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First – congrats to Deb and Brett who welcomed David Kingston McGee to the family early this morning! Sammy has another cousin now! And now that we have welcomed a kayak to our family…we got a kayak carrier!
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I didn’t anticipate how momentous this would feel, buying my first surfboard. I felt like a kid getting my first bike! We found a great deal on a used board on Craig’s list. I didn’t realize how expensive surfboards can be – a good deal on a new board is $400!
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Sammy and I took his new ride (a tricycle which he rides like a Harley) down to the beach for the sunset. Here’s a movie of Sammy having fun making footprints in the sand and poking crab holes: Waimanalo beach at sunset. The days have been pretty hot with fewer trade winds to cool things off. The evenings are great, though. We sat on the deck tonight before bed and enjoyed watching the trees sway in the breeze and pointing out stars and planes. Aloha, and good night 🙂
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well – he is saying something that sounds like those words, and at the appropriate times. we ask him yes/no questions and then ask him to use his words to answer, hence the “yes” (and the vigorous head-shaking motion for “no” you saw in a video last week!). we ask him if he wants to shower or have a bath at night – he usually picks a bath (in the kitchen sink) but sometimes he opts for the shower and takes us there. cute 🙂
We went to mass last night in a rustic church with a million ceiling fans hanging from towering rafters with side doors open to the breezes. It was like being at church outside. Sam loved it, and kept pointing to all the fans, lights, and speakers, going “ooohhh! OOOHHH!â€? At the beginning of the service they gave us a lei and welcomed us warmly. During the service, Sam grew very squirmy, a tad noisy, and tried to run outside onto the grass several times. Since there were few other little kids at this “teen” mass, we felt a little conspicuous; I enjoyed taking him to mass even while Dave was gone because it was a rare opportunity to hold him and snuggle the usually very active little guy. Afterwards, feeling a little defeated that my toddler didn’t remember how to behave in church, a lady came up to me as I was loading him in the car and was emphatic about how cute and smart Sam was, and how curious and active. She was like “I don’t know how you’re directing him, but I’m thinking Montessori, definitely!” It was so reassuring that I started crying tears of joy after we left.
So many things about this move have reminded us how blessed we are, and how staying active in our faith can lead us to meet really great people wherever we land. Our real estate agent, Lee, is a woman mom met on a plane five years ago – they didn’t stay in touch, but made such an impression on each other that reconnecting was a breeze. They went out for coffee while mom was here last week. Our lender, Heidi, is a friend of a dear friend (Angel) who lives here. We look forward to getting involved in our new community!
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We went shopping at some great outlets today to complete Dave’s wardrobe transition from uniforms to quite dashing Kenny Cole-style outfits. He has done a fabulous job selecting sharp shirts and ties, and some really cool shoes. He’s enjoying wearing civvies and picks out his outfits each night for the next day. He even irons…what a guy 🙂
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Sammy and I had a great day today, and there are some newsworthy items to post. Dave paid off BOTH cars last night, and Sammy is talking! (Click for video.)
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My cousin, Deborah (who lives in MN), emailed me her best guess at the wacky fruit – soursop. You can Google the images, but I’m sure she’s right! Nice work!
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View from the deck at Waimanalo cottage. mom, sam and i stopped at the swap meet on our way to the airport today. the hawaiian swap meet is like nothing you’ve ever seen – it’s held three days a week and the vendor tents circle the Aloha Stadium twice!
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Mom and I went on a nice hike this morning to a lighthouse at Makapuu point, south of Waimanalo. It was pretty hot, so we were thankful to get up and out early 🙂 Here are a few pictures of the view… Sammy hiked about a mile of the way back down and took a long nap after lunch!
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We went to Sunday brunch at the Hale Koa hotel (a military hotel in Waikiki). It was so so so good! Then we hung out in the kiddie pool and walked around town. Here are a couple shots from the last few days.
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we have been enjoying the last couple days mostly relaxing, but taking care of some details to prepare for dave starting his new job on monday, and signing our loan application. the pace here is truly more relaxed than the mainland (even the west coast!), and we’re adapting to it pretty well (yes, even i am!).ÂÂ
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mom got in last night and went up to the north shore with us this morning. we visited one of dave’s favorite haunts from 10 yrs ago – the Coffee Gallery – for yogurt/fruit/granola cups and coffee 🙂
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we went for a great hike to Maunawili Falls today with Mike, Angel, Luke, Josh, David and Sheena, then drove out to Waimanalo to see our rental cottage by the ocean. you can hear the ocean from the cottage, and it’s really cute.