Maryland: Prepare for the Taylor Takeover! Hawaii: A Hui Hou (and we WILL hui hou!)

I'm finally getting a chance to address some of the biggest news we have received to date: our family will be transitioning to Maryland at the end of the month! Being a military family has a certain predictable unpredictability to it; we know that our schedules and stations are constantly changing, and that almost all aspects should be seen as "flexible." I got a taste of this while Rob was away on deployment, as his deployment return date got extended two times. Other than deployments, PCS-ing (not even sure what the acronym stands for!) is probably the other most critical and impacting events a family can endure.

Rob tore his ACL (again!) and meniscus last year, and required surgery (again!) to repair the injury. Due to this occurrence, Rob was pulled from the ship he had just been assigned to, and was placed in a "transitionary" station that is pretty much reserved for injured and rehabilitating soldiers. Once his surgery was complete (in October) and rehabilitation was complete, he was released in August. We knew that at that point, we would be up for a new set of orders determining where our family would end up. Due to the type of transitionary post he was in, Rob would not get the same rights to negotiate where we ended up, as the "needs of the Navy" took precedence over personal preferences. 

I am very lucky in that Rob has fallen in love with Hawaii just as much as he has fallen in love with me :P He is my "honorary local boy," and has come to enjoy surfing, sushi, poke, poi(!), hawaiian music - in other words, he fits right in with my family! I'm also a truer than true Hawaii girl, and am not only connected to my Hawaiian heritage by way of language, music, and birthplace (ku`u one hanau e - "the beloved sands of my birth." I feel that in my na`au when I hear that expression), but also because of my close-knit connection with my family, who all still resides in Hawaii. Both of us were hoping and praying that we would be able to stay in Hawaii and finish out Rob's military career here (we only have 4 more years until he retires!), but alas, that is not the plan God had in store for us. Apparently, we were destined for colder temperatures and a new adventure!

We found out in September that we would be reporting to Maryland at the end of the year - by the end of December. Rob was beside himself, and felt horrible. Not only was he really hoping for Hawaii, but he knew how much I also wanted to stay in Hawaii.  I will admit, I was very sad at the news myself, but wanted to assure Rob that the most important thing is that we (our little family) would all get to be together, regardless of where that was. Additionally, I wanted him to know that in no way should he feel bad about where we were being taken - the military was dictating where we were going, and he had no part in that decision. Yes, I would miss my family, but MY immediate family would still be together. Not only was that a reassurance to me, but I reminded myself that if Rob had not needed his ACL repaired, the ship that he had originally been on would've deployed in May, and Rob would've missed Uriah's birth. What a blessing it was for us to have Rob there when Uriah was born (especially since I ended up needing a c-section which required so much help in the beginning), and to continue to be able to have him there as Uriah grows. We began to  come to terms with the idea of the next few years being on the east coast. What we weren't prepared for was the military moving up our report date by two whole months!

A week or so later, Rob was told that we were expected to report to his new station in 9 days. NINE!!! Moving our family to the opposite side of the country, with a 4 month infant, selling a car, shipping a car, clearing out a home, and saying goodbyes, all in nine days! Luckily, Rob's commanding officer was able to get him an extension of time (with some serious case-pleading), and we were graciously given three extra weeks to get things in order (yes, I am being facetious). 

Within four days, we had movers in our home, packing things up in a hurry as we scrambled to foresee and pack what we would need within the next few weeks and immediately upon getting to Maryland. I got a duplicate registration and title (I thought my original documents had shipped with the movers. In my haste to find the documents, I overlooked them and found them AFTER I had duplicates issued), Rob got his car sold (we will purchase another once we arrive), my car shipped (even though the first day we took it to be sold, the gas tank was too full so we needed to return the following day to do the exact same thing), and we secured a condo in Maryland. It is amazing what you can get accomplished when time is limited and you have no other option! lol. 

movers packed our entire house, including drawers with clothes in them - everything labeled :)

We spent our first week in the hotel on the Marine Base (we had a hard time finding a pet-friendly hotel since we had Sophie with us). After that week, we weren't really sure what to do! We thought we would spend a week at my parents house, though really, they did not have the room to accommodate our family. After that, maybe another two weeks in hotels? How expensive for us. I was telling Angela our plight, and she suggested that for the following weeks, why didn't we stay in her family's home in Kailua? Her parents live there a few months the year, and spend the other months in Portland. Angela's brother, Eric, was the only person staying in the home at the time. That sounded so perfect, and so generous! Angela asked her parents, and before she could even finish her sentence, her Dad jumped in, "They need a place to stay?" MY SECOND FAMILY is the Manke ohana! They have always been there for me, taking me with them on trips/dinners during high school (and even during college!), letting me spend pretty much every summer at their house, in essence, treating me like another daughter! This was just another reiteration of why I love this beautiful family. So - we are currently staying at the Manke's home (and they insisted we stay in their Master bedroom), which has wonderful central air, a pool perfect for hot days, and a lot of space for our family to be able to rest and relax before we move. I am so touched at the generosity they have shown and continue to show me, and now my family. I LOVE THE MANKES!

So, here we await our move. It isn't what I expected, but despite the farewells which will undoubtedly be sad, it is exciting to embark on a new adventure with my family. We will all be living in the east coast for the first time, and I will be experiencing my first "real winter" (and snow days-off for Rob!!). New wardrobe, new opportunities to meet friends and make connections abroad, a chance to eat some ONO seafood in the mainland (I hear the crab and lobster is KILLAHZ), and the option of road trips! We will also be closer to Rob's family, which is nice since he has spent many years away from them. I have also been blessed to have people already reach out to me even before we get to Maryland. Kamuela made some Hawaii friends when he played for the inauguration, and mentioned to them that we would be moving to Maryland. The very next day, I got a message from his friend Kuulei touching base with me and basically welcoming me to the east coast, and inviting me to participate in their halau up there! SO EXCITING! I have been meaning to get back into dancing hula for so long; who knew that I would have to move to Maryland to get that jump started?! What a GREAT opportunity to keep connected to my roots and have a "touch of home" while away! Not only that, his friend Isaac called me and talked story for about 10 minutes making sure I had all of his and his families contact information, and already invited us to spend Thanksgiving with their `ohana. Having such hospitality shared with me even before I left the islands was such a comfort for me. I truly believe in all things happening for a reason, so I know that despite my wants, there is a purpose to us moving to Maryland, and that there will be known and unknown blessings gained.  A lot can happen in 4 years, but I also know that 4 years will come and go quickly. That being said, Rob's permanent address of record is in Hawaii so when he retires out, our stuff will be courtesy shipped back to Hawaii! No get comfortable with us, ah, mainland?! We only letting you borrow us fast kine! :P