Monthly Archives: September 2009

Eating out of trucks

Eating out of trucks :)

Eating out of trucks 🙂

Every now and then a wild hair strikes and I decide to feed the boys either something crazy or feed them out of something nuts. Last night Ben ate tuna salad out of his dumptruck. They were both amused – I kept hoping Dave would get home in time to see it but he had to work late and didn’t quite get to enjoy the festivities. Soon they turned a bit wild and the truck got flung across the table. Fun boys.

Sam has some big news – he is READING! We’ve been working toward this for a while in spurts but while we were traveling it really seemed to start clicking – there are so many opportunities to make connections between the utility of reading and the immediate payback – i.e. finding which stop on the Metro you need, pressing buttons on elevators, signs in museums… I am so excited for him and thrilled I was involved. We’re on the fence about home schooling next year vs enrolling him in the local K. So many pluses on both sides. We will keep evaluating and asking questions to see which path might be best. So many people I admire are home schooling, my esteemed cousin Leslie being one of them! I keep meeting more and more people and ask a bunch of questions every chance I get. I’m evaluating charter schools, including a unique hybrid homeschool option which gives you a laptop and curriculum as well as a certified teacher coach and weekly classroom time. There is so much to consider, but it’s an exciting time and I’m so looking forward to his next more formal steps. This weekend he’s thinking Bishop Museum for the new dinosaur exhibit!! (That’s one of the books he’s most interested in reading now.)

The boys back home!

Sam getting good at shimmy-ing!

Sam getting good at shimmy-ing!

At our friend's bday party on Sun.
At our friend’s bday party on Sun.

We have been home four days now and stepped right back into our lives here – managing to catch a friend’s birthday party on Sunday and a long run for marathon training. The boys were really wonderful on that run (12 miles) – we did some “preschool” time of math and reading – and Dave and I had a chance to chat for a couple hours! We made up some funny songs – “come on every daddy let’s run, come on every daddy it’s fun! come on every daddy…” (then it gets a little gross with body functions that needed to be taken care of while out on a run!). We hiked today with the neat family we met on the plane we rode back east – fun to see them here! Back to work for mommy…just wanted to share a few pics of the boyz 🙂 Missing everyone already!

Faith and blessings

Sweet smell of white ginger greeting me as we walked in the door at midnight.
Sweet smell of white ginger greeting me as we walked in the door at midnight.

Another adventure has closed, and with it I’m reminded of all the blessings we have experienced in this trip, and life in general. When I get home I find that I take things in a bit more slowly, I’m more aware of how beautiful my surroundings are, how precious time with the children is, and how happy I am to be home with my hubby. Look what he left out for me to come home to (above) – a note congratulating us on another adventure and letting us know he’d gotten fresh milk and yogurt for the boys and I to eat in the morning. As it turns out, our plane was chasing his in – he got home about 5 hours before we did! We rode home on a refueler – a KC10 – my favorite plane. The crew was so nice, the flight was warm, smooth and super fast – those planes take off like a rocket! I got the boys into bed without waking Dave up, then crawled in for a few more hours of sleep. The boys woke up at the usual time in the morning and here we are, back into our routine – unpacking, cleaning up, going for a jog, then a swim and romp in the sand and home for a nap and work. I am so thankful for the time with family, the memories of running the Mall in Washington DC, visiting museums with Sam and Ben, enjoying the wedding and watching the boys bond with their uncles and cousins, more time with family in the Adirondacks, and finally the miraculous blessing of a ride straight home to Hawaii right when I needed it. Space-a travel has its challenges, but I have come to appreciate the lessons I learn about faith and patience by putting myself in a position where learning to exercise both is a necessity. 

Beautiful wedding…heading home now!

Ringbearer (Sam) and flower girl (Amanda) after the ceremony.

Ringbearer (Sam) and flower girl (Amanda) after the ceremony.

Dan and Heather are married!!! Their wedding was gorgeous – they thought of every detail and the weather was beautiful.  After the wedding we took a short trip up to the Adirondacks with Dave’s mom and dad and two brothers Steve and Tim. We had a great time in Lake George, then a hike up Mt. Jo in the high peaks region, followed by dinner with the happy couple in Lake Placid. I am so blessed to have a quick trip home the day after Dave dropped us off in NJ. I can’t believe our good fortune, however I won’t know for sure we’re on our way until we take off. Back to packing!!! Aloha!

Nana and PopPop time!

Out on a hike with Nana along the Mohawk River.
Out on a hike with Nana along the Mohawk River.

We’re in upstate NY – arrived Tues at midnight after driving from D.C., switching cars at McGuire and two foods stops. Long drive, but the boys were remarkably good, dozing toward the end. It was so great to see Gail and Bill at the hotel to help us unpack and get settled in for the night. The next day we moved into our base camp – the hotel where everyone is staying for the wedding. Dave and I got a nap in yesterday, then a run, then dinner…today Dave golfed with the guys while the girls went adventuring with the little men. I am tired from boy-wrangling, coordinating seeing family and friends who are passing through the area, but it is all a good tired 🙂 Boys are napping now while I catch up on work. Enjoy the new pictures in the album!

Arlington and more time with the dinosaur bones.

Small gravestones mark giant heroes at Arlington.
Small gravestones mark giant heroes at Arlington.

Dave was back at work today so the boys and I prowled around DC by metro – first to Arlington, then to the Natural History Museum again. Sam got to hold a real fossil and speak to a couple paleontologists about potential fossil shells we’ve found in lava at home. We paid our final respects to friend Tom, who passed away in a helicopter crash last  year. He was a Coast Guard pilot who showed us the inside of Makapuu Lighthouse. We miss him and still can’t believe that tragedy happened to someone we had met so briefly. God bless all the heroes at Arlington, and everywhere they continue to serve today.

Sightseeing Washington DC by jogging stroller

Run around the mall!
Run around the mall!

I keep pinching myself – are we really here? With Dave? And on a run??? Wow. What a day. Seeing all these sights is something else. The city truly can’t be taken in over a few days or even a week. Makes us want to live here so we have enough time to absorb the history surrounding each of the monuments and memorials. The jog was great – awesome path throughout the mall. Two complete laps behind Lincoln Memorial to behind Capitol is 10 miles. We got 8 miles in and felt great – wish we’d done 10 but Dave’s GPS watch batteries ran out so we didn’t realize we were a little shy – just figured we were running well 🙂 Oh well – there’s always next time!  The boys enjoyed seeing all the sights and people. We finished up with a carousel ride. Dave and I are pretty wiped from running – Capitol Hill twice did me in. Dave just did the hot tub and I think it’s my turn…enjoy the pictures in the album!

Oh – forgot to mention that Ben dumped Bear into the bath last night so Dave had to take him down to the dryer for a quick spin to dry him out. He said he loved riding down the elevator with a stuffed bear in tow! Poor Dave rescuing us. He’s had to smuggle a machete…then Turtle out of a bar in Scotland, now Bear? What next?

Rendezvous at last!

Look who we found amidst over 2 million people in D.C.?!

Look who we found amidst over 2 million people in D.C.?!

No way! Gail and Bill were down for the national tea party rally and we managed to hook up at 4th and Constitution for a few hugs, grapes and bathroom break! How fantastic! We went through the Air and Space Museum (we’ll go back there again tomorrow I’m sure!) as well as the Museum of Natural History. Sam loved it all, and Ben particularly liked seeing all the moon and planet stuff. We’re having a great time and looking forward to running the mall tomorrow when there aren’t a bazillion people out there. A lap around the mall is 5 miles, and you can add one more mile by doing a loop around the White House. The boys will have fun checking it all out. Lots of porta potties around and cool weather, so you really can’t ask for better conditions 🙂 On the radio in the cab, heard about some crazy airfare sales to Hawaii – 6 nights in hotel plus airfare for less than $1000. They didn’t say from which city or which airlines, but anyone thinking about coming out – now is THE TIME. Aloha! (More pictures in the album…)

Gypsies arrive in Washington DC!

I passed a sign for Cracker Barrel on the way down and almost had to pull off!!!!!

Got in less than 90 min ago. Found hotel fine. Waiting for Dave to walk through the hotel door after his training.

Drove down through driving rain but decent traffic – no huge hangups. We are about 1 mile from the Capitol.

Will do 10 mi run around the mall tomorrow (marathon training!). Then hope to see Air and Space Museum!

Ben is in his pig pen having “quiet time” which consists of talking to Bear, and Sam is building a helicopter.

Hoping to see Gail and Bill tomorrow – they’re coming down for a day trip on a bus (yikes!) for a tea party. They’ll have to post the details…

Day 2 – NJ fun continues

Grammie and Ben playing with bubbles!

Grammie and Ben playing with bubbles!

Today we went for a little jog and saw a maple tree (syrup!), cows, horses, fawns, ducks out for a stroll, tractors galore, and lots of planes overhead. It’s 65 degrees here but you can see what it feels like to us 🙂 Nice day, though. Uploaded more pictures to the album. You’ll especially enjoy seeing Dad tackle an ice cream cone the size of his head 🙂

Day 1 of east coast trip for Dan and Heather’s wedding

A morning at the zoo with our crew :)

A morning at the zoo with our crew 🙂

We went to a nearby zoo today with Dad and Grammie. Lots of fun for all of us to see the animals up close. I especially liked the giraffes! The boys are doing well – a tad cranky from being tired and jetlagged, but we are all fine. I am heading to bed for a nap now after having taken care of a new client call (yikes! at least I had an excuse to not sound put-together if I said something crazy!) and manuscript review on the book we’re wrapping up. We’re enjoying some time catching up on rest and evaluating what makes sense to do from here, readjusting our loose itinerary as best we can. I just called what I thought was Gail and Bill’s home number but found Bill who answered “Guess where you caught ME?!” I immediately thought about where my text message had caught my dad yesterday and said “Uh – the john?” He replied “Hanging from a swinging scaffold 30 floors up in New York City!” Wow! He is amazing! CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU GUYS!  I just posted pictures to the album. Click photo above.

the groundhogs popped up in NJ!

We’re at Grandpa and Grammie’s! See comments to post below for a briefing on our adventure. Mom helped fill in the blanks when I was too tired to post last night. Many many thanks to Gail who valiantly trekked up to Newburgh NY to collect us but then never even got to see us because we ended up diverting…you should have heard those massive jet engines roar when the pilots decided they were “outta here” and headed off to land at McGuire. Wow! Gail – you get the space-a hero’s award for sure!

East-coast bound!

Our ride to the east coast tomorrow!
Our ride to the east coast tomorrow – a C5. An F14 can fit inside! (Courtesy USAF)

All signs are looking good for a ride to the east coast tomorrow! 17 seats have been released so I hope there aren’t too many competing passengers or at least that we’re aged enough to get seats for the boys and I. Dave is taking off just a couple hours after us for DC. If it all goes well, this will be an amazing answer to prayer for a flight east. It was really not looking good and then today this flight popped up for tomorrow. Whew! Gail and Bill have graciously offered to drop everything and come collect us from the tarmac and let us stay with them for a couple days, then we’ll head down to DC to see Dave and hopefully tour around a bit. Then back up to NY together for the wedding, and then somehow get back home. Hoping to get stranded in CA on the way back so I can see a bunch of family and friends. Wish us luck!

UPDATE: Well, the crew must be happy that a repair necessitated another day in paradise, so we got bumped to tomorrow.