Last Day & Too Many Goodbyes

It's been a long day. It started early with the company moving our cars showing up at 7:45am. Luckily I had a cup of coffee in me before I had to say goodbye to the White Ninja, my beloved Hyundai Accent.

Then the movers came. They were a pleasant bunch, my new bffs. They worked hard packing, while I worked hard at staying out of their way while they wrapped every single item in our apartment. Including the couch.

I also kept busy entertaining them with the goofy things I would say every few minutes. Like, "What's the weirdest thing you've ever had to pack and move?" We were all laughing after that question was answered.

Eventually they packed up the entire apartment. It took them maybe . . . 2 hours? I don't know, I lost track of time.

Then we had to head over to the storage unit to pack up the rest. And when I say "we" I mean they packed it and Mitch and I threw around a football for a few minutes before just standing around. Since our cars were moved (I first typed the word stolen . . . I must be tired.) we had to hitch a ride with the movers. In their semi-truck. It was AWESOME!

Again, more laughing ensued as I got overly excited about climbing like a monkey into a semi and then asking all sorts of questions about what it's like to be a mover.

We made it to the unit and they continued to work their magic. Have you ever seen professional movers work? They are crazy fast and I found myself just standing there in awe while they perfectly packed and organized every piece of furniture.

It didn't take long for them to finish, and once they were done we wished them a safe drive and a thank you and parted ways.


Our third goodbye of the day was to our best friend Matt.

Mitch's roommate in college, old co-worker and best friend over the last million years. We've been saying goodbye to everyone for so long, but tonight, knowing this would be the last time we would all get dinner and drinks together in Bellingham, it was pretty sad. Luckily he has plans to come to the island at Christmas so we will happily welcome him then!


Goodbyes are hard. We had to say goodbye to our nieces (once again, for what seems like the millionth time. Why did we start saying goodbye so soon? It made it so shocking when we actually realized we were leaving!) this last weekend, and it was heartbreaking.

We spent good time with them, reading books, playing in the pool and painting our nails.

I also had to finally say goodbye to my parents. All went well until my dad and I hugged . . . then we all started crying. It's a great thing to be moving to Hawaii, but saying goodbye is hard. And I've said way too many goodbyes lately! So now, there will be no more goodbyes. They have all been said. Our one-way flight is tomorrow, so the next time you hear from me I'll be on Oahu. Aloha, my friends. Have a good one!

Traveling With Enbrel

We're back in Bellingham and going going going nonstop! Have I mentioned how much I hate moving? Even with a moving and relocation company helping us, I still hate it. Because even though they are coming to pack our stuff for us, I still find myself turning my apartment upside down . . . like this . . .

I am trying to pack as much stuff as I can fit into two checked bags. We have a very large bag (one that Mitch could fit into) and a regular sized bag. Both duffel bags. Both currently filled to the point where the zippers are about to bust open.

Besides packing my entire wardrobe, we spent the day running around town, following up with errands that needed to be done before tomorrow. Because tomorrow . . . that's when the storm blows in.

The bank, the post office, the landlord's office, etc. Then to the office of my buddy Doc Wiz to pick up my special note that allows me to travel with my Enbrel.


When going on a plane ride, you have to take some extra steps to bring your Enbrel injections on board. First of all, you have to get your special traveling case, which you normally get when you first begin your Enbrel treatment. Then, you get your doctor to fill out and sign a little note to give to the TSA. This note lets them know the you have needles that are used for medication, and TSA regulations allow you to bring them on board.

Once you get to Airport Security, show them the note and you should be able to pass on through quickly. And when you get on the plane (which you should take advantage when they make the announcement that people who "need extra time" to board for this reason), you gotta let the flight attendants know that you have Enbrel and that it needs to be refrigerated. They should then take your bag of shots and put it in the nice cold box with the ice.

 

Then you try your best to relax on the plane ride. And that's what I get to look forward to.

Goodbye For Now

It's time to say goodbye. Goodbye, friends. Goodbye family. Goodbye kitties.

Tesla and Niki seem to be adjusting well to life in Wenatchee. Since we brought them with us a few times in the past year it wasn't such a shock to get them here. They knew the house, the rooms, the hiding places. They already knew the other animals and seemed to get along for the most part. So they have been able to relax in the last week, which makes me happy.

It breaks my heart to have to leave them, as I've mentioned before. Hopefully the next three months will go by quickly. I hope. I will miss them.

When shopping for a new apartment we kept our kitties in mind. We'll be on the cooler side of the island with tile flooring (for poor little Niki who does not like hot weather). There is a small lanai off the bedroom that is closed in, so they can go outside as often as they want. There are large windows with views of the trees and the birds. There will be geckos and other tropical bugs for them to chase. I can't wait until they get there, they will have a blast!

I've already talked to you about the process of moving animals to Hawaii. It's long and tedious, and even though I have a handle on everything, I'm still afraid that I'm forgetting something. Or that I'm going to mess something up. Though I have it all under control and the cats passed their rabies tests and are good to go. But having everyone, especially the vet, tell me how difficult of a process it is, I have to say I'm a bit paranoid. Deep breaths, Lyda, deep breaths.


We are leaving today, so it's time for me to say goodbye to my babies. I will be back in no time!

Weekend Surprise Post

It's the weekend! And I'm spending it with my family by the pool. And blogging. Because I abandoned you all the last two days. Traveling and working hard on the move has kept me from writing and posting. Oh the humanity!


Those of you who have ever moved in your life know the stress and chaos it causes. The madness!


To make up for my lack of updates I'm surprising you with this special weekend post. Lucky, lucky you!

Let's see what we've been up to in the last few days . . .

Prepping for the busy week.

The trip to Hawaii was crazy. Busy. Running around all over searching for a place to live. Luckily we got hooked up with a rental agent who did a lot of the searching work for us.

She toured us around the island, showed us over 15 rental properties, taught me how to pronounce all the vowels in the Hawaiian language, and introduced us to one of the most beautiful areas on the island of Oahu.

Eventually we found the perfect place: a small unit across the street from the beach in Kailua. We fell in love with the town and how green and beautiful it is. It's on the wetter side of the island, so it's cooler and lush.

After we found our new home. Excited.

For those of you who are interested, Kailua is the town that president Obama likes to take his family on vacation. I figure, if it's good enough for the president . . .

After we found our apartment, signed the forms and handed over a deposit, we got to relax. 

We also celebrated my birthday while we were there, in between the frantic search for a home. Before our rental search began we enjoyed the biggest, most delicious breakfast on the deck of our hotel room. Yum.

 Yum.

For my surprise, we went to Roy's on Waikiki. We had an amazing dinner, where we got adventurous and for our entree we ordered the Kampachi - a whole fish, stuffed with lemon and wrapped in bacon, topped with a jalapeno chimichury. Oh baby was it delicious (or Ono in Hawaiian). And I got even more adventurous and ate . . . the fish eye. Yikes. Cross that off the bucket list.

The dinner was finished off with a little happy birthday surprise: molten chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and a little sampler of pineapple upside-down cake. Oh lawdy it was good.

We had very little downtime while we were there, but we did manage to get to the beach for a few minutes.

We got to enjoy some more delicious Hawaiian "grinds". Poke is a popular dish - raw fish, usually ahi sashimi, mixed in a delicious sauce. It was AH-Mazing! 

We also happened to be in town just in time for Oceanfest, and caught sight of the longboard competition and tandem surfing. Pretty cool.

Statue of Duke Kahanamoku

And of course, we took some time to check out our new home.

I feel so lucky to be able to move to such a beautiful place. Paradise. I can't wait to take you all along with me on this adventure!

Yep.

I love beaches.

And cocktails.

Mahalo.

Aloha From Oahu: Day 1

We made it! I survived! We are in Hawaii, on our deck overlooking Waikiki beach. It's a little touristy here but it's fine for now.

Yesterday's plane ride was surprisingly comfortable! Our upgraded seats (which were only $25 extra by the way) were totally worth it. The extra leg space, the early boarding, the ability to stretch my legs - worth every penny and every dirty look from those poor suckers in regular coach.

Photo taken to show the hilarious to my left.

We also ordered a "DigEPlayer" (their spelling not mine) for $15 and were able to watch a number of movies on the entire trip over. It made the time fly by fast, and helped make the trip probably one of the nicest flights I've ever been on. (Except for that flight to Europe with my mama, where her flight attendant friend snuck us up to first class.) Way to go Hawaiian Airlines!

We landed, picked up our rental car, got to the hotel and then enjoyed checking out some of the fine shopping available.

We made it to the hotel, which was upgraded as a birthday gift to me. (Oh yeah, today is my birthday by the way. The whole house-hunting trip has kind of kept me from paying too much attention to this twenty-somethingth celebration.) Our view of the beach is enough to make you want to move here.

Day two will consist of rental shopping with our agent who is helping us find the perfect temporary living situation. Hopefully the day will end with the best birthday gift of all: a new place to call home!

And a birthday surprise tonight from Mitch!

Greetings From The Airport!

Hello Friends! We're at the airport in Seattle, awaiting our flight to Honolulu for the four day "better find a place to live or else you'll be homeless" trip. Our day started at 4:00am, waking up to the sound of an unwanted alarm clock. Kitties confused as to why we were awake so early, not knowing about their upcoming abandonment. Oh well, they'll be fine. (Repeat that to yourself, Lyda.)

Breakfast at the airport consisted of French toast. Anyone remember how delicious that is? Mitch commented on the fact that most people go on strict diets before their vacations to Hawaii. Not me. Nope. Bacon, please!

Our six hour flight will board soon and luckily we upgraded our seats. Not first class (I wish) but close enough! My right knee has been bugging me for the last few days so the extra legroom will be much appreciated. I think a mix of the stress, the travel and moving in general has caused extra achey joints. My strategy for this flight is to take breaks to get up and stand around a bit (if I can) and try to stay calm. That's the key.

We're boarding now! See you in Hawaii!