Hawaii each day, and finding new and exciting things to do and love about this place.

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with a trip to the north shore and a stay at Turtle Bay Resort (as seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall)  To actually be together to celebrate an anniversary was amazing, to actually be together in HAWAII to celebrate was more than icing on the cake. 

APRIL 2010

We met some awesome people that live two streets away and started relaxing a little more (read: less house work!) and enjoying our neighborhood bars.

We had our first visitor, my hubby's cousin.

And I ran my first 10K!! That's right, somewhere between last year and now, I have become a runner.   And I love it.  I was super stressed and nervous, but the run went great and I even wanted to run further.  My goal now is a half marathon.

MAY 2010


May thus far has been spent seeing lots of this:  (this folks is the beach that is 1/2 mile from our house, the very one we walk our dogs to, strap chairs on our backs and carry our cooler to, and I run on when I like to mix it up.  Yes, we are fortunate)

and things like this:

and we even had a visit from these people:  (these are my parents.  And yes they are very young.  But happy and madly in love- with each other and Hawaii.  My master plan is to convince them to move here so that we can get out of the military and use their comissary perks so that I can afford to live here)

And I got offered the position as art teacher at my school.  Me? Teaching art?  Little does my principal know that art was the only B I've ever made in my life. 

So after this school year finally ends, my summer will be spent researching and planning to teach a year of art to 3-5 year old kiddos.  (and unfortunately this doesn't include finger painting and coloring)

I'm sure I missed a lot, but that's just a general recap of what's beeng happening. 

The gist of all of this is that we LOVE Hawaii and are thankful every single day that we live here.