Well we are finally here in paradise! It has been a whirlwind month for us, between Dustin's TDY in Iowa followed IMMEDIATELY by movers emptying our apartment in Biloxi (after I frantically packed 11 suitcases to bring with us separately; more on that later), followed by a trip to Atlanta to say goodbye to family and watch my sister-in-law graduate high school, followed by a VERY LONG day of travel across the country and the Pacific Ocean!
Our flight was actually pretty nice. Thanks to a magical potion called Dramamine, James slept for most of the first flight and about half of the second, then was content to watch Elmo and Thomas on the iPad for the majority of his time awake. He wasn't much interested in the wonderful activities I had been compiling for weeks, but did enjoy playing with his trains and cruising up and down the aisles making friends. At our stop in Denver, he wore himself (and me) out on the moving sidewalks after taking advantage of the lovely play area in the USO lounge.
Let's talk about airplane food for a minute. It's nasty, and now you have to pay for it even on long flights like ours. So I planned ahead! I packed pasta salad, cheese sticks, fresh raspberries, granola bars, raisins, and dark chocolate squares for us. I have had people ask me if it was a problem to take food on the plane, and it wasn't at all! TSA is really only concerned with liquids, so if you are looking to eat healthier, cheaper, and better on your next flight, I highly recommend you try this. Just be sure to pack foods that keep well at room temperature for a while.
Now let me go back to the activities I had been compiling to keep James occupied. Even though he wasn't interested in them, they might be of some help to those of you traveling with kids, so let me share them with you. I had a color wonder book and markers so that he could color without making a mess, a stuffed turtle with various types of buckles on it that was recommended to me by another mom friend, a paper plate with holes in it to stick pipe cleaners through (I thought he'd go nuts for this one, given his obsession with sticking straws in and out of their holes), a clean egg carton with soft little craft balls for him to sort (a mess waiting to happen, let me tell you), a book of reusable stickers, a magnetic dress-up doll, various cars and trains, and headphones to go with the iPad so everyone around us didn't have to listen to the Elmo and Thomas episodes we had downloaded for him. We also had a few educational games on the iPad, which he liked. I just browsed the cheaper ones that taught ABC and number skills, shapes, colors, and animals. That has actually been extraordinarily useful even off the plane in situations where he has to stay still and quiet for long periods.
So, Hawai'i! Yes, the apostrophe goes there, and yes, it makes a difference. I'm trying to learn what I can about Hawaiian culture and be respectful of it, and that includes their language! The apostrophe signifies a pause in the spoken word, so instead of Ha-why, it is actually Hawa-ee. There are also various accents on words used here and I'm getting used to some crazy pronunciations! The street names are interesting, especially listening to Siri try to say them.
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki, which I will be happy to recommend once they find the frozen breastmilk they were storing for me and somehow misplaced.... Other than that, it was a great experience. It was about a ten minute walk from the beach and surrounded by cool shops and restaurants. Nice pool area, decent spa, great on-site restaurant...not too shabby. But we said goodbye to our temporary home yesterday and are now getting acquainted with our new house on base!
Now for why I packed so many suitcases. We actually brought 12, one of which we picked up in Atlanta. Thankfully United Airlines allows up to 4 checked bags per ticketed passenger with military orders, so we maxed that out in addition to a carry-on and personal item each. The reason is because the rest of our household goods won't get here for several more weeks. But luckily, I had some experienced military families to give me advice, and managed to bring all the necessities! We have an air mattress with a pad on it and all of our normal bedding (minus one pillow that Dustin doesn't use anyway), a mattress pad for James and all of his normal bedding, pots and pans and most of my cooking utensils, my KitchenAid mixer (don't ask Dustin about this...he was not on board), plastic plates and bowls, Solo cups (in case a fraternity wants to come have a party at our place), silverware, my coffee press (duh), and some Tupperware. In another suitcase I packed all of my spices and baking necessities so I wouldn't waste money buying it all again. We also brought a shower curtain and towels, most of our toiletries and medicines, toys for James, and of course the normal clothes and whatnot that you'd bring on any trip. We both have our computers, but won't have internet until next week. But we have books to keep us occupied, I brought my journals and my art supplies, and I'm sure we'll find plenty to do outside the house!
I am loving living on base so far. We're right next to everything we need, even walking distance from Dustin's office! We're a five minute drive from the beach (private for military families), around the corner from the library, and right next door to a little playground! I can't wait to get to know our neighbors, most of whom seem to have kids around James' age, or to get started decorating both indoors AND out! I'll update with more about our house once we have our furniture, and be on the lookout for a post about all there is to do in our new home state in the near future!
Mahalo for reading!
Our flight was actually pretty nice. Thanks to a magical potion called Dramamine, James slept for most of the first flight and about half of the second, then was content to watch Elmo and Thomas on the iPad for the majority of his time awake. He wasn't much interested in the wonderful activities I had been compiling for weeks, but did enjoy playing with his trains and cruising up and down the aisles making friends. At our stop in Denver, he wore himself (and me) out on the moving sidewalks after taking advantage of the lovely play area in the USO lounge.
Let's talk about airplane food for a minute. It's nasty, and now you have to pay for it even on long flights like ours. So I planned ahead! I packed pasta salad, cheese sticks, fresh raspberries, granola bars, raisins, and dark chocolate squares for us. I have had people ask me if it was a problem to take food on the plane, and it wasn't at all! TSA is really only concerned with liquids, so if you are looking to eat healthier, cheaper, and better on your next flight, I highly recommend you try this. Just be sure to pack foods that keep well at room temperature for a while.
Now let me go back to the activities I had been compiling to keep James occupied. Even though he wasn't interested in them, they might be of some help to those of you traveling with kids, so let me share them with you. I had a color wonder book and markers so that he could color without making a mess, a stuffed turtle with various types of buckles on it that was recommended to me by another mom friend, a paper plate with holes in it to stick pipe cleaners through (I thought he'd go nuts for this one, given his obsession with sticking straws in and out of their holes), a clean egg carton with soft little craft balls for him to sort (a mess waiting to happen, let me tell you), a book of reusable stickers, a magnetic dress-up doll, various cars and trains, and headphones to go with the iPad so everyone around us didn't have to listen to the Elmo and Thomas episodes we had downloaded for him. We also had a few educational games on the iPad, which he liked. I just browsed the cheaper ones that taught ABC and number skills, shapes, colors, and animals. That has actually been extraordinarily useful even off the plane in situations where he has to stay still and quiet for long periods.
So, Hawai'i! Yes, the apostrophe goes there, and yes, it makes a difference. I'm trying to learn what I can about Hawaiian culture and be respectful of it, and that includes their language! The apostrophe signifies a pause in the spoken word, so instead of Ha-why, it is actually Hawa-ee. There are also various accents on words used here and I'm getting used to some crazy pronunciations! The street names are interesting, especially listening to Siri try to say them.
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki, which I will be happy to recommend once they find the frozen breastmilk they were storing for me and somehow misplaced.... Other than that, it was a great experience. It was about a ten minute walk from the beach and surrounded by cool shops and restaurants. Nice pool area, decent spa, great on-site restaurant...not too shabby. But we said goodbye to our temporary home yesterday and are now getting acquainted with our new house on base!
Now for why I packed so many suitcases. We actually brought 12, one of which we picked up in Atlanta. Thankfully United Airlines allows up to 4 checked bags per ticketed passenger with military orders, so we maxed that out in addition to a carry-on and personal item each. The reason is because the rest of our household goods won't get here for several more weeks. But luckily, I had some experienced military families to give me advice, and managed to bring all the necessities! We have an air mattress with a pad on it and all of our normal bedding (minus one pillow that Dustin doesn't use anyway), a mattress pad for James and all of his normal bedding, pots and pans and most of my cooking utensils, my KitchenAid mixer (don't ask Dustin about this...he was not on board), plastic plates and bowls, Solo cups (in case a fraternity wants to come have a party at our place), silverware, my coffee press (duh), and some Tupperware. In another suitcase I packed all of my spices and baking necessities so I wouldn't waste money buying it all again. We also brought a shower curtain and towels, most of our toiletries and medicines, toys for James, and of course the normal clothes and whatnot that you'd bring on any trip. We both have our computers, but won't have internet until next week. But we have books to keep us occupied, I brought my journals and my art supplies, and I'm sure we'll find plenty to do outside the house!
I am loving living on base so far. We're right next to everything we need, even walking distance from Dustin's office! We're a five minute drive from the beach (private for military families), around the corner from the library, and right next door to a little playground! I can't wait to get to know our neighbors, most of whom seem to have kids around James' age, or to get started decorating both indoors AND out! I'll update with more about our house once we have our furniture, and be on the lookout for a post about all there is to do in our new home state in the near future!
Mahalo for reading!
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