It's May; one week down

Not sure what to blab about tonight. Just home, my honey is at work, still hate these nights. I am doing ok, just watching tv and going on Facebook. Currently watching Hustle & Flow - sad movie mang. Even if he ended up on the radio, you can't fully rise up while maintaining a 'hood mentality. That's just the truth.

We celebrated my boo's birthday on Thursday (and Friday). We ate lunch buffet at Makino Chaya and dinner at The Yardhouse. We napped, and he got to surf a little. I got him a watch and his favorite cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. We extended our celebration by visiting his family last night, and watching a late showing of Iron Man 2. I generally really dislike seeing movies on opening day because I don't like crowds or waiting (lol) but occasionally I'll do it for my honey. It was kinda worth it, and not as bad as it could've been as far as crowds. Good sequel, not necessarily better than the first, like people have said. Not sure how I feel about Cheadle in the mix, but at least he's not racist. *cough*terrencehoward*cough*

As for American Idol, the last two eliminations have been long overdue. No one on the show has a "bad" voice, but Siobhan and Aaron are not artists in the way the winner of the show should be. Aaron is young; he's got skills and time to develop them. Siobhan can blow but she also would need time to diversify and develop. I'm still routing for Crystal and Lee the most. Casey is ok, but not quite star material. Mike will undoubtedly do something after the show...maybe an album...hopefully broadway.

Gotta get ready for bed soon so I'm rested for church. Last Sunday was awesome. We had missed two weeks in a row, and that never feels good. The message was great - about reading the Bible as a worship, not just discipline. Then the time with the kids was forced inside by rainy weather. We played a game inside and got to break into small groups, which is my favorite time. The other girl and I just kept all the girls in one group, rather than two, which I also like. The subject of demonic oppression via night terrors or even while just trying to sleep came up. Very interesting to see who has experienced it and who hasn't. There's fear in those who haven't experienced it, and almost an unhealthy ignorance about it from those who have. I hope it's something we can continue to dialogue about to educate each other and just make sure it's not dealt with alone for anyone.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas! You are blessed and a blessing!

Still looking for my Turtle...

Having a rough time

Well my cat is still missing back in Lynnwood. I've been off of work, which has allowed me to let it out a little more. Overall, I can only describe myself as in a daze. I am sad and I don't know what to do with myself half the time. I need distraction from my emotions but I don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. I'm not giving up on life but I am struggling to lose the battle with discouragement and isolation. My husband got me out in the water today, which was probably a good thing. I had fun longboarding and doing silly tricks, I the weight in my chest never really goes away. (And it won't until we have a resolution to this whole thing.) We called the local vets in my mom's area and no Turtle, but a couple of them let us email pics and info about him, so that's one more step to spreading the word, and many more eyes on the lookout.

The day was not complete without my honey dropping our house key down an elevator shaft - luckily not my wedding ring which was also in his hand! Then I hit our rear fender on a corner in the parking garage. Then I dropped burger grease on my new favorite dress at dinner.

One of those days I guess...

I honestly am hating being so far from home right now (and any time something is going wrong over there). I can't wait to move back. I don't think I'm made to be away. As much as it can be nice to have so much more time with my husband and just having the ocean as a playground, I want to be near our parents and other loved ones.

~ ~ ~

We're still trying to focus on getting pregnant. I don't know how I'll keep from talking about it once it happens but I'll do my best until I'm in the "safe zone." And on another more positive note, I have been reading my Bible pretty much every single day for over a week now. That is a great achievement for me, because consistency in the Word has always been a struggle for me. A big thanks to one of my besties for sending me a link YouVersion.com where you can choose a reading plan to fit your goals in reading through the Bible. I don't know if it's the checklist that gets me or what but I am reading and drawing closer to Him which is what I need more than ever right now.

Drooping

Wanted to tell the tale of my epic surf session yesterday... but now I just wanna go home.... I think... Oh wait, I don't have an extra $800!

Long story short, my cat back home is missing. Maybe two days is a short time, but it's not normal behavior and it's scaring the sh*t outta me. I cried my eyes out and still can't fall asleep. My husband tenderly keeps telling me to be positive but the closest to positive I can get is numb. All other conversation is blah blah blah. I don't wanna be told "it's gonna be ok" when ok doesn't necessarily mean I get my cat back.

I'm exhausted, and will now go another night of restless sleep. That's getting old. I need some real rest. I'm working way more hours than usual this week and my feet are aching. I want to get away. I want to slip under the radar for a while. I wanna go home and find my cat. I am angry that he's missing, blaming everyone I can think of. My guilt for leaving him is rising like wildfires in my chest.

I'll be spending a lot of time in the Word and in my hubby's arms...

I really should be sleeping

I am scheduled to work at 5:30am, which is only 5.5 hours from now, which actually means I have a chance of getting 4.5 hours of sleep at the most at this point. I can't sleep when my husband isn't here. I hate night shifts! It's getting worse for me, trying to sleep and failing until the wee hours of the morning. Not simply because I miss him, but because of course I'm less secure when he's not sleeping next to me, and I really can't explain what other trouble it causes me. I just can't go to sleep until I'm super tired and I knock out hard. Sucks.

And in these wee hours I think and think and think...

I miss home (Seattle). I miss my cat, my family, my friends. I miss my favorite restaurants. I miss my sweat pants and thick blankets. I miss dancing on Wednesday nights, and rehearsing last minute for fun performances. I miss early Saturday meetings & bible studies that always run later than they're supposed to.

I try to deny these things. I can't. I don't want to be ungrateful for the life I have here. I mean, I live in a place that some people wait their whole lives to spend a week or retire here. There's sun, surf, beaches, ocean, palm trees, entertainment, culture. I will miss it when we go back, but home is home, and home is Seattle.

But while I'm here I should be savoring it and diving in. I got the beach and surf part down. And I'm tasting the best of O'ahu I'm sure. I need accountability to get involved in my church, community and some sort of dance scene.

Oh boy, now let's try and sleep...

It's been funky

I have been in a sort of funk for the past week or so. I realized my fatigue was because I was about to get sick. Sick I was for 2-3 days. Of course, this was perfect timing for my new job. I've worked two shifts now, and things are going well. I like the atmosphere and I've worked with only 2 other co-workers so far (not counting my boss, and the girl who just had her last day). I'm anxious to finish all my training and get into a groove at work - y'know, when it flows and you don't have to think so hard about your every move.

I also can't wait until those paychecks start coming in...mm-hm...

I'm not sick anymore, but my congestion is either a lingering part of my illness or I'm going through some allergies or a/c is murdering my sinuses. We don't have a/c in our apartment, but it's almost everywhere else...bah.

I'm still feeling a little out of sorts emotionally/mentally but felt more at ease after getting outside and spending some quality time with my hubby at the beach and eating dinner tonight. We wanted Indian, but Maharani Indian Restaurant (awesome reviews) was packed and out of naan. We know to go there a little earlier and probably not on a Friday night. So we circled back to a Thai restaurant, Chiang-Mai, since I still haven't got my fix for that yet either. Sadly, the curry portions was sad, and overall the palette experience is not one we plan on repeating.

Our vacation club gives a certain number of points per year and 1/2 but ours are set to expire 8/31/09 - AH! We're trying to use them up asap, and are even willing to stay somewhere on the same island, just to not let them go to waste. Maui is our goal but we'll see. We're even considering selling them, it's just that it's very last minute for anyone who would be interested in buying of course. Guess we should've jumped on this sooner. Oops.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I wish I had been there. She did get my gifts I sent her on time though, which is always good because you never know about that usps. I wish I could use my time share points for a plane ticket home! Especially since my cat, Turtle, is now living at my mom's and after day-2 her cat is still a little aggressive towards mine. We'll need to have more patience with the lil animals, but I don't want it to escalate to an actual cat fight. So far, nothing dramatic, but my poor cat is definitely stressed out there so far. My poor baby!!

*Good night TV Land*

First Aloha Blog Post!

Wow, I finally got this going! I'll include many pics here & videos sometimes too. This blog is mostly intended to keep people back home updated with as much as I can post. In no way do I want this to replace personal messages or phone calls or webcam chats or etc. I value my Seattle family and as much as possible, I don't want distance to keep us from growing together.

Where to start...

I arrived Saturday 7/18/09, greeted aloha style with leis by my husband and RJ (his lil cousin). We stayed at his Uncle's that night so I could say hi to family. The next day is when I was first introduced to our new living space in Waikiki - a condo we're renting on the 27th floor of a building overlooking the Ala Wai Canal with views of the ocean [Above 2 pics: view of Waikiki, canal at sunset]. My honey picked a great building, very secure and it even has a parking garage and pool. *Thanks babe! ;)

We're settled now in our condo, which catches so much Hawaiian breeze that we don't need aircon. Various pics of our place are on my FB mobile albums uploads.

I am loving the temp and the beach. Most people know that I have issues retaining body heat, but that's not usually a problem here. I admit to wearing sweatshirts a few times a week, but hey, wutyugonnado?

[ Pic: 1st rainbow I saw since I moved here :)]

We've been attending New Hope O'ahu for the past couple weeks - a very large multi-campus church. The services are great but we're not set on staying yet. Searching and praying for a church that doesn't necessarily have to be smaller but very inviting and where we feel that call and welcome to serve.

We're keeping in touch with family in Seattle and making time for family here when we can. We even can pick fresh mangos from Uncle's tree! [Pic to the right] On 7/20 we celebrated J's Grandma's 81st birthday! [Pic above left] She seriously has more energy than me.

So now I'm looking for a part-time job with a flexible schedule (limited Sunday hrs, off by 5 always). I'm blessed to be able to stand pretty firm in that request since my husband has a good career. Praise 'im! I did get hired at as a barista at an impromptu interview on my BiRtHdAy [Pics below], however, as I spent time orienting for a full shift, this overbearing corporate coffee may clash with my liberal coffee culture lifestyle. This is another prayer point of course. 

 

[Pics: Waikiki fireworks, Fort Mall store, a collections of bday love, dinner at Todai]
 

Overall, adjusting to life here hasn't been too abrupt, except for not having my dearest family and friends and cat directly at my side. I'm trying to send a few postcards out every week so make sure I have your address so I don't skip you! :) I can see that making new friends and connections is going to take time, and a big thank you to those who have been referring me to people they know. I really appreciate that and will take the time to get in touch hopefully starting this coming week (or maybe after I get a job for sure). One other thing I'm lacking is daaaaancing. I'm getting exercise swimming, walking, trying to surf, and little home toning workouts but y'all know I gots t'dance!

Well it's real late now. Say ALOHA to Stitch! He's my homie and will be accompanying me in many pics.

♥AH HUI HOU♥