My Day

My life isn't chaotic at all.  Yes, we have moments, and we learn to roll with it.  Sometimes at the end of the day, I think about all that has happened and giggle, cry, or am stunned into silence.  Today, I guess has been none of the above.

Seth usually comes for a visit on his day off.  Today happened to be that day.  While it is still dark, I hear him quietly enter the house.  I hear his footsteps on the stairs and down the hall to my room.  He slowly, as to not scare the daylights out of me, whispers, "Mom".  He climbs in on Mike's side of the bed (hubby is out of town), and we chat for a while.  I mange to climb out of the bed after Seth starts raiding my kitchen.  When he left after lunch, he managed to consume the following beginning at 7:30 am in this order, no joke:  3 ice cream sandwiches, 1 Popsicle, half large bag corn tortillas, box of pepper jack Cheez-its, 1 hotdog, bowl of spaghetti, bowl of pad thai noodles, 1/2 gallon Turkey Hill strawberry ice cream.

Last night, my dryer stopped working.  Today, we had clothes scattered all around the house drying.  After I had gathered most of them and put them in their respective piles to be put away by each child, Eva asked me why her underwear was hard.  She's used to that softness of freshly laundered clothing.  The appliance guy comes in the morning, hopefully with the news he can fix us right up so Eva doesn't have to have hard underwear.

The only good thing about the hubby being out of town is that dinners are easier to fix.  Don't get my wrong.  Mike will eat anything I set before him.  He's just sweet like that.  Jack isn't, but that's besides the point.  So, for dinner tonight, I made some Mexican rice with chicken and some re-fried beans because Joy has been calling me Senorita all week and saying "Si" to everything I ask of her.  All was good.  Then I added some home-made egg rolls that I just wanted to make.

Everyone was happy with a full tummy.  Jack was the only one who asked, "Why are we eating Mexican and Chinese food together?"  I just smiled and cut him a slice of pumpkin bread that Ivy had made.

Moving on...somehow my girls, my sweet lovely girls, are destructive.  They break just about everything they get their hands on.  So far they've destroyed (among other things) the pantry drawer in my refrigerator (Seth fixed it for the 3rd time today), the volume on our television by using walking talkies too close to it (it now works), 3 portable DVD players, and 2 DVD players.  We just bought a new one that we have had for about two months.  So, now they are never allowed to watch any movies on our DVD player again until they are 45 years old.

The Mountains

I've only lived in a few different places in our country.  The mountains in our area have to be my favorite.  Up until I was 10 years old, we would drive from the city to my grandparent's homes in the mountains of West Virginia.  I have the best memories of wandering through the woods, walking barefoot down soft pathways, and drinking the spring water rushing down the side of a mountain.

Once we actually moved near my grandparents, I never wasted an opportunity to explore a river, creek, or mountain.  I love the beauty of the mountains as I look out every window of my home.

 My boys...2001

 My mom's house is nestled in these mountains about 5 miles away.

 Jordan and Seth near my mom's house in 1999

Maybe it reminds me of my childhood, but there is something simple in the beauty of the mountains.  When we lived in the city, my dad talked often of his home.  I remember how excited he was when we finally moved back to his "home" when I was 10 years old.

Seth and Tia went hiking nearby a couple of weeks ago.  It was a cold day, but the mountains are still beautiful in the middle of winter.

 Crazy kids...

p.s.  Mike figured out that blogger is having trouble using the updated version of internet explorer.  So, that is why I could not upload any pictures.  It still isn't fixed, so I'm using something different at the moment.  Thanks for all the comments.

Merry Christmas!

For many years I've always had a Christmas picture to go along with a Christmas card.  I didn't get one this year.  For one, I was just overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and unprepared to get it all done before we left for Hawaii.  For another...I have 2 married adult children for the first time!  I really didn't know how to handle that.  They are now part of their own little family of two...for now.  I guess it is possible they could be a family of three next year, but I doubt it.  It'll cause me to be just as unprepared next year.

Christmas was pleasant.  My husband did all the Christmas shopping.  I just wrapped the gifts.  I love him for that.  I hate to shop; it ranks the same level as a root canal with me.  We had some unique gifts from Hawaii from Jordan, and we had a dangerous gift from Seth.  It is always interesting here.

The girls were excited as usual.  Jack was his usual calm self.

See what I mean by dangerous?  Seth didn't get this from the kids section, either.  As you can tell, she has already used it to chop some brush away from the path to her fort in the woods.  She loves it.  She wears it on her belt.  I drew a line when we went out to dinner last night.  She had to leave it at home.

Ivy is enjoying getting to know her keyboard.  Eva and Joy play on it, too.

Jack and his sister got into a gunfight in the living room. 

Eva got a new Marine uniform from Jordan.

And since Jordan wasn't with us this year, again, we skyped Christmas Eve and Christmas afternoon.  Her sweetheart is away, so she spent Christmas alone with her dog.  I don't feel too badly for her because she got to go here:

And, to be honest, I am so glad that she didn't take me on this hike.  I do not like heights at all.  I get nervous because all it takes is one stumble and I'm over the edge and gone.  No thanks.  My stomach gets all queasy when I look at these pictures.

And for all those who are sick of my Hawaii pictures, you can leave now....

Still here?  I just wanted to post so Jack's family and friends can see some underwater pictures of the shark cage.  We have a video and I snipped a few pictures from it.

Jack and Jordan are the ones with the black wetsuits on.

The funny thing about this picture is that the men on the boat would throw a red water bottle out to attract the sharks.  I guess that is better than bloody, stinky, chum.  Anyway, the bottle had my husband's company logo on it.  I thought that was funny that this water bottle was in Hawaii.  I don't even have one with his company logo...

Notice how Jordan made sure her feet were not sticking out of that cage?  I don't blame her.

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Home

Since Jack wanted to snorkel one more time, we woke up by 7:00 to make the long drive through traffic to reach the bay. 

Every time we went somewhere, the traffic was heavy.  That is the one thing about Oahu that I didn't like.  I'm not a crowds person.  I prefer the slower paced life, and it reflects in my children.  Even Jack commented that he preferred a certain area of Hawaii over another because of the crowds.  He doesn't like big cities at all.

The first time we went Hanauma Bay, we were rained on.  This time, we had a few episodes of sprinkles, but it was a beautiful day there, and Jack got plenty of snorkeling in.

The water was beautiful.  Even though I didn't snorkel, I did get in the water to above my knees because I was so hot.  As I walked toward the coral, I could see the striped fish.  It was really a neat experience; one that I am not familiar with.  I'm glad Jordan shared it all with Jack.

I thought I could get a nap at the beach like we did on Waikiki, but I guess I wasn't that tired.  After showering and gathering our bags, Jordan dropped us off at the airport for the long flights home.  We had a 3 hour layover in Houston.  With traffic, it took us 4 hours to get home after we arrived in Charlotte.  So, I was awake for over 30 hours.  It reminded me of all of our trips to China.  I didn't sleep on the plane then, either.  I was so glad to see my husband and girls.  I slept for over 13 hours my first night home. 

The best part of Hawaii, was being with Jordan.  If I just stayed in her house the whole week I visited, I would have been happy.  I really do not like going over a year without seeing her in the flesh, but that is life in the Navy.  Now, I'll start my countdown to her wedding in July.  And, I'll finally get to meet my son-in-law.

Eternity...From Here...

So, this morning was a morning of rest.  I ate Christmas cookies and coffee for breakfast.  Just before noon, we headed out to the post office on the Navy base so Jordan could send out her Christmas presents.  The post office did not even open until 12:00 p.m.  When we arrived there, we were about number 1,000 in line. It really took us 90 minutes to get her packages sent.

We decided to go to a famous beach here in Honolulu.  Well, it is only famous to us older folk, though.  Remember the movie, "From Here To Eternity"?  It starred Burt Lancaster in 1953?  Sound familiar?  So, here is the beach scene from the movie.  Jack and I walked along those rocks in the background.  He and Jordan swam right there in that same, small spot.

I thought about redoing this iconic scene while I was there; but Burt Lancaster is dead, and my husband was still in Virginia.  Maybe next time.  But, Jack, Jordan, and I enjoyed the little beach with about 25 other beach goers.

We had to walk down, then up this hillside.

The water was very beautiful.  Too bad that movie was done in black and white.  No one ever got to see the gorgeous turquoise and blue/green water.

Sunday and Monday in Hawaii

On Sunday we headed to the bay for a day of snorkeling.  It was a bit overcast, but I hoped it would clear up.  We arrived by 8:30-9:00 am, and it was not real warm.  The pictures do not show the beauty of the bay because of the clouds. We actually got caught in a downpour as we gathered our things and headed up the mountain to the truck. We are hoping to go back again this week before we head for home.  The weather is supposed to only get better.

 There were quite a few of these crabs on the rocks near the water.

I did not get in the water past my ankles on Sunday.  I did not have the luxury of a wet suit.  

This morning, we went to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  But, I know me.  I knew I would cry.  I got choked up thinking about it before I even left the house.

This is the actual anchor from the ship, weighing almost 20,000 pounds

USS Bowfin

There were a couple of WWII veterans signing books.  I could sit for hours talking to these men.  I am sure they are a wealth of information and have so much to share.  

This was the dock for the ship.  There were empty docks where the other ships were docked before the bombing.

The memorial lies across the sunken ship just below the surface.

Part of the ship is above the water; it is still leaking oil 70 years later.

Inside, the list of servicemen who died.

Nearby, sits the USS Missouri where the Japanese signed their surrender.

Jordan had to go to work after lunch.  She works about 30 minutes north of her home.

Jack and I braved the Hawaiian traffic and headed to the west side of the island.  I love GPS.