Mom's visit to Hawaii

Mom was here for the last week visiting us. She loves Hawaii and wanted to come for another visit before we were off to Germany. I'm really glad she was able to come. In reality we won't really be that much further away, but because it's not the United States somehow it seems further. She just went home Thursday night. We really enjoyed the visit, but it would have been more relaxing if we hadn't had so much going on. Just about every day we had to clean the house just in case someone wanted to come in with their realtor. It's getting very old living in a model home. I like to think we had a clean house anyhow, but knowing prospective buyers are coming in we feel an addition pressure to have it extra clean.

Mom was really tired when she got here so we didn't do much the first couple of days. We went to Dole Plantation several times. We love their Dole Whips :) I had never gone through the Dole maze either, so we did that on one of our trips there. We had some rain most of the afternoons, but the mornings were pretty nice. Everything is more fun when family is here to experience it with you. As much as I've not like Hawaii at times, I know I'm really going to miss it. There is a relaxed atmosphere here that you don't find other places. For as different as they are, Alaska and Hawaii are alike in that way.







Here's a silly picture of Mom as a hula pineapple girl

Mom and I enjoyed feeding these birds out back of Dole Plantation. Mom would hold out a piece of her waffle cone and they would hover like little hummingbirds and eat from her hand. They were so quick that I missed most of the pictures. This one finally caught it.

Of course Mom and I had plenty of beach time. Sam and I have been to many beaches on Oahu, but one of our favorites is called "Snails n Trails". This was the beach I took Mom to most often. It's very private and really beautiful.

The first day we went there, we laid out for awhile and then went down to the water to cool off. Some young guy came running over and asked us to go back up on the beach because they were filming a TV show further on down the beach and we were in their shot. Well, of course we didn't want to be on TV, so we complied. I asked which TV show and he said it was 'Lost'. Sam and I have seen several sets for 'Lost' around the islands, especially when it first started. I have to admit that I've never watched the show, although it probably would have been interesting seeing places we know on TV.
Driving around the island one day we saw three sea turtles (honu) on the beach. Volunteers come and put ropes out around turtles to distract people from getting too close and bothering them. It's pretty awsome to see them up close.

Another picture of the sea turtle. The volunteers know them all by name and the different characteristics they each have.






Mom and I spent a nice day at the North Shore in Haleiwa. We went to the beach that morning and then afterward got a shave ice at Matsumoto's. Here they put vanilla ice cream in the bottom of the paper cone then shave ice on top covered with your choice of syrup. Neither one of us like the shave ice that much, but it's a tradition and I thought Mom should have the experience. Mom bought some beautiful shells at this stand along the road. We didn't think we got too much sun at the beach, but then walking through town gave us a little burn. We really enjoyed the day though.

The last day Mom was here we went to a really private beach near Kahuku on the North Shore. You have to walk through some woods to get to the beach. Mom loved it.

There were lots of crabs on the beach. I crumbled some pretzels and threw out toward them. The crabs came right up close to get the food.

We found lots of coconuts in the woods. We took a few with us. I think a lot of the locals take the coconuts to sell by the road. So that is a brief look at our week with Mom. Of course it was too short. There's never enough time and so much more we could have done, but I'm glad we had the time we did. Here are a few more pictures of the week.

One day we stopped by a shrimp truck for lunch

Mom and I at an overlook on the Kolekole Pass. This road goes through the Waianae Range from Schofield Barracks to the west side.

Sam and his mom down by the ocean after having dinner at their place on Sunday

Snorkling at Hanauma Bay

The new Sherpa cat carrier we bought for Gabby. She'll be riding with us in the cabin on the way to Germany.

More Germany plans

We are finally getting the details of our trip to Germany nailed down. Last Friday, Sam and I went to Transportation at Schofield and got our packing day set up and the packets we needed to ship the POV and get our plane tickets. We have decided our last day at work will be March 16th. The next Monday, the 19th, the movers will be here to pack us up. Our household goods won't arrive in Germany until the end of June, so I guess we'll see how simply we can live.

We held off on getting the tickets because there was some confusion as to whether we needed the official passports to enter Germany, but Sam spoke to NAF over there and they said it wasn't necessary. I did just receive my new birth certificate though, so we'll be able to get the official passports ordered soon.

Today, after work, I met Sam at Transportation again to get our tickets. We've decided to fly out of here on March 22nd and go spend a couple days with Kristy and the kids before going on over to Germany on the 25th. I still have to call Delta Airlines though and get Gabby's reservation set.

There is just so much going on every day that the time is flying by. Mom will be here on Thursday evening and I'm so excited about that. There's so much for me to finish up at work, but at the end of the day I can only do so much and the rest will have to be left for someone else. Well, I have drug testing in the morning and in order to get the night shift workers I have to be there at 3:30am. Whoo-hoo!! So, I need to get finished so I can get to bed soon.

Our redecorated house

This post is specifically for you, Mom. The stager came this morning and spruced up our place for the open house tomorrow. It looks good, but just seems like a model home that we can't really live in. Here are some pictures -

Coming in the front door Looking into the living room
Your new bedroom :)
The dining room
The spare "bedroom"
Our baby after a hard day

We have our orders for Germany!

We finally received our orders yesterday. It seems unreal that we actually have the papers that authorize our move to Germany. I still can hardly believe it's happening. I was concerned that we hadn't received the order yet because we only have about 4-5 weeks left and a lot to do. Sam and I are still trying to decide which vehicle to take. We've heard it's pretty tight parking and driving so not to take the F-150, but then other's have said it's fine to have a larger vehicle. Also, the insurance is much higher in Germany and the Toyota would be $400 more per year than the Ford. That adds up.

This afternoon we went to Transportation at Schofield Barracks. That's the office that sets up the shipment of household goods, vehicle shipment and tickets. We filled out some paperwork, but have to return tomorrow morning for an appointment. After that we should have a better idea of when to plan on things happening.

Sam and I both took off work tomorrow to clean the house for the open house this weekend. The stager will be here Saturday morning, so we have to clean all the windows and put pictures away. Still tonight I'm going to shampoo the living room carpet. I hope we have a good showing on Sunday. Our real estate agent seems very confident that it will sell quickly. I hope so.

Well, I better get busy if I'm going to get what I need done tonight.

We're listing our house with Centery 21

Last Tuesday we met with two real estate agents to decide on who we wanted to help sell our house. The first lady had all the right credientials and kept telling us how many million dollar homes she's sold, but we just didn't feel comfortable with her. We felt she was low balling us on the asking price. The next lady we really liked. She loved our place and her price range was in the same range as we were thinking so we hired her on the spot.

Yesterday a "stager" came to our house to see what she might do to make it look model perfect. I was happy that she was so pleased with the house. She said it was lovely and it wouldn't really need much. She does want us to put away all personal pictures, clean all the windows and remove the microwave since it's not in the kitchen. It's right outside the kitchen in the dining area because it would take up precious counter space.

So Friday we are both taking off work to get everything done. Karen, the stager, will be back on Saturday morning to finish up then we have our first open house on Sunday afternoon. We'll take Gabby and go to Mom and Dad Thompson's during that time.

We're off work today because of President's Day. I took Gabby to the vet this morning. Poor baby had three shots and is acting like she's a little sore. She hates going to the vet and tried to hide her face in me the whole time we were there. I think she has everything she needs to go to Germany. Ten days out from when we leave I have to take her to get a bi-lingual health certificate at Hickam.

I think Sam and I might run to the beach for a little while then continue working when we return. It's getting a little cloudy though so I don't know how long we have.

The Kulamanu

The Pro Bowl alone would have made for a full weekend, but we were at it again on Sunday. A lady I used to work with, Jeannie Freeman, has invited us on numerous occasions to go for a ride on this out of commission dinner cruise boat. Her husband is a captain and takes the boat out every so often for maintenance. I thought Sam's parents and Linda would enjoy it, so we planned to head down to Waikiki at 11:30 for that.

First thing in the morning though, Sam headed down to our storage unit to bring a load back. We have very little storage space in our house, so quite awhile ago we got this storage space to keep Christmas decorations, books, winter clothes, etc. We have until the end of the month to get everything out, but he doesn't want to put it off. In the meantime I made pepperoni rolls and rice crispy treats for the boat ride.





















Mom and Dad Thompson and Aunt Linda came to our house and from here we drove downtown together. The boat wasn't suppose to leave until 1:00, but we were there at 12:30. I guess normally just a couple of people show up for the ride, but yesterday there were about 45 that came on board. Up on the top deck we set up some folding chairs in the shade. It was an old somewhat delapidated boat, so we had to sign saying that we were releasing the crew of any responsibility of it sinking or anything else that could go wrong.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky and with the breeze blowing it didn't seem hot at all. We saw whales breaching and dolphins playing in the water. They were a little distance away, but it was still a lot of fun to watch. We just went up around Diamond Head (behind us in the picture above) and back. Altogether, the ride was just about two hours. After having such a nice ride, I was wondering why I hadn't taken Jeannie up on the offer before. I doubt they'll go back out again before we leave.

Today's update on Germany - we have appointments with two real estate agents tomorrow. They're meeting us at the house at 3:00 and 5:00. I need to do something with the boxes Sam brought in yesterday to get them out of our living space by tomorrow. I called and tried to get an appointment for Gabby today. Our regular vet does not have bi-lingual health certificates, so I called Hickam's vet clinic. They can issue the certificate, but prior to that Gabby has to have several shots. We're on a deadline because the shots have to be within the last year, but more than 30 days. The only appointment I can get at this point is exactly 30 days from the 26th of March, when we think we'll fly out. They are working with me though to see if I can get her in earlier. She has to get a rabies, feline distemper and feline leukemia. Poor baby has sure had her share of shots in her short life. I think I'll get some pills to relax her for the trip. I hope it't not too long for her.

I'm busy making cookies for a bake sale at work on Wednesday. This morning I told Steve, my boss, that I need the first week in March off because Mom's visiting. Poor guy...he just looked at me and said "What am I suppose to say? Does it even matter what I say?". He's really been a good boss to me. I'll miss working at Tripler.

Well, I should get busy since my evening is getting away from me. Sam will be home in an hour and I still have a lot I want to get done. Here are a few more pictures from yesterday -

Sam on the Kulamanu

Aunt Linda talking to one of the kids

Mom and Dad Thompson

Misty, Sam, Aunt Linda, Mom and Dad Thompson

Pro Bowl 2007

We went to Pro Bowl yesterday. Probably our last for some time since we'll be in Germany for the next 3-5 years at least. Up until we got married I'd never been that interested in football. I'm still not that interested in it, but I make an effort since Sam likes it so much. If we stayed in Hawaii I'm not sure if I'd continue to go to the Pro Bowl every year. It's not really my thing, but it ended up being a pretty nice day. Sam and I picked up his parents and Aunt Linda from Ko'Olina at 7:30. We met everyone else in the group at Halawa park at 8:30. The Aloha Stadium gates opened at 8:30, so at that time we caravaned into the parking lot. The idea was to get us all in two rows, so we could set up the tents and tailgate between the vehicles. Gus Harper, who was Sam's firt boss here in Hawaii, sets the whole thing up every year. The food gets catered in and we ate around 10:00 then headed in to the game which started at 1:00. The game lasted until 5:00. After that, back in the parking lot the food was heated up again and everyone had something else to eat. I think it was around 6:30 that we finally got out of there

Sam and I

Sam and Aunt Linda

Eating at Pro Bowl

Jasmine Trias sang"The National Anthem" and did an awesome job. An American flag was formed around where she was standing so it looked like she was standing in the middle of it.

Aunt Linda, Mom & Dad Thompson

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Yesterday was Sam's 38th birthday. It seems strange to think he's nearing 40. Yikes! I guess we should have kids before too many more years go by. The number just doesn't seem to fit him. Anyhow, we had Sam's parents and Aunt Linda over for dinner and cake. I made lasagna and bread rolls. Mom Thompson brought one of her salads. She makes the best salads. It's always a lot of fun sitting around listening to the Thompson's talk story. You never know whether to believe them or if they're grossly exaggerting yet again. I know to believe them if Mom Thompson says it's true.

Anyhow, we had a really nice time. Sam loves ice cream cakes, so I ordered a chocolate cake with Oreo ice cream from Baskin Robbins. So, after dinner we had cake and Sam opened his gifts. I had ordered a luggage set for him. He's been wanting a hard side luggage set and he wanted it in a bright color so he could easily spot it at the airport. The set he got is bright orange. I don't think I've seen too many orange suitcases while traveling. Sam's parents and Aunt Linda got him a Pro Bowl 2007 football and had several of the players autograph it. The Pro Bowl players stay at Ko'Olina right where Sam's parents are renting, so I guess they've seen quite a few of them. Tonight Sam's getting everything ready for Pro Bowl in the morning. This is his last after 11 years, so I know he's looking forward to it.

I just found out that Mom is coming for a visit!!! She's getting here on March 1st and leaving the evening of the 8th. I'm really glad she's coming. I didn't want to push her into coming because I still don't know exactly where we'll be in the moving process, but it'll be so nice having her here for a little while.

Here are a few more pictures from last night -

Bread Rolls and Lasagna for dinner

Gabby had a hard time not playing with Sam's birthday leis

My sweet husband helping to clean up after dinner

Getting ready for Super Bowl

It's been strange knowing that we're going to Germany. Realizing that in three months we'll no longer be living in Hawaii is hard to adjust to. On the one hand, it's doesn't seem like anything has changed because we haven't really started the process yet. But on the other hand I keep thinking about all we have to do before leaving.

We've kept the news under wraps pretty much because we haven't had a chance to tell our bosses yet and we feel like we owe them that. It's going to be hard telling my boss I'm leaving. I really like him and it's a terribly busy time at work. I don't want to leave a burden on anyone.

Sam and I have been going through the house trying to think about what to get rid of and what to keep. Sam thinks I'm way ahead of myself, but I've already started going through some boxes. I just don't want to continue hauling junk with me everywhere we go. I know how busy it's going to get and there won't be time later. Besides, when the movers come to pack us up I want to be as organized as possible to make unpacking in Germany a little easier.

I'm still trying to get over this flu/cold. Sam's refing basketball this morning, so that gives me time to clean the house. I got the house cleaned and my hair cut, now I'm busy baking desserts for the Super Bowl tomorrow. We're going to Mom and Dad Thompson's for the game. I love a clean house. And I really enjoy baking when it's cool enough that the stove doesn't heat up the whole house. We've had such beautiful weather lately. Not hot and a little cool in the evenings.

Well, I better get busy. The timer just went off.

Germany...here we come!

We finally got an answer from Germany.......we're going!! They called last night and Sam spent about an hour on the phone with them. He was prepared and had a list of questions to ask. I was glad he had that list because we've never moved overseas and there's a lot we don't know yet. Everything sounds really good. You usually don't know if the decisions you make are good until years down the road, but I think this is a good move for us. Every decision we make takes us in a different direction and creates a new future. We've left this decision to God and trust that He'll continue to lead us in the right direction.

Change is very hard for me, so of course I immediately started thinking about what I'm going to miss here. I've always said there will be things that I'll miss about Hawaii. I'll miss the people I work with. I really enjoy where I work. I'll miss our home. It's been our first home together and we've spent so much time and energy working on it. I'll miss Hawaii. There's no other place like this. I love our trips to the beach or outer island. We still don't know for sure when we'll be leaving. Probably sometime in March. I'm hoping Mom and Dad get to visit us before we leave, but it's kind of short notice, so I'm not sure if they'll make it.

A couple of weekends ago, Sam, his Mom and I hiked up to Makapu'u lighthouse. I'm a little late, but here are a couple of pictures.

Mom Thompson, Sam and Misty on the Makapu'u trail

Sam and Misty

Misty with Manana "Rabbit" Island in the background

Sam and his Mom

I'm sick!!

Looks like I should have been sweeter to Sam when he was sick. I didn't escape the bug either. I actually apologized to Sam for not being more sympathetic when he was sick, because I don't feel very well and probably shouldn't have teased him about being a baby. Oh well, live and learn. To make matters worse, I've been sick over the whole weekend. I'd rather be taking sick leave for this since all my time off has been spent in bed anyhow. I may not go to work tomorrow either depending on how I feel in the morning.

Well, we heard from Germany....Sam was offered the job, BUT at a lower rate of pay than we wanted. So, we have some negotiating to do before we decide if we're accepting it or not. I had a good feeling that he would get the job because he has a great personality and is very likeable. We're hoping to get his current base salary though, so we'll see what happens.

Ok, I got off the couch for my 5 minutes. Time to go back and see if there is anything on TV to entertain myself with. It's amazing how bored one can get watching TV. I need a good book.

Talk more later....

Hoping for a job in Germany

As you know, Sam and I have been interested in getting a job in Germany for quite awhile. We've put in for numerous jobs and have gotten a little discouraged at times because there are very few bites. Anyhow, two weeks ago Monday Sam had an interview for a SAS Director at Patch Barracks which is in Stuttgart. I thought the interview went very well. We know they checked his references because both Jerry and Kris told us they had contacted them.

So for over two weeks now we've been waiting....and waiting. We may not get the job, but at this point we just want to know so we can go on with our lives. Mom and Dad planned on coming to Hawaii in April, but that's on hold until we know for sure that we're going to be here. Tonight when Sam gets home we're going to email the person who he interviewed with and hopefully get an answer...one way or another.

The weather here has been so beautiful lately. Not too hot and very cool in the evenings and mornings. It's been really comfortable. My poor husband has not been feeling well. He has a cold and is so pitiful when he's sick (I guess maybe that's most men :) He was playing it for all it's worth last night. He stayed home on Monday, but couldn't stand it and was back to work yesterday. He is amazing though, he's usually not down for very long. Well, that's about it for now.

Christmas in Pennsylvania

If New Year's resolutions were something that I made, this year mine would be to become a more consistent blogger. I've fallen off the blogging map lately and have done a terrible job of keeping it up to date. Right up until we left for Pennsylvania we were busy working on the house. We got it (partially) back together right before leaving.

In my last entry we had finished the tile in one room. I never knew what back-breaking work tiling is. Every part of me ached for the longest time after finishing. My knees were blistered from being on them all day. Both rooms are now completed and look really great. I still have to finish decorating. I haven't put anything on the walls yet, because I wanted to think about what to put on the walls and not just fill the space.

On December 20th we left to spend Christmas with Sam's family in Hidden Valley, PA. We had a terrible flight out and through a series of unfortunate events ended up stuck in Chicago O'Hare for seven hours. We did meet some new friends through the whole process though. As it turned out we changed our flight and went to Columbus, OH where we rented a car with this other couple and drove to Pittsburgh (which was our original destination). Our luggage was lost in the process. Mine came in the next day, however, Sam didn't get his for three days. Poor guy.

These next pictures kind of tell the story.


Here's Sam, looking all relaxed.


Here I am. We were in a sitting area at the Honolulu Airport waiting for out flight to start boarding. We had no idea how long this trip would end up being.



Finally...28 hours later... we arrived at the hotel in Pittsburgh early Friday morning. Keep in mind we left Honolulu on Wednesday evening. We were so tired and still didn't have any luggage, but we were happy to have a bed to lie down in.



The next day we headed down to Fairmont, WV to spend some time with Grandma Thorne. We didn't have a lot of time there. We missed a big part of the day trying to track down our luggage. Realizing Sam wasn't going to get his luggage anytime soon, we stopped by Target for some clothes. By the way, we both loved Target. I wish we had one here in Hawaii.

It was nice seeing Grandma again. I've always loved going back to her house. She has the best arrangement of goodies on the table. Sam had her Hot Sausage for the first time. I think he liked it. He also got to experience Grandma's basement shower. He thought that was pretty cool. He wanted a picture of himself in the shower.

We ended up only being there the one evening and leaving the next afternoon. We would have spent more time with her, but the Thompson family was having a mini reunion that Sam really wanted to get to. It was nice finally meeting the aunt, uncles and cousins that I've heard about. We had a nice time at Mom and Dad Thompson's. It snowed just a little one day. Everyone else went skiing. I didn't though because Kristy and the kids were coming in from North Carolina. They drove up to see us, but it only ended up being just about 1 1/2 days. Connor's getting so tall and Hadassah is talking more. I really enjoyed seeing them again.


We all went to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA. It was touching to see the actual place where the plane went down and to see everything that people leave at the memorial.
Thursday evening we left Hidden Valley for Pittsburgh. We were leaving early Friday and wanted to spend the night close to the airport. Kristy and the kids stayed in the same hotel with us. Our rooms were right next to each other, so we ordered pizza and opened Christmas gifts. It would have been nice to have more time together, but we enjoyed what time we had.

The trip home was uneventful....thankfully.