ALOHA

We are here!

We arrived in Hawaii on July 13th.  It is always hard for us to say goodbye to the place we have been, but equally exciting to arrive in a new place.  Hawaii is so different than Korea - it seems very exotic to us.

We were greeted at the airport by Chaplain Rodriguez, the Chaplain that Layden will be working with at Schofield Barracks.  He and his wife Sandy gave us a warm welcome, complete with a lovely flower lei for me (smelled so good!) and a koa nut lei for Layden.  Dash had no problems with quarantine at the airport - he "dashed" right through and was good to go.  We got him safely tucked away at the kennel - an awesome place with lots of room, perches and ramps to climb and good care.  We miss him though, and we think he might actually miss us.  After lunch and a brief orientation to Honolulu we were dropped off at the Navy Lodge on Ford Island, where we spent our first night.

The next day, after picking up a rental car and some sunblock, we moved to the Hilton Waikiki, where we got a room on the 30th floor.  What a view!  What a beach!!

We could also see Diamond Head from the corner of our teeny-tiny lanai (another word for balconey, deck, porch, etc.).

Jet lag meant that we were up about 4 a.m. the first few nights.  It gave us the opportunity to see the full moon over the water. 

We shared our crumbs with the birds that visited the lanai.  Hawaii has lots of beautiful birds.  This little bird is the "common house finch."  The reddish-orange color is really pretty.

Our first Sunday here, we attended the military service on the beach at Fort DeRussy.  Layden wore a white shirt, tie, and dark pants.  I wore a cotton skirt and sweater and a pretty jacket.  Quite a change from somewhat formal Korea - we hoped we wouldn't be too casual.  Well....turns out we were seriously over-dressed.  So, on the recommendation of  a local, we headed to this store.  We were warned that it would be touristy, but also a good place for all things Hawaiian, and assured that locals shop here too.  We were greeted with leis and this GIANT Aloha shirt. 

At this store you can indeed find all things Hawaiian, including hula lessons.

And hula dancers in tinsel skirts. 

Layden, not a big fan of Aloha shirts to begin with, gave a big thumbs down to the matching shirt and mumu concept.  But we did manage to find some tasteful attire, so we fit in much better at services this week 

We are quite a ways a way from actually moving in to a place to live - no quarters available on post and a scarce rental market.  Things here are REALLY expensive - we are experiencing "sticker shock" everywhere from the grocery store to the gas station.  But we like it here!  Look for more about this wonderful place.