My Mom's Visit

My mom was able to come visit for three weeks in July.  We had an amazing time!  I have been struggling to figure out what to blog about so I thought it might be time for some pictures. I decided to share her vacation with all of you and hopefully it will get some more people to come see me!! :)

We went to hike at a local (well everything is local here) arboretum to a waterfall.  The waterfall was nothing spectacular bc it had not rained recently but the hike was still amazing and MUDDY!

I was lucky enough to have my mom come with me to work every day.  I miss not having her now bc I realize how lonely I am working solo all day. Here is a view she took from one of the neighborhoods we would walk in.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  You can see all the way down to the ocean from the top of the hill.  Amazing!

My mom is a plant lover to say the least so we went to a few gardens around town.  Foster Garden is by far the best we went to.  Here are some pics from our two trips there (it took us that long to make it through the place).

 

 

Mom getting her tree on in front of a tree...we are so funny!

One of many Orchid pictures.  They had an amazing greenhouse full of them.

 This is my favorite picture of the whole three weeks by far.  My mom was always quick to point out how the huge plants, bushes, and trees on Oahu were only grown as house plants in SC (and onlyafter a lot of hard work too).  I asked her to show her amazement at the huge house plants around her.

 

One morning after our attempt to hike Diamond Head was thwarted by a massive crowd, we sat below Diamond Head and watched the surfers.  Great way to start the day!

Every friday we went to the beach for a few hours after work.  The weather was perfect each day and we got to watch kite boarders perform some amazing tricks.

Beach bunnies after a dip in the Pacific

We also went to a luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center but that will have to be a blog unto itself.  Hope you enjoyed the photos and are ready to come visit soon!!

Quality Time with my Baby!

Anyone that knows my husband knows that he loves to cook.  Anyone that knows me knows that I eat like a college kid.  I love to eat (hence my battle with weight all these years) but I do not find cooking as therapeutic.  Lately, Dave has been coming home 8pm and later so I have been flying solo in the kitchen.  Needless to say there have been many chicken and broccoli dinner nights.  I was lucky enough to have Dave all to myself for the weekend! We were able to watch a roller derby bout on Saturday and get to hang out with my derby ladies whom I have not seen in ages.  On Sunday I supervised (wrote my blog entry) as Dave worked on some Chief select stuff in the garage.  After a much needed shower, he joined me on a walk to the grocery store.  We are very lucky to live less than a mile from the grocery store and have almost constant beautiful weather. 

(Not taken by our house but still you get the picture)

After gathering our supplies we headed home and began to cook!  I do enjoy being Dave's sous chef even though I seem to get out of a good bit of the grunt work....maybe that doesn't really make a sous chef at all.  On the menu was salmon cakes, sweet potato fries, and asparagus.  This is one of my favorite things to eat for sure.  Dave has really mastered the art of the sweet potato fry.  It took many attempts to the get it perfect but I was happy to help taste test every time.  

 (I think he got them right, don't you?)

I was in charge of the asparagus which meant there was going to be lots of garlic going on.  I think that is the one thing I have learned from my parents...there can never be too much garlic.

(They were a bit over done but still delicious)

It was a great to get to spend time with Dave doing something he loves especially since he hasnt been around to cook in awhile.  We listened to music and had a blast.  The food was delicious and hopefully we will get to do this more often in the weeks to come.  I cant wait for his Chief select initiation to be over with....Sept 16th here we come!!

(NomNom!!)

 

This meal was gluten free and almost paleo...who says eating well cant look amazing :)

Well Hello Again!

Saying that it has been awhile since I have posted on this blog might just be the biggest understatement of the year! :)  I would like to say that I have been busy leading a crazy, exciting life here in Hawaii but I dont think I can claim that quite yet.  Some things have been going on that I know you are dying to get caught up on...

I have a job working for a pet sitting company.  Mostly, I walk dogs a few hours a day.  It is not the most glamorous job by any means but it has helped me work on my tan and learn my way around some of the island.  It is nice not to really deal with people that much and to be getting paid more than when I worked at MUSC (if only I worked 40hrs a week with my current pay).  I am still looking for a job in my career field but it has been nice to have a "fun" job for a change.  I dont think I have ever had a job I would consider this much fun since I started working at the age of 14.  It looks like the best bet for a job out here close to my field will be with the government since the local marine science venues (aquarium, sea life park, universities) either dont want me or dont have openings....their loss!

I started playing roller derby with a team out here and love the girls.  It is nice to walk into an instant family despite the many conflicts that arise from having so much estrogen in one place.  I tore my hamstring in May so I have been off skates for a few months.  I am itching to get back to skating.  I am hoping to make it to practice on Tuesday of this coming week...wish me luck.  The leg is 100% healed as far as I can tell but my body has put on some pounds during my hiatus.

Dave got promoted at work and he is now a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy (well he will be officially on September 16th).  I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked to get to this point in his career.  Currently he is going through initiation (something only the Navy still does for this rank change) which is pretty much like rushing a fraternity.  There are four other guys on his boat that also made Chief.  We have all spent a lot of time together while they worked on various tasks and I must say I think he lucked out with a great group of guys.  I got lucky too because the other wives are awesome and we all get along.  The perks of making Chief include better housing!!  We are on the list for single family housing and I could not be happier.  I am beyond over sharing walls with people I do not live with.

I also had a friend from graduate school move out here a few weeks ago with her husband who is in the Air Force.  I am excited to have a friend in town who only lives two minutes away.  She is 6 months pregnant and trying to get settled into her new home and life here....I dont know how she does it!

I guess that is all for know but I promise to be more active on this blog.  I have been guilted by enough people for abandoning it that my interest has been renewed :)  Hopefully this promise will go over better than the ones in my last post.  My etsy account is still not set up and I am no longer taking TRX.  The later is because of my work schedule but I hope to be able to make some evening classes soon if derby doesnt get in the way.  I need to build my guns up again!

I hope you all have a great rest of your Sunday!  Aloha!

Woman on a mission!!

This week I have been really productive around the house and have decided to commit, via this blog, myself to continue this productivity.

We have been pretty settled in the house for awhile but there were still many things that were stacked in closets and had not really had a home.  Over the years, I have become that person who thinks that everything should have a place to live.  This might still be shocking to my mom esp. since you could never see my bedroom floor growing up.  I think my tidiness (and possible OCD nature if I am being completely honest) started in college when I moved into a room one third the size of my room at home AND I had to share it!

Around our house the major pile areas have been around the desk, the garage, the laundry room and the downstairs hall closet.  It has taken two days of hard work but all of these areas have been organized and many things have been tossed.  I was so proud of my hard work yesterday that I was waiting by the door for Dave to get home from work so I could show him.  Unfortunately, he had to work late and I had to leave for a meeting at the Aquarium.  I called him before my meeting and told him to go look around the house.  He seemed pretty impressed but I still would have liked to have seen his face!

Now what to do with myself?  Well... I have made some more goals that I am going to follow through with this time.  I am going to start working on my Etsy account this week and weekend so I have a website to share by this time next week.  I realize that I have been delaying this bc I am afraid no one will like my ideas but I will never know if I dont try.  I am going to make a workout schedule for myself and make sure that I follow it.  I am pretty good about working out but I needed to make an effort on this for two reasons.  The first is that I am going to start taking my yoga class at 7am which means I have to start getting up early again.  Not as early as I did for bootcamp in Charleston but earlier than I am getting up now.  I think my body might actually like being on the new schedule if the way I am feeling is any indication.  The second reason is that I am going to start taking a class at the gym called TRX.  I took this class in Charleston and it was really great (meaning it sucked but it worked).  I just dont like going to new classes when I am by myself so I have been putting this off.  No more of that sissy stuff for me; I am going tomorrow!!

Now that I am motivated, it is time to pass that along to the dogs.  Time for their run on the treadmill!!

Photo Friday

This week's photos are centered around my best friend. 

Here are some shots I took of Dave when we went to check out the big surf at the North Shore.

 Here is a picture from on of our last days in Charleston.  We decided to walk around downtown taking pictures.  This was taken at the Unitarian Church when I asked him to be cute :)

I love my nose!

If you have known me for any amount of time chances are you know how much I love my nose.  It is my favorite body part and I think it is the cutest thing ever.  Much to the chagrin of any trainer I have ever had, trying to make me do an exercise where a heavy medicine ball was thrown at my face resulted in a lecture about how all I had going for me was my cute nose.  Well I still think my nose is cute but no longer look at it as the lone good part of my appearance.

Today, however, I was reminded of the reason I have a nose...to smell all the good and bad around me.  On my way home from yoga there is a particular spot on the interstate that smells like fresh buttery baked goods.  I have no idea where this amazing smell is coming from and I usually forget about it until I hit that spot in the road but it is the best smell ever (esp coming home from a crazy yoga class).  When I got home I watched a recorded episode of Criminal Minds where the killer was drawn to people based on their smell.  Having two nose related events in a matter of 30 minutes made me aware of how I react to certain smells on a regular basis.

I already told you about the delicious bakery smells on the interstate (one day I will figure out where they are coming from) but there are a few more I encounter every day.  An odd smell that I love is my dogs' heads.  They can be clean or dirty it does not matter to me.  The smell of a dog's head is the perfect pet smell and I never tire of it.  A smell that I can not stand at the moment but have been told I will grow to love is Dave when he is off work.  The smell of a submarine is like nothing I have ever encountered; it is a combination of sweat, oil, grease, and other unidentified substances that just linger in the air for hours.  Dave is limited to where he can leave his boat uniform laying around the house bc I dont want it to smell up the furniture and trust me it would.  The wives have told me, though, that I will miss this smell when he is deployed but we will have to see about that.  The last smell that I encounter on a regular basis that have a deep emotional grip is yoga.  In Bikram yoga you sweat like no other and thus you tend to get a funk about your body and clothes.  Needless to say, the studio adopts the funks of everyone and kind of has its own unique perfume of hard work going on.  At first this smell was not pleasant but lately I have found the smell relaxing in class.  When I am stressing out in a posture I sometimes notice the smell and then I start to think about how it represents all my hard work and I no longer focus on how badly I feel in the posture.  "The postures are hard and are supposed to hurt so just deal with it" is kind of what that smells tells me (crazy I know).  At home, my pile of yoga clothes in the laundry room (only place they are allowed for the same reason as Dave's work clothes) leave a lingering smell all the time that I have grown to love.  It reminds me of how my body is changing and how hard I am working to become the person on the inside and out that I want to be.

I am sure there are tons of smells that I encounter each day but these are the ones that elicit such a deep response within me, whether good or bad.  I am not sure why I felt the need to share but I did.  Now I am going to smell Jack's head and smile :)

1950's housewife...the 2011 version

 Since moving, I have not had a job.  This has been a tough transition for me and has unfortunately placed some stress on my marriage.  I have had a job since I was 13 or 14, working for my dad looking up properties in the MLS database at the county office (or some place like that) and this is the first time in over 15 years that I have been without employment.  Add this to moving somewhere totally new and it creates a recipe for depression.  I am happy to say that as of today my "blue meanies" (as my mom, sister, and I say) are gone!

It feels like I just woke up with a whole new attitude about my current life situation and I couldnt be happier.  At first, I felt like Dave was looking down upon me bc I had no job and therefore had to get all my money from him.  This could not be further from the truth; I was the one with the hang up about not making money not Dave.  I have lost count how many times we have had this discussion but I finally get it.  I also no longer hate not having a job.  I realized today how much I like having me time and how maybe after 15 years of schools and jobs (all but 1.5 years I had both going on) I need a break for me.  I like being able to run all our household errands, clean the house up, go to yoga, take care of the dogs and watch some reality tv on my own schedule. 

I have decided to start looking at being a housewife as my job. Dave has told me a million times that I "earn" whatever money I need to spend with all the stuff I do around the house.  Unlike in Charleston, where we both worked and had to take care of the dogs and house, he can know come home from work and just relax with me because the house is clean and the dogs have been taken care of. 

This is not to say that I will be a permanent housewife but until the right job comes along I am going to embrace this new job.  It is funny to me that I actually enjoy cleaning the house and other domestic chores.  I am embracing my inner Martha Stewart and starting to make homemade bread, applesauce, etc.  Partly because it saves money but mostly because I know have the time to do all the little crafty things I was too tired to do when I got off work.  I like being able to spend more quality time with Dave when he gets off work because we dont get to see each other as much as we did in Charleston.

Even though this is not how I envisioned my life being, I could not be happier and plan to start embracing all the life changes that have been thrown at me the past few months. 

Photo Friday

One of my friends has had a great blog idea called Wordless Wednesday.  I have always thought this was a cutest idea so when I started my blog I knew I had to steal it.....I mean do something similar!  I have chosen Photo Friday (that way I cant be sued if Annie decides to copyright).  Hope you dont mind Annie :)

 For my fist Photo Friday I decided to go with a video I took of my new favorite thing to watch in the morning.

Because it makes me happy!!

My last post was a bit more negative than I realized so I guess I needed to vent.  This move has been one of the hardest things I have EVER done in my life but I am happy that I did it (most days atleast).  I wanted to take a minute to highlight the things I love so far about living in Hawaii.

1. THE WEATHER!!! Now I am sorry for everyone who is living in the middle of this crazy winter weather right now but I can not tell you how happy that I am not. Cold and I do not get along and never have.  I enjoy being able to open all the windows in my house every day and enjoy a nice breeze.  It has helped to cut down on our electric bill too.  We got our first "bill" (we only have to pay if we are over the average usage amount in our housing development- thanks Navy) we only used ten dollars of electricity in 17 days.  Not too shabby.  If we fall below the usage range per month then we get money back from the company!  We have been getting some pretty bad rain storms and that is evidently the extent of our bad winter weather.  Well all I have to say is I will take it.  I have my rain boots and I am not afraid to use them!

2. Bikram Yoga!!  Before I left Charleston, I was told that I needed to try hot yoga but never got around to it.  I was able to find a Bikram studio about 20 minutes from my house and decided to give it a try.  If you have never heard about Bikram Yoga here is a link with some info (wiki seems pretty accurate on this one) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga   The first class I must admit I felt like a fat slob surrounded by tiny people barely wearing anything.  I made it through the class without wanting to throw up so I decided to go again the next day.  I have not finished up my intro 2 week package and I have already bought a year's membership!  Some days I feel like shit while I am in there and others I feel like I am on top of the world.  It is helping me to lose some major weight and I have noticed improvements in my injured shoulder and thumb.  If you are at all inclined to try new fitness avenues then I recommend a week in a Bikram yoga class!


3. Waikiki Aquarium!!  I have started a volunteer training program at the aquarium and am super excited about getting to start volunteering soon.  I will be working at an educator for some of the exhibits. There are about 20 of us training right now and everyone seems to be really nice.  It is great to be around people that like the ocean as much as I do and it helps to make me feel like I am putting my degrees to use.  Maybe one day it will turn into a job but even if it doesnt I am happy to be given the chance to volunteer.

4. The Ocean!!  I love the Atlantic and always will but there is nothing more amazing than being surrounded by crystal clear blue water.  Dave and I have been to a few different beaches around the island and have fallen in love with each one.  We have gone snorkeling, stand up paddle boarding, and plan to start SCUBA diving soon.  The water is never as warm as the Atlantic but with year round access to the ocean I guess I cant really complain. 

Hawaii Observations #1

*I would like to preface this post by saying that if you are from Hawaii or know someone who is then please dont take offense at this post*

I have been living on Oahu for about six weeks now.  I have been making a list of things I have noticed in my travels around the island.  I would like to use this post to share my insights thus far.

1. Driving with Aloha sucks
         I had never heard of this until moving to the island but this is how everyone drives around here.  I am from the south where everyone is hospitable and gracious but driving with aloha makes Southerners look like Damn Yankees (couldn't resist!).  Now dont get me wrong, I appreciate it when I want to use a cross walk and everyone slams on brakes to let me go across.  When I am in a hurry it is great to know that people are going to stop for me and let me in.  However, when I have been waiting in traffic for awhile and someone just gets let in before me then I tend to get rather pissed. 

2. Everyone backs into parking spots
         I have been known to drive forward while parking so I can just pull out of the parking spot but I rarely back into a spot.  Mostly because I am afraid I am going to damage my car or the ones parked next to me but also because it takes more time than just pulling in.  Roughly 80% of the Hawaiian islands' population is on Oahu and that makes for some pretty packed parking lots everywhere you go.  It is a pain when you are waiting to leave a parking lot or get a spot while someone is taking 10 hours to back into a spot.  It is even more frustrating when you factor in #5!

3. The radio plays Katy Perry too much
       I never realized I was a radio snob until I moved here.  There is only one station that plays the standard 90s-today music and it tends to be the one I listen to.  Every other song seems to be Katy Perry which is pretty much like dragging nails down a chalk board.  I have started saving money to buy a satellite radio system the first day we really started driving around the island.  All I can say is thank heavens for ipods!!

4.  Island Time is alive and kicking
        It has been great learning to slow down and not be so uptight but sometimes island time is not all it is cracked up to be.  When I called to get cable they set us up with an appointment date 20 days away.  Calling in to maintenance has proven to be just as frustrating.  They have even called to push an appointment back 17 days that was still a week away because they were that backed up.  I am all for a relaxing day drinking in the sun and wasting the day away but if I need stuff done then it needs to get done!

5. Everyone wants a huge, lifted truck
      When I say everyone I mean everyone!  Stay at home moms will take their children to school and soccer practice (not really sure if they have many teams out here) in some of the most jacked up trucks I have ever seen...and I am from the South!!  We bought a Ford Ranger when we got our here because my car isn't good for hauling much stuff.  Dave has talked about putting slightly bigger wheels on the car but nothing crazy.  We own one of a handful of cars on the island that are still pretty much how they came from the factory.  Most cars are lifted a minimum of 6 inches and have tires bigger than I am tall on them.  This makes backing them into parking spots even more interesting and time consuming. 

6. I need more tattoos!
      It is no secret that I have a love for tattoos.  I have always had plans for a few more tattoos but after getting here I felt the need to speed the timeline up.  Everyone seems to be sporting at least a half sleeve of amazing work and I am jealous.

7. I am the only Honda Insight on the island
       Gas prices out her are crazy and will soon top $4/gallon I am sure (and that is with the military discount we get).  I am more happy then ever to have a hybrid.  I have been driving my car around right after Christmas and have still not filled my tank up again!  There are a lot of hybrids on the island but they seem to be either a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic.  I find myself looking every time I am out and about for a fellow Insight owner but have come up empty handed.
*Update: After writing about this observation on my computer, I came across another Honda Insight in the Target parking lot.  I was so happy I almost left them a note!*




I am sure that more observations will come and I will be sure to fill you all in.  Again, I hope I have not offended anyone :)

Exercise shmexercise

Throughout my life, I have had a battle with my weight.  It has been a long road but I am finally at a point where I can see a healthy attitude about food in my life. 

Part of this journey has been figuring out what activities and exercises I like to do.  In Charleston, I was lucky enough to stumble upon two of the greatest things in the whole world...Roller Derby and MUSC's Bootcamp.  Participating in these two programs opened up my world to two whole new families.  I have learned so much about myself in the past year in large part to these two groups.  It was not uncommon for me to be working out 5 times a week with Bootcamp and 3 times a week with Derby.

The hardest thing about leaving Charleston was no longer being a part of these groups.  Luckily, I have found that with both Derby and Bootcamp once you are family you are family forever no matter how far away you are!

I am trying to get my act together to start practicing with the Derby team on Oahu.  I need to buy new gear and dont really have the money right now (not having a job sucks!).  Eventually I will get the gear and get out on my skates again.  Until then, I am helping out with the team's bouts so I can get to know the girls.

My bootcamp family is awesome and has really helped me make this difficult life transition.  We have an annual holiday weight loss challenge that I was a part of (half in Charleston and half in Hawaii).  I am happy to say that I won!  This challenge really helped me not go off the deep end on my sad days.  With the holiday challenge over a new challenge was started up and without even asking rules were make so that I could participate.  I dont know what I would do without these challenges.  I have not found a workout routine that I love yet but I now have a reason to make sure I find one. 

Hawaii is the land of activities.  There are always people running, biking, walking, etc when you go outside..more so than anywhere else I have seen.  I have already started a list of things that I want to try but have not gotten to: Bikram yoga (hot yoga), bootcamp class on base, TRX class on base, outrigger canoeing, and stand up paddleboarding.  I cant wait to start crossing things off this list and adding new stuff.  Hopefully, I will find stuff I love to do and will have a new workout routine. 

Until then, I am on the treadmill everyday and have even have the dogs walking on the treadmill (videos of that coming soon).

I guess the point of this post was to get out my frustration on not having the safety net of workouts that I had in Charleston and to put my plan of action out there so I will have to do something about it.  I am grateful for the family I had in Charleston that continues to support me on this journey and I cant wait to find another family in Hawaii.

Getting Settled

Dave and I are mostly settled in our new home.  We are waiting on maintenance to come fix a few things around the house but are not holding our breaths on that one.  We have gotten most of our pictures on the walls and it is looking like a home.  We are still missing chairs for our dining room table but they should be here on monday!  We have learned the hard way that shipping usually costs more than the things you want to buy.

I will have photos or video tour of the house up soon.  I need to locate the cord for my camera!

I am looking for a job but until the right one comes along I have decided to have a go at being crafty.  I have an Etsy account that currently has nothing to sell on it.  Last Christmas I stumbled upon a great gift idea that I made for everyone.  I am going to take that and turn it into stuff to sell on Etsy.  I hope to have my first prototypes up this week.  I will share the link once I have something to sell.

Dave and I have gone out on a few day trips since being here and I really wanted to show pictures from our latest trip.  We went to the North Shore last weekend when the waves were 25-35 ft.  We took our cameras and got some amazing shots.  There were so many people on the beach, on the side of the road, on rock cliffs above the ocean, everywhere!  It took us about half an hour to drive 4 miles but we had a good view of the ocean for most of the drive.  I have never seen the ocean that crazy in my life.  The surfers made it look so easy out there even though I would have peed in my pants.

Well I think I am going to go hunt down my camera cord and hopefully have photos to post tomorrow.

Hi!

My name is Adair and welcome to my blog.  I recently moved to Hawai'i from South Carolina.  I am starting this blog as a way for family and friends to stay up to date with the happenings in my (oh so exciting!) life. Stayed tuned for updates from the middle of the Pacific.

More to come...Aloha!