Apartment FOUND

Hello all!

Well today was quite exciting for a couple of reasons. First thing this morning I went to my office to meet with my boss and begin the initial administrative processes for becoming a federal employee. This included getting my fingerprints taken, having a photo taken for my ID badge, answering a bunch of questions, etc. I also got to see where I'd be working. As the new guy on the block, I don't have my own office (yet) but I'm in a good size room with only 3 other people and I have a nice sized desk with my own phone, computer, filing cabinet, and book shelf, etc. Then, my team leader took me around the office to show me around and introduce me to some of the other people who work on our floor. It was funny because half of the people there were people I already met at my boss's "Magnum Night." But anyway, everyone seems very friendly and helpful. And I was told more than once that it's a really cool place to work.

The other bit of exciting news is that we FOUND AN APARTMENT!!! Yesterday, I was searching on Craig's list (as usual) and decided for once that I would not filter the listings out that didn't have photos. I came across a listing that had a pretty nice description: Extra large one bedroom, full kitchen and bath, spacious corner unit that's very airy and breezy and bright, plenty of closet space, and PET FRIENDLY. I was skeptical of course, but I decided to call the guy and find out if he could show it to us. We arranged to see the apartment at 1:15 and were quite pleased to find out that the apartment was only 2 streets over from our hotel. Perfect! So when the time came we walked over and when the guy opened the door to the apartment I just couldn't believe how big the living area was. I hadn't seen anything of that size for that price in that location. I just kept asking myself why this guy didn't post pictures of the place on Craig's list (as listings with pictures sell twice as fast).... but I guess he didn't really need to because I wanted it! I asked him what the square footage was and he said 900!!!! Now, to some who are reading this, 900 may not be a lot... but for a 1 bedroom apartment in Waikiki, 900 sq feet is HUGE! All of the other places were boasting of 550-600 sq feet. So we got an application from the guy and sent it off that same day. He told us he'd get back to us the next afternoon (today).

Waiting...............................

So today we basically waited for this guy's phone call and I just got too impatient. At around 2 I called to see if he actually received the faxed application. No answer. I left a message. Then Daland called with his cell phone. No answer. At this point, I'm starting to get very anxious. Daland's phone rings. It's the owner. He then proceeds to ask me a BUNCH of questions about my application, basically giving me the feeling that he wasn't really sure he wanted to rent to me based on the fact that Daland doesn't currently have a job and that my job position (at this point) is only for a year contract. But he said he was driving and would call me back when he got home. So now I'm freaking out and getting really upset. How could this be happening? Time is running out before I have to start work and we're basically at square one in terms of finding a place to live!!! And I really don't want to keep looking and being disappointed...

Ring ring ring....

"Hello?"

"Hi Chelsey, it's _______ I'm going to offer you the apartment... I really like you guys and I think you'll fit in well with the other tenants in the building. I think you'll do really well there."


*WHEW* WE SIGN TOMORROW!!!

Aloha from Honolulu!

Well, we made it to Honolulu! After a delayed flight in Houston, running to catch our flight to Honolulu (and JUST making it) and then having a nearly 6 hour flight with a crying, screaming, kicking baby in the row behind us... we made it. Then, we were shuttled to a car rental place to find out that we couldn't rent a car (for a number of reasons including not having a major credit card that isn't also a debit card and Daland lacking a credit score since he hasn't had any means of establishing credit in this country yet). So we had to take a cab all the way from the airport to our hotel in Waikiki which cost us about $45. So thank you again to all my lovely family and friends who donated to the "Help Chelsey & Daland not go broke in Hawaii fund" at our going away party, as every little bit helps!!


So we got to our hotel around 6 pm, unloaded our stuff and decided to head out for a wander. Waikiki is just as I remember. Busy, busy, busy and full of tourists. We walked around for quite a while trying to figure out where we wanted to have dinner. We ended up at the food court at the Royal Hawaiian Center (I think) and had some typical food court fare- a burger for Daland and a wrap for me. We went back to the hotel and fought to stay up until a whopping 9 p.m.



I woke up at about 6 am this morning and we've been going ever since. We went downstairs and had some coffee and pineapple and then went to a little cafe down the street for some breakfast. After that we decided to go look at an apartment that was within walking distance from our hotel. The leasing office was not quite open, but the lady inside let us in anyway and showed us one of their largest studio apartments (a HUGE 550 square feet) *note the sarcasm*. It was a decent building and pet friendly, but just too small. So after that we decided that we'd just have to wait until Daland's Dad arrives tomorrow with a car rental so we can look further out and cover some ground. We went back to the hotel and watched some TV, checked our E-mail etc. and then the jetlag started to hit again. We were both falling asleep. So we got up and decided to walk to the Ala Moana Shopping Center (which is a good 2 miles from our hotel). On the way, we passed my office building! It's a huge glass building at 1601 Kapiolani Blvld and looks very nice. It's pretty much right down the street from the Ala Moana center.



We finally arrived at the Ala Moana center and went into several different stores to get a feel for things. We checked out Foodland (an equivalent to Publix in Florida) and looked at some of the food prices. With the local discount, some of the prices weren't too bad... but definitely at least a couple bucks more for most items than on the mainland. For example, a gallon of milk was $4.50. One thing that made me VERY happy was that they carry Boar's Head over here! So I don't HAVE to live without my Boar's Head maple glazed honey coat turkey! For most of our shopping though, we're going to have to stick with Wal-Mart and Sam's/Costco. It'll be a lot cheaper.



We also checked out the food court and decided that for lunch we would get some local Hawaiian food. We got the "Local Boy Special" which came with LauLau, chicken long rice, Kalua pig, Lomi Lomi salmon, Poi, and some coconut pudding for dessert. It was definitely different, but my favorite (by far) was the kalua pig. It's basically a smokey flavored shredded pork. The poi on the other hand is something I could do without. It's a greyish colored paste and I couldn't tell you what it taste like if my life depended on it.

After lunch we decided to walk back to the hotel and relax for a little bit. We had been invited to a "Magnum Night" social event at my boss's condo that happens once a month, so we needed to take showers, get ready, etc. We walked to my boss's condo which is just up the street several blocks from our hotel and all I can say is WOW!!! His place is amazing! It's on the 15th floor of basically a 20 story (I think) building and it faces makai (towards the ocean). He offered us drinks and a tour of the condo and asked again if we'd be staying there while he's on vacation. There is a wrap-around lanai that basically overlooks Waikiki Beach and you can see the sunset over the ocean between a couple buildings. Needless to say, we are VERY grateful that he so generously offered us to stay there! After about an hour and a half (and one very strong lemon drop martini) other people from the office started trickling in. Everyone was soooo nice and the "Magnum Night" began. I guess the tradition is- my boss provides the booze and everyone else brings some food to munch on while they watch cheesy, funny Magnum P.I. episodes from the 80's that were filmed on Oahu!

Around 9:00 p.m. me and Daland started feeling the jetlag and we decided that it was time to leave. We said goodbye to everyone and my boss showed us out and proceeded to give me a key to his car to use and even showed us where his surf boards are if we were so inclined to use them. I'm seriously in shock- I can't believe how lucky I am to not only have a great job in a great location.... but to have such awesome people to work with.

I think I might just love it here...

Pictures to come soon... the internet connection at this hotel is just too slow.

10 Days

We're leaving in 10 days!!!

I just realized how long it's been since I've updated this thing, and I apologize to those of you who read regularly. So to be perfectly honest, the last couple weeks have been exceedingly stressful. I don't even know where to begin. Good news first- getting paid is really good; bad news- the more money you make, the more money they take. (THEY being the federal government AND the state of Hawaii... and I'm not even living there yet!) I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks taxes SUCK! And I know you can't run a country without them, but sheesh!

I never in a million years would've guessed how difficult and expensive it would be to move to Hawaii. I feel like I should've been more prepared for that reality, but I still can't believe what they get for rent over there! You can expect to pay $1200 a month in rent for a 400-500 sq ft (if you're lucky) studio apartment! And I thought Miami was bad....

On the bright side, I am really looking forward to our "Bon Voyage" party the Saturday night before we leave (August 21). We will get to say our "see ya later's" to my family and closest friends. It will be a bittersweet night, but I'm excited to have a final hurrah before we leave. We still have sooooo much to do before that time comes- and time is FLYING by. I don't think the madness is going to cease anytime soon either. Packing suitcases and carry-ons is going to be a big pain in the butt with all the restrictions on weight and new fees for checked baggage. MORE MONEY. Oh and did I mention that shipping Roxy has become a complicated mess?

Word to the wise- having a pet SEVERELY limits you when trying to move to Hawaii. But our baby is worth it. I wouldn't leave her behind for anything.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm really tired (as usual these days).

T-minus 10 days til take-off...

We have no bed!

Yesterday we got an unexpected call from the movers saying they were 10 minutes away from the house and they were just confirming the address.

AHHHHHH!!!!

Let's just say, we weren't quite 100% ready for them. We figured they would at least call a day in advance... but no. We had one more box that needed to be filled with miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit in my suitcase (i.e. all my shoes, purses, yoga mat, etc). I got the call from Daland when I was sitting in the waiting room at an eye hospital with my Uncle (I drove him to have a procedure done that would leave him visually compromised for a few hours afterwards). So my Uncle had just gone into the little room with the nurse and I had to leave without being able to tell him! But there was just no way I was going to miss the movers basically packing up my entire life! So I told the lady at the front desk to tell my Uncle that I had an emergency at home, that I needed to leave and that he would have to take a cab. I felt so bad, but I just had to get home.

So I ran out of there as fast as I could, darted for the parking garage and raced home (mind you, the eye hospital was a good half hour from my house). I got there just in time as the movers were wrapping up our mattress and collapsing the bed frame. Little did I know we had to pay extra for the box-spring and protective gear for the bed! I guess that's to be expected... never trust the quote a moving company gives you- it will almost ALWAYS be higher.

So the movers took all our stuff, loaded it onto their truck, and drove off. It will be driven down to the Port of Miami where it will be loaded onto a container ship and shipped over the big blue ocean to Hawaii. For some reason I thought it would be driven to the port in California and then over to Hawaii- but I was wrong. Anyway, now we don't have a bed and our bedroom looks so bare! So for now (while my parents are still on their trip) I'll be sleeping in my parents bed and Daland will sleep out on the couch in the living room... that's until I can get the spare mattress that my bestfriend so graciously offered us to borrow.

Work is good- basically moving at my own pace trying to get in as many hours as I can considering all the chaos that is happening around me. I'm REALLY looking foward to having my own office and computer for a change. I am so sick of working from home... too many distractions!

Well, that's it for now! I've printed out a calendar of August and put it on the fridge to countdown the days. Every night before bed, we cross off the day in red as another day gone, and another day closer to our big move!!! Sooooo excited!