Meghan arrived safely last Thursday! She pulled up in a bright red Mustang convertible - how cool is that?!? What a great car to drive around in Hawaii! My little Honda hasn't left the parking lot since she arrived! Hope my driving skills don't get too rusty - haha!
Friday we got ready and went to the beach (of course)! We took a few wrong turns but didn't really mind as the countryside was so gorgeous. We didn't go to the beach we planned on going to (Bellows) but stopped at another one (Kailua) and it was awesome! We spent the whole day there - alternating getting in the water with sitting on the beach - it was wonderful! We walked on the beach and drove back home (through traffic but we didn't mind)! We ended the night with dinner at the Dixie Grill (yum-o)!
Saturday, was, well not the typical Saturday. I'm not calling this post Tsunami Saturday for nothing! At 4am, my phone starts ringing and after unsuccessfully trying to get a hold of Meg, her parents called me and told me we had to evacuate because a Tsunami was headed our way. We quickly grabbed the firesafe box (filled with important papers and other documents like wedding pictures) and packed for five days. In addition to clothes, I grabbed things like an entire package of soap, granola bars, apples, Gatorade and water. It really makes you realize your priorities in a time like that. It's hard to have to pick your most important stuff when it comes down to it. It's crazy but out of all the stuff we have, the only sentimental things I grabbed were my Bibles, Wedding Pictures and Softie (my teady bear that I have had forever). The rest didn't seem to matter at that point, and surprisingly it still doesn't - after-all it is just stuff. We pulled the couch away from the wall, unplugged everything, shut all the windows and doors and piled into the Jeep. We drove down to Costco to get gas and joined an already long line. We topped of the tank and got on the H1. I think because we left so early we missed the traffic. We were all silent, just listening to the radio give its account of the time line and what to do. We hit absolutely no traffic on the drive up to Schofield and arrived on base about 5:30. We drove around and then sat in the parking lot of the library. The sirens started going off which was scary - my already rapidly beating heart, started beating even faster. We were calm but still scared - we were safe but still worried about how the events of the day would unfold - we didn't really know what we would find when we got home, would we be working a relief effort? When went to the PX and wandered around the mall-like building for awhile. The lines were extremely long but everyone remained calm. Then we just waited - we sat at Starbucks and got a wireless signal so we were able to stay connected. I broke my no-Facebook rule for this event - it was the quickest way to get accurate information to the most amount of people, I think Jesus will understand (and note: I haven't been back on since). We were just waiting for either the Tsunami or the "all clear" signal. When we got tired of sitting inside, we moved outside - the were throngs of people (and animals) just waiting it out. We drove around the base for awhile then ventured off base, making sure to stay on high ground. We were driving around off base, in some of the prettiest countryside I have ever seen, when we got the "all clear". We continued to drive for fear that we would get stuck in a major traffic jam from everyone trying to head home. We found some cool places including Dillingham Ranch, a really cool YMCA camp (it's just waiting for you Alicia :) ) and even went off-roading! I was absolutely exhausted and could have been in a better mood but tried to enjoy what was left of the day. We all crashed when we got home - it was a pretty emotionally taxing day and we were all thankful to be home safe, sleeping in our own beds. I was so impressed with how the State of Hawaii handled the Tsunami - everyone remained calm - even though we were scared we just prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. Thankfully, we got the best as no one was harmed and no mass-destruction happened. I'd much rather have it that way then the alternative. Praise God for sparing Hawaii - we are all so grateful!
Sunday was filled with much fun! It started with an awesome sermon at church and was finished off with a fun-filled hike! We took Miss K (our almost 3-year old neighbor) along and had a blast. It was extremely muddy but it was such a fun trip which led to a gorgeous waterfall - it was totally worth it! We had to hurry on the way back for fear that it would start to get dark soon - we finished with no problem and headed off to McDonald's for dinner! It was a super fun trip and a great way to end the weekend!
Monday, Meg and I met up with Matt and checked out some more beaches on the North Shore. Unfortunately, we couldn't get too close to the water as that part of the beach was closed due to high waves. They were the highest waves I have ever seen in my whole life! It was unbelievable! We headed to Waikiki, where the beach was not closed. Meg and Matt got in the water and had a good time. I enjoyed my book (actually it was Meghan's book) on the beach. I highly recommend it - it is such a great story of hope and redemption - amazing story!
With all this beach time, I'm pretty proud that I have managed not to get sunburned yet - let's hope I can keep that streak going!
In other news, my next door neighbor will be leaving today (I may have to take her and the kids to the airport) until July. Her husband will remain here until they return. I'm sad to see her go, I've really enjoyed getting to know her and her kids, they are fabulous and have really been a bright spot in my life these past few weeks. I will definitely miss them!
And last but definitely not least....today is Meghan's birthday!
Happy Birthday Meghan!!!
Who knows what the day will hold - everyday we have had a plan and everyday (so far) the plan has changed. We'll see what happens!
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