The three of us have been really enjoying getting set up in our new home. Everyone was asking if we were on a high with home-ownership but truly it didn’t hit until we left our home for a birthday party and realized we were going to be coming and going from this ONE place as a family for the next FIVE years! It was an amazing feeling, to start setting up our little routines. We feel so incredibly blessed. Just last night Dave said again that he still can’t believe we’re here, in our new home, exactly where we were hoping to live.

Friday was absolutely nuts getting our 1000 lbs of expedited shipment stuff over to our new home in addition to sifting through the 9860 lbs of stuff the movers brought. Dave made two trips with the truck after my first trip – he had to load up beach cruisers, kayak, surf board, road bikes…I’m too weary to recount it all!

That’s what’s for dinner tomorrow night. Are you scared? I am. You should see what’s in my freezer. It’s huge, filleted, and has whiskers. It’s as big as your head. Bigger, actually. It’s mystery-fish-of-the-week night tomorrow night.

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The sounds of closing (turn your speakers up!).
We closed on our home today at 11am! How exciting! It was a TON of signatures, as any homeowner already knows 🙂 We had such wonderful people representing us that it was an easy escrow process, and the closing was just icing on the cake. We “record” on Friday, which is when we get the keys. The process here is very deliberate (and often slow), but the painstaking care ensures no mistakes are made along the way. The cable should be turned on tomorrow, and the rest of the utilities will be on for us on Friday when we move out of our beach cottage and into the new home. We’ll post pictures over the weekend once we get settled in a little.

I was sitting at my computer doing some work after Sam went to bed. All of a sudden the house shook and creaked. I knew what it was instantly. My stomach went into a knot and my eyes bulged, wondering when it would be over. Dave was in the shower. I’d have to rescue Sam and the dog single-handedly, load them into the car and race to the mountains to get away from the tsunami. My gas tank is half full – that should be enough. All of this raced through my mind in the 5 seconds the earthquake lasted.

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We had a great weekend getting the last gear and furniture we’d been looking for. Yesterday we got a square dining table and 8 chairs – a great deal from the Marine Corps Exchange. We were so lucky they found one last table in the warehouse, otherwise the wait was 4-6 MONTHS.

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Made a new grilled pizza tonight…I didn’t tell Dave the ingredients until after he tasted it. I knew he would dispute my concoction’s worth if I disclosed the ingredients prematurely! It’s so hot here right now – the trade winds are shifting, so it’s very still. It feels really strange to not have the strong winds blowing. Sam’s cough is worse, so we’re heading to the doctor again tomorrow. He’s in good spirits and running around, so I’m not really worried, just playing it safe before we head into the weekend.

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We will be signing our documents on Tuesday, and moving in on Friday, 9/1! Our household goods were rescued from the pier and the movers are scheduled to bring them next Friday. We are so fortunate that everything has gone so smoothly. While this was definitely the most complicated move from a logistics perspective, it’s also gone more smoothly than any other move to date. We still can’t believe Caffrey made it though the direct release program with no quarantine, and that we were able to pick up both cars on the same day (one wasn’t scheduled for release until the next week).

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Dave came home with a surprise treat for Sammy and me tonight – a new jogging stroller! As much as I loved our stroller/travel system, it was actually pretty heavy, and with Sammy’s off-the-charts size, it was time to upgrade to something more comfortable for both of us.

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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 🙂

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 🙂