I have been thinking about this Aloha Friday post for a long time and originally hoped to have it written and posted weeks ago when we actually left the island in mid February. But in typical military PCS (Permanent Change of Station) fashion, chaos ensued and blog posts get pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
The kids and I are now in California trying to get as settled as we can in a brand new house without furniture and without Dad around. But both should be arriving "home" within a few weeks. I'm hoping those fourteen (yes, 14) crates of "stuff" and "dada" will magically make everything okay again. But in reality, I know that it probably just create a different kind of crazy. :)
As we try to create routine and a new normal here, I am desperately trying to help the kids, especially Charlotte, look forward to new friends, new schools...a new life. But it is hard to not be constantly reminded of our dear and cherished friends in Hawaii. Living on base housing in the amazingly historic Ford Island, we had some of the BEST neighbors you could dream of. We spent holidays together, ate dinners together, watched our kids play in the alley while drinking beer together. I'm sure if we spent a lifetime next door to each other, I would never tire of them or their kindness and company. But sadly, military life doesn't allow those luxuries.
We also made such amazing friends through my daughter's school. I feel grateful that the kids my daughter loved playing with also had the coolest of parents! One such friend is a fellow blogger and Project Lifer/ Digital Scrapbooker. She wrote this touching blog post that had me in tears. We will miss them so much.
But life goes on and we have no other choice but to swallow our tears (at least in front of our kids).
I'm still hoping to finish out these Aloha Friday posts to finish documenting our Hawaiian travels. Maybe that will help with my transition. :) But for now, I just wanted to share with you some of the beautiful and gorgeous family photos that the oh so talented Jen Fox took for us on our very last Saturday in Hawaii. These photos are the perfect memento of our Hawaiian adventure and I will treasure them always.
So, for now, Aloha Friday and Aloha Hawaii. You have been so good to us and we are forever changed by your Aloha Spirit. Mahalo. Here's hoping that it won't be long until we see you again.
