Woohoo for Car and Household Goods!

We finally got the car. We met with the owner on Tuesday evening and made the trade. I was quite happy. Daniel even let me drive it home. What a generous thing to do with a new car... I was thrilled to drive it. It handles very well and is a lot of fun to drive. I am so glad we finally got it. Here is Daniel after work yesterday with the new car. Doesn't he look good...I mean the car look good? :) Of course he does too.

That news is big enough for one week, yet the biggest news is:
OUR HOUSELHOLD GOODS SHIPMENT IS COMING TOMORROW MORNING!

I am so excited about our stuff getting here. I have started even dreaming of the things we have coming. I know I am being very material, but I have been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time now. I will have a complete kitchen as well as the rest of my clothing, my books, and my other personal items I couldn't fit in two suitcases. I am stoked!

A wonderful package came in the mail today. I was quite excited to open the box from my sister with gifts in it. She made Daniel and I an amazing afghan. She also made me a wonderful sarong, which I will not put a picture of me modeling it on the blog. Trust me it is great though. Now I just have to try to look good in it...

Here is the afghan on display and being used by its new owners. We love it Lolly! Thank you for all the work put into making it for us. It goes with everything in our house so far...the couch and bed! :)

It is a relaxing evening here. We finished dinner and Daniel is preparing for work tomorrow. He is on the range all next week for his annual rifle and pistol qualification. I know he is looking forward to it. He is an "expert" marksman for both rifle and pistol, which is the best. I think he enjoys the week of different activity especially the shooting guns part... :)

It means a week of waking up at 4am to get to a range 45 minutes away on time. Ah well. I am glad it is only a week. I enjoy the mornings where he has to be at work at 7am. We get to spend a little time together over breakfast before I don't see him the whole day.

Well everyone have a wonderful weekend. Daniel and I are planning on getting our boat licenses this weekend. We will see if we make it on time this weekend. I hope so...we will probably camp out at the marina until they open that morning to get a spot. We will also be having dinner at a couples house on Saturday. Yipee for friends in Hawaii!

Love Ya'll!

Happy 33rd Anniversary Mom and Dad Good!
What a special week to celebrate our parents!

We hope you have a special day together.

Thank you for being such a beautiful couple!

We love you!

Happy 30th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Thank you for your beautiful marriage!

You all are wonderful!

Eventful Weekend

Hello Family and friends!

This is a statue in downtown Waikiki. The man with the several leis is the "Duke". He is a native Hawaiian from the '50s that helped make surfing so popular. He is known to be one of the best surfers ever on the island as well as a prominent man in Hawaiian history due to all the famous people he met in his surfing career.

Daniel and I decided to walk in downtown Waikiki on Friday night so that I could get more acquainted with the downtown so I can take friends and family around when they visit. And I have Katy coming in 2 weeks...woohoo! I better know the island well enough to show her around.

We ended up parking near the main strip and walking up and down looking at all the shops and street performers. We had walked this strip once before but we were headed to a restaurants the first time and we were not walking slowly due to our hungry tummies. This time was leisurely and it was a beautiful night, of course.

Here is a quick pic of Daniel and I as we sat and listened to a band that was playing on a roof top of a restaurant. They were playing Beatles covers and they were good...
Daniel is wearing his Hawaiian shirt. I still can't get over how even natives wear them all the time. I had thought the entire time it was just a touristy thing to wear a Hawaiian shirt, but I was wrong. I am not so against buying the Hawaiian gear now. I thought it would make me look like such a tourist, and on our side of the island there are less tourists. I wanted to blend as much as I could, but I have Hawaiian print pants on in this pic... :) Ah well

Saturday we spent a good deal of our day in downtown Honolulu shopping for a mattress for our extra bedroom, yet another way to prepare for Katy's visit as well as Lolly and Kris when they come out. We did find some good furniture stores and ended up buying a mattress by the end of the day at the base furniture store. You can't beat their prices...lucky us. We enjoyed learning more of the Honolulu streets. It is so good to explore down there. We found a yummy bakery that we will have to check out again.

Saturday evening we had the joy of dining with a couple we met from Daniels work. Well, we met the wife at the Fourth of July party we went to and then met the hhusband afterward. We went to Hawaii Kai, a community east of Waikiki. It is on an amazing side of the island, right near a crater with amazing mountains surrounding it. Anyways, we went to this ritzy restau that they had a gift certificate to that they wanted to share. It was a phenomenal dinner and we really enjoyed their company. I found out that the wife and I have more in common than I realized and the husband is a lot of fun. By the end of the night we were all so comfortable with each other and we were laughing so much. Here is a pic of us outside the restaurant.

The wife and I were talking about how we can minister to wives coping with husbands on deployment. We have both been thinking there is such a need during that time. I really look forward to getting to know her better and exploring this ministry opportunity.

Well, Sunday we visited the base chapel. We enjoyed the visit but we plan on visiting the church we went to the week before that we were so encouraged by. Sunday was a relaxing day. We ended up watching a movie and making a budget, something on our to-do-list. It was nice to get that out of the way. We are slowly knocking the list down.

Today was an excellent day. I had the joy of a boat trip with the hostess of the Fourth of July party. She had her family visiting so we rented a pontoon boat and went out to the sandbar right near the base marina. It was a great day for boating, sunshine, light breeze and smooth water. I only got a little sun. I was applying sunscreen religiously.

Here is a picture of Kaneohe from the water. You can almost see where our apartment complex is from this picture. The clouds were low today. They usually cover the mountains, but they were really low today. Like I said it was a great day. Looking at this just makes you want to visit us now doesn't it...? Do I have to keep posting pictures like this to get you people to visit us? I hope not. ( I may still do it though.)

Here is a picture of a couple girls we were on the boat with. Their momma is not in the pic but she is a fellow Marine wife that was at the July 4th party. They girls are so much fun. The older one is as cute as a bug's ear and the little one is so smart and funny to chat with. Both have big blue eyes that are so cute...

Anyways, my man is out changing the oil on the Grand Prix. He is such a do-it-yourself type. He is renting a lift and going at it. Last time I remember him changing the oil was in the front driveway of my parent's house in MD. That was when he was at the Academy.

We should be getting the other car tomorrow night. The owner returned to the island yesterday afternoon but did not feel compelled to give us the title and care keys until tomorrow night. :( He obviously doesn't want to get rid of it that badly. Ah well. I need to be patient.

Tomorrow is a busy day. The furniture we have borrowed from base is being picked up tomorrow morning. We will be living without tables, lamps, and dressers for a few days. Our furniture is supposed to be coming this week sometime. It is odd that the company has not called to tell us when though...they said they would. Anyways, it will be a busy day tomorrow.

Thanks for reading all of this if you did. Thank you for your mail and loving comments. We love ya'll!!

Another beauty 

Hibiscus near driveway 

Wednesday Morning

This morning was a perfect morning to take a few pictures of the beautiful hibiscus out in the driveway of our apartment complex so I will attach some of these at the end of the entry.

Daniel and I did not end up getting our boat license on Sunday morning. We arrived on time and found out there were 4 spots left and there were 7 people with us. We figured that the people with guests coming in the next few weeks should get their license first due to them wanting to take the guests out on the boats. This turned out to be such a blessing rather than a let down because Daniel and I were able to make it to church on time and the church we visited was wonderful.

We visited a Baptist church in Kailua, a neighboring town, that had such a nice variety of people in it. They were all so friendly. The preaching was wonderful, yet we found out that at the end of the service they were voting in a new senior pastor for full time service and the person we heard preach was just speaking as a guest. Thankfully, they all seemed to appreciate his style, so hopefully the new preacher has a same Bible-based style. We left feeling quite glad the boat was full and that we were able to worship in that particular church that day. We will probably visit again sometime soon...

Car news...We are going to be getting the car this next week when the owner is back in town. His wife wants him to sign the title and be the person to exchange the money with rather than herself. It is okay, Daniel and I can be patient. I am looking forward to the freedom of two cars though. It has been nice to be near home for these past few weeks, but there are some museums in Honolulu I want to visit that Daniel has no desire to go to and some beaches that are calling out my name... I am looking forward to heading to the grocery store when we need it and not when we can switch the car off... We are really blessed to be able to get two cars....

Voice news...I am going to contact the voice teacher later next week. I do not want to sign up for a listen-in to one of her lessons or have my own with her yet, because none of my music books are here. I will feel more comfortable when I can practice a little before I meet with her. I have been singing along with all of my opera CD's lately but that is not good enough...

I did sign up for opera chorus auditions with the Hawaii Opera Theatre in September. I am needing to get my repetoire back up to speed for that audition, so I am thankful to have that to work towards.

We are scheduled to have the furniture we are currently borrowing from base to be picked up next Tuesday. The movers that have our belongings say that is should be here next week sometime. Hopefully we don't have to live without a table, dressers, and lamps for too long. I am so excited about finally having our own furniture and all my clothing. I am tired of wearing the same thing...c'est la vie.

Well, thank you all for the nice, funny, and kind comments you have left on our blog. We have loved hearing them all.

Daniel on the rocks...teehee :)

Finally figured out pictures...

Yipee! I finally figured out how to post pictures. I just need to take some more. These pictures were taken a couple weekend ago when Daniel and I drove to the northern side of the island. The northern side is where most of the heavy surfing happens and unfortunately we didn't see any that day...ah well

I hope to post more pictures soon.

Love Ya'll!

Awesome picture of the palm trees 

Another picture of the shore 

Me on the Northern Shore when Daniel and I were exploring the island. 

Karaoke Fun

Hello loved ones. I have been so happy to see that so many more people are reading this blog to keep up to date with Daniel and I here. Please email us as well to let us know how you are doing or leave comments on the blog to let us know what you think. danielgood@2002.usna.com or goodd002@hawaii.rr.com

Thank you so much for the wonderful cards and gifts everyone. I have been so blessed by ya'lls sweet words and thoughtful cards. Thank You and Mahalo, which means than you in Hawaiian.

Well it is relaxing Saturday afternoon and Daniel and I woke up early to go look at a car and test drive it. We called the owners about this Acura Legend that was in the car lot on base and set up this morning as the time. It ended up driving very nice and we called the husband, who is the owner, (we met with the wife this morning), to chat about the price. It is going to be nice to have a second car so that Daniel and I can both go where we need to go. I was surprised Daniel was looking at the cars so soon. I think he was understanding my need to get out and around a little more. I was asking if I could drop him off at work maybe a few too many times and he decided it was time. I am so thankful we could even think about this as an option...
Well, we are still waiting for a call back from the owner. He is currently out of town. I will keep you all posted on the news...

The title of this entry is based on the good times Daniel and I had last night. We had heard that there was karaoke in the Hale Koa hotel lounge down in Waikiki. Hale Koa is a hotel/resort for militray peoples or family of military peoples. It is very beautiful and we walked around for a bit before we went in. It was so neat because the entire first floor is open and outdoor. The lobby and front desk and all the little lounges and such are open to the fresh air. It had these amazing trees in the lobby all decorated with lights and palm trees up to the 8th story it seemed. It was very charming.

Once we found theWarrior Lounge, where the karaoke took place, we decided to stay. The environment was not too loud or "shady". We decided to take a look at the book of song selections and after over an hour of trying to decide and talk myself into singing I went up there with a Josh Groban song, You Raise me Up. There were so many to choose from and I was overwhelmed and nervous. It was my first time karaokeing so I decided to play it safe.

Daniel on the other hand was a pro. He went to karaoke with friends in Japan all the time. I just loved seeing him get up there and singing away. His first song was Travelin' Man and that gave everyone a kick because he was so obviously a military man. (The song is about a sailor who has a sweet lady in every port he visits.) It was odd that Daniel has been to half the ports it mentions in the song...hmmm...that's interesting.

We basically we had a really nice time and as the evening grew late, we made more friends. We had so many people come visit our table. Daniel and I decided we looked like friendly people to chat with. This one man came to our table after we sang and immediatly struck up a conversation about the song I sang. He wondered if I knew any other Josh Groban and wanted to sing one with me. I was flattered and too nervous to say yes. He was the cutest older Phillipino man, very funny and sweet. We told him we would come back for another visit. The best thing is he studies voice with a private teacher and he gave me her number and told me a little about her.

My family will be happy to know that I am going to start up voice lessons soon. That is another advantage of having two cars. The lessons would most likely be in Honolulu. This voice teacher he mentioned is on the voice staff of the Hawaii Opera Theatre. That made me very excited. I have been missing my lessons, and haven't formally "warmed-up" in quite some time...anyways.
The night was very "successful" as Daniel called it. He thinks our times out in Hawaii so far have been excellent in putting us in touch with the right people and making good connections. I must agree. We have been fortunate to meet some very wonderful people.

Some of those people are going to be spending tomorrow morning with us. A few couples from the Fourth of July Barbecue we were at are getting together tomorrow morning early to get our boating licenses. On base you can get the license and rent a boat for very cheap so why not take advantage while we are here?! We decided we were on-board..haha...with the plan and are going out bright and early tomorrow. I am very excited. I have always wanted to be able to drive a boat and tomorrow I get my chance to learn. Exciting Stuff!

Well, we are going to go out shopping. Daniel is in dire need of some new pants, and I like the idea of me actually being with him when he shops now. Not that he does a bad job... :) just that I have wanted to be with him for so long now it is fun to be out doing the ordinary as well. We are also in search of a twin mattress for the extra bedroom. I have a friend coming out to stay with us in August so we want to make her comfortable. We hope the actual furniture containing the bed she will sleep on will get here by then as well. I am so excited about her visit.

Momma get better soon and Sudu I am glad you are home for the time being..

Well love to everyone and thank you for putting up with these long blog entires...

Tuesday Morning

It is a beautiful day and there is a man vacuuming the cement in front of the apartment. Hmmm...Good times. Well, when is it not a beautiful day here. I have been thankful for the rain we have been getting lately, and we have been getting downpours. Some of the grass on base was getting quite brown. Amazingly enough it was getting a little dry in paradise.
This morning was quite pleasant. Thank you everyone for making this a special day already. It is only 10:15am and I have already been spoiled to death the past two days with special mail and gifts. Love to all!
Sunday we visited another church on our list and we are still in prayer over where we need to be. It was quite an enterprise they had running there. We felt very welcome though. They had the first-timers raise their hands and they came and gave us leis. They are always beautiful to wear. It surprised me because the church is so large. It says it has about 1600 members. It has 6 services weekly to accommodate every person. It was nice though to see that they were not forgetting the visitors.
We ran into one of Daniel's friends during church and afterward invited him over for lunch. I always get so excited to have guests. I was attempting a new recipe that day too so he was brave. Thankfully it turned out pretty good and we enjoyed chatting for awhile after lunch and then some nice Sunday afternoon relaxing.
We finished watching Finding Nemo and started watching South Pacific. Currently I am trying to get Daniel to see all the movies I think of while we are here in Hawaii. Any movies relating to fish, islands, and volcanoes pertain. HA! The library has a limited amount, yet a very current selection. So far I have been pulling the movies from there. I may have to break down and go to Blockbuster or something. :)
We have enjoyed not having a TV though. (We watch the movie on Daniel's computer.) It has allowed us to focus on other aspects of life. I am currently reading through Sense and Sensibility and Daniel is catching up on some reading from his logistics training in NC. He likes to review everything he has learned to stay knowledgeable. Wise thing to do...
I am currently listening to this wonderful CD Daniel got for me today. He took a risk and got a CD that looked like one I would like. Good thing he knows me. It is a CD by Carla Bruni. It is all in French, as she is a French song-writer. It is her playing the guitar and singing. It is already a favorite one. I have listened to it once through already and it is working on its second cycle. Very relaxing and perfect background music for updating the blog.
Well, I hope everyone is well. And thank you again for making this day so special. I love you all!

Well, it is Saturday evening and Daniel and I spent the night in with pizza and a movie. The end of the week it is always nice to wind down a little.
We made a trip to the beach earlier today. There are 3 beaches on base and we visited one today. The other day we checked one out but did not get in the water. Today we came prepared. Daniel had his snorkeling equipment and I was ready for a nice nap on the sand, with lots of sunscreen on, of course. The beach was very nice but very rocky. The waves were really big too, so it would sweep you up and if you were not careful run your feet across some unexpected rocks. My little toe on my left foot found some of those rocks today and it is recovering with a little swelling. Ahh well. Daniel only snorkeled a little while. We sat out in the sand for a bit but didn't stay long. The day was overcast so it was threatening to rain while we were there. We de-sanded, which with Daniel and his high extreme dislike of sand in the car, takes 15-20 minutes. I quickly got clean and laughed while Daniel had to get every single bit of sand off of himself.
We got back and ordered pizza. I had made a promise to myself to not do that this early after the honeymoon because Daniel and I were trying to lose the honeymoon pounds we gained, but we gave in tonight. My justification was the ridiculous jog we took uphill for most of the way the other night. It was a perfect night for a jog, but my legs ached afterward. I feel we earned the pizza, besides we had coupons left from Bayfest... :)
Last night we went to dinner and over to a couple's house for some Trivial Pursuit time. It was a lot of fun. They have a sweet little baby girl and they are a really fun couple. We ended up playing until around 12:30am and I ended up driving home. I was quite proud of myself for finding the way back. Daniel was dozing off so I did most of it myself. The couple lived on the other side of the island near Waikiki so it was a good distance. I am thankful to be getting comfortable with the island. I look at maps of the island every time we get in the car. Good to have the visual learning device...
Tomorrow we visit another church. The process is exciting yet challenging. Daniel and I know that once we find a place we feel we belong we will feel more at home here. I know I am personally floating now without the church body that I am accustomed to. I am missing the people in the Life that have been my foundation of church for the past few years. I do know that God will bless us with a family of believers to grow with though. He has promised that to his church. We will wait and continue visiting and praying. We are enjoying our time as a couple growing together in the Word. It is a great thing!
Bless Ya'll!

Independence Day Weekend In K-bay

Well, Daniel is back to work after a long weekend and an amazing Fourth of July. I just got back from the library. I love it there, like a kid in a candy shop. I really know I am Lauren's sister when I visit.
On Independence Day we were invited to a barbecue at a young couple's house that Daniel just met. Daniel works with the husband and he invited us over last week. We went over and I met his wife, who turns out graduated from UMD in '03, her family is in MD, and she is the middle sister of three girls. We were very excited to find out our similarities, and we definitly formed a new friendship. I was welcomed by the military wives, since that is what the party conisisted of, military families. I even exchanged numbers with one wife. Daniel and I were blessed by the day and left feeling very welcome and appreciative.
After the barbecue we went to the last evening of Bayfest, a 4 day festival on base celebrating Independence Day. (On Sunday we saw Brad Paisley in concert. It was great!) We watched the main band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and then watched an outstanding fireworks display. It goes into my top 3 4th of July memories, and I love the holiday. It was nice to finally celebrate it with Daniel. The evening was perfect.
We slept in the next day because Daniel did not have to go into work. He hates sleeping in too late because he feels unproductive. But why have days off if you aren't going to sleep a little more than on regular work days!? I like sleeping in.
Later that day, we went to a change-of-command ceremony for Daniel's last CO. It reminded me again of what I married into. I am so proud of what Daniel is a part of and who he is. There were tear-jerker stories from the battle of Fallujah, where Daniel's battalion had fought most recently, as well as uplifting memories shared by officers. I enjoyed the ceremony and look forward to others in the future. I am thankful to be a part of this life with Daniel.
Well, I am still in awe of this place and I hope I never take the beauty for granted. It is such an amazing reminder of how God blesses us through His creation.
Many blessings to all and please keep in touch!