Moving on up

So last post was about us living in the hotel and hotel life.  This post is from the time we moved in to right before our 1st visitors arrived.

Here is what we were up to for a month and a half...
1. Playing with lots of toys...Cars matching game, Sorry, miniature figurines, coloring books, Legos, and other items that she can't live without.

2. Playing outside when I'm feeling good.  We have been to the beach many times, but I always forget my camera, so I don't have much proof of that.  But Gracie loves the ocean and playing in the sand.  She gets so excited when we go!

3. Went bowling at the nearby bowling alley.  Gracie loved it and by the end was carrying her own ball.  This made us nervous but it was so cute!

Check out her bowling shoes :)  I wanted to take them home, but I know karma would come back and haunt me.

4. Here are some of the mini figurines she loves to play with.  These are her Cars ones but she also has Toy Story figurines.

5. Another thing I don't have proof of is our playdates.  I've mentioned in previous posts about the great women/moms I've met out here, and we love to get together with them and play.  Gracie is making some good friends and getting back into the swing of things like sharing.  That is a tough concept for little squirts like her.  We've gone to the beach, to the pool and to one of the mom's house to play.  They are a great group of women and kids, and I'm so blessed to have met them.

So life will only get busier when I start feeling better.  I hate being trapped in the house when I'd rather have Gracie out playing with other kiddos.  Plus, I love the adult interaction.  You can only handle so many conversations about Cars, Toy Story, and potty training.  I'm slowing starting to feel better but it really takes it toll on what we do most days.  So I cannot wait for normallacy to come back into my life.  Gracie can't wait either.

Next post will be all about Pam and Rose and their first time in Hawaii.  Not sure when I will get to that as our 2nd pair of visitors will be arriving tomorrow!  We love having visitors and hope more of you can come out as it makes our time here that much more fun and worth it!

Pictures Post

Since I'm a terrible blogger and a terrible uploader...I'm combining the 2.  A blog post with pictures!  I actually blogged about some of these things when we first arrived but never attached photos so it may sound familiar.

Here is what we have done since we moved from Homaha to Ala Moana Hotel...
1. Made cookies in the hotel room.

2. Checked out the view from the hotel room since there was minimal for us to do (this is facing downtown)

3. Went site seeing on one small portion of the southeastern coast

4. Hung out in the hotel...a lot.  With no car and a 2 year old who likes to run free, we weren't really able to walk around the outside of the hotel to see what was around.  Plus, to be honest, it was kind of scary around the hotel.  Nearby were a few strip joints and adult stores, Ala Moana Beach a.k.a.  Bum Beach, a recycling center a.k.a. Bum Beach Extension, and the largest outdoor mall, which we did visit daily but that got old quick.

5. Enjoyed the daily rainbows at approximately the same time every day :)

6. Ate a Eggs n Things.  Packed house = having to entertain Gracie at next door coffee shop for 45-50 minutes.  It was so worth the wait though!

7. Hung out some more.  Like I said, the mall got old, especially when I knew I couldn't purchase anything because I do not have an income.  But seriously, look at this cute face!

8. Saw Dog the Bounty Hunter at the strip joint next to our hotel (he's getting in the SUV below).  I was so shocked and excited, my brain didn't function well enough to grab my camera sooner.

9. Enjoyed a fun afternoon at Wet 'n' Wild.  Gracie had a blast on the slides, definitely her favorite part.

10. Gracie became a shark at Jimmy Buffet's Restaurant.

Next post (hopefully within the next day or so) will contain pics of what we have done from the time we moved into the house till our 1st visitors arrived.  Until then, hope you enjoyed the pics and are becoming less jealous of our living situation.  Believe me, if you are in Omaha, I'm jealous of yours ;)

Baby, baby, baby...I'm back!

Ok, my blogging skills totally suck, especially since I haven't felt well since September 2011 (that feels like eternity!)

If you live in a cave or don't have Facebook, Justin and I have made it FB official...we are expecting baby #2!  Baby is due to make his/her appearance around May 6th.  I'm hoping for a Cinco de Mayo baby considering I'm Mexican and all and that would be pretty fitting.  I would even consider putting him/her in a baby sombrero for that special day if I find one.  But when he/she is ready, we will be here waiting!  Gracie is starting to kind of get it.  She knows there is a baby in my belly and points to where he/she is, she also likes to say "Baby Sister" and on occasion "Baby Brother", she is starting to get the jist of it.  I don't think she'll really get it till he/she is here and not going anywhere.

It helps having some close friends having some little tiny ones themselves since we've been gone.  After we left, Emily and Matt had their 2nd little boy, Dominic.  He is such a cutie and I can't wait to see him in person!  I tell Gracie that Jude has a little baby brother now and she says "baby brother" like she gets that he belongs to Jude.  A few weeks later, in September, Erin and Chris had their 2nd baby, a precious little boy named John.  He, too, is a cutie, and I can't wait to hold that little guy (well he'll be a bit bigger by the time we come to visit).  I tell Gracie that she will have a baby brother or sister like Millie.  She points to pictures of John and says "Millie baby brother".  Then came October, and another couple friend of ours, Katy and Matt, had their first baby.  Not to my surprise, it was a BOY and they named him Benjamin "Benji".  He is so cute and has the cutest little pouty lips in the world.  When I show Gracie pictures of Benji, I tell her how we will have a baby like that someday.  She again will say "baby brother, baby sister."

Now, I'm not the only one that she knows who is expecting.  One of my very best, most awesome, forever friends is going to have her first in April!  Our friends Emily and Charlie are preparing for parenthood, and we could not be any more excited for them.  I wish I could just physically be there with Emily to see her experience pregnancy and motherhood as it is happening.  But I know Emily and Charlie will be fantastic parents!  Another couple friend of ours, Anna and Nathan, are expecting their 3rd baby in February.  I went to Mercy with Anna and was reconnected through good ol' FB after Gracie was born.  The Magdanz's welcomed Gracie into their loving home weekly.  Anna watched and cared for Gracie when I went back to work and watched her until we left in August.  They have been such a blessing in our lives.  Gracie even calls Fiona her "best friend" when we look at pictures.   Now I tell Gracie that Fiona gets to have 2 baby siblings!  She is very excited for Fiona and Callie.  It's endearing to hear Gracie talk about the baby and even say those words.  I think she is going to be a great big sister come May.

Now that today was a good feeling today, and I'm praying that it's the beginning of many, I do need to blog about some things that we have been up to lately (parties, visitors, hiking, beaching, etc.) and add some pictures to these pictureless pages.  Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day and I can do some blogging during nap time.  Keep your fingers, toes, legs, arms, and eyes crossed!

Still Unpacking

Yes, we are still here and still unpacking.

We have been in the house for almost 1 full month (1 month tomorrow) and it's been a while since I last posted an update (3 weeks?).  I've been pretty homesick so it has not helped with my attitude or the unpacking process.  I think I have found the truth in why I haven't unpacked every last thing that was packed up in the our home in Omaha.  I think I was still somewhat am in denial that we have made this huge move.  I think I thought that if I didn't unpack everything, it somehow meant that I would be coming home sooner rather than later and there was no need to make this "home".  Well, I've finally come to the realization that this is not happening and that we will be here for the expected 2-3 years (which I will be pushing for the 2 years every day until it happens).

I was even explaining to a friend this morning that I didn't want to hang pictures or mirrors because I didn't want to have to deal with the patching and painting when we left.  She said, "Well, you will be here for a while.  If you don't do it, it won't feel like home."  It was at that moment that I realized she was right.  We ARE going to be here for a while, and I DO need to do things to it to make it feel like home.  The house we are in doesn't feel like home and that makes things difficult.  This is a very hard thing for me to accept for many reasons.  I have always lived my life in Omaha, I imagined my future in Omaha, but the reality is that this is not what God had in his plans for us right now.  He wanted us to take this opportunity and do something with it, to enjoy it, to live it.

It is not the easiest or quickest thing to accept that you are no longer home.  I seriously lived in the same house for 23 years and 2 months until Justin and I hitched.  Then we moved into an apartment and then the place I love to call home, our cute little brick house.  Can you blame me for being sad that I'm no longer living in Omaha?  Moving is difficult because of all the people and places that you love to see and go to are no longer at your front door.  This is hardest part about moving for me, and I will probably feel that sadness until we return and things are back to "normal".  Our families and friends have played such an important role in who we are and how we live our life, and they are not easy things to leave behind.  They will never be easy to leave behind.  You guys mean the world to us!  But after this morning, I know I need to do something to try to make this adventure worth it and to make it meaningful.  Plus, I will be back, we will be back, whether you like it or not. ;)

Now, putting my tears aside, I need to get this house into shape.  Good thing this realization hit me today because my 2nd mother and her cool mother are coming to visit in 2 weeks.  I absolutely cannot wait to see Pam and Rose and to have them physically here with us.  But, I can't let them see how unpacked we really are especially because they will need a bed and a room to sleep in!

To wrap this all up, I would like to share the things that I am thankful for because moving has made me appreciate many things:
-First and foremost, having Justin and Gracie by my side.  I wouldn't be here without them (literally) and I wouldn't have any comfort without them as well.  You two are the greatest people I know.
-A dishwasher (this house does not have one, which we didn't notice until we moved in :(  I hate doing dishes!
-Having a garage to store things that we brought but will not need (i.e. my classroom from Rohwer)
-New found friends...I have met some amazing women and their children since being here.  Thank you for welcoming me and Gracie into your homes and hearts.  You will never know how much it means to me.
-Our family and friends back home.  I feel special to know how lucky we are to have such amazing people in our lives.  God had truly blessed us, hence the reason why it is not easy being gone.
-My Rohwer coworkers who have kept me in the loop with school things and things about their lives.  You also make it hard to be here because you are all amazing people and teachers.  I pray every day that I get to come back to Rohwer and be with you all again.
-Skype, you are my connection to home and I love you.  I almost love you as much as I love Pam's Scotcheroos.  If you have a skype name, let me know or find us (andresenx3).  We would love to see you and chat!
-Facebook...well kinda...sometimes it makes me more homesick because I want to be there so bad, but it is nice to see family and friends enjoying life as everyone should.  I think I'll like it more when it's winter back home :)
-Crossfit Omaha. Yes, I hated working out just ask anyone that knows me.  But this place is amazing!  I never loved a gym as much as this place.  Great people, great coaches, great supporters, great workouts, and a great community.  If you want to know more about it, ask me, otherwise just go there and join.  You won't regret it.  It's worth every penny.

Ok that's enough for now, I'm sure my list could get longer, but I know I might be losing your attention now.  Plus, I have a lot of things and people to be thankful for.  Shoot, even the movers who came to get the boxes out of the garage...  Ok I'm done :)

Week 4 of too many

Monday:

Today is Labor Day, and I am thankful to have an extra day with my wonderful hubby.  Most people hate Mondays because they have to go to work, I hate Mondays because Justin has to go to work.  Being out here is lonely so I long for the weekends to get here so I have an adult to be with and spend some time with.  So, yes, I am thankful for Labor Day because it gives me another day with Justin.

Tuesday:

Moving Day!!!  I can't tell you how excited I was to get out of the hotel and into a real house.  I had been waiting several weeks for this day to come.  I couldn't wait to see our furniture, clothing, shoes, dishes, rugs and more importantly the computer!  I seriously wanted to hug everything as it came in the door.  We had last seen our things July 25th.  That was the day they started packing everything into boxes.  A day that I did not want to see the final product.  Just walking through my home with nothing in it was tough.  Anyways, the movers arrived at the new house around 10 a.m. and were finished around 4 p.m.  They set up all the beds, brought in all the heavy furniture and boxes, and set up remaining boxes in the garage that we probably wouldn't open the whole time we are here.  They were really helpful with all this as I knew what my max deadlift was and these boxes and furniture were too much of a competition.

Here are some pictures after the movers left.

       

 

It is chaos and we are slowing try to put it altogether again.  I hate it.  Too many boxes, too much stuff, too little of a house.

Wednesday:
Gracie and I took a break from unpacking to go play with some new friends.  We went swimming at a pool with a few moms and their little kiddos.  We have met all of the moms and kids before so it was nice to see them all again.  They are so sweet and so inviting...definitely makes me feel a bit better about being here.

Thursday and Friday:
Can't remember much of it so I'm assuming we spent those days unpacking.  I think the unpacking and trying to get all settled as quickly as possible is starting to affect Gracie a bit.  I just have to remember that not everything will get unpacked, I can't do it all in one day, and to remember to stop and play with my babe for a while.  She needs me, not half of me, but all of me.

Saturday:
Justin's Kiewit group had a get-together in Kailua, complete with food and dodgeball.  Needless to say, I did not want to show off my incredible dodgeball skills so I sat out with Gracie.  From the moment we got there, she went straight to the bounce house anyways, and we had a tough time getting her out of there.  She loves those things. Seriously.  She bounced while I watched her and Justin played dodgeball.  After we ate some lunch, which for Gracie consisted of cheetos, fruit juice, pb&j sandwich, grapes, goldfish and a cookie (most things we rarely have in our kitchen), we went over the little hill to hit the beach.  Absolutely beautiful!  It is a must-do when we have visitors.  Plus, the drive from Kapolei to Kailua is awesome!  I wish I had taken pictures to help you see the beauty of it.  Our mountains on this side of the island are a bit dry looking, the mountains to Kailua are lush and green and breathtaking.  Apparently, somewhere along that mountain range you can hike 3 peaks but they are dangerous.  They recently had people fall to their death. :( yikes, I won't be doing that hike or any if you really know me.  So, back to the beach.  Gracie had a blast!  She loves the waves and if she was taller and older she would have walked out further into the ocean.  She makes me so nervous!  She swallowed enough ocean water to make her choke multiple times and vomit once.  She does this really funny thing when she gets water in her mouth.  She scream/grunts until it is all out then cracks up hysterically.  She is such a goofball! Did I mention that she makes me nervous?  Eventually, we packed up and headed home in hopes to get the cable/internet working.

Speaking of which, the work ethic out here is a bit different than the mainlands.  From my perspective, they do everything at their own pace, when they want to, and they will only come back to help if it is convenient for them (which it never is).  So therefore, we did not get cable/internet fixed and missed another weekend of football...sad people.

Sunday:
Another uneventful day, so uneventful I don't remember any of it.  Plus, we didn't have cable/internet to do much else.  I think we went shopping or something or maybe that was Saturday night.  Since my full-time job is watching the little "I love to see my mom scared"Gracie, my days all run into each other.  I'm surprised I remembered any of this information actually :)

Until next time kids...

Week 3 of 150ish

Aww another week gone...that much closer to moving in.  Last week was pretty uneventful but I'll just fill you in on the "eventful" items.

Monday, we received the news that Justin's Great-Grandma A had passed away.  She lived a youthful 91 years.  Pretty amazing woman.  We were able to see her and spend some time with her before we left Omaha and feel very fortunate for that time.  Gracie may not remember her, but we will definitely remind her of what a sweet, fun, loving woman she was.

Tuesday, Gracie and I ventured out to Aiea to find the "DMV" type of place to register our Accord and to find the "bounce house" place.  I think we drove around for 15 minutes trying to find the dang DMV when I thought maybe this place was inside the super large mall and not its own little office space.  Sure enough, Justin was able to find the DMV and the bounce house inside the mall right next door to each other.  Perfect!  So Gracie jumped in the bounce houses for 45 minutes or so, and then we went over to register the car.  Holy long line!  There was a line down a hallway then it looked like a roller coaster line going side to side.  I gave up didn't even attempt to stand in line for what probably would have been 5 hours with my tired 2 year old.  So as of today (9-5-11), we have yet to register the car.  I am praying that I do not get pulled over by the cops.

We also did our 2nd load of laundry which cost us a total of around $20 for 3 washers and 3 dryers.  Seriously?  I thought doing your laundry at a laundromat was supposed to be cheap!  Maybe that is cheap, and I just don't know it.  The crappy part of all that was that even with the $20 spent, some of our clothes were still a little damp because it was closing time.  Thanks laundromat lady for the extra push to get out.

Wednesday, Justin worked the longest day here yet.  Didn't get to the hotel till 7:30 p.m. because traffic sucks here.  We ordered pizza for dinner and stayed in.

Thursday, we met some more new friends.  A couple that Justin works with, invited us over for dinner Thursday night.  They relocated here (just moved in their house 2 weeks ago) and are also working on the rail project.  They have 2 young daughters (ages 4 and 18 months).  We also got to meet another family with 2 kiddos (ages 9 and 4).  There dad works for Kiewit as well and on the same project as Justin.  It was so nice to have some adult time while Gracie got to have kid time.  She is seriously starting to get stuck like glue to me.  After Justin left the laundromat with her Wednesday night, she cried the whole way back to the hotel.  So, needless to say, her and I both needed the age appropriate time with others.  It was a great night, and I'm sure we will be doing it again.

Friday, Gracie and I just hung out at the hotel.  One unfortunate thing did happen that day.  Her little mini Jessie doll lost her head, literally!  She said, "Uh oh, Mommy Jessie head.  Mommy fix it."  Since we do not have our things yet, I don't have my super glue that I used to glue the original Jessie's leg back into place, or Bullseye's broken leg, or Buzz's space wings.  We searched for a new one all weekend but couldn't find one that matched what she had.  I'll be trying Target this week.  Target is my savior for many things anyways, so maybe I'll strike gold there.

Every Friday night, in Waikiki, they have a firework show.  Last week, Gracie and I missed out, so this week, we made sure we were in the hotel.  They were pretty cool.  Gracie loved watching them.  She talked about it until she went to bed.  I video'd it on my phone, and she loves replaying it to watch the fireworks over and over.

Saturday, we ran some errands in the morning and afternoon.  Not an eventful day whatsoever.  We did get another fireworks show that night which was a total surprise to us.  Gracie was so excited to go out on the balcony watch them again.

Sunday, we were invited by the Adams Family for a Labor Day BBQ and movie.  I feel so blessed to have met Karena because she has really helped me feel like a part of something here.  I got to see some familiar faces from the Scentsy party Karena had the week before and we also got to meet some new people.  Everyone is so friendly!  Meeting new people who are so kind and friendly will make this a great experience while we are here.  Gracie had a blast playing with her new friends as well!  They had "Finding Nemo" playing outside for the kids to sit and watch.  It was a beautiful night and perfect for the outside movie.

It's now Monday again, and we are getting ready to pack shhtuff up to get out of here!  We are absolutely excited to get out of the hotel and into our house.  So next time, I blog, I'll be sitting in our new house typing away to fill you all in again with some happenings from our island life.

Week 2 of 150ish

Day 8: Sunday, August 21st
After having to turn in my MacBook to Millard with my resignation and after finding out Justin's work computer does not have a webcam, we were FORCED to buy a new MacBook on Saturday.  I'm in love again.  I love this thing.  I've had it now (from the day this is posted) for a little over a week, and like I said, I love it.  I get to Facebook, Pinterest, blog, read other blogs, research, google, check email, and look at Omaha.com. I get to use a calendar, iTunes, Skype, and the always fun Photobooth.  Of course, most of this is done during nap time.  I am so thankful for this purchase because it gives me something to do in this hotel room.

With that said, we got to Skype with my mama, Justin's parents Pam and Mike, Tina, and our close friends Emily and Charlie.  It was so fun to see everyone again even though we are thousands of miles away from home.

Day 9:
On Monday, we go to Skype with Lexi (Lexi Rae as Gracie likes to call her favorite cousin).  Lexi is one of our oldest nieces and will be turning 15 soon.  Her quincenera is in the works and she will get to celebrate on the 17th.  We are so sad we won't be there, so we'll be patiently waiting for pictures!

We also got to Skype with some more close and dear friends, Erin and Chris.  Their computer stinks so in reality they got to see me and Gracie,  but we didn't get to see much of them.  They are expecting the 2nd little baby (it's a boy!) this month...actually in a couple weeks!  Again, we are so sad we won't be there, so we will be patiently waiting for the announcement and pictures!

Also, got to finish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on the Kindle.  It was a great read and highly recommended.  Now on to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  It's about a black woman in the 50s who has cervical cancer and gets treatment for it.  At that time, doctors were not able to grow human cells successfully and because she received free treatment, the doctors felt it was okay to use her cells without her knowledge and consent.  Henrietta's cancer cells were taken and were the first cells to survive and multiple outside the human body.  The writer of the story learns about this lady in a biology class and begins to research the cells and who this woman was.  It is Henrietta's untold story.


Day 10:
This was the day I saw Dog the Bounty Hunter.  I don't even know if I'm spelling that right.  Hold on while I google on my sweet laptop :)  Yep, I was right, D.O.G.  You can read my previous post here to read all about it.  Other than that, nothing else exciting.

Day 11:
On Wednesday, Justin bought his new (used) car, 2009 Tahoe.  It took 5 hours for him to finally get what he wanted from the dealership.  He was supposed to get a company car out here, but they did not have one available like they had originally thought.  He is loving it right now.  It's so spacious! I feel like I'm in a boat.    That took up the majority of his day and a small part of ours.  Dealers out here are strange (5 hours to buy a car?).  I do not like car shopping out here because of it.

After the deal was sealed, we went and ate at Dixie Grill.  Pulled pork sandwich, bbq chicken, brisket, and so more meat with some awesome tasting barbecue sauce. yum.  My mouth is salivating just thinking about it!  We will definitely have to take our visitors there to eat their grub.  It's good.

Day 12:
Nothing exciting, I'm sure we went out to eat somewhere for the millionth time.  I'm really looking forward to getting into a house and having home cooked meals and getting back to some paleo eating.

Day 13:
I was invited by a new friend, Karena, to a Scentsy party at her house.  Although I drove in an hour worth of bumper to bumper traffic, I got to meet Karena and some of her friends for the first time.  They all seem like great women, and I can't wait to get to know them a bit better.  The drive was so worth it!  Karena has been extremely helpful with our house hunt before we even arrived on the island.  She has a little girl the same age as Gracie, and we are so excited to get them together to play.  Her husband works with Justin on the rail project.

Day 14:
Saturday morning, we decided to check out the water park in Kapolei.  It will be a short drive when we move into the house (which has now been pushed to the 6th...seriously?).  It's called Wet'n'Wild Hawaii.  If you watch Bert the Conqueror, he actually did a taping at this park.  You can see a slideshow here.

Gracie had so much fun!  She went down some waterslides, attempted swimming, and splashed till her little heart was content.  We loved watching our little girl act so big!  She is seriously growing up too fast.  We will definitely be back as it is open year round. :)

Day 15:
Sunday, we ate Duke's Waikiki, good breakfast buffet.  Way better than the one here at Ala Moana, AND it's the same price!  We totally get jipped here.  We sat near the beach and let the soft morning rain fall on our heads while we at pancakes, fresh delicious fruit, eggs, sausage, and potatoes.  Don't worry that rain only last 2 minutes or so.  We weren't drenched and eating at the same time.  I tried Portuguese sausage for the first time, and it was actually really good!  It has great spicy flavor.  I would recommend trying it if you can get your hands on some.

Later that afternoon, we met up with an old friend of Justin's, Tom and some of his friends.  They had a beachside barbecue.  We sat next to the sandy beach and ocean water, grilled up hamburgers and sausages, and hung out till the sunset over the ocean water.  Gracie actually got to play in the water and sand, and of course, she loved it.  She also got to meet a new friend, Emma Grace.  Emma was a little blond hair, brown eyes, super tan skin baby.  What a cutie!  Totally looked like a beach baby.  It was so nice to meet more people and to see a familiar face around such an unfamiliar place.

So, things are looking up.  We are meeting people, getting out of the hotel, and still anxiously waiting to get into the house.  Next week, folks!  Then, like I said, all visitors welcome!

Is that Lady Gaga or Dog the Bounty Hunter?

So living in Hawaii apparently has it's perks.  Yesterday, was just an ordinary day in our hotel life and I was at the stove cooking up some hamburgers when I happened to look out our lanai doors.  Just down below is a strip club that Justin and I have been cracking jokes about since we got here.  I noticed 2 white vans pull up with a green "W" on the side and thought to myself "must be a bachelor party gathering but at 5:30 p.m.?"  Weird.  So I kept watching...using an electric/glass top stove takes a while to heat up my patties apparently.

I noticed a lot of cars in the parking lot of the joint and thought "Wow, there's more cars then normal.  What is going on??"  I then saw a black SUV and at the same time saw a guy with a video camera taping 2 people.  I know, who does interviews at a strip club, right?!  Then a large group of people came out from the back of the building and started walking in the alleyway.  This is the point where I thought it had to be someone famous...people taking pictures, video cameras, men in security garb, and a large group of people walking together.  So I started to draw a conclusion that this famous person had big blond hair because everyone was following this person.

At that moment, I could only think of one person that would have all said above, be at a strip joint at 5:30 p.m. and have big blond hair...Lady Gaga?  I even said it out loud, "Is that Lady Gaga?"  I figured that was a reasonable conclusion until I looked a bit more at the scene and looked at the security guys.  Then I said out loud, "Is that Dog the Bounty Hunter?"  Gracie looked at me as though I saw a real dog.  She looked out the window and seriously gave me a look like I was crazy.

Sure enough, I could see the glasses on the guy, the blond mullet and all the black tough guy garb he wears in the show.  Well by the time I realized I had a celebrity sighting, they were starting to get in their black Suburban-ish SUVs.  The only thing I had in hand was my cell, and I was so frantic and excited, I forgot how to zoom!  So the pic is from far away (obviously because I'm in the hotel room and not at the strip joint).  You can see the 3 black SUVs and between the first and second one is where Mr. Bounty Hunter is standing with another person.

And so now, I have to watch the show when this episode airs (6 months from now I'm sure) just to see close up what I saw from far away.

Week 1 of 150ish

Well, we have been in Hawaii for one whole week and it feels like one whole month.  Here is a recap of the last week.

Day 1:

We left Sunday, August 14th and let me tell you that was not an easy task to tell people that we love so much good-bye that weekend and that day.  Therefore, I will say no more on that subject until I can talk about it without getting choked up.  The 3 of us flew to Denver...short flight... and Gracie did great!  I think her excitement and curiosity helped her stay calm and interested.  We had lunch in Denver then quickly got to the next flight...the long 7 1/2  hour flight to Honolulu.  But of course, this wouldn't be a successful trip with at least one pitfall (and really the only).  Justin boarded the plane without us to get things situated so that we would not have to make Gracie sit for 20 minutes while everyone else boarded the plane.  So we stayed behind.  Well, right when they called the "last call for all passengers" I got a whiff of something almost deadly.  No, it wasn't a smelly person who doesn't know how to use deodorant, and no it wasn't me.  It was my sweet, snuggly, toddler.  Gracie dropped a deuce right before we had to board.  I knew we didn't have enough time to go to the bathroom so I nixed that plan as soon as I thought of it.  Then I thought maybe we could go on the plane and do it.  Quickly nixed that plan as  I knew I would already get the stares and glares when I walk past people on the plane with a 2 year old.  (Sidenote: You know, I thought those looks wouldn't bother me but they do!  Dangit people, you will all be there some day or maybe you already have!  Forgive me for moving 3000+ miles away from home, and I'm praying just as hard as you, I'm sure harder, that she is an angel!)  So I after deliberating for 5 seconds, I decided to change her right there on the floor next to the walking escalator thing.  Thank God that was broken and no one walked by.  I change her as fast I possible (which probably could have broken a record or something) and sprinted to the door to board.  I was seriously afraid of not making the flight.  We were one of the very last ones to board and it worked out great with boarding and such.  The plane took off and our Hawaiian adventure began.  My praying (and all the other prayers) definitely paid off because Gracie did AWESOME!!!  I couldn't believe it!  She played nice, slept a bit, watched movies, colored with her crayon rocks, played with her cars and stickers.  She was great, great, great!  I still can't believe it!  Now I am hoping this is an omen of some kinds so that maybe, just maybe, we will come to Omaha a little bit more often.  Once we landed, we got our luggage, got our rental car and headed to the hotel.

We are staying at the Ala Moana Hotel in a one room suite, which has been nice for the space and not feeling so cramped.  It is also next to a huge mall which has been extremely hard on me now that I don't have an income!  (I'm currently dreaming of a future job of some kind.)  So day 1 we walked around the mall, drove around Makakilo and Kapolei, both areas we are hoping to live.  Gracie went to bed with no problems as she didn't go to bed until 1 a.m. Omaha time, 8 p.m. Hawaii time.

Day 2:

Justin checked in at his job, met some people, and did some introductory work.  Gracie and I hung out at the hotel until he got back.  We then drove around in Kapolei and Makakilo again and called to check out a home in the Aeloa subdivision in Kapolei.  Success!  We checked out the house, LOVED it, turned in an application and waited for the rental manager to call us.

Day 3:

Gracie and I went swimming that morning at the hotel pool.  That was the excitement for the day.

Day 4:

On Wednesday, we went and checked out 2 more house near Kapolei in Ewa Beach.  A new email friend of mine got the numbers to the houses and we set up showings for that afternoon.  The first house a bit on the small side for being a 3 bedroom.  We liked the Monday house much better.  While we waited to see the 2nd house, we stopped at the Ewa Beach Park to show Gracie the ocean.  She loved having her toes in the water, toes in the sand (I also sing that song by the Zac Brown Band when I think of this day).  Once, Justin was trying to take a picture of her when a larger wave than normal came out of nowhere (literally, we are in the middle of nowhere) and soaked Gracie shorts and got Justin a bit too.  We laughed and Gracie just loved it.  After we left the beach park, we drove to the second showing for a 4 bedroom house. I loved it because it was spacier and I felt with the extra bedroom, we would have plenty of space for all of our stuff to fit in the house.  The living room did have a much weirder set up and I don't think our coaches would have fit right.  Ultimately, we decided that we loved the 1st house we saw on Monday.  Justin called the property manager and he said it was OURS!  YAY!

Here is what we saw on Monday...

Front of the house

Side patio...aka Workout Room

The neighborhood

Kitchen

Living Room

Day 5:

Nothing exciting.  Gracie and I went walking around the mall, we tried to go swimming again but unfortunately it took me longer to get her ready than it did for us to be at the pool.  I hate when that happens.  We are also looking for cars for Justin.  I hate going to dealerships here.  The dealers are very awkward and much more pushy than back home.  I haven't figured out why that is.

Day 6:

Saturday morning, we decided to go to Eggs-n Things which was recommended by a close friend.  She experienced this deliciousness while she did a short working stint here on the island as well.  We walked the mile or so to get there only to find a long waiting line.  We put in our name and got the dreaded "45 min. to an hour".  Now any regular person or couple with no children wouldn't mind the wait, but I was nervous.  But yet again, Gracie did great waiting!  She has surprised me with so many things in our short week here.  Eggs-n Things are notorious for their pancakes.  They. are. yummy. delicious. unforgettable. to die for! They are so thick and soft and fluffy!  I would definitely recommend it and take future visitors there.  Thanks for the recommendation Katy!  That night we drove around a bit and found an area with multiple restaurants and decided to eat at Buca di Beppo and ate some Italian food.  Largest portions ever by the way.

Day 7:

Sunday... While Justin went to the grocery store, Gracie and I stopped at Barnes and Noble until my girl threw a fit screaming and crying wildly after I told her no.  I left in complete embarrassment.  It kind feels like all the other kids out here are so quite and polite and reserved.  Gracie is definitely a great kiddo and I love her to death and would not change a thing about her, but she always finds the perfect spots to embarrass me with her tantrums.  I can't wait for this stage to pass.

So it's Monday, Gracie and I are in the hotel (she is napping).  I'm thinking of all things I can't wait to do when we are in a house and settled in, I'm also thinking how I really wish I would have packed my camera adaptor so I could upload pics to go along with the past week. Ugh, the things you learn when you travel.  Pictures will have to wait and so will you, until we get moved in.

Speaking of!  We are moving into our future home (which I hope to make it feel like home) around September 3rd.  We absolutely cannot wait!  This larger than normal hotel room is starting to feel smaller and smaller each day we are here.  And to all future visitors, after September you are all welcome to come and stay with us whenever you want (as long as we are on the island...well I guess you could stay at our house if we are in Otown) so long as you do 2 things, 1. give us the dates so we can plan and 2. plan one night of babysitting as Justin and I will need a night out...together...by ourselves.

I'll post pics here when we get that darned cord I should have brought along with me.

Hawaii Update

Boy, I need blog therapy...I'm really bad at this whole thing.  My excuses for being so terrible at blogging are the following: 1. I don't have my computer or laptop anymore, 2. I rarely have time, even though some days I feel like I have nothing to do (hmm that's odd), 3. I'm bad about taking pictures and uploading them quickly to be able to blog about things and 4. I never remember to blog and when I do, it's usually late at night when I sleep is my main concern.

It's been a little over 2 months since I last talked about us moving to Hawaii.  So here's an update on the details...
At the beginning of June, I finished my 4th (most stressful) year of teaching.  It was tough to leave such a great environment with some really awesome people.  I am most sad to leave my 2nd grade teammates.  They are amazing women, teachers and friends.  That said, I can't wait to get back to teach at Rohwer again.

After finishing up school and packing up all my goods, we celebrated Gracie's 2nd birthday.  It such a fun weekend!  Friday night was with the Andresen's, and Saturday with the Hernandez and Feldman.  It was so fun to see her play and open presents this year.  My most favorite part of both days was playing with her in the bounce house we rented (Thanks Grandma P!)

Daddy and Gracie in the bounce house!

After the birthday weekend, we I began to clean, de-clutter and pack things we were not taking.  Justin traveled quite a bit this summer to Canada, so that left me with the long list of to-dos.  While cleaning/packing, we encountered a very special item from my past.  Here's me in a really cool bowling jacket that I was awarded with my doubles partner Misty "The Mac Mommy".  We were Doubles Champs in the State of Nebraska!  Unfortunately, this is not traveling with me to Hawaii for there will be no need to announce my awesome bowling skills for a jacket.

It even says my name on it!

We finally had our "store in Omaha" stuff out of the house, "please someone take" pile gone, and the "yes, this is all going" items still in the house for packing day.  The house was finally ready to be listed and put on the market.

Justin and I also traveled to Hawaii for four days to find a place to live.  We flew to Denver, then made the 7 1/2 hour flight to Honolulu.  When we arrived, I saw paradise!  Tropical flowers, palm trees, greenery I've never seen before!  But that was somewhat short lived once we left the airport in our totally touristy car (Mustang convertible).  Yes, I know every place on earth has their "Yikes" places to live, but you rarely see those on vacations.  And yes, I know I wasn't on vacation but everyone said I was moving to paradise!  Anyways, like I said it was somewhat short lived when we got down to Waikiki.  Beautiful beaches, awesome shopping and lots of people watching makes for a neat place to be.  When we house hunted, we looked in the Kapolei, Makakilo and Mililani areas.  These are on the Leeward side (west side of the island). Kapolei is new development where Makakilo and Mililani are older homes but all 3 areas are suburb-y feeling, which I liked because it made it feel a bit more home-y. We found some really great places, but no one wants to wait a month or two to rent out a place.  They want to rent like ASAP.  So by the end of our trip, we did not find a place to live, but we were able to find some great locations and areas to continue searching for our future home.

July begins.  We put the house officially on the market and scheduled 2 open houses for the 2nd and 3rd weeks of July.  So we I continued to clean every day and waited for showings and the open houses.  Well, after a month of being on the market, we had a total of 4 people walk through; 3 of which were on the day of the 1st open house and the other person showed up during dinnertime.  No scheduled showings, no offers.  It's really hard to believe it is taking so long because we had our offer in 2 weeks after the previous owners put it up on the market.  I just keep telling myself that the perfect next owners are waiting for the perfect time.  Here is what the house looked like all through July...

 

Super cute, huh?  So much character, move-in ready, huge patio, great neighbors...what more could you want?!  Next perfect owners, please come fast!!

End of July hits and our home no longer looks or feels like our home.  The movers came on July 27th and seriously had our whole house packed up by 4:00 p.m. Crazy!  I did not see the house with all the boxes and everything packed, which I'm glad about, but I did see the house totally empty, which was very sad.  The movers began the shipping process the 29th.  As I type now, all of our belongings are on a train making its way across America to the west coast.  From there they will put it on a barge and ship it thousands of miles across an ocean.  An ocean, people!  Gosh, who would have thought this is where we would be in 2011.  Not me.

Our great family and friends threw us a "Get the Hell Outta Here" "Going Away" party at the end of July so we could say our farewells and see you laters to our family and friends.  It was definitely a party, and we loved seeing so many people that we care about and love.  We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.  This is what makes it hard to leave Omaha.

August is here, and we are currently living with Justin's mom, and waiting for the 14th.  Why the 14th you might ask?  We are officially leaving the mainland on Sunday the 14th.  Hard to believe the time has come for us to leave and say goodbye.  Hard to believe how fast the time went from when we decided to go to now.  Hard to believe all the things, events, babies, weddings, etc. that we will miss while we are gone.  Hard to believe that our new home will be on an island a few thousands of miles away from our real home.

As I've already stated, I'm a bad blogger and need some therapy or maybe counseling or maybe consulting, so I will try my hardest to update along the way.  I'm sure you are all anxious to see Hawaii through our eyes. So, until then...see you later!

Aloha!

 “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” — Alexander Graham Bell

3 weeks ago today, Justin sent me an email that said, "Were you serious about moving?"  I thought, "Oh boy, what did I get myself into?!"  Well, Justin was offered a job in Oahu, Hawaii starting sometime in August.  We have debated for several weeks about whether to do it or not.  We looked at finances, pros, cons, how long we'd be gone, my career, and so many other things to help us make a decision.  We tried to look for signs of any kind to tell us to go or not.  (Things we saw, Bosses Week celebration at my work was Hawaiian themed, email from a travel agent about a trip to Hawaii, 4th year wedding anniversary gift: travel- Hawaiian vacation).

After a little bit of time, a million conversations, some tears, and lots of thought and deliberation, we have decided to make Hawaii our new home.  Like the quote says, "When one door closes another door opens..."  That's kind of how I see it.  Justin's coworkers talked about him with a great deal of respect and promise.  I truly believe that this is the right move for us.  It's an opportunity that we will probably never get again in our lifetime and an opportunity to grow together as a family.  It's an opportunity for us to experience something different than Omaha life and see a new cultural and way of life.  I am hoping that I can see this the same way when we are out there and on our own.  I am hoping that the time goes by rather quickly and we can come back to our Omaha life.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell 

The hardest part about all of this is leaving our family and friends.  We both grew up here, our heart and soul is here.  We are going to miss every single thing about being with our families and friends.  I know that when we are in Hawaii, we will not find a single person to match the type of people we have here.  Leaving these people is the hardest part of it all.  We will miss out on so much: births, weddings, birthday celebrations, holidays, and even the simple things like family dinners, date nights, and going out with our friends.

But God has been so good to us and has blessed us with some of the greatest things in life.  I know He will continue to watch over us and bless us.  Maybe He will have our new life path cross the paths of some other great people while we are there.  I'm putting all my faith in my husband and God.  With these two, life can't go wrong.  I have to let life happen the way He has planned it for us.

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss
So even though I will probably cry my eyes out when we leave, I know how often I'll look back and smile because of all the memories I have with the greatest people I know.  Plus, a little look on the positive side, I WILL BE BACK, just in a couple of years and probably on some trips back to visit because who am I kidding?  I can't live with my family and friends!  Also, if any of you who read this blog want to come visit, PLEASE do!!!!  All you have to do is call me and book your tickets!

It's bittersweet ending to a new beginning, but we are looking forward to a new opportunity.

Details about our move to Hawaii:  We will be selling our house and my lovely car so if you know anyone looking for a home or my car (which I am so sad to leave both behind) please let us know.  We will be going to look for a place at the end of June and going back to stay towards the end of August.  We will be there from 1-3 years depending on the job, living situation, etc.

Paleo Challenge #2

And so the saga continues...I entered myself into the 2nd paleo challenge at CrossFit Omaha.  Before I started, I felt much more confident about doing it than the first time I did the challenge.  I thought it was going to be easier to transition myself to this lifestyle again.  I thought, "I've done it before, and I can do it again.

Well, I've already fallen off the wagon quite a few times in this super long first week.  My 2nd week, which started on Sunday, has already included pizza, beer and pop. I'm convinced to do a better job for the remainder of the challenge (3 1/2 weeks).  I have to, I've done so poorly for the very first week!

In addition to not eating well, I haven't been getting enough sleep.  My stress level with my kids is beyond its max, and there are so many other things to do at home and at work.

My goal for the next 3 1/2 weeks is to plan, plan, plan my meals!  If I don't plan ahead, I find myself eating crap and feeling like it too.  Also, I'm going to try my best to reduce stress in any way possible.  School is almost out (5 more days!) and that will diminish quite a bit of my stress.  Who am I kidding?  That will diminish about 90% of my stress!  I love my to do lists and hopefully that will help get things done and help me feel organized and ready.

So hopefully the last 3 1/2 weeks will go better than it has been going.  I just need to stay focused and like I said, plan!  I've got the working out thing down, I just need to get the whole eating clean thing down.  Wish me luck!

My Paleo meal attempt

I didnt want to eat plain chicken fo dinner last night so I decide to make my own concoction for a chicken dinner. I chopped up some onions, tomatoes, and zucchini tossedit on the seasoned chicken and baked for 40 min. I just kept thinking, "Gosh, I hope this turns out ok."

Well it did just that. It turned out ok. Nothing spectacular but definitely not bad. The chicken still tasted plain but the veggies were good with it. I think next time I need to marinate and add some more veggies.
Lesson learned: I'm no Emeril but there is no harm in trying to be...unless it is undercooked, overcooked or tastes terrible.

Recipe:
1 lb. Chicken breasts
1/2 onion cubed
1 zucchini sliced with skin
1 roma tomato
Preheat oven to 375
Season chicken (I used pepper, garlic powder, basil)
Put on baking pan with extra virgin olive oil and throw veggies on top
Bake for 40 min or until chicken is done.

Other things I am going to add next time...red peppers, broccoli, some cayenne pepper, and maybe some red onion instead of white.)
So there you have it and here's a pic to go along with it.

Spring and Spring Break!

Spring is here and so is spring break! I love this time of year! So spring break is this week and I have a million things to do during my 5 day break. One of which is to relax and enjoy my time away from work. So on the agenda, cleaning the basement, repainting a cabinet for the bathroom, making some bows, being crafty, finishing Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox, taking Gracie to the park, zoo, and P.E. 101, visiting people, and working on finishing the bathroom.

So far we have gone to the park, P.E. 101, visited grandparents, new babies, and gone to plenty of stores. I have been reading my book, made a spring wreath, almost finished repainting the cabinet (need 1 final coat of yellow then touch up the white) and as far as the bathroom goes...we hired a guy to tear out the ceiling and dry wall.

Things are coming along and I'm knocking things off my list. For a list maker like me, it feels great to scratch things off and then rewrite it so it looks nice again.
Spring is definitey a time for renewal and rejuvenation. I am enjoying this spring break because once I get back to school, I'll be praying for summer break!
Here are picsfrom my "being creative" stint last night. Happy with the outcome!
 from my Samsung Epic™ 4G