In Memory of Dan S. Barker

This morning one of my best friends, Amy Barker, lost her father to brain cancer. While we remember that he is no longer in pain and suffering here on earth, it is the family that will have an extremely hard journey ahead. Please keep Amy and her mother, Debbie, in your prayers, along with the rest of the Barker family.

Dan was a beloved husband, father, brother, son, grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend to so many. An exceptional Aggie who was a mentor, and leader by nature. The passage I am about to end with has been read at all of my grandparents' funerals, and brings me peace - and I hope it does the same for the Barkers, as well as anyone else who may need the uplifting words.

"Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well." - From the book September, by Rosamunde Pilcher

Gig 'em Dan! We will be missing, thinking and praying for you and your family.

Sad tonight,

RAWE

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!

I got the good news today from the realtor. She had not been in contact with us - she was in the hospital and hadn't been at work. I was SO relieved! Tomorrow I will be going in to JPPSO (Joint Personal Property Shipping Office) to see when our household goods can be delivered. I will also talk to the realtor to see when we can pick up the keys! :) WHOOP! Finally I can relax. We will have the second floor of this house (and the garage). For more pics, click here!

NOW, I can finally stop staring at my phone! 

And t minus two days until Zac is here! I can't wait!!

Love to all, and thanks for the prayers!!

-Rebekah

The weekend wrap-up

Where did the weekend go? It was a busy one! I finally got to see a sub moving through the water when the USS Santa Fe pulled in. On Friday Melissa and I went to Hickam to watch the boat pull through the channel, then drove over to the pier and saw them pull in to their spot. Saturday I saw another home in the Pacific Heights area - that I think will be our back up plan - just in case we do not get the first. CLICK HERE to see it. It is a lot smaller, but has 2 full baths, which is nice. I think that we would have to get rid of a few pieces of furniture, or find a place to store some stuff, which I don't want to do. After seeing the home I met Steve, Marisol and Natalia at Lanikai beach, where we spent the afternoon. It was nice - I felt like I hadn't been to the beach in forever, even though it had only been 4 days.

Zac has arrived in Florida! He is flying out to Hawaii this Wednesday, and I can NOT wait! The guys did a great job on the transit, and everyone has been saying such good things about them. I know they are all so relieved to be out of the ship yard.

Today I had my first Homecoming meeting here in HI. We had such an amazing turn out - I was so excited that so many came. We didn't get a lot of details nailed down, but Feb. 11th we have a meeting with the MWR here and that will answer so many of the questions we all have. I am so lucky to have such an awesome co-chair, Kristina, as well as a committee that knows what they are doing, and are so eager to help. 

Today I made my first trip down to the Waikiki area. Doug, Melissa and I went down for dinner at Duke's on the beach. We went tonight thinking that there would be fewer people than Fri. or Sat., but there was still a huge crowd! There was a beautiful sunset. 

This was my first picture of Diamond Head, and a couple of the sunset pics I took from Duke's. These pictures really don't do justice to the scene. I think it was the prettiest sunset I have seen since I've been here, but I expect that that will not be the last! 

I am sooooo hoping that we FINALLY hear about the house this week. I am going to start calling first thing tomorrow so that I have an answer, that is way over due. I know that once Zac is here this will really start to feel more like home.

Goodnight! 

-RAWE

Hawaiian Squirrels

Good news: There are not any raccoons in Hawaii! (Minus any that *may* be in a zoo.)

Bad news: There are MONGOOSES in Hawaii! 

Picture, if you will, a ferret with coyote or fox fur. GROSS! I know. Mongooses (yes, that is the correct plural) were brought to Hawaii in order to control the snake population. Funny, because there isn't a snake population here. So really, they were brought here to fill the void for the rest of the human population that needed a squirrel fix, I think. 

Click here to read further on the mongoose species. 

The other day I almost ran over one, they have come up to us at Ko'Olina, and they would totally be Aidan's nemeses if he was here. They still catch me off-guard and make me shriek. They are weird!

Today I went to see two more homes (on the same property) in Kailua (the side of the island where "LOST" is filmed). They were fine - but still, nothing is comparing to the first home I saw, and still haven't heard ANYTHING from the realtor. I left a message for her again today, as well as e-mailing her this morning, to no avail. :( I am SICK OF WAITING! And, as most of you know, I am NOT a patient person. Tomorrow morning I am going to see another home in the Pacific Heights area (same area as the one I am STILL waiting to hear about). Maybe this one could be better? I hate that I seem to be comparing everything I see to that first triplex, but I just want it so badly! So...I will keep you posted.

Hopefully Zac will be here soon. I have received a couple of e-mails from him. He seems to be in good spirits. He is so glad to be out of the ship yard - operating the sub as it should be. Hooray for that! They have an amazing team of sailors on the sub, and I am confident that they are doing great work. I am chair of the Homecoming committee for the sub's return to Pearl Harbor. I scheduled our first meeting in HI for this Sunday, so I am hoping for a good turn out. 

Until tomorrow,

RAWE

The picture I promised...

Cynthia McFadden of ABC News covering one of the inaugural balls...

Yes folks, this pic is from 2009 - I don't know who her wardrobe stylist is, but that person should be F-I-R-E-D! At least we all got a good laugh out of it, though.

I didn't get a phone call today about the house, so I am hoping that I will tomorrow! Say a few more prayers for us, please.

I did go see another house today in the same area. It was kind of gross - a tenant was moving out - and we would have only had one parking spot, which wouldn't work. So, it's a no-go.

I am excited that I found a car charger for my Garmin! I am learning my way around the island, however, it is always nice to have it with me just in case. 

I miss my family and friends.

Love to all,

RAWE

"a moment that will define a generation"

What an amazing and historic day! I couldn't help but watch hours of the coverage of all of the inauguration festivities today on tv. I even woke up early (shocking, I know) to watch. I don't want to talk about politics today, but WOW. So awesome. Our country does throw one hell of an inauguration!

Not politically related thoughts... I did like Michelle's dress/sweater/coat combination - however that color was scary! I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off; I thought that the girls looked absolutely adorable; I thought Michelle and Jill looked absolutely stunning in their gowns; I loved that the President and First Lady danced with service members at the Armed Forces Ball (and I almost cried); I wish that I could have attended the Youth Ball; I'm kind of sad that the President didn't wear the bow tie and cumberbund that a dressmaker from Kailua made for him (it was made of one of his grandmother's dresses); I spied one of the MOST hideous dresses OF ALL TIME on an ABC News reporter - but I will save the hideousness for tomorrow - it's a must-see - and then a must-laugh at. :)

(Pic above by Matthew Cavanaugh/EPA)

I have been to two new beaches since my last post, bringing my total to 6. 

On Saturday my current roomie, Melissa, and I went to Kailua beach - and met up with another JO's wife and her dog.

Here is a shot! It is on the beautiful windward (east) side of the island.

Then on Sunday Melissa and I met up with a family from her husband's sub and we went to the lagoons at Ko'Olina resort - on the west side of the island (where they are apparently building some sort of Disney resort). It was so relaxing, and I got to play house while wading in the ocean with Grace, the youngest of the 4 kids (she is 4 years old). :)

Here are 2 shots of the lagoons...

There are wave breaking barriers - rock walls built to absorb the huge waves that hit this side of the shore. There are 4 lagoons at Ko'Olina - we were hanging out at lagoon #2. The shot on the right is one that I took as we were walking back - but I thought it was a cool view.

And finally, I wanted to write a little about 

my roommates of the last week. Melissa has been so kind to open up her home and let me crash here while I continue the house hunt. 

<-- Meet Melissa. She is a veterinarian who is about to have her first baby (a boy), next month! We met in NH, and her husband, as I mentioned earlier, is also on a sub.

  

<-- Meet Kodi and Sarah. Kodi, the yellow lab, was a service dog. He retired at the age of 4, and Melissa adopted him. Every time I put on my tennis shoes, he starts whining and begging to go out for a walk. He is super smart. Sarah, the boxer, is currently smelling my suitcases and coming in my room to check on me every 5 minutes. She loves to cuddle, and totally thinks that she is a lap dog. They have been walking with me every day and keeping me company during the day when Melissa was working and I wasn't running errands. I think that they like having me here, because that means they don't have to stay in their kennels while Melissa is gone. They are so sweet, and make me miss Aidan soooooo much, but I am thankful to have other dogs around me. 

In other news, the realtor called me today! She said that there is only one other applicant for the home I am waiting on, and that we should hear tomorrow or Thurs. if we were selected. Please say a few prayers if you think about it! I will keep you posted. I am really nervous about this!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Inauguration Day 2009! 

Aloha,

RAWE

Another creation and Thursday night deep thoughts with RAWE...

Another one of my quilts was quilted, and Donna was nice enough to post it for me!

Click here to see more of it!

I made this quilt a few years ago for my grandmother, who was a quilter. She made several beautiful quilts for family and probably for friends. I loved taking my finished quilt tops over to her house to show her - one artist to another. Finishing this quilt is so bittersweet, which brings me to my first deep thought. When you have a project that means something to you, if you are making something/doing something for someone, don't put it off. This quilt is a classic example of the exact opposite of what I just told everyone not to do. I finished the top of this quilt, and then let it sit for years. Since then, Grandma passed away, and now the quilt is finally almost finished. Don't put IT off.

RAWE's deep thought number two: 

(If you care to read on - but I totally understand if you are already typing "facebook" into the http bar up above.)

So I have had a LOT of time lately to think about jobs. Where should I work? Should I try to find something part time, temp or full time? Should I look for something that will be great on a resume, or something that I am really interested in? For me, the job situation has been one of the hardest aspects of being a Navy wife. In a perfect world I would have a job that could travel with me. Something I could do that would allow me to be busy, but still have the flexibility to have weekends off to explore with Zac and when family and friends come to visit. I crave to be challenged mentally; to learn new industries and their tools - software, processes, etc. Something that is changing enough to not be boring, but not totally foreign every day. Something that allows me to interact with people. Something FUN! Any ideas? Ugh.

Until later,

RAWE

One of my creations...

Recently Mom took 3 of my quilts to Canadian, TX to Donna Francis to be professionally quilted. I am so excited about how this one came out, I thought that I would share. This is the quilt I made for Miss Mandy Cozart!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE QUILT!

Here is a preview...

I am ready to have my quilting stuff so that I can work on some here. My goal while I am here is to make a Hawaiian Quilt!

While I'm thinking and talking about it...I also recently finished another quilt - one I started in 2004! (Ridiculous, I know!) This was the "Turning 20" pattern that I created for Miss Beth Lynch. Isn't it cute!!??

That's it and that's all.

-RAWE

Mary Alice's article and my first visit to the North Shore

Mary Alice is famous!! An article was written about her experience with Hurricane Ike in The Pampa News! The article made the front page of this past Sunday's paper, above the fold with this picture! (In the journalism world, that is a big deal!) Click here to see her story.

I have now moved out of the Navy Lodge on Ford Island, and I'm staying with a friend in Pearl City. (Thank you, Melissa, for not letting me be homeless!) We drove up to the North Shore this afternoon to hang out. We saw a huge sea turtle, and a few swimming in the water.

 

Then we went up to Wimea Bay park/beach to just relax and watch the waves. (The surf was huge today - the weather lady just said they were the biggest swells of the year - granted it is only Jan. 13!) But - the point to this story... While we were there, the two groups of people next to us were robbed! The poor couples were playing in the water and didn't leave someone on the beach to guard their belongings. We saw several groups of people walk by, but we were so preoccupied talking and such that we never saw their bags being taken. These thieves were SNEAKY! NOTE TO SELF: Never leave your stuff unattended on a beach in HI. 

No housing updates - still impatiently waiting.

Aloha,

RAWE

Impatient Frustration

So far, moving to HI has been more stressful than fun. I know that this stress will eventually end and turn around, (especially when Zac finally arrives) but at the time, this is NOT fun!

I just typed a list of things I do not like about everything going on here with me right now, but I deleted it, because it was getting too long. And, I feel as though I should just stop focusing on all of the things frustrating me at the moment.

But, today I did get my car! It seems like it is fine so far - no new scratches, but most importantly, I don't feel like I am such a burden on my friends any more. I have mobile independence again! Whoop! PS - I don't want to hear any of you on the mainland complaining about gas prices ever again. :) Thank goodness for gas stations on base (which are still MUCH higher). It is nice to have one of my own things here, though. For some strange reason, it is very comforting. I wanted to take a pic of myself in the car, but I thought I would spare you all.

So, say some prayers for our housing situation, please. Mahalo.

Goodnight to all!

Hawaiian Arrival

Aloha!

I arrived in Honolulu Monday evening. My friends Steve, Marisol and their baby

 Natalia picked me up at the airport and we had dinner at the Ala Moana mall. Since then I have been checking in with all of the appropriate people and offices, which has kept me extremely busy! 

I have also been searching and searching for a home. The home that the Navy offered to us just wouldn't work for Zac and me, so we decided to decline and keep searching. This has been an incredibly frustrating house hunt thus far, so please say a little prayer for us! 

In third grade, we learned a fun song called "Hawaiian Rainbows" (which my sister and I can still sing for you, if you are ever int

erested). Every day that I have been here, there has been at least one beautiful rainbow in the sky. Here is a picture I took walking out of the Navy Lodge, where I am staying. These are such nice reminders that I am in Hawaii, and should be enjoying the beautiful scenery, rather than stressing out so much. 

Today I decided that I needed to take a break from worrying about housing, so Molly and I went to Lanikai beach. It was breezy, and a little chilly, but beautiful, never the less! This is my first visit to a Hawaiian beach, and I am so blessed to be able to have many more ahead. This is what I stared at all afternoon. 

Goodnight, and more to follow.

Love to all,

RAWE

Happy 2009!

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

My family and I are back in Pampa after a fabulous trip to Ruidoso. Click here for pics. We drove back on the 30th, ran errands in Amarillo yesterday and then had a relaxing New Year's Eve at home - including a fabulous Chicken Express dinner. I hope that everyone had a safe and exciting NYE wherever you happened to be!

Resolutions? I am not one for making (and sticking to) them. I really do need to resolve to being much better to my body - so I think that this year, that will be my pseudo-resolution. I'm hoping that if I don't call it a resolution, I may be more likely to stick to it! Ha. We shall see. I will technically resolve to write on my blog more often, and share with you what is going on in our lives.

For Zac and me, 2009 brings a new state (with a totally different climate!), a new home, a new job for me and many more changes. That is very exciting and a little scary all at the same time. We are really looking forward to exploring our new location, visiting the other islands and meeting new friends. 

Here's to a successful 2009 for all!

-RAWE