We're in Germany!

Hello from Germany! I've finally been able to get to a computer long enough to give an update of our new life in Europe. Even signing in to this blog has changed. When I signed in to do a new post, all the links came up in German, so hopefully I can figure it out enough to get a post done. (To the right, I am standing in front of the Romerhof hotel. Our room is in the building to the left on the second story. You can see our two windows inside the balcony.)
What a difference a couple of weeks makes! The last blog I posted was the day before the movers were to arrive and pack all of our belongings up. It was bittersweet. I do miss Hawaii, just not the heat. And I have even missed that a couple of days when it's been cold and rainy here. I was terribly sick the whole time we were packing and flying to Germany. Thankfully, 3 weeks later, I'm finally getting over it.
We left Hawaii on Thursday, March 22 and flew to North Carolina to spend a couple of days with Kristy and the kids. We really had a nice time with them. It would have been great if we'd had more time there, but we made the most of it. We really enjoyed Kristy's cooking :) I think she's close to the best cook ever. I aspire to be like her when I grow up ;o) It was nice being with the kids again. Of course, neither one wanted to leave Uncle Sam alone, as you can see in the pictures. Even Hadassah had to be like him and put her hat on.

Hadassah was in a her bathrobe stage when we were there. It was so cute! When Kristy came to get us at the airport there she was with Hadassah walking beside her in her bathrobe. I guess she just discovered how snuggly it is.
Sam and I took a coconut with us from Hawaii to show them what a natural one looks like. Sam worked at getting into it one night out on the back porch. I think they all really enjoyed that. I wish I would have felt better, but we had a really nice time with them.
We left Fayetteville on Sunday, March 25. Since it was going to be a long trip, we gave Gabby a pill to help relax her. I know these long trips are even harder on her. The pill had a strange effect on her. She was acting a little loopy and then bit me really hard, so I just closed up her cage and left her alone. I think she was feeling strange from the medicine. The flight over wasn't as long and hard as I expected it to be. We really had a wonderful experience flying with Delta. They actually still serve meals and the flight attendants were very nice.

Flying into Germany was really interesting. Even the layout of the land was different than the United States. Flying over large cities in the states just looks like the city goes on for miles. On the contrary, flying into Stuttgart you could just see lots of small villages everywhere. Lots of open countryside and small villages spinkled here and there. It looked exactly like what I invisioned Germany would look like.

Going through the German customs was a little intimidating to me actually. When we stepped off the plane, suddenly everything was written in German and I couldn't understand any of it. I was definitely relying on Sam to get me to where we needed to be. The customs guard asked if we were here on business or pleasure. It went very smoothly. No one asked to see any paperwork on Gabby. We mentioned her, but they just waved us on.
Sam's new boss, Jackie and Stacy (who has been a life saver to us here) were at the airport to pick us up. Stacy left to get a litterbox and litter for Gabby, while Jackie took us to the Romerhof, where we were going to be staying. Jackie said she would be back in 1 1/2 hours to pick us up for in processing. There's nothing like being up all night flying, then having to go right to work when you arrive. I didn't get a shower because I didn't have the right plug to use my hair dryer or curling iron, which was a little frustrating. I hadn't thought about needing that right away.

When Jackie picked us up, we went to NAF(which is at Kelly Barracks) and I sat in on the in processing because the information they were going to tell us pertained to me as well (living quarters allowance, driver's license, ID cards, etc.). They didn't seem to like me going in with him, but Sam wanted me there as well, since he was so tired. He wanted me to take notes for later.

I've felt really bad for Sam because from that first day on, he really didn't get a break. The next day, Stacy picked us up and took us to get our ID cards and we went by her house as well. We were so impressed with her place. The pictures they sent while we were still in Hawaii did not do the house justice. It's so nice. We were incredibly fortunate to have it fall in our laps like it did. We plan to buy her car when they leave too. That one will be mine to drive and Sam will have his truck. I sold my truck in Hawaii just a few hours before going to the airport. I had a hard time selling it. I loved my truck.

Monday was our two week anniversary being in Germany. It seems like we've been here so much longer than that. I'm adjusting, but really miss America, my home, familiar places and English speaking people. I miss going to a restaurant and being able to read the menu, having water with my meal and ice in my soda.
Something that's been hard to get used to is people staring at me. The Germans blatently stare. Especially when I wear my flip flops (slippers). I guess no one wears open toed shoes here. Walking down the sidewalk, I see them look at my feet then up to my face. It really does get a little annoying, when I don't care to be noticed anyhow. Everyone tells me to just stare back. People don't smile at you here either. They stare, but don't smile.

The toilets are quite different too, but I won't get into that here :) I do like American toilets better though. I think Gabby's getting quite bored in our hotel room. She has nothing to chase. She misses her roaches, geckos, spiders, etc.

Here are a few other things that I've noticed are different than America -

* I guess they don't use wash clothes here. In our room and in stores, all I see are bath towels and hand towels. Hmmmm

* The security at the Military posts is very strict. Our ID cards have a barcode that the guards scan and it shows a picture of the ID card holder.

* You can't get water with your meal without paying for it. And you have to specify if you don't want bubbly water. Most times, if you don't say otherwise, you'll get bubbly.

* German's don't serve ice with their drinks. If you ask for it, they look at you like you're crazy. One evening Sam asked for ice in my soda and when it came I swear it looked like they went to the freezer in the basement and chips some ice off the freezer walls. I'm giving up on asking for ice unless I'm at a restaurant on post.

* Going to grocery stores on the economy is a little daunting to me still. Everything is in German, as you would imagine. So, I can't read any of the labels.

* Stores close very early here. One night around 8:00, Sam and I were bored so we took the bus to the Swabien Gallery (small mall). Everything was closed, except for Kaufland which is a grocery store. I guess they have approval to be open until 10:00.

* Very little is open on Sunday. I've seen a few stores open around the Bahnhof (bus/train station), but that's about it.

* You can't wash your car here. You have to go to a car wash. I guess so soap doesn't get on the ground???

* They don't have normal beds here. Our bed is two twins pushed together. They keep slipping apart and they're hard. Needless to say, we're not sleeping too well these days. We have a new matress bought, waiting at the PX for us to more into our house.

* I don't know what this is about, but they have the oddest hair colors here and bright pink seems to be a big trend. Seriously, we were at the store the other day and I saw this very distinguished older lady. She was dressed very nicely and looked very put together, then she turned and I saw she had streaks of bright pink throughout her gray hair. I just don't get it. I haven't seen true red hair here, but lots of burgandy and bright orange.

* People drive crazy here! Fast and crazy. Sam and I managed to pass our driver's license a week ago Monday, but it's a little intimidating to drive. One of Sam's staff loaned him a car, so this morning for the first time I drove to Patch. I made it alright, but I have to really think about what I'm doing and keep German laws in mind and not revert to America.

Well, that's about it for now. It's hard to remember everything I noticed when we arrived because it's been a very busy two weeks. Here are a few more pictures from our time in Fayetteville and a few from here in Germany.

Hadassah holding the coconut

Working on getting into the coconut

Connor with a toad he found

Hadassah Ann

Coming in the hotel door, looking into the bedroom

Looking into the living room

Our "kitchen" is inside this closet

Our "kitchen"

Me standing beside a "Smart Car"

Not sure what this is. I don't think I'd take it on the autobahn though.

Sam standing out on the street by the Romerhof

This was last Sunday. We were walking to the Vaihingen Bahnhof to catch a train to Stacy's house for dinner.

Sam standing by a train as it comes in. The wind from the train is making his hair look funky

Last blog in Hawaii

We are deep into the process of moving and this will probably be the last blog for quite some time. Friday was our last day of work, which ended up being pretty sad for both of us. I know Sam is really going to miss Hawaii. Even though he's wanted to do a tour in Germany for awhile, he loves it here and it's hard for him to want to leave. We both were feeling sad about leaving Friday evening, but at this point we're just wanting to be done with it.
Yesterday and today we've been busy going through boxes getting things ready for the movers. We gave all the food to a neighbor and are finishing up bills and anything else needing to be done online. Tomorrow morning between 8-9 the movers will be here. I'm still playing with the idea of shipping the computer separately because otherwise we will be without it for 3 months. We have to check on prices yet.
Tuesday morning we have an appointment for Gabby. She has to get another microchip, German and American health certificates and a letter of acclimation to go on the plane. Poor little thing will be glad when this is over too. I'm really concerned about how well she is going to handle the trip, but she's probably more resilient than I think she is.
Thursday we leave for Fayetteville to spend a couple of days with Kristy and the kids. Then on Sunday we leave for Germany and are scheduled to get into Stuttgart at 9:00am Germany time on Monday morning. Well, I need to get busy again, but just wanted to let everyone know that there may not be any updates for awhile. This is a very stressful time for us, but hopefully once we get to Germany we can settled down and enjoy. Talk to you all later.

Our final week

Sam and I are getting so close to the end of our time here in Hawaii. It still seems surreal that we're actually going to Germany next week. This week has flown by. It's our last at work and we have so many things to finish up. We're slowly getting things checked off our list though.

We started the week off last Sunday by going to a party put on for Sam and his assistant director. The staff of HMR put it together and they really did a great job. There was so much food. It was a very nice time.

Today, the CYS leaders gave Sam a going away party at a local restaurant. I wasn't able to attend, but he said it was very nice. They gave him a signed football, Hawaii University jacket and hat. Since I wasn't at work last week for the going away party, Steve presented me with a plaque today during training. Of course he had me do a speech, but I kept it short and sweet. I really hate to be in front of a group of people. Well, that's about it for now. Here are a few pictures from today -

TAMC Workforce Management Division -
Steve, Rhi, Carmen, Me, Jeanne and Rhi's daughter, Maliya

Steve and Maliya

Lori, Me, Antrika and Sheryl

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