Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!

Thank God for Youtube

In and of itself, Christmas Day was similar to our other days in Hawaii, except for the presents and inherent laziness. The kids basked in their new stuff, and we had a very nice day. We only brought a few DVD’s for the kids, and when it came time to watch something Christmas-y, the cupboard was bare.

So, “Charlie Brown Christmas” and “The Grinch,” available for free viewing on Youtube saved the day.

The days since Christmas have been filled with more settling in, a picnic up at Puu Ualukaa State Park, listening to the Flyers play online, and trying to catch up on news from NJ and emails and what not. We spent Friday getting the keys to our house, spending some time there and meeting our new neighbors. I think we are going to like living there. On one side, there’s a young couple who has to boys, ages 4 and 2. On the other side is a young couple. No kids, but the guy is a huge football fan, and in fact was about to head to the airport to fly to the Sugar Bowl to support UH. I have tentative plans to watch the game at a local beverage-centered establishment, as the wife has given me clearance to take the afternoon off from work to enjoy the game with the locals. I’m still a Buckeyes fan at heart, but it’s hard to not get caught up in Warriors fever.

I actually recalled recently that when I was a kid, I remember watching the UH Rainbow Classic basketball tournament as a kid on Channel 29, as we didn’t get cable until I was in high school. Hadn’t thought of that in years.

We are settling in very nicely finally, with a routine actually emerging. We’ve kinda moved into an afternoon “quiet time” as opposed to “naptime.” We will get back to naptime, but they’ve done well the last few days where they’ve had quiet time, and I’ve told them, you can play, or you can nap, but it’s going to be in here. And they’ve responded pretty well to that, and I actually got a short nap myself today, and man did that make a difference. The baby had a little ear infection, and the extra downtime has been helpful for her too. Today for example, we went to our third church in three weeks (yes, still searching) and then got some lunch on the way to drop the wife off at work. We then had our quiet time, and then went to the zoo for a few hours. Dinner and movie later and everyone’s asleep.

So, all in all, it’s been a good few days. Can’t wait to get into our house though. Not sure if I mentioned it previously, and I’m too lazy right now to reread everything, but American Airlines did respond to my rant with a voucher towards a trip and a heartfelt apology. Sometimes I suppose it’s good to share…

So, Happy New Year…Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!