Diamonds at the Hilton

Joseph likes the couch at the check-in area.

Because of Joey's Diamond Status with Hilton, this was the line were were in.

This was where the rest of O`ahu had to wait. The news reports that Waikiki hotel occupancy is at an 18 year low. Some are as low as 40%! Not the Hilton! They are booked at 100% solid throughout the entire summer! They are even having to send over booked guests to other hotels! Sheesh!

Our room in the Ali`i Tower! Ocean view and all! An upgrade that we didn't even have to pay for! The room goes at $250 a night but we only had to pay $200!

Our fabulous view of the ocean reminds us why Hawaii is SO special before we leave. It calls, "Stutesmans! Don't leave!"

A TV in the bathroom! I'm in love!

Life is good at the Hilton!

Okay, so sorry for the barrage of posts recently! We've been in temporary quarters in Waianae for the past month or so and we've recently moved into complete luxury at the Hilton. I'm a bit disoriented, though. Having to go to the VIP Lounge all the way in the Rainbow Tower to use the internet was getting old so we sprung for the in-room internet for $65. It has been worth it, though. I've gotten all caught up on my school work and updating Facebook has been a relief (Joe's officially addicted). The best part is that as Diamonds, we get free breakfast at the lounge and free pupus in the evening! Joseph likes the Guava muffins in the morning while I love the fresh fruit and croissants. Joey enjoys the hot coffee in the morning and I like that it wakes him up for the drive to work.

Benihana=Yummihana!

We recommend the Garlic Fried Rice

Check out that action!

Joe said, "We're such mushroom heads!" when I told him that my favorite part was the shiitake mushrooms! He said, "Yah! We love mushrooms with everything!" We're made for each other!

Tonight we went to Benihana at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for dinner. It was so yummy! Joseph was not as thrilled as we thought he'd be. When Blake, our Tepanyaki Chef, busted out the best trick in the book (the volcano) Joseph went completely wild! He jumped out of his seat and ran away crying. Poor thing probably didn't get a good nap at school. After that, however, everything went smoother. He enjoyed watching his food being cooked even though they were not cooking chicken nuggets.

On a separate note, because Ms. Judelyn suspected Joseph had an eye infection, we had to see Dr. Chan-Ikeda (our FAVORITE doctor) so Joseph could attend school tomorrow. He was weighed and measured and we found out our big boy is 40.5 inches and 36 pounds. He's in the 47th percentile for weight and 48th percentile for height which is exactly where I hoped he'd be! Being in the middle is just great! Growing up I was always larger than average and that was difficult to say the least. I'm so relieved that my son is "normal." Not too tall, not too short. Not too heavy, not too light! Juuuuuuuuuuuuust perfect! I didn't need a scale to tell me that, though!

It turned out that Joseph just had an allergic reaction to the mango tree pollen out here. Hopefully that'll go away when we move since I'm certain mangoes are not a frequently grown fruit up there in the Northwest. =)

Sure is Exciting!

I imagine some of you must already know that Joe has been given new orders that relocate us from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to Bangor, Washington. I have mixed feelings about the move since I've never lived anywhere else in my life. Hawaii is special. For many years I resented living on this rock because of what seemed to be limited opportunity. Having my own family, however, has changed my point of view. I love that residents of Hawaii all have a common sense of pride and camaraderie. We all know how unique and ideal living here can be. From now on, I'll have to say, "Please come over here" instead of, "Try come." And I'll have to remember to switch my sentence structure when speaking with the ha`oles over there. No more, "Cute, your hair!" It will now have to be, "Your hair is very cute."

I've also enjoyed working as a teacher these past two years. I enjoyed the relationships with other teachers and staff members as well as the relationships with the kids. Sometimes I was really humbled by the opportunity to shape the impressions and beliefs of young students. I know that my class will have an effect on these youngsters for the rest of their lives. I may not remember WHAT I learned in 7th grade at Niu Valley Intermediate but I DO remember Mr. Nagata, Ms. Murton, Mrs. Acoba, and Mr. Crabbe. They were really great teachers and I loved being in their class. I get to be one of those memories! How amazing!

This week will fly by swiftly. I still can't believe that it is actually happening. I can't be afraid, though. I have to press on and conquire the unknown. Who knows what the future holds! It sure is exciting!

Kualoa Ranch

Parts of You, Me, & Dupree were filmed here.

When Joe told Joseph he was in standing in the middle of Godzilla's footprint, Joseph lifted up his feet and asked, "Where?!" Such a cutie!

These mountains are known (in the movie world) as Mighty Joe Young's mountains because the movie was filmed here but more importantly, these two rocks are supposed to look like to primates kissing each other. Use your imagination...

So exactly, WHY are we leaving Hawaii?!

Josh Hartnett and Ben Afleck can make this American History major overlook the gross historical inaccuracies in this movie.

View from the front seat. I'm car sick looking at this still picture!

Can't call it a "ranch" without some cow action! Moo!

Here we're holding on for dear life... and looking good at the SAME time! What talent!

World War II bunker with Chinaman's Hat in the distance.

A jungle it was! Highly recommend it to tourists AND residents!

Tuckered out at the end of our day!

Kualoa Ranch was a great experience. I visited it only once before on a field trip. We focused more on the farm animals last time and I don't feel I truly got the whole experience. Since it's our last weekend in Hawaii, Joseph, Joe, and I decided to head on over to experience the "Hawaiian Adventure Half Day." No horseback riding for us, though. I remember doing it as a kid and all I remember are the putrid smells, the flies, and the pain in the, eh hum, crotch. It was a great time!

Sea Life Park

Grandma and Joseph enjoying the penguins.

Sea Life Park's claim to fame: the Walfin! Half Dolphin, half whale.

Watching the dolphins warm up before the performance.

We took Joseph to Sea Life Park in November of 2007. He's been more interested in sea life recently because they're learning about ocean creatures at school. It was way more fun with him this time since he could actually enjoy all of the shows. I think what he loved the most was feeding the turtles. He did it multiple times! Ever since then, he's been asking me for broccoli, celery, and lettuce. Of course, when it's put in front of him, he just looks at it but I suppose it's a start.

Our New House

Parlor/Family Room

I like the thick trim!

Can you say, "Closet Space?" Lots of shopping will be done to fill these bad boys.

Glad we have two sinks.

Master bedroom

Ooooh! I abhor the silver strip along the counter top. The builder's supposed to change this before we move in.

A garden box!

In an earlier entry, I had posted pictures of a house that we had put an offer in. Unfortunately, our offer was contingent upon the sale of our other house. Another bidder came in and took the house from right under our noses. My heart is still a little broken and I'm trying to be excited about the house we DID get. Since it was just built and has never been lived in before, we asked the builder to change a few things. Because of this, we did not get the rock bottom price I had hoped for. We still did well with the interest rate, though.