Singing, Packing, and TSUNAMI!

As I explained below, Andrew and I are cheesecake fiends. I mean, drive 45 minute into busy Waikiki just to have a perfect slice, kind of fiends. Ellie also enjoys watching us eat said cheesecake, which may explain why she has survived this long.

And what flavor did we have? Red Velvet Cheesecake. I advise all of you to move to Hawaii and eat cheesecake. Do it.

We headed home after lunch and did some cleaning/packing before we heard the news. Earthquake! No problem. Tsunami! Not an issue. TSUNAMI COMING TO HAWAII?! Time to freak our freaks. We realized that we needed disposable diapers in case of an electricity or water issue, so I headed to the market at 9:45pm. By 10, when the sirens sounded, Foodland was out of water and there were lines around the block for gas. Coastal areas were evacuated and there was a sense of urgency all around... I suppose it had something to do with the uncertainty of tsunamis... you just never know how big they'll be. Either way, I was camera ready. I mean, what if most of the island was swept away and I was the only person to have documented the tsunami apocalypse?! I must have my blog thought out, just in case.

There were the last cases of water and as I waited in line, they were picked off one by one...

As much as I knew that the final moments of Hawaii's existence needed to be documented, I didn't want to be the weirdo at Foodland snapping shots of disgruntled shoppers. Apocalypse or not, I need to keep my composure. That explains why this picture doesn't show that many people... But, honestly. The place was packed. At 10pm. On a Thursday. In Wahiawa.



My tsunami rations. Let's be serious, why am I such a crazy person? Only I would take something like a tsunami [and a tsunami that only delivered 3 foot waves] and interject myself into it like some sort of action hero.

On a more factual note: There was some damage on Maui... buy some damage, I mean sunken yachts. No casualties. Just a few rich people will have to cash in their insurance and spring on the 2012 version of... well, I don't actually know any yacht brands. But they'll have to do... that. I'm glad that we were safe but I sort of enjoyed the possibility of dealing with a natural disaster. Did I mention that I am a crazy person?

This morning, Andrew and I realized that we are about 2-4 weeks from his departure and that we needed to start preparing ourselves. This has been significantly weighing on me and... urgh. How does a person describe the preparation to move away from your home and deal with your husband being in a warzone for a year? I am sick of the cliches about 1/2 your heart being in Afghanistan or the mentions of this being the hardest year of your life ["your" being general.]. I would rather we all just agree that this sucks. It just sucks. I hate it and it sucks. I hate it, it makes me feel lonely, and it sucks. I hate it, it makes me feel lonely, all I want to do is cry, and it sucks.

So, besides being a total suckfest around here, I still have to pack. We're selling most of our large furniture and putting our kitchen stuff, clothing, and a few boxes into storage. I am sort of excited about trying on my old clothes and realizing that, hey, I'm not pregnant anymore! Ellie is sort of excited about being in a box and realizing that, hey, I'm in a box!

Maybe her excitement isn't all that evident. She was soon worn out and enjoyed a nap while we worked. Sleeping, mostly naked babies are too adorable for words, so pictures must obviously be taken...

There is some exciting news in all of this... Andrew's family arrives in a few days! I am trying to hold my excitement in, but I have to wonder if my pent up energy may have caused the earthquake. Yikes. More on this later.


This was Ellie "singing" at The Cheesecake Factory... and as I listen to Andrew sing next to me right this very second, I see where her talent comes from.