More Blessings

It's Christmas Eve!  I'm in the Springfield Airport waiting for Dan to arrive.  It looks like he'll be about 20 minutes late.  I have no kids with me.  20 quiet minutes will be fine.

It hasn't felt like Christmas yet.  Maybe it's because Dan hasn't been here, or maybe because I haven't been able to decorate.  It will feel more like Christmas today when we're all together again.  Plus we already have our Christmas gift:

WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!  We're so incredibly excited.  We already have the keys, and it's just waiting for all our stuff.  We'll still be in the condo through the end of January (Woo Hoo!), which is probably how long it will take for our household goods to arrive.  It's beautiful!  Built in 2010, 2060sqft, 3 br, 2.5 bath.  We love it.  Of course I haven't seen it in person yet . . . but it's soooo much better than the bouncing from place to place that I expected to do for the next 2-3 months.  Yes, that's Dan's new ride in the driveway.  (Give him a break . . . at least it's a different color than the last one . . . )

We will be just outside the gates of Schofield Barracks in the Wheeler Army Airfield area.  This means we'll get to pass all the cool helicopters on the way to our house every day.  Axel's gonna love it.  The area has recently been completely re-done.  In fact, if you look on Google Maps, not even the streets are the same now.  It's a totally new neighborhood.  We're so excited!

I love that the kitchen is open to the living area, so I can watch the kids play while I'm cooking.  I love that the back yard (although tiny) is fenced-in.  I love that I already know where I'll put the Christmas tree next year.  I REALLY love that I'll have half the bathrooms to clean.

I love that God has anticipated our every stress, fear and question.  He has overwhelmingly provided for us so much better than we had even hoped.  At this point it seems futile to have a single worry about anything anymore.  I just wish we would have realized that a little sooner.

Dan's plane just landed.  (Insert girly giggling here.)  A whole week with family, food and presents.  More blessings.  We're having such a blast!

4,156 Miles

Dan is in Hawaii.  Apparently this mythical place we've been talking about for the past few months actually exists.  He spent all of a long Monday getting there.  He's spending a few days getting things together, setting up a P.O. Box, buying a car, and about a dozen other things.  Based on our conversation last night, this is what he's learned.

1.  It's beautiful.  Distractingly, so.  Kinda dangerous to be test-driving a car, and suddenly find yourself on a road that overlooks one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  I'm not sure he even remembers what color the car was.

2.  Always get the GPS in your rental car.  The streets all have Hawaiian names, which sounds reasonable enough, except that there are only 13 letters in the Hawaiian (Samoan?) alphabet, so they all start to look the same after a while.  Also, the same street might have 5 different names, depending on where you are on the map.  He is spending a good amount of time trying to figure out where he is, and where to go.

3.  It's expensive.  This we knew.  His breakfast buffet at his hotel was $25.  He told me that he about had a heart attack at Chili's when the daily special was a quesadilla for $13.  However, he said that milk was only $4.50 a gallon.  Not as bad as we expected.

4.  There are no billboards . . . or signs for that matter.  It sounds wonderful to not have billboards breaking up the scenery everywhere, but Dan said that this signage thing carries over into normal signs, too.  You won't ever know where a McDonald's is unless you happen to drive by one, because they don't have signs by the street.  He couldn't tell me how much gasoline was per gallon, because there weren't any signs in front of the stations.  Strange.

5.  Everyone has been super-nice.  This is not what we've heard.  However, he's been mainly in the tourist areas, so maybe that's to be expected.

6.  Our wait for a house might be drastically shorter than we thought!  When he stopped by the housing office, they told him that because of rank & the fact that Dan's in the Warrior Battalion Unit we moved to #1 on the list.  We might get a house offer today for a 4 bedroom, BRAND NEW home.  (I have no idea if it will look like the pic below.  I just found it on the base housing website, and figured I could hope.)  That's spectacular news.  The un-spectacular news: We have a lease for the entire month of January for a beach condo.  If we turn down this house, there will definitely be more . . . but they might not be brand new.  We'll keep you posted.  (Ignore the pun.)

I am in Webb City.  I have been here since Monday, and the kids and I are spending time with family.  Mainly cooking away my stresses.  Based on these last few days, this is what I've learned.

1.  We have the best family ever.  They will never understand how much I dearly love and appreciate them for making my kids laugh every night since we've arrived.  I worry so much about how they are handling the stress of being without our normal home, and now without their Daddy.  When I see them light up and be able to play and laugh with people who love them it is the most comforting, peaceful therapy (maybe even more for me than for them) I could ever have hoped for. 

2.  I will not miss this cold weather.  Every time I step out into freezing rain I wonder how I have done it every winter for my entire life.  I don't know where we will live after 3 years, but today I'm voting for some place with NO freezing rain.  Maybe some place that has pretty snow but isn't cold.  I'd compromise on that. 

3.  We have entirely too much stuff.  The movers came and packed up everything and moved it for us.  Just what we have leftover is making me think we should have sold EVERYTHING and just taken carry-on bags on the flight.  If it can't fit into a '98 Toyota Camry (along with 2 car seats), I'm thinking we might not need it.

4,156 miles, and a 4 hour time difference.  Some days the world seems bigger than it is, but I've been surprised at how much smaller it has seemed though all this.  It didn't sound like Dan was an ocean away when I talked to him on the phone.  Ask me in a week how far away he seems

Long December

It's been a long December, and there's reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last. . . .

Okay, so we aren't as depressed as the mood of the Counting Crows song conveys.  We're actually very excited about this new year.  We just have to make it though December.

The movers come next week.  We close on the 9th.  Dan leaves on the 12th, and comes back on the 24th.  We all leave on the 30th.  New Year's in Waikiki.  That means that from December 6th through who knows how long the Stanleys will be bouncing from grandparents' houses to hotel rooms and everywhere in between.  2 weeks without Dan, but we will be with our families for Christmas.  Thank you, God.


The Good News:  We do NOT have to stay in the tiny hotel room on base until our housing opens up.  We will get an allowance that is surprisingly spectacular, so we will get to stay at a condo on the beach in Ko Olina for the entire month of January!  (Our view below)  Yeah.  So we're kinda praying that base housing never opens.  I am so excited to learn how well our country takes care of it's military families.  In an unrelated story, I've discovered a way that we can cut about a billion dollars from the federal budget.

The Bad (?) News:  We're number 19 on the waiting list for a home on base.  We have no idea what that means.  Our wait will be at least 20 days, and maybe even beyond the 60 days that they will pay for temporary housing.  Which means that we would have to find a short-term lease that we could afford.  Yikes.  We're pulling for the 60 days.

I'm worried about my kids having any sense of stability over the next 30 - 90 days.  I'm terrified to take them both on a flight across an ocean.  (Any tips on flying with infants & toddlers are VERY welcome.)  I hate it when Dan is gone.  I have to put on a bathing suit 6 days after Christmas.  I'm concerned that I might be very mean to the movers, because they are taking away my lovely little home I've grown to love.  I'm afraid that when they carry away our things, they will also carry away our memories.

I can't wait to see the expression on Axel's face when he sees the ocean for the first time.  I can't wait to watch Joslyn take her first steps on the sand.  I'm excited to watch Dan love his work.  I am super excited to have a good, year-round tan.

Life is full of blessings and difficult times.  Isn't it strange when we mix up the two?  As if we're trying to make the blessings into hardships.  Sometimes I do that.  "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  


December will be difficult, but it is not a hardship.  It's such a blessing that we have multiple places to sleep at night.  That most of our expenses are being taken care of.  That our house is sold.  That we are close enough to family to get in a lot of grandparent time.  That Dan will be able to scope it out down there before we arrive with 2 babies.  Now that I think about it, December will probably go by pretty quick.

So we're moving . . . to Hawaii.

I don't know how many times I've said this sentence over the past few weeks.  I usually hear, "I hate you."  Or, "Why?"  Then comes a looong list of questions.  Most of them I don't know the answer to.  For those of you who have enough spare time to read this little blog, I'll answer what I can.


First, can I just say that we are incredibly excited?!  We get to live in paradise!  Also, we are kinda terrified.  We are very much the control-freak, super-planner type of people, and this is not a controlled, super-planned type of move.  I can't believe we're moving to Hawaii!

FAQ's:


1.  Why are you moving to Hawaii?

• Dan is a Social Worker for the U.S. Public Health Service, which has an agreement with the Department of Defense to supply mental health providers to the Warrior Transition Units.  These jobs are incredible.  He got it, despite our best attempt at pessimism.  In a nutshell, he'll be doing mental evaluations on some of the returning soldiers who have major issues as a result of combat (mental or physical) and helping transition them into their new capacity, whatever that may be.  He is not Army.  He is not civilian.  It's kinda weird.

2.  Where exactly will you be living?

• Schofield Army Barracks on the island of Oahu.  About 20 miles north of Honolulu, and about 20 miles south of North Shore.  We're really really really hoping that we'll be able to live on base.  We know we'll be able to . . . . but depending on whether they offer us the "new" or the "historical" housing will determine if we live on base, or have to find a place off-base to rent.  This is also not an immediate thing once we get there.  There's a waiting list (who knows how long), so once we arrive we'll be in temporary housing for up to 60 days.  This is a kinda cruddy hotel room . . . with 2 kids . . . under 3 years old . . . so . . . yeah.

3.  When are you moving?

• If you hear, would you let us know?  Thanks.  We're still waiting on Dan's "official orders" which state when his report date is.  After that we'll talk to his supervisor at Schofield.  Our best guess is middle of December.  However, since Christmas is right there, it's looking like Dan will go first, and then come back for Christmas, and then we'll all go before the new year.  But.  This is all speculation until the orders are here.  

4.  Are you selling your house?

• See, this question really confuses me.  Of course we're selling our house.  We are not going to leave it vacant, and we're not going to rent it when we're . . . . however many thousand miles away we're going to be.  In fact, we already sold it.  Yep.  The Stanleys have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams when it comes to selling homes.  We sold it in 12 days.  The last house we sold in 13, so we broke our record.  We're pretty sure it's another God-thing where He's telling us, "See.  I told you I wanted you in Hawaii.  Would you just stop doubting and go already?"  You wouldn't think it'd take that much coaxing.  

5.  So is this, like, a permanent thing?

• No.  The agreement is for 3 years.  At this point they are not requiring PHS Officers to find a new post at the end of their 3 years, but they might start.  We think we'd really like to get back to the mainland after that long, anyway.  The schools in Hawaii are terrible, and this timing is about right for Axel to start Kindergarten once we move back.  Where will we move back to?  Absolutely no idea.

That's the top 5.  Believe me, I have a million more.  

Hopefully this blog will allow you to keep up with our crazy adventure.  I'm thinking it might save me a few thousand FB Status Updates.