10...27...15....: T-Day (Please read in Beyonce voice for full effect, thank you!)

Taylor's Take Maryland!

Tuesday was a crazy, busy, exciting, sad, loooong, short, doozy kind of a day (official move date)! We had been allowed to stay at the Manke home in Kailua for near 3 weeks (they are my angels!), but with the convenience of a home environment comes more clean-up! We had unpacked our multiple suitcases into drawers, and our bathroom toiletries into shelves, which was wonderful for our stay, but for departure, it meant we needed to get everything reorganized (and fit) into those suitcases again. Oh, and with a 4 month old. 

Enter my sister, Hoku! Lifesaver! Hoku offered to come and help me organize, pack up, and clean up a bit. Hoku is already so busy (she has five kids - the newest being a little 2 month old!), that I feel bad to ever "borrow" her, but I knew I could really use the help. While I'm at it, thank you to Jerry (her husband) for also letting me borrow her, since Jerry then took care of the other 4 kids on a rare day off. Rob was still needing to complete some paperwork at work, drop off a few borrowed baby items to family friends (Mahalo, Lantrip fam!), getting Sophie's last shot, dropping off the rental car, and taking some of the luggage down (we had six suitcases and three carry-ons - Definitely a two trip deal!), so I knew I would be relied on to complete the majority of the home responsibilities. Anyone who knows me knows that I abhor packing. LOATHE. DETEST. (you get the picture) I will stare at the mess and think, "ugh, what a mess..." then won't know where to start, so I just won't. Cue: scrambling and running out of time. Obviously, not the most efficient process. Hoku came and brought her little Tepoe (who is such a well-behaved baby), and immediately started giving me direction on tasks to complete, one at a time. Uriah apparently REALLY didn't want to move and decided he would do everything in his power to keep us from catching the plane. lol. He did not nap ONCE from 840am until he got on the plane at 8:45pm. For those that don't have children: this is INSANE.  For those that do have children: feel my pain! Much of the time was spent trying to entertain him, feed him, get him to nap (FAIL), or just lay down for a bit to get stuff done. I was so grateful to have another pair of arms to either help hold the baby or takeover packing. More than that, I appreciated someone there to help me "keep my cool" and stay on task. I almost thought we wouldn't make it in time, but we did, and even had time to tidy the room we stayed in (bathroom sink, toilet, and shower sanitized/cleaned, mirrors and windows wiped down, bedding washed and remade, floor vacuumed, drawers/table tops wiped). God bless Hoku! 

Thank you for being a friend!

We had just enough time to get to Kahaluu, eat a last supper with my family (char siu and furikake and rice - perfect), and head to the airport to meet Rob. Mom and Dad took me, and Beth was so nice to let us borrow her truck so we could fit all the luggage and passengers on our trip. Saying goodbye to Mom and Dad was a flurry since we were in a rush to get through security and checked in, and even now, it hasn't really sunk in quite yet. I know once we are able to stop for a moment and are no longer on the go, I will feel moments of sadness, but I know at the same time we will be creating many wonderful, happy memories here.

Our flight (on paper) was less than ideal: a 5 hour red-eye to L.A., arriving at 4:45 am, then leaving L.A. at 7:45 to Maryland (another 5 hour ride). We were in the middle row for the first flight, but the good thing is we were all seated together, and the military even bought a ticket for Uriah, which turned out to be such a blessing. In hindsight, Uriah being beastly during the day was just what we needed to ensure that he would be the perfect angel during the flight. He really was, too. During takeoff, he fell asleep, and would only get up to eat, then go right back to sleep. I brought the hoppy pillow for nursing and for him to sleep, and i'm so glad I did because it worked out perfectly.

My pro-traveler, enjoying what has to be the coziest seat on the plane!

On our second flight, Uriah again ate and slept quite a bit, and in the moments he was up, he was his smiley, flirty, lovable self! The flight attendants particularly got a kick out of him, and through conversation, we found out one of the flight attendants was from Hawai'i! Small world! We talked story a bit and she even grew up in Kaneohe (though she was a bit older than me). After talking for about 5 minutes with us, she asked, "Do you guys want some snack boxes?" Ummm...YES. The answer is ALWAYS YES. So we said sure! And she gave us three snack boxes (I'm pretty sure those snack boxes go from like $8-12 a pop?). It pays to have a little aloha and friendliness :)

We are currently staying in a hotel for the next week until we get our household items delivered. The hotel is a King Studio, so it has a little kitchenette, a living room/couch, bathroom/shower, and then a bedroom. It was such a great deal! All that for about $95/night, and the hotel includes complimentary breakfast. Mon-Thurs, they have complimentary light dinners! All this, and they even allow pets, which was one of our biggest hurdles when we were trying to find lodging in Hawaii. 

We had the chance to meet up with the owner of our condo today and get the keys. The condo is more beautiful than the pictures showed, and I just can't wait to move in, already! The owner repainted the entire place and also put in new carpet and a new fridge. It is so beautiful, and also a quiet neighborhood. Literally. I went out on the deck and could hear crickets :) Growing up in Kahaluu, you get used to hearing crickets at night, so I appreciate that I can find little comforts of home in a place so far away.

The view of our condo's lake/rec centers/bike and walking paths

I know I will miss my family, the food, people, and scenery of Hawaii. New time zone will be tricky (six hours ahead! PS it's 11:36pm and I took melatonin and am still wiiiide awake) However, I also know that there are so many beautiful things here in Maryland. On our drive alone, I was able to see so many fall colors and leaves. I tried taking pictures, but they do not do justice in comparison to seeing it in person. Our condo is conveniently located next to a cute town center with a lot of great shops. We met a few people already that have been very nice and outgoing (we all know the east coast stereotypical personality isn't known for friendliness). At the end of the day, I strongly believe home really is where you make it, and to quote Annie, "I know I'm gonna like it here."