We're Going to Alabama with a Banjo on our Knee

Well, we have arrived in Enterprise, AL. We have been here for two weeks now and things are going well. I would almost say they are going great but Buddie had a run in with fire ants and in turn I did also when I was washing him off. So far we have had 2 delivery trucks of household goods. The stuff from Hawaii was unloaded and put away by the 2nd day it was here. The truck with all of my stuff was unloaded a few days ago and is still being gone through. It is like Christmas for me, there are things that I didn't even remember having. I do have to say that it is nice having all of my stuff in one place finally. We do miss our Hawaii friends dearly and are looking forward to seeing some of them soon when they move here. We had a great time in Washington and on our drive down to Alabama. It went pretty smoothly and we also got to see my Van Houten side of the family on our way through Boise. As always, we went to Grandma Archer's and got fed until we couldn't eat anymore! We already saw a couple of friends and their new baby, what a cutie. We also got to see some of our friends that we met when we were in our ATC training back in 2004. Janice was my roommate and Keith and Randy were friends also. They are married and have a son and a baby girl on the way!

We are very excited about our new home. I did have a light pink bathroom that is now painted Vanilla Brandy, so much better than before. I also have a light flourescent green room that will eventually get painted also. We really enjoy having the space and the big backyard. The house is 1900 sqft and the backyard is fenced and has plenty of room for Buddie and Baylee to run free. They are loving it out there, sometimes a little to much and I end up chasing them to get them inside. Randy also got his first propane grill, he was very excited and so was I. I liked it because there is a rotisserie that comes with it and now that we have a grill Randy will cook more! Well, enough talking, here are the pictures. Please ignore some of the clutter, we just moved in! :-)


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Part 2: Twisted Ankles, Pig Control, and Amazing Scenery

The second part of our hiking day consisted of going to Manoa Falls to swim in the waterfall. Well, due to the lack of rain recently there was only a trickle coming down the waterfall so I got to see the waterfall and imagine what it would look like if the water was crashing down. After that we figured, 'why not hike a little farther?'

There was another trail leading off of the one we were on so we headed up. It was a little rocky and a little slippery at first but it got a little better later on. There were a lot of switchbacks and the elevation went from about 250ft ASL to 1800ft ASL. It was a beautiful hike with lots of bamboo on every side of us. It made a really pretty sound when the wind would blow and knocked the tops of the trees together. There were also warning signs that they were hunting pigs with dogs on certain days. I guess the wild pigs are just running rampant in those hills (unfortunately we didn't get to see any). By the time we got to the top we were muddy and hot and ready for a short break. We did see something that was very interesting though, 2 little old asian ladies had decided to hike up to the top as well, the only thing was that they were wearing white pants, light colored shirts, and slip on shoes. I was amazed because they were not dirty at all, I don't know how they did it but they looked like they had a great time.

On the way down, in the legendary ways of Christy, I twisted my ankles. Yes, I almost made it the whole way down without doing it but I was not that lucky. Of course I twisted them on the flat parts and not on the slippery rocks, the muddy areas, or the intertwined tree roots that were everywhere! No major injuries just a few good laughs. Well, here are a few pictures of our hike. Betsy-if you thought the other ones were high, just wait.

Beginning of our hikeMore gorgeous sceneryNatural tree archWhat a handsome man!Look how big these ferns are! Manoa Falls...just imagine it with lots of water...gorgeousFirst picture stop 1/3 of the way upRandy wasn't there...j/k but doesn't it look like he is super imposed on the scenery?

2/3 of the way up, you can see Diamonhead in the backround (our morning hike) That one is for you Betsy!Close up view of Diamonhead and the oceanBamboo galoreAll the way at the top looking East through the mountainsLooking NorthLooking West towards downtown Another one of the hot tired couple

It was a great last full Saturday in Hawaii! We are going to miss it here and we are definitely going to miss our friends Rob and Nellie, Darcie and family, and all of the wonderful people that we have met. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories of our adventures. I have a few random pictures to add so stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I forgot...we played a game called Chickenfoot (it's a version of dominoes), and Nellie whooped all of us! There I said it, are you happy now Nellie? :-)

And a very Happy Unbirthday to ME!!!

Today is Buddie's 1/2 birthday. He is now 6 months old and as you can see from the pictures below he has grown into a healthy little boy. When we got him a little over 3 months ago he weighed 6.5lbs and he knows weighs a hefty 14lbs. He is pretty much full grown now and won't be getting much bigger.





As many of you know I started Weight Watchers in January and have lost 18lbs as of yesterday. I have a little ways to go but I am very excited and proud of my acclompishment. I am also very proud of my friends who have taken on the weight loss struggle with me. To all of you, you are an inspiration and huge support to me. Thanks!!

Aren't They Beautiful

Agnew Girls and Us at dinner in Honolulu

Polynesian Cultural Center

Today I got to spend the whole day with the Agnew Family. We had so much fun and it was great to see all of them. I only have a few pictures but I will get more once Corrie gets home and sends them to me. The PCC was really fun and very interesting. They had presentations that were put on by locals from each specific island. We didn't go see the show at night but I am planning on going back with Randy and see the show.


Making fire with 2 sticks, yes, it can be done.


Float from one of the islands.


The 6 of us. What a beautiful group of people.

I would also like to say thanks to Darcie for watching Buddie so that I could spend the day with my friends. Here is a picture of Buddie when we went for a drive the other day. He has realized that he no longer fits on the middle console anymore, our little boy is growing up.





Aren't they cute!

Vacation!!!

Just wanted to let everybody know that I probably won't be updating until I get back from my trip to Tennessee. Randy and I are going to Chicago to pick up his kids and then driving to Gatlinburg, TN to spend Christmas in a cabin in the Smokey Mountains. Yeah!!!

Also, I would like to say welcome back to my friend Elizabeth who is returning from 15 months in Iraq...Today (Thursday). Welcome back sweetie!!!! And also a welcome back to Ross, my former boss! I miss you and your families so much and can't wait to see you again soon. Thank you for your friendship and support.

CHICAGO!!!!!

Well, it has been a great summer at home in Washington. I have got to spend time with my friends and family and it has been awesome! One of the best parts of the summer was that I got to go to the Chicago conert with my mom, dad, and best friend Lorae. The concert was at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA. We had a great time sitting on our blanket eating cheese, crackers, fruit, homemade humus and pita bread (Thanks Jill), and drinking great wine. It was to dark to get videos of my dad's 'original' dancing. Needless to say, if they ever come back to WA or wherever I may be living at the time I will be flying home to see them. I hope you enjoy the pictures! I will try and get a little clip of the concert on the blog soon also. Oh yeah, Lorae and I got some silly string at the store and surprised my parents!

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MY GIRLS!!!!

I just had to put a couple pictures on here tonight before I went to bed. My mom and I traveled out to the 'boonies' to see the 3 girls that I have held since the day they came home from the hospital. They are growing up so fast and I was so excited to see them!!! Aren't they beautiful!!! Some of you also know that the youngest had leukemia. She is doing great and is currently in remission.

Such a Small World

So today I was very lucky to be able to get a massage at InSpa. It was a great 1 1/2 hours that I got to relax and not have to think or do anything. I was able to stick to the not doing anything part but the not thinking part lasted all of 10 minutes. Then I would start thinking about different stuff and when I realized I was thinking about all sorts of things I had to remind myself to stop thinking. Eventually I relaxed enough that I was able to just lay there and enjoy. Thanks mom for the gift card!!!!

So, to explain how my new craft got started I have to explain a short encounter. So here goes it; About 3 days after I got back into town I went to have coffee with my Pastor. When I was leaving I had a young lady give me this story of how they ran out of gas and so on. So I decided to go against my better judgement and buy a gas can, fill it with 5 gallons of gas, and go back to give it to them. To my surprise...THEY WERE GONE!!! So, I was turning around in the parking lot when I passed this young lady with two kids and asked her if she wanted the gas because I didn't want to keep it in my car. So, I emptied the gas into her tank, we said our Thank Yous, and we went our separate ways. The following Sunday when I went to church guess who was standing by the front door but the lady I had given the gas to. It turns out that she goes to my church! So that is my story of just how small this world can be sometimes. SO...as we got to talking she offered to teach me to knit. As my first project I am sure you can imagine what I am making....A POTHOLDER!!! I would like to be able to get to the point that I can make some more advanced projects but I am working slowly in order to make sure that I learn correctly. So thanks Vanessa for teaching me to knit and being such a great listener and sharing your experiences with me. I will be back to learn more.

I also got to enjoy some scrapbooking time with another young woman from my church. I took a picture of my LO (layout for those who don't know scrap speak) I know it is difficult to see but I don't have a scanner right now. We had a great dinner and some great conversation. We have to get together again soon so that we can make some more pages and of course catch up on the rest of the happenings in each others lives. Thanks for stopping by Paula! All in all, I had a pretty good day and really enjoyed getting to spend some time with two amazing women.

Washington or Bust! Thank Yous First

Well, first things first. I am out of of the Army! Second, due to a few different circumstances I decided to move all of my household goods to Renton approximately 4 days ago (Tues). So, after realizing it would cost a small fortune to have somebody move it for me I decided it would only cost a smaller fortune to do it myself...with a little help that is. So first off, thanks to my parents for the gas money and all the help with making sure my car is safe for me to drive. (Even though it is sitting on a car carrier behind the Penske truck right now.) Next, thanks go to my brother who flew in last night (Thursday night at 1000) to help me drive this rig up to Washington. Even with getting lost on my way to the airport which I have been to many, many times in Austin. And then we got back to my Sister-In-Laws house to finish loading up the truck. Thanks to Megan who let me borrow her husband the day after their 2 year anniversary. A few more thanks and then I will make another blog with pictures and updates on our trip. Thanks to my Sister-In-Law Linda for keeping all of my stuff in her garage for so long, car included, and for helping me unload everything when I brought it down there and helping to load up half of it this time. Also, thanks to Nicole and Raven, two of my nieces who helped pack up the truck also. Almost done, I would like to thank Gail for being such a great listener and for helping to take care of me as if I was her own daughter. And thanks to Sami for always making me laugh. Last but not least, to Dedra, Ross, and my boys for including me in your family. I also want to say thank you to everybody who has been praying for me over the past years and especially lately as I have been going through so much change and start some new adventures in my life.

Plus, I am writing this post in the moving truck driving down the freeway. My brother set up his phone to be used as a modem so we have internet while we drive, as long as we aren’t going through an area without coverage. I still cannot believe how much technology has changed since the big gray phone that weighed as much as a small dog.