The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

I guess because of the long holiday weekend I’ve had some extra time to think and I decided that I’d tell you the truth. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been telling the truth with every entry in my blog; but perhaps I’ve chosen to tell you the good stuff; the stuff that I try to focus on so I can stay positive and make it from one day to the next. So can you handle the truth?

Over the past 11 weeks or so Brent and I have learned that being over 3,000 miles apart takes a lot of hard work. We’ve cried, laughed, and we’ve missed out on parts of each others lives that we wish we hadn’t; and it is not getting any easier. Please don’t feel sorry for us and please don’t say “I told you so.” We knew going into this it was going to be hard and would require a lot of work from each of us; but until you actually experience the separation you have no real idea what it will be like.

I’m sure many people will think how can Tammi complain? She’s living in Hawaii and getting to experience things many have never dreamed of let a lone could ever afford. And you’d be right; how can I complain? I’ve spent weekends at some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches, I’ve seen breathtaking views and I’ve experienced the beauty of a Hawaiian sunset. But as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side…

From my perspective Brent is living the dream life. He is in the home we bought together and spent hours working on and fixing up. He gets to snuggle with Mo Mo, have Achates nip at his ankles, listen as Porsche tells him how her day was and rub Boston’s soft, white belly. He gets to pet Bell and Lexie and play outdoors with them. He can take the greyhounds for a walk when the mood strikes and most importantly, when he misses me he can seek out the affection and love of a cat or dog to comfort him. When I’m missing Brent all I have is a pillow to cry into…

Would we do this again if given a second chance? Right now we’d like to think we would do the same thing. Ask us again in a year and see if our answer is the same. The bottom line is that we did what we thought was necessary to provide financially for our family. I’m sure there are thousands of families across the US who have sacrificed much more than we have to provide for their families. No, we shouldn’t complain and yes, we should be grateful for everything and everyone we have in our lives.

But the next time you see a person sitting in a restaurant eating alone, or at a movie theater alone, or sitting on a beach alone you just might be seeing someone trying to escape the loneliness and fear of being separated from there family and hoping that the decision they made will make them and their family stronger. And be grateful you haven’t had to make the same decision.

All my love and hugs from a quiet apartment just outside of Waikiki…

Maps, Street Names and Beaches

Do you know how to read a map? No, seriously; do you know how to read a map? You know, the top of the map is North, the bottom is South, the left side is West and the right side is East. And there is always a guide letting you know the scale of the map. Here this now; these traditional map guidelines do not exist on all maps of Hawaii! Brent and I found this out personally as we drove around the island of Oahu recently.

While Brent visited me in Hawaii we took one day and drove around the entire island; or at least as much of it as we could. There is a stretch on the North end of the island that has no paved roads. We started the day around 9:00 am and finished the drive by around 5:00 pm. What fun and what an experience! If you ever want to do this plan on at least 2 people for the trip. One to drive and one to read the map!

A pineapple farm on the drive to the North Shore.

Maybe Hawaiian officials don’t think tourists will want to drive the entire island so they don’t put the entire island on a map. Or maybe they don’t want tourists to know about some of the more secluded and gorgeous parts of the island. I hope it’s the latter of the two!

We spent some time in the largest town on the North Shore, Hale’iwa. Please don’t ask me how to pronounce the town’s name, but it is a cute town! I’m guessing it has a population similar to Mulvane or maybe Rose Hill and a few cute shops. We did a little shopping and lots of looking. My favorite place was the Aloha General Store. Not like the general stores back home!

We also ate at a local Mexican restaurant called Cholo’s. You definitely get plenty of food for your money! And it was pretty good!

One of the beaches we stopped at is called Turtle Beach; wait for it…because of the turtles that are found at the beach! Now this isn’t your typical Hawaiian beach where you lay out to work on your tan or watch the surfers. It’s a fairly small bit of land and very rocky. Way to rocky to attempt to swim or surf plus you may encounter a turtle and guess what; they can bite! There are volunteers that spend time at the beach (daily during day light) to ensure people don’t hurt the turtles, touch the turtles, get to close to the turtles and answer questions. We were fortunate to see a large turtle they call Brutus sunning himself on the beach. These guys are huge!

Can you pick out the turtles in the water from the rocks?

Meet Brutus!

From Turtle Beach we continued our drive along the North Shore. I can’t begin to tell you the names of all the beaches we stopped at but I can tell you this; each one was breathtaking and beautiful in its own unique way. No two were alike. I could get used to life on this island! Oh, and the houses! Some are gorgeous and some have the most incredible views! Then again some are, how can I be polite when saying this? I can’t so I’ll just tell you how it is. Some are dumps! I’m not talking about a house that is aged and needs a little loving; I’m talking about a house that I have no clue how it is still standing and can only imagine that in Kansas it would be condemned. Brent and I played a game we called “Nice, Nice, Dump.” Think of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Okay, maybe we’d had too much sun, but it was fun at the time!

One of the many beaches we stopped at…

Our PT Cruiser on a beach by the ocean! Who would have thought this car would be in Hawaii when we bought it in 2002!

Another beach we enjoyed. Many of the beaches we stopped at were once locations where Lost was filmed.

We eventually made our way back to civilization, just kidding; but we did make it back to more populated and commercial parts of the island. Yet, they don’t know how to name streets! I’m not kidding when I tell you this; and we have pictures to prove it! Not only were Brent and I in unfamiliar territory, we had maps that didn’t follow the standards we are used to and streets have numerous names. Seriously! One street can change names three or four times and you never turn off of it!

Here is one example; I hope you can tell from the picture. On the left is the street name “Kailua” but on the right the same street is named “Oneana.” We found this very confusing!

Same two streets, just from a different view…

Here is another example. The large street sign hanging from the light is “Hamakua.” Yet the smaller street sign in the picture is; okay you’ll have to take my word for it. I can’t read the small print.

Brent and I had a grand day with lots of laughs, lots of beautiful scenery and many pictures to share with others. If you ever get to Oahu I encourage you to rent a car and drive around the entire island. Make sure the car is filled with gas, take a cooler with pop and water and bring a towel and maybe your swim suit. You’ll at least want a towel to clean the sand off your feet from each beach. I know why they call this paradise!  Until next time, love and hugs to "my faithful followers!"

Guess what my next entry will be about???

Poem for the Newbies

The poem below was written by a co-worker of mine, Dave Twelker.  Dave has been with DFS for a little over a year.  He is the Benefits Manager for the West Group.  Dave is from California and seems to be enjoying life in Hawaii.  I have learned much from Dave in the 9 weeks I have been working for the company.  He is a very intelligent person with a great sense of humor.  The poem was written by Dave in one of his rare occasions of "inspiration."   He made this up for one of our department lunches a few months ago and it kinda sums up his impressions of working at DFS. I certainly agree with his view and wanted to share it with you.  So from myself and Dave, please enjoy - -

DFS: Celebrating the Years and Days
By Dave Twelker

Day One at DFS, I just love this store!
We’ve got Emilio Pucci, Cartier and Dior
The people are fantastic, everyone cares
And talk about luxury, there’s a Starbuck’s downstairs

Look at these brands… Marc, Ralph and Tag
Burberry, Chloe… I’ve just got to brag
I don’t want to go home, I just want to stay
Whattayaknow, I made it one day!

Day Two is here, it’s going fairly well,
There’s a lot of work to do, but I’ve got my Dell
Phone calls come in all hours, night and day
And mail comes from countries whose names I can’t say

Today I learned about Ex-cel and Ex-pat
An Intranet article tells how to sell a scarf with that hat
We strive to service our customers in many creative ways
Whattayaknow, I made it two days!

The next days were more challenging as I came into work
I should probably learn another language as an added perk
I should also learn SAP so I don’t look like a geek
Whattayaknow, I made it one week!

But first to dial Hong Kong… anyone know how?
Then what time is it in Singapore?...or in JFK, or Palau?
The fires are waning, the smoke’s beginning to clear
Whattayaknow, I made it one year!

There’s always time for some food and some fun
Sure, there’s a lot of work to be done
I wonder if they’re still hiring at Sears?
Whattayaknow, I made it two years!

Our office is moving? All our furniture, our whole clan?
Yes, we embrace change as part of our plan
Working at top speed, running in high gears
Whattayaknow, I made it five years

It’s special to celebrate the Years and the Days
As the calendar flys through the Aprils and Mays
We remember the beginnings, both the work and the fun
And all the special people we’ve met since Day One!

Book ‘em Dano

The lead story on the local news last night was kind of exciting. CBS has picked up the re-make of the old crime series Hawaii Five 0! The new series will be in the CBS line up this coming fall! For Oahu this means 130 million dollars could be spent on the island during filming and from tourism based on the series. They announced who the two stars will be and only one was familiar to me because he was one of the regulars on the series Lost, which is ending this television season.

So in addition to the numerous movies that are in various stages of production in Hawaii we can now add Hawaii Five 0 to the list. You might be asking who are some of the “stars” who have been or will be filming in Hawaii. Jennifer Anniston, Adam Sandler and Nicole Kidman have been filming a movie in Maui. Johnny Depp and the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean will be on my island this summer for the fourth installment of the pirate movies. George Clooney was here in April filming a movie and Steven Spielberg is said to be coming to the island to film. I may need to schedule some time off so I can stalk some of these film crews!

Back to reality! Did I tell you there were no “bugs” in Hawaii? Man was I wrong! Have you heard of the 757? I’m not talking about the airplane; I’m talking about the cockroach! Thank heavens I haven’t seen one, yet; but I’ve been told about them! I have however, killed my first cockroach in my apartment. And without screaming!!! Yes, Hawaii has bugs and most notably the cockroach. But there are no snakes in Hawaii!

There are more than 40 species of ants in Hawaii and centipedes, usually between 5 to 6 inches in length, can be found here as well. There are several types of mosquitoes in Hawaii but the higher up in a building you live the fewer flying insects you meet! My least favorite insect is also on the island; spiders! But not the brown recluse!!! Luckily several frog and toad species can be found on the islands along with geckos. I’ve seen little geckos playing on the ground and in trees while walking and sitting in the drive through at McDonald’s. The geckos, frogs and toads seem to do a good job of eating the insects and it is considered bad luck to kill a gecko.

And while I’m trying to end rumors about Hawaii I’d also like to caution you and warn you to start reading the fine print! You know the fine print at the bottom of your television screen during commercials. Okay, you need to get your DVR in working condition and record some commercials then watch them back in slow motion. When the fine print appears, freeze the screen and read; you might find it interesting; especially if you plan to visit Hawaii or Alaska.

Take for example the Subway commercials promoting the $5 footlong sub sandwiches. Great offer as long as you don’t live in Hawaii or Alaska. The fine print clearly states “not available in Alaska or Hawaii.” Oh, and those yummy Pizza Hut commercials that blast out all the special prices on different sizes and types of pizzas. Yeah, not in Hawaii! Nor the Dollar menu at Arby’s and I could go on and on. I guess it’s the “price” you pay for living in paradise!

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything on my blog and I apologize to my faithful followers for leaving you hanging and ignoring you. As they say, life happens. I had a great visit with my husband and look forward to sharing some of our adventures in upcoming posts. So keep your internet connection up to date as I just might be posting fast and furious the next week or two! So until next time, love and hugs to "my faithful followers!"