Student of the Quarter!

Annika was chosen to be a student of the quarter by her teacher, Mrs. Kawano.  She made such a wonderful improvement from first quarter! Her grades improved AND she was chosen to be a HOST (helping our students together) to welcome new students.  She was chosen because she is so friendly and happy.

The SOQ assembly was on 25 January.  Travis and I both attended the assembly.  I'm sharing the pictures below.  Enjoy!

Thursday's truths.

Today's post will be similar to the "Tuesday's 10" that I've been reading on other blogs.  I don't want to put a constraint on what I share/don't share.  I think that my "truths" will give a glimpse of what my days consist of, what I'm thinking that day, some insight into my personality that doesn't come out often.  Enjoy the "truths."

1. I don't normally like coffee.  The smell of it makes me gag.  Literally.  It's horrible.  The smell of coffee beans roasting is even worse.  I'm not sure how I survived at Caribou Coffee Company for as long as I did.  (I loved that job, btw). That being said, we recently invested in a Keurig.  It's the best thing, EVAR. I love that I can quickly brew tea, make a cup of hot chocolate and even brew hot tea over ICE.  It has cut down the time I spend brewing tea.  My drink of choice has been half Caribou blend, half dark hot chocolate.  It still smells disgusting, but it tastes so good!

2. I've been slacking in the laundry department for a couple of weeks.  I don't know if it's because I've been sick that long or I'm just being lazy.  I do what needs to be done and leave the rest for the next laundry day.  It annoys me, but, I'm in a funk and can't snap out of it.

3. I pray for Lola to take long naps.  It maximizes my lazy time.  This is horrible.  Why do I torture myself this way? I should be spending as much time as possible playing with her.  I am hoping that this "depressive" funk passes soon.  I know that my family is hoping the same thing.  It's bound to get better, right?

4. I love spending time with my lovebugs; all of us together.  It's the highlight of my week.  It's the biggest bit of sunshine in my life.

So, today's "Thursday's truths" confronts my depression.  That's a self-diagnosis.  I haven't been formally diagnosed, but I think that this funk stems from grief.  And, until I can manage that grief, the depression will keep growing.  I pray that my family has the patience to walk through this with me.

A day in the life...

I've often wondered what the trick to stopping time is.  I haven't figured it out, yet.  That doesn't keep me from trying. My goal for the next 7-8 months that we have left? Make the most of it! Document everything.  Even the mundane, everyday stuff.

We've had to prepare the rooms for the kids.  Mikey arrived on island on January 17th and it prompted us to do a bit of Spring Cleaning.  Here are some pictures from the attempt to purge.

Catching some Sesame Street before starting the clean.

Lola discovers that the dog crate is a fun place to play.

Annika is ready for school.

Dinner with Mikey.

Mikey and Dad.

Spending the day in Waikiki

I've been enjoying my new camera.  Each opportunity that I have to pull it out and snap a picture, I do it.  I've been playing with the settings but I still have a lot to learn.  So, in lieu of a "wordy" post for today's entry, I'm going to do pictures and captions.  I'm hoping that you enjoy the pictures!

On 15 January, we had a spontaneous day of brunch and walking around Waikiki. Hale Koa. Ft. Derussy. International Market Place. Duke's.

Annika (Ya Ya) and Lola.  Waiting for brunch at the Hale Koa. Do you see the bougainvilleas behind them? I would love for mine to be this full!

Bird of paradise.

Travis and Annika. International Market Place. Koi pond.

Annika.

Cheesy grin!

Lola. International Market Place.

Koi.

Travis. International Market Place.

Annika. Smoothie. Duke's.

Diamond Head. While we were at Duke's.

Lola naps while we have drinks at Duke's.

The beach view from Duke's. That's beyond Diamond Head.  Over near Hawaii Kai.

Our nightly "reading" with Lola. I have "Moon Secrets" and "The Going to Bed Book" on my Nook Tablet.  We read and "play" together with Lola. She loves it! (please excuse the mess and frumpy look)

Lola goes bananas!

I am shamelessly posting two blogs in one day for the simple fact that I want to "show off" my new toy.


Lola is thirteen months.  Where did the time go? I dunno... She is a feisty little girl who keeps us on our toes, that's for sure.  She fits right in.


Today I caught her nomming on her favorite fruit; bananas. She loves bananas.  And by love I mean you can get her to do ANYTHING if you dangle a banana in front of her.  I know.  That sounds horrible.  But, she's a stubborn one and I'm not above bribery.  I wanted to document how quickly she could go through a banana.  I wasn't quick enough! I did get a few good shots in, though!

Oh yummy, bananas!

Hey, I see you eyeing my bananas.

MMM. I love bananas.

What bananas? I didn't see any bananas!

Picture perfect.

I haven't shared this, but, I've been in the market for a new camera.  I'll give a little bit of a back story and throw in a little tangent or two, also.

In 2003, I was (we were) gifted a Kodak EasyShare digital camera so that we could take pictures of Annika (who was a newborn at the time) and share them via the internet.  This was back in the time when Hi-Speed internet wasn't as commonly used in homes.  I know that it was out there and available but it wasn't affordable like it is today and it wasn't really available to those who lived "out in the country." Obviously, technology has changed/improved since then.  I find this unbelievable because in the eight years of my daughter's life I've witnessed a big change in technology and the telephone and internet that I knew in my twenties is a thing of the past! It makes me feel old, but, I'm also in awe of the movement.

That camera was a constant companion.  It documented almost every moment of Annika's life until age 4: First tooth, baby snuggles, funny moments, nature walks, birthdays, BCT graduation, pcsing to Ft. Bragg, and more. I put that camera through the ringer and Kodak happily fixed my LCD screen when it went caput.

In July 2007, the beloved camera was among a stash of things stolen from my first floor apartment in Minneapolis.  I felt as though as I had lost a friend. I bought a "cheap" digital to replace it and it was never the same.  Even though I bought another Kodak EasyShare, it didn't have the same quality or connection that my first camera had.  The camera lasted a little over a year.  It documented some dark times in my life and my rise from the ashes.  I did not keep many of those pictures.  And that's okay.  I don't need the pictures to remember that time.  I know who I am now and that's all that matters.

After I married Travis, I "inherited" a Samsung point and shoot digital. Like the others, it has been put through the ringer. It was already on its last leg when I started using it.  It had been to the sandbox (Iraq) and back.  It was a good camera for documenting our everyday lives, but its ability to capture the beauty of O'ahu left a lot to be desired.  I knew that it was time to search out a new camera.  I'm fairly picky when it comes to new purchases, especially LARGE purchases, like a camera.  I wouldn't say that I'm stingy, just frugal.  And, I like to know EVERY aspect of an item before making the purchase.  This includes doing research on how it will work, reading reviews and asking for second (and third, fourth, fifth) opinions. 

In 2011, I narrowed down my camera selection to three main brands: Canon, Nikon and Sony.  Canon was the frontrunner for it's ease of use.  I had also heard good things about Nikon and Sony. I weighed the pros and cons but kept coming back to the Canon.  It's menu was very "Darcee user-friendly." I'm not completely camera illiterate, but I will admit that I have a lot to learn. 

After much thought and consideration we purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I love it.  LOVE it. I'm just like a kid with a new toy.  I don't want to stop "playing" with it and I want to take it EVERYWHERE. I've got a lot to learn.  That won't stop me from using it, though. It's an investment and I'm going to use it as much as I can.

Pins and Needles

It's 2012.  I'm excited for this year more than the previous years.  Why? It's going to be a year of big changes.  The biggest change is that we will be leaving Hawaii.  It will be our first PCS as a married couple. I'm on pins and needles as we wait for his orders.  Where will we be going next?

I don't like to talk "military" in my blog; I don't want to bore people.  But, it's a big part of our life, obviously.  Travis just celebrated 15 years with the Air Force on 30 December.  I've been with him for the last three.  It's been a journey; not always an easy one.  I'm thankful that he has a job and that it allows me to stay at home with the kiddos.  I'm just not "HOOAH." That's not who I am.  I'm proud.  I'm patriotic.  Not gung-ho.  It's a privilege to have the benefits we do and I would never take them for granted.

I will admit that I'm bothered by the "hurry up and wait" aspect of the military.  I want to be able to plan! Aside from that, you will rarely hear me complain about the military life.  It's a life just like everyone else leads.  I have it no better or worse.

So, I'll try to be patient.  I'm not going to guarantee that I won't grumble about this issue in the future.  I can promise to make a good effort not to.