So there IS more...

Because I like to begin my posts with pictures, I share with you a sunset on the North Shore...this is how we spent Valentine's Day. I'm sure there will be many more of these to share with you in the future. A little random, but I just had to share...

We've started to figure out that there is a little more to this island than pasty-white tourists on Waikiki Beach (yeah, I know, WE still fall into that category right now). Besides familiarizing ourselves with the base amenities, our explorations thus far have taken us to several beautiful areas on the island.

The Eastern, or Windward side of the island, is really incredible. The H-3 (Oahu has three highways...numbered one through three) winds through a mountain valley and it is a really spectacular experience, leaving the drier, Western (or Leeward) side of the island, and all of a sudden being in what I can only describe as a rainforest. We went from sunny and 80 degrees to a misty rain and 70 degrees within seconds! I cannot even describe in words the beauty of the mountains here, especially those on the Windward side, with the clouds hovering just around the tops...AMAZING!! The rain didn't make for great picture weather, so I will post pictures of this area as soon as the weather cooperates.

Our second weekend here, we ventured out to the Diamond Head area and snorkeled Hanauma Bay. It was great! The water is a gorgeous, turquoise color and there are so many different colored fish and coral. It was a little cold...85 degrees outside, but a cloudy sky made it seem much cooler. We bought our own snorkeling equipment at the Navy Exchange, and with free admission for military to Hanauma Bay, we will certainly make snorkeling a regular activity in the Baker household. Still waiting for a sea turtle or whale sighting, though...

Side note on water creatures: the only thing I've seen in the water that was large enough to get really excited about was what I THOUGHT was a whale. Blaine and I were enjoying lunch on the water's edge at one of the base restaurants a few days after our arrival. The water's edge we were at was actually Pearl Harbor. As we are eating lunch, this large, whale-shaped thing appeared out of nowhere in the water...it was a SUBMARINE! Neither Blaine nor I have ever seen a submarine in real life, but there it was...just carrying on like no big deal! And I saw another one about a week later! Seriously?! It was pretty cool.

We also went to the farmer's market in Haleiwa last weekend. Haleiwa is a small, surfing town on the North Shore. Their farmer's market was a little smaller than Charleston's, but was still really neat. I love that everyone here is into eating healthy foods...it makes it so much easier for us to stick to a healthy diet. And the fresh pineapple is awesome!! There are several farmer's markets on the island, as well...we plan on visiting them soon. I really don't think the mountain views will ever get old...you can see them from the Haleiwa farmer's market! And did I mention our trip down memory lane?? This farmer's market has boiled peanuts, just like our beloved Charleston! Another thing that is really popular here is Hawaiian Shaved Ice. I'm sure you all have seen what I refer to as "snowcone stands" where you're from, but here, they are a BIG deal! I think it has something to do with all of the extras you can add to them...we just got plain, flavored ones...no weird toppings this time around.
Haleiwa is also where the infamous North Shore waves are found. I have to say that the North Shore is my favorite area so far. The waves are incredible and the beaches are not crowded at all! This might be attributed to the fact that you can't swim at some of the beaches because of the enormous waves. But what a gorgeous area!! And we also found some great Mexican food in Haleiwa with even greater margaritas! That's all I really need to be content. :)

And for those friends thinking of adding Hickam AFB to your wishlist of places to move to...I will say that the views from here are incredible! The base is so pretty...the streets are all lined with palm trees, you can see mountains from anywhere on base, and the private beach is wonderful! There's even a bar and grill on the beach so that you can enjoy a Mai Tai while you sunbathe. I think I could get used to this!

I have been writing this post in segments at a time...so much to share since I wrote the previous paragraph. I have been taking scuba diving classes this week and will be a certified diver on Sunday! More to come on that... AND, I think we found the perfect place to rent off-base while we're waiting for base housing...and I think you, our future guests, will find it as amazing as we do! DEFINITELY more on that in the near future. We just looked at it tonight, and if all goes well, we will move in soon!

You can bet on more pictures and updates soon. Miss and love you all!!

We Made It!

We made it!! After many months of preparation, packing, and paperwork, we are now Oahu’s newest residents. And what an adventure it has been…

We began the moving process in August, right after receiving word that we would be relocating to Hawaii. Believe it or not, the most time consuming (and stressful) part of this move was not our household goods shipment…it beat us here by three days; it wasn’t our car shipment….it should be here in the next day or so; it was actually getting Blaze and Holly here! Hawaii is a rabies-free island, so they are very particular about whom they grant entry. I have devoted the last six months to making sure our dogs would be allowed on the island, with many visits to the vet and LOTS of paperwork (and money). I must also mention that the military vet in San Antonio, who was supposed to do the health certificates, informed us the day before our appointment (two days before we were to fly out) that they were not qualified to complete health certificates! That was fun. Thanks to my hometown civilian vet, who was AWESOME and scheduled us at the last minute, we got them done just in time. A couple of microchips, rabies vaccinations, blood tests, health certificates, and 30 hours of being cooped up in their kennels later…..AND our flight was delayed and our dogs showed up at the quarantine station in Hawaii AFTER HOURS. Huge disappointment! Normally, they would have had to spend the night there and undergo inspection the following morning. But, Blaine pleaded with the agent and she let them come home with us that day! Needless to say, we have been giving them extra loving after all they had to go through. Poor babies. All is well now, and they are sleeping peacefully as I write.

Our actual flights out here were very nice and didn’t seem as long as I thought they would be. Our first flight was from Austin to Sacramento…we upgraded the tickets to first-class. It was great. The dogs were under the seats in front of us while we sipped on our Bloody Mary’s and had a yummy lunch. It was during this flight that it really hit me. We were moving. And to a far-away place! I was overcome with emotion…reading Glenn Beck’s Christmas Sweater during this flight didn’t help things. I cried the ENTIRE flight. Blaine laughed while I tried to hide it…and I’m sure the other passengers were wondering what was wrong with the basket-case woman in seat 4A.

After a night at Travis AFB, CA (which I would recommend to anyone…nice place!), we headed to the passenger terminal to board our military-contract flight to Hawaii. Here, we also pleaded with the airmen on duty to let us carry Blaze and Holly on, but to no avail, they had to go in a separate compartment. I felt much better, though, when they reassured me that they were going to be in the same cabin, just separated from us by a wall. The DC-8 plane that we were on has a space for cargo in the front (near the cockpit) and seating in the back. The dogs went in the front instead of down below with the baggage, which was much more comforting. The flight attendants even checked on them and gave them water throughout the flight. Blaze charmed one of the flight attendants to the point that she wanted to take him home with her! Our flight was a Space-A flight, and most of the 32 passengers were retirees heading to Hawaii for vacation. They had lots of good advice for us, which was very nice. This flight was just like first-class; with meals, drinks, and plenty of leg room. Leaving the mainland and being over the Pacific made the move seem even more real and made me think about how much I already miss Charleston and my friends there. Cue the Bloody Mary’s again…I had SIX to ease my anxiety.

Arriving in Hawaii, I was overwhelmed with how gorgeous it is! I couldn’t believe the 80 degrees of tropical weather that hit me when I stepped off the plane. And the palm trees! They are much taller and tropical-looking than those in Charleston. I wasn’t expecting mountains either…but they’re here, too! It’s really amazing. I felt as though we were in St. Lucia on our honeymoon again. Our sponsor from the squadron met us at the airport and, as Hawaiian custom goes, presented us with leis. REAL leis! Mine was made out of beautiful, fragrant, fuschia-colored orchids and Blaine’s was made out of seashells, leaves, and kukui nuts (see picture at top). They’re not the cheap silk-flower ones I’m used to. I was very impressed! We spent our first two nights at Hotel Renew on Waikiki Beach. Very nice! And pet-friendly!! The hotel even provided a dog bed filled with treats, food, a dog bowl, and a magazine called Island Dog. We soaked up a few rays on Waikiki, had some P.F. Chang’s for dinner, did some people-watching…we came up with a new game which is very easy to play here. It’s simple…you get 10 points for every guy you see in a Speedo…20 points if he’s over 50! ;) Waikiki is very touristy and not my kind of place. We’re looking forward to seeing the rest of the island to figure out what Oahu is REALLY all about!

I’m writing from TLF now…our temporary lodging facility. It’s in a nice neighborhood on base, and very spacious. It has two floors, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. It’s okay for now…but we really can’t get settled here. The housing office told us they can guarantee us a brand new house on base…in AUGUST. In the meantime, we have to find something off-base. The good news is that the AF will move our things to base in August so we won’t have to worry about it this time! We are going to do some house-hunting and island-exploring (I promise to have more pictures posted) in the next few days. And who knows? We may like our place off-base so much that we won’t want to move back on base this summer. Either way, we will have a place for you to stay if you’d like to visit!!

And, now, for the most difficult part of all. I can’t finish this blog entry without writing about it. I miss my family! And I miss you girls in Charleston! I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking of you all. In all honesty, I’m crying like a big baby right now! Of course, I will see my family and friends in Texas again soon, which makes it a little easier being so far away from them. But I won’t see you girls nearly as often. I hate that I won’t be there to celebrate all of the upcoming births, or see my favorite little ones grow up. I know I will make new friends here, but you girls hold such a special place in my heart. I wish you could all be here with me…it’s the only thing that would make this the perfect assignment. I’m always really uneasy about starting something new…and THIS is NEW! And I know it will be fine. But it doesn’t make it any easier or make me miss any of you any less. I love you all so much!! I will keep in touch! And I hope to see you all again real soon...

Three Posts in One!!

Okay...I've been really bad about not blogging lately, and I'm kind of getting tired of looking at the same post each time I open my blog! So, in an attempt to catch up, I am going to post three different events all in one! Beginning from the most recent happenings...

We've had so much fun this past weekend, from family and friends visiting, to attending a beautiful wedding, and then ending it with a celebration of Blaine's birthday. This was our last weekend of a very long string of busy weekends filled with guests coming to us and us being out of town. Of course, we wouldn't trade any of that for the world!

To begin our fun-filled weekend, Blaine's Uncle Jim and Aunt Louise visited Thursday (Nov. 7th) and Friday (Nov. 8th). Blaine enjoyed a perfect-weather day of golfing with his uncle on Friday while his aunt and I strolled around downtown Charleston to take in some sights and shopping. Our dear friends, Aaron and Jessie, arrived late Friday night and stayed through Monday. We all attended the wedding of our friends, Will and Alisa, but not before Blaine and Aaron made time to tailgate The Citadel game while Jessie and I pampered ourselves with pedicures! The wedding took place at The Citadel, followed by a beautiful reception at Magnolia Gardens. We had such a great time!

We celebrated Blaine's birthday on November 11th (yes, Veteran's Day), but extended the celebration into the 12th since we spent most of his actual birthday repacking our storage unit. We did make time to have dinner at Tsunami's and dessert on Market Street, but I insisted on making a meal at home, complete with a birthday cake (cupcakes), the following night. Happy Birthday, Blaine!!

We spent Halloween weekend in Nashville for the Airlift/Tanker Association convention. The convention takes place over four days at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The picture to the left is of just one of their atriums...the place is massive! I imagine this hotel has it's own zip code. The real reason we were invited to the convention for the second time is because Blaine was on the championship "Crud" team two years ago. If any of you don't know what this made up game is, let me just say that it involves a pool table, two pool balls, and lots of seriously dangerous person-to-person contact. Just ask Blaine about his injuries from this year's tournament! And some of these guys are serious about their crud!! Unfortunately, Team Charleston did not set the record and win for the third year in a row, but we all still had a blast!

And, of course, the Razorback Rumble must have face-time on our blog! This year was the third annual rumble, taking place the weekend of October 16th-18th. This rumble was special as we celebrated Will and Alisa's upcoming wedding (see first event within this post) with a wedding shower. They already had several showers, so we had quite a unique shower for them...an "Outer-Inner Space Shower". Guests showered them with gifts for their home, as well as for the outdoors. And the theme? Outer space, of course! We went all out with "outer space" foods, and I made a "moon cake with alien cupcakes"! We also had a darts tournament and a beer tasting event the same night. We had 14 different beers, brought by different people. The labels were covered and each beer was numbered. Contestants rated each beer on taste, texture, and smell. They also had to identify the type of beer. There was a tie for favorite beer between Mothership Wit and Tsingtao...and Blaine won the trophy for identifying 10 out of 14 beers correctly!

We tailgated the Clemson game on Saturday, although the weather was not very nice. It was so cold and rainy, but we made the best of it. You know the weather must have been bad if I didn't even bother to take out my camera to capture memories of this day! :) As always, there was a cornhole tournament that went so long we had to finish it at a friend's house later that night! We usually end the Razorback Rumble with an Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Walhalla, but decided against it this year due to the rain and mud. I think having homemade chicken noodle soup at Parker and Will's mom's house while the guys finished playing cornhole was a much better choice anyway! Thank you, Ellen, for the yummy food!!

Now you all know that we have been alive and well for the past several months! Stay tuned for more posts (I will do a better job of keeping up) throughout the holidays!!

After many visits to the farmer's market in Marion Square, I have been inspired to copy :) one of the photographer's work by taking some of my own shots of initials around Charleston. These are some initials I found hidden throughout the gorgeous iron work downtown!

You Mean We Have To Pack AGAIN???

I'm not sure of the best way to share news with all of our loved ones at the same time besides this blog...so, here we go. We are moving to Hawaii in January!! Yes, you read that right. Even though we have been expecting news on our next military move, we were not exactly expecting the news to come so soon..and we weren't sure of exactly where we were going. That said, we are very excited and are looking forward to this new adventure! Although our military friends understand, this has been bittersweet for us in having to tell them that we're leaving. We have met some incredible people in Charleston and hold those friendships very dear to our hearts. One of the great things about the military, though, is knowing we will run into each other again some day soon...and the existence of Space A flights so that we can see each other whenever they want!! :)

For the remainder of our time here, I have found the PERFECT job! Obviously, I cannot take a full-time teaching position as I would have liked to, knowing that I will only be here for half of a school year. Instead, I have taken a long-term substitute position...at Stratford High, where I did my student-teaching...for one of the science teachers who will be on maternity leave...and the job will last for about three months (exactly what I need with the timeframe we are working with)...AND I will be working under my cooperating teacher and mentor! I am so excited about going back to a school where I feel completely comfortable and know everyone already. Of course, it would be nice to still live five minutes from the school, but I guess I can't have everything! :)

We will certainly be busy over the next few months with making arrangements for the big move, but not too busy for our family and friends. The message you all should take from this...come visit Charleston while we're still here!! Or, start making arrangements for your vacation to Hawaii... :)

Honolulu Bay

Hickam Air Force Base housing (not sure yet where we'll actually live)

Our Life Downtown...

We're enjoying downtown Charleston...but STILL unpacking and getting settled. After a pretty tough move that we couldn't have done without some great friends, we are really enjoying our new place, although Blaine was only here a week before leaving for a trip. He'll have plenty of time to enjoy it, though. :)

Since being downtown, we have tried several new restaurants and have become a little too comfortable with the Charleston Beer Exchange. You can get "growlers" of draught beer at the Exchange, each holding enough beer to fill 5-6 pint glasses. We have already taken advantage of this several times, since it's just a short walk down the street! We decided we will have to lay some ground rules so that we don't get lazy and eat out every night. That's going to be very hard to do while being just blocks away from some of Charleston's best restaurants!

I have been to the Farmer's Market in Marion Square the past two Saturdays and I can't see it ever getting old. I met Rachel P and Andrea M, along with their kiddos, there this past weekend and we all took advantage of the awesome weather and had a great time! We even went by Three Dog Bakery, where I picked up some puppy "ice cream" for Blaze and Holly. I think they liked their new treat!!

I've also started a photography class so that I can get to know my new camera. So far, I'm liking the class and learning more than I ever would just by reading the manual. My friend, Michelle T, is also taking the class with me. Here are a few shots of a gate near our house...I was practicing with the light and dark settings on the camera.

Blaine will be home from his trip soon, so I hope to have some more interesting pictures to share with all of you! Stay tuned for more downtown happenings...

10 Years Ago...

10 years ago...I had little responsibility and a whole lot of questions as to what the future had in store for me. Yes, 10 years ago, I had just graduated from high school and was venturing out into an unknown world. If you look closely at the cake picture, you can see me laying across the bench in our class photo, front and center! Who...me? Center of attention?? :)

A few weeks ago, Blaine and I flew to Texas to partake in my 10 year reunion and my hometown's annual celebration...the one and only Elgin Western Days festival! For our reunion, I consulted several old friends and we came up with a plan and started contacting people. After so many years, it can be difficult to find everyone, but Facebook was a huge help! Now, you all know that I don't use Facebook, but that didn't stop me from hacking into my sister's and my friend, Whitney M's, Facebook pages to find the email addresses needed to spread the word! We held the reunion at a local venue, Krystal Falls, owned by the family of one of our classmates, Krystal S. We had our reunion catered by Southside Market and BBQ, also owned by the family of one of our classmates, Brittney W. In a small town like Elgin, everyone knows everyone! We had a good turnout of about 50 people (out of a class of 119) and had a great time catching up. The location was beautiful, the food was yummy (ahh, good ol' Texas BBQ), and flipping through the old yearbook was a blast!

The next morning, as tradition holds, we rode on a float in the Elgin Western Days parade! Whitney M's family lent us a trailer and we pulled it behind my dad's truck. We didn't have a driver, so Blaine graciously offered to drive for us. Little did I know that this was Blaine's first parade to ride in, let alone drive in!! He was great and did an awesome job following the horses in front of us. :) Since we had to wait for two hours in line before the parade started, we decided to decorate the float during that time. Now, we showed up with an empty trailer, some streamers, balloons, a couple of signs, and a bunch of lawn chairs! Would you believe we ACTUALLY WON 1ST PLACE in the local division!? I think the judges may have taken pity on us, although our float was pretty awesome! Notice Aleshia H holding our 1st place ribbon at the back of the float! Way to go EHS Class of 1999!!

Another fun fact about Elgin is that everyone has their class reunions on Western Days weekend. My mom also had her 35 year class reunion and she, too, rode in the parade! She's the one with the sunglasses next to the really enthusiastic guy!

We spent our last day in Texas doing one of the things I miss most about home...tubing the river! It was a beautiful day and the river was packed. We took our time on the river, enjoying the company of my sister, Andie; cousin, Jason; and friends, Tammy D and Danny D. We had a great, although too short, visit with family and friends!

Mrs. Baker...South Carolina's newest biology teacher!

What a week! After enjoying a few days of down time (or should I say days of running around like crazy trying to get things ready for the graduation weekend) with Blaine, we kicked off the weekend's festivities when my family arrived at the airport Friday (May 8th) afternoon for my graduation. Everyone was anxious to get to the beach house we rented on Isle of Palms to kick back, relax, and let the partying begin. The house was beautiful and just a short walk from the beach, which made for an awesome stay.

Friday night, we were lucky enough to have Cross Canadian Ragweed play just down the street from us at The Windjammer! The concert was great, and we were surrounded by family and lots of friends from our squadron. CCR is one of our favorite bands from the good 'ole Texas Country days...it's like they came here just for us!

Saturday was a day of relaxation, family, and friends...with a heart-felt toast led by Blaine, followed by an awesome pool/beach party! We are so blessed to have great family and friends..and even more grateful that many of them were able to join us on Saturday in celebration of my graduation. We enjoyed the pool and the beach...and later, the hot tub when Elijah figured out how to turn it on. :)

Sunday, the big day, was rainy and not so great for taking outdoor pictures. We managed to get a few indoors, though. The actual graduation ceremony was nice, and, although I won't admit it in person, I felt a great sense of pride as I walked across the stage. Another goal achieved! I was so thankful to have my family there with me on this important day. Thank you guys for being so supportive and loving!! I would not be where I am today without your influence on my life.

Degree in hand, and lots of goodbye hugs later, Blaine and I found ourselves enjoying the beach house...and the beach...and lots of mimosas with Jordan and Christina! Our "staycation" was great! We really felt like we had vacationed somewhere far away, while only being 30 minutes from home. I could get used to beach living...

Welcome Home Blaine!!

He's home!! Blaine came home today from his deployment to Southwest Asia. The past few days have been filled with excitement, nervousness, and just being anxious for today to come. I spent most of last night calling other spouses, updating them with the many time changes regarding today's homecoming. Not to mention the calls I made early this morning while getting ready, too. :) After all of the details were squared away, we all arrived at the passenger terminal on base about an hour before the plane's arrival. Some of the spouses brought food, but most of us were too anxious to eat, although the food was very yummy after the plane arrived and the butterflies were contained. I brought the makings for mimosas, which we discreetly poured so that the base personnel wouldn't spoil our fun! They were just what we needed while waiting!

It was so good to see Blaine walking toward me...one of my friends said she saw Blaine and turned around to look for me. She said I was jumping up and down and doing a little "dance"..,just full of excitement. It was fun to hear her account of our reunion. Maybe just as exciting as seeing your own husband, is seeing all of the other reunions. I really enjoy seeing those first hugs, especially from the children who haven't seen their parents in months.

It didn't take too long to get Blaine's bags before heading home. Blaze and Holly were SO excited to see him...they were jumping all over the place and couldn't get enough of him! It was so sweet. As predicted, I knew Blaine would want Wild Wings soon after coming home, so that's where we went for lunch. We are so happy to be back together...and we're looking forward to a couple of weeks of down time. Oh, what an awesome day!!

By the way, Blaine is sleeping right now. Otherwise, writing in our blog today would not be my first priority!