Random Thoughts from Jenn

Our Car: what is up with our van lately? Before Darrick came home, the rearview mirror fell off and so did one of the arm rests. Then it started making this really terrible squealing sound. This weekend someone backed into us in a parking lot and put a big dent in the side and yesterday we had a flat tire! I tried to fix the rearview mirror by myself while Darrick was gone by super gluing it on. But what I didn't know was that there is a button that you slide out and glue that onto the glass first then once it is dry you slide the mirror onto the button. So I basically superglued the button to the mirror...opps. Thankfully Darrick was finally able to get it loose and is going to fix the mirror today. Yesterday he also put the armrest back on, changed the belt and fixed the tire!

The CW network: One of my favorite shows is "America's Next Top Model" which is on the UPN network. When we moved to Hawaii I soon discovered that they do not have UPN here and I learned to live without my show. I have also been a very faithful viewer for many years of "7th Heaven" and "Gilmore Girls" which were on the WB which we do get in Hawaii. When it was announced that UPN and WB were merging to make CW I was so excited that I would get to watch "Top Model" again...WRONG! Hawaii is not playing the new CW network-and yes I had a freak out session, just ask Darrick! No 7th Heaven or Gilmore Girls...I thought this was paradise!

Sonya: my friend Sonya is going to have a baby. She is going to be a single mom and asked me to be her support person during labor. Well her due date was September 21 and today is the 27th and still no baby! We are just waiting for the phone to ring saying its time. We sleep with the phone by our bed in case she calls during the night, but nothing! We can't wait to meet this little guy.

It is 6:00 am in the morning here and the world is just starting to wake up, I hear the birds chirping. All the boys, including the big boy, are still sleeping and I am enjoying some quiet time by myself but it is time to get breakfast going and get ready to go to school. Have a good day everyone!

From the Chief

Hello everyone this is Darrick.
I am sorry you have not heard form us, Jenn has been asking me to update for days but I just haven't. Above is a picture of me getting my anchors. I still have a hard time believing it sometimes, I am a Chief, because after the ceremony we pulled in and I went on leave so I have not been to work as a Chief yet.

So what have we done? We have been to Shark's Cove and the Hale Koa again but this time for Friday night swimming and fire works. On Friday one of the guys I recruited with, Wade, pulled into Pearl Harbor on the USS Boxer so he went with us the the Hale Koa and then on Saturday Wade and the boys and I went to Sharks Cove and did a little driving around the Island. Yesterday Jenn had to work but Micah was off from school so the boys and I went to the Bishop Museum and spent a couple of hours in the Science Center learning about Volcanoes and Waves. We like it because we learn about how Hawaii came to be. Other than that we have hung out at home and went on evening walks and jogs around housing.

Friday I have to go back to work but as a Chief so I will try to tell you how that was.

Just spending time

It is so hard to explain in words what it is like to have your husband gone and basically out of touch and then the next day he pops back into your life and is sleeping in bed with you again. It all feels familiar but different because they boys have grown, I got a job, Micah started school and we have new routines. But we always thank the Lord for our foundation in Christ that keeps our marriage on solid ground.

We are so thankful that the boys have had no problem readjusting and are so happy Daddy is home. About 20 times a day Jacob stops and looks at Darrick and either tells him "I missed you Daddy" or "I love you". They just want to be with Darrick every single minute and go where he goes.

On Friday after we left the ship we came home and Darrick took a 3 hour nap. He had only gotten 1 1/2 hours of sleep the night before because it was his final night of iniation, so he was exhausted. Once he was up we took a walk and played. We were all in bed early after such a busy day.

Saturday late morning we went to the Hale Koa and swam in the pool. The boys had so much fun showing Daddy all they could do in the water. It was so nice to be together as a family and I enjoyed a little time on a lounge chair by myself while Darrick swam with the boys.

This morning we went to church and Darrick was welcomed back by many people who were happy to see him. Jacob and I both took naps and Micah and Darrick have been playing trains. Tomorrow Micah and I are also taking the day off from school so we can have another day together.

Homecoming Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Last Day

This is it...our last day until Darrick comes home. I woke up and instantly got butterflies in my stomach. The boys and I have been busy making banners, getting haircuts, and of course cleaning things up.

The Hopper will be going through the channel at 8:00 am so it will be a early morning for us. We are going to go to Hickam Airforce Base and watch the ship come through. Then we will hop in the van and head over to Pearl Harbor to watch the ship pull in pier side. For being on the support group board I was given a VIP parking pass so I get to park up close!

Another ship that was out to sea with the Hopper will be pulling in 1 hour after us on the same pier so there is going to be a lot of people. Plus the Navy Band, and Hula dancers, it is going to be quite a celebration!

Today is also the last day of Darrick's initation to be Chief and it is an all nighter but then in the morning before they pull in he will be pinned as Chief and will be wearing his new uniform when we see him! Congratulations Darrick.

So today the cup art goes in the fences, the banners get hung up, and all of our last minute preparations get done...I think I better shave my legs!

Getting Closer

As you can see from our ticker the time is quickly coming to an end!

I had such a good time when Becky was here, it was hard to see her go. One night my friend Sonya was able to come over and stay with the boys and we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, went shopping at the Ala Moana Mall and then hung out at Barnes and Noble. She left to go back to Michigan on Wednesday.

So we finished out our week with school and bible study on Thursday.

Friday night the boys and I relaxed and hung out and had our last movie night without Daddy. We popped popcorn and watched "Chicken Run". It is not a new movie but we had never seen it before. I also cut the front and back yards after school hoping that will be the last time before Darrick gets home.

Saturday we did some cleaning up and homecoming preparation at our house.

Today I taught preschool Sunday School at church and then we had a get together for the ship to get stuff together for the ship. We painted some banner to hang up and then made gift bags for the single sailors that live in the barracks.

Our goal this week is to get to bed on time so we are nice and rested up for Friday! Micah and I are going to take Friday and Monday off so we can spend time together as a family.

What we've been up to!

Wednesday: After school, which got out at 12:25, we went to Shark's Cove to go snorkeling. We stopped at Stordo's for lunch! We saw amazing fish and had one of the best snorkeling days ever. Then we stopped and had some shave ice with ice cream and shopped around a little. Then before we headed home we had dinner at Cholo's.

Thursday: Becky and I got pedicures and ran some errands. At night we had Bible Study at our house.

Friday: We had lunch with Micah at school for "eat lunch with your child month". We had roast turkey with gravy, vegetables, a roll, and rice. Yummy! Then after school we went down to the Hale Koa and swam and watched the fireworks.

Saturday: We had a kid's preparation party for homecoming. The kid's made lei's for their sailor out of colored noodles, that Becky and I dyed. Then my friend Sonya came over and watched the boys so Becky and I could have a girl's night out. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then went shopping, we had a great time.

Sunday: Today we went to church and then have been relaxing the rest of the day-we all took naps too!

We are having a really good time and are glad we still have a few days together!

And our guest is...

Becky (LeMahieu) Peterson! This is her 2nd visit to Hawaii to see me. At Christmas time her and her husband, Jim, came but this time it is just us girls!

She arrived safely after a long day of flying, first a 1 hour flight and then an 8 hour flight. After I got the boys in bed we had time to catch up and visit. She will be here a week!

Earthquake

Last night I was in bed messing around on the laptop computer and all of the sudden the house and my bed shook. Now being from California, I was like "That just felt like an earthquake!" but I wasn't sure if Hawaii has earthquakes.

This morning after I got up and checked the news, it said last night we had an earthquake! It was mild with a 3.2 magnitude and then they reported that no tsunami was generated by the quake. Yikes, sometimes I forget we are in the middle of the ocean!

This afternoon we are going to the airport to pick up our newest guest!

Happy Birthday Hope Chapel West Oahu!

Last Sunday HCWO celebrated its 5th birthday. After the last church service everyone was invited to stay and celebrate and everything was FREE! We had such a blast! They had 2 bouncy houses, two blow up water rides, a petting zoo, pony rides and eating games. They also had waffle dogs, which by the way were amazing, garlic fries, bentos, cake, shave ice and slushies with ice cream. They posted pictures on the website. Just go to www.hcwo.com then click on photo album and then Family Day 2006 and then slideshow. Be sure not to miss the picture of me in the food eating contest with whip cream all over my face!

Where is Darrick now?

Darrick called me last night from Hong Kong! It is so hard for me to think of him there since I have never been there and have no point of reference. He is half way through his initation and it is three weeks now until he will be home!

Day Off

Today we had the day off because it is Statehood day-the day Hawaii became a state. So the boys and I went out to lunch and then to Toys r us because they were having a big sale. While we were walking through the store Micah said "Mom, my tooth is really loose". I checked it but it was not quite ready to to pull. So we continued shopping. The next time I looked at him, he had smears of blood on his nose, cheeks and around his mouth. He had been wiggling the tooth and then touching his face. After I cleaned him up I gave it a little turn and it popped right out. It is the second tooth he has lost and they are both on the bottom front.

Today also is 4 weeks until Darrick comes home...it's the final countdown!

Happy Birthday Darrick!

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Darrick, Happy Birthday to you!"

"How old are you now? How old are you now? How old are you Darrick? How old are you now?" ANY GUESSES?

Happy Birthday Darrick! We love you so much!

We made it through the week!

This picture was taken Thursday morning-the first morning we all needed to get out the door by 7:15am. And we did it-we actually have done it successfully 2 days in a row now! After we get out the door, we first drop Jacob off at Miss Jackie's house and then second Micah and I drive to school. I first bring him to his class and then I go clock in for work and get ready for my day.

My official job is going to start on Monday. I will be going into each 3rd and 5th classroom everyday and helping the students who tested just below proficiency to try to help them meet proficiency. But this week I went around to all the grades in all the classrooms and helped out where I could. I love being back at school and in the classroom interacting with students. It is also really different for me because growing up I went to private school 1st grade thru college and when I taught before I always taught in Christian schools.

One thing that I do think that is really cool is that since 70% of the families are military every morning when the flag goes up and every afternoon when the flag goes down, they play colors and everyone on campus freezes and turns toward the flag.

My parents also left on Thursday. They were here for 3 weeks and I cannot even tell you how much they helped. We were sad to see them go but our next visitor will be here is 2 1/2 weeks...is it you?

Superheros-protecting Ashley Ave.

Robin- Jacob, Spiderman-Noah, Red Ninja-Jalen, Batman-Micah

Micah's first day in class

Ready for his first day
Micah and his teacher, Mrs. Kaneshiro
Working at his desk
In his classroom

Nine years and counting!

Today is our anniversary, wow 9 years. It has gone so quickly. About 5 minutes after I got home from work today, a florist delivered a beautiful arrangement of roses, lilies,and daisies-it is beautiful and smells so good. We got cards and some really nice emails. I wish we were together so we could celebrate together

I love you Darrick and I love sharing my life with you! Happy Anniversary Honey!

She's works hard for the money...kind of

Today was my first day at work! It was different for me to get up and get ready and then leave the house without the boys! They stayed with my mom and dad today. I have always loved school so much. There is just something about walking on campus and seeing all the kids and going into the classes that ignites a little spark in me. Today I went and helped out in all 3 of the 3rd grade classes. It was easy, and it is hard to realize that I am getting paid for it. I love interacing with students and getting to know them.

Tomorrow Micah will have his first full day of kindergarten! He is excited.

Where in the world is Matt Flint?

Matt, Darrick and I were both so excited that you responded to our blog. Darrick has been wondering how to get in touch with you.

Matt Flint was stationed with Darrick on his first ship and he is a great guy. They were best buddies on the USS Supply and I met him when I moved to New Jersey after we got married.

Matt, we would love to have you come visit. We are stationed here with Sonya Haught. She is still in contact with Bryan and he is coming out to visit the 1st week in October. Is there anyway you could make it too? It would be so fun for us to all be together again.

Please let us know how we can get a hold of you!

Today Micah had his first day of actual kindergarten. It was a half day and only half the class. He did great and said that he loves school. Praise God!

Tonight we went to the Hale Koa for a Hopper swim party but the weather was weird and it rained off and on. But the boys had fun in the pool and my parents enjoyed relaxing by the pool and walking on the shore of Waikik Beach.

All Hail the Chief!!!

Yes! Today Darrick called me and asked if I knew who it was...and I was like "yea, it's Darrick my husband" and he said, "It's DCC Selectee!" which means Damage Controlman Chief Selectee! Yes, Darrick made Chief! Throughout the entire US Navy 240 damage controlman first classes were eligable and 70 were chosen. Only 4 people on the Hopper made it. Now starts the 6 week initiation which is very intense and time consuming, but it is all worth it. So congratulations honey, I am so proud of you!