Hawaii

Where do I start? Moving around with the military you meet all kinds of people. In my experience, I've always been very happy to move to the next place, with few exceptions, leaving no attachments behind. While I am really excited to be moving back to the mainland and back close to home, I realize that Hawaii has been very good to me and my whole family! What we experienced here is one of those things that you can't create if you try and I don't expect to happen again. We have made truly great friends with so many people and spent so many amazing times together!

I was telling Chief last night that if you had told me three years ago when we moved here that I would be getting a tattoo I would have felt safe in placing a bet that you would be wrong! I never wanted one, don't want another one, but still love the one I got! Nothing I write here can do justice to how much I will miss the people in my life here or the time we spent together. I have to say goodbye today to a lot of people and experiences that have been a part of my daily life for a long time. However, I mean it when I say that I don't feel like I'm saying goodbye forever. So, in no particular order, here are some of the people and things that I will remember about Hawaii.

• Waking up at 4 a.m. to work out and then walking under the moon to cool off.
• Bottomless lunches because we wanted the chips and salsa.
• Sitting out front in our beach chairs until SOMEONE came home and wanted to know why supper wasn't ready!
• Screamin' Mai Tais
• Fishbowl mango margaritas
• Sitting at the picnic table at night in the park talking about life
• The firepit
• The time I found a piece of a palm tree and everybody tried it on
• My boob falling out at the Cheesecake Factory while we were posing for pictures...and with a petal on no less!!
• Days at PARC with, you guessed it, mai tais, and Dana being scared for me and Becky to go any further out in the water.
• SOMEONE peeing in the ocean when she saw a turtle!
• Aloha Run
• Getting tattoos together after the Aloha Run!
• Thanksgiving at my house
• Christmas morning 2009 with all the kids in the road riding their new toys and then throwing together an impromptu Christmas dinner.
• Girls Night Out
• Walking through the "colorful" part of Waikiki seeing mahus!
• Crab Boils
• Halloween Party
• The swing in my back yard that all the kids loved so much
• Seeing all the kids playing in the street every afternoon and how safe it felt
• Kalei being so "scared" of Space Mountain", but still loving it!
• Riding Norway at Epcot over and over and over again because we could!
• Kalei saving my life after the Black Crows concert! I'm ETERNALLY sorry, girl!
• Going back to work
• All the opportunities that work gave me
• Just the plain ol' FUN we had at work each day, I loved the environment and the people!
• Dude! Allan's you-need-to-go-back-to-POSH-training comments!
• Dennis bringing me two boxes of eclairs for my "goodbye"! What a truly good man he is, I was always so impressed by him!
• Having my work ethic complimented at my exit interview. Truly one of the nicest things someone could say to me.

I am sure that I'm leaving things out. So many great people in my daily life here, you and Hawaii will be unforgettable! I love you! Peace!!

Comments

[Stephanie_M]

OMG! I'm sad for you to leave there! It seems like you've changed so much because of that place and those people (and I mean that in a very positive way!), but I've kind of watched it, literally, from afar...mostly on Facebook. I'll be happy to see it all in person!
I'm happy you'll be close by now & I hope we are able to get together with some frequency. I can't tell you how excited I am that my kids will finally be able to spend time with you and your family. William hasn't even met any Bratcher's except you!

[MOM]

I'm so glad it has been a positive experience for all of you. Sounds like it was paradise in many ways. Don't know if Ft. Campbell came come close to matching it, but there are at lot of use very glad to have you all back home. Maybe these Abbott Street folks can visit for some Southern Hospitality!

Looking forward to seeing you.....just wish we knew when!!!!!

[Eva Joy]

So happy your life has been so enriched by your time there! I'm excited to have you home, but sad you have to leave so much behind. I pray you will find as much joy and be blessed with great friends and experiences here at home too.I love you.