Wiakiki is now home

Honolulu is a beautiful city but very different than I am used to.  I love being here with Jay, even if we are living in a little apartment.  It is so different than I expected.  I have love the environment and being outdoors.  Highrise living with little space it not bad but noisy.  Sleeping is difficult in a city environment and it doesn't ever get really dark.

 I walk the beaches every day while Jay is working.  If I have to get anywhere I ride my bike.  One of the first things Jay did for me when I arrived is buy me a new bike.  It is a great way to get around Wiakiki.  Jay and I are sure getting into shape.

 Jay is still white, which is funny because he has been here for three months.  Hilton Hawaiian Village is my favorite place to walk.  They have tons of shops and birds, penguins, turtles, koe fish, it is really pretty.

 Because we are on bikes we can't do big runs on groceries.  Saturday we decided to check out the local farmers market.  It was really crowded but great fun.  We loved all the fresh vegetable available.  We rode our bikes to this one, only to realize that it was uphill the whole way.  I almost cried when we finally reached the top.  It was great going down though.

 Jay decided to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding.  This was his first lesson.  He did so good but he was shocked at how tiring it is.  He had the paddling down without any problem but staying up on the board is hard.

 This is the view out our apartment.  The apartment is really small but great for the two of us.  The view makes it worth while.  We looked at other places to move but we like this building so much we are staying here.  It is amazing to think we actually live here for the next 5 years.  I just wish the boys were with us. 

Sunset every evening can be seen from the local restaurants or our own balcony.  There are a lot of fog banks that appear in the way but it is still a great way to spend the end of the day.

The only thing missing is the boys being here.  They are doing well in Arizona, keeping up the house and appear to be fine but I miss them.  We have email, phones, and all the chat options but I can't wait until they can visit.

Adventure Hawaii

Jay has been in Hawaii for a little over a month and while he is doing well I hate it.  I can't wait to get there too.  After Jay left in January I spent time fixing up odd things in the house, getting rid of excess and making arrangements for the house.   Yesterday I sold my truck....  I love that truck.  I hated selling it but driving such a big vehicle on the roads of Hawaii would be awful.  Jay has been getting around Wiakiki on a bike of all things.  He has an apartment, a bike and other than not having me is doing every well.  I leave here in 1 week to join him.  We can't decide if we will buy a car on the island or just keep biking around for now. 

This is a real change of lifestyle for us.  Jay is on the 10th floor of a high rise apartment building.  He has to walk or ride a bike everywhere.  The culture is different will all the tourists every where.  He is enjoying it so far although the work is also different enough to be difficult. 

I wonder still how the boys will do here in Arizona by themselves.  They will handle themselves well I know but I worry about them being able to keep up a house on their own.  Most people move to an apartment to learn that kind of thing.  We will just have to see.  Jay reminds me that he did the same thing at their age. 

 

Do they know it's Christmas at all?

December 24th, Christmas eve is here.  This year has been nothing but weird.  With Jace and Jaron both working full time we didn't have thanksgiving dinner until Saturday and Christmas appears to be the same issue.  Because Jace and Jaron both work on Tuesday we opened presents on Sunday.  It was a spur of the moment decision but worked well as that was the last day of the week that both boys were home from work.  Or it would have worked well if Jaron hadn't been called into work for a few hours at 7:00 a.m. that morning.  I am glad we did the presents when we were all together but it still made things feel weird.....  different.... drawn out.... anti-climactic.

Today Jace works a 7 to 7 shift.  He was called in after an emergency took his scheduled employee to a different post for the day.  He works the same tomorrow while Jaron works 5am to 2pm.  Jay and I will relax, watch the parades, do puzzles, and just enjoy each others company.  hee hee hee.  Revenge for all the years the kids got to enjoy the holidays...

One reason Jay and I have to keep reminding ourselves it is christmas is Jay leaves for Hawaii on Friday.  We are excited but their is so much to do.  Jay will start work on Monday while I finish up sell, sorting, and moving all our stuff to the new location.  We have a rented apartment on Waikiki beach but it will not fit everything we own.  Good thing we are leaving a lot of it here for the boys.  I will join him in a few months.  Leaving the boys here is the worse part but watching Jay pack up isn't easy either.  I can't wait to be past this part completely.

Age before Beauty!

As we reach a certain age things change.... Of course the horrible part is I am completely sure that Jay and I have not reached that age yet. Jay is on a real health kick right now. But then he is a very bright man. He is also on two permanent medications, with one additional for allergies he insists he doesn't have. What can we say, we have reached that age. My health is the same but I live in Denial land. I know my arthritis is flairing, my blood pressure is up, and my thyroid is off. I know it, but I avoid it too. Even my dog is at that certain age. This week he started a permanent therapy to keep him comfortable for as long as possible. He is getting older now. It is fun having an older dog because he is so easy to handle. Do you think there is some therapy to keep me comfortable for as long as possible?

As for beauty, I cut off all my hair this week too. I got so tired of dealing with it that I got a new short hairstyle. I like it but it is really different. Of course, the first thing that happened when I came home was Jaron did a double take and walked into the side of the couch. The couch has been the same place for months. Jace came in and his eyes got really big, then he said, "good afternoon grandma." He thought I looked like my mom. I do look a lot like my mother with my hair this short. It will take some getting used to.

No Back to School for you!

It has been weird this year without sending children off to school. Jaron graduated last spring so my sons are both on their own for schooling from now on. I watched the grade school children load the buses for school the other morning only to realize how long we have been in Arizona. Jaron was a 5th grader when we came here. We went through all the bus routes, the car pools, homework, new testing, new immunizations, and finally high school activities here in Mesa. It doesn't hit you until you realize that you aren't going to be doing it any more. Robyn sent around the following today which made me laugh out loud:::::

Twas the night before school when all through the town,
The parents were cheering - a riotous sound.
By nine, kids were all washed and tucked into beds,
where memories of homework filled them with dread.
New pencils, new folders, new notebooks, too.
New teachers, new friends - their anxiety grew.
The parents just giggled when they learned of the fright,
and shouted to all "GO TO BED!!! Its a school night!

I loved that because it was so true for us. We loved sending the kids off to school but this year I realized that I am truly blessed. Because although I loved having young children, I am so glad to get rid of school shopping, homework, parent teacher, AIMs testing, school parking regulations, drop off and pick up routes, attendance policy, graduation requirements, etc...... I could go on and on.

Citrus it is!

There is one thing about spring in Arizona that we really appreciate. Citrus. We planted a lemon, grapefruit, and orange tree when we first moved here. The lemons are ready in January and February. Fresh off the trees we use them to make juice. My favorite is grapefruit although homemade lemonade is also a real treat.

All the fruit has to be picked by the middle of February at the first sign of buds. Right now, we have blossoms on all the trees. The whole yard smells like orange blossoms. It is a simple pleasure of Arizona. I will miss this one thing very much if we ever move out of Arizona.

February is Renewal

Jay and I first met each other in February. The sunday before Presidents holiday to be exact. I remember this because I broke my leg tubing the next day and that was the start of it all for us. That was 28 years ago....

I found today a bit of reflection. Heidi called and asked why I didn't use facebook. I found that I have friends in Utah who were looking for me... Hee hee hee... Anyway, here is my facebook information