Here I sit in my living room, anxiously awaiting the movers who will take the last of our stuff away.  In the corner waiting are such things as KB's bathtub, my shower curtain, some jumper cables, one of Jason's tool boxes, a few books - random stuff that we needed for the last 6 weeks.

Helping Mommy pack

Duffle bags hold more than any suitcase you've ever seen.  I highly recommend getting one!

It's so strange to me that my time on Guam is coming to an end.  I keep hearing people say that they are sort of sad to be leaving, but I can't say the same.  Sure, there have been days where I've loved Guam.  The sunrises and sunsets absolutely can't be beat; The mountains are beautiful; The ocean is breathtaking; I've never seen something so majestic in my life!  The people here are also wonderful.  I usually wind up getting annoyed with the 'Hafa Adai' attitude, though.  For those unfamiliar, "Hafa Adai" is basically Guam's "Aloha".  It actually means "Hello, how are you?" but I swear Hafa Adai must really translate to "Life is easy, why rush?".  Because, let me tell ya: Locals do NOT rush.  They don't get in a hurry for ANYbody.  But, the positive side to that complaint is that they are some of the nicest and most polite people I've ever met in my life.  Customer service in Mississippi could take a lesson or two from the Chamorro people.  This blog isn't meant as a complaint, though.. so I'll stop with that.

The first truly beautiful sunset I got to see on Guam

What I mean to say is that I am so excited about the next chapter in our lives that I can't focus on the fact that we are closing this one.  This house was my first home with Jason.. so that's special.  We planted the flowers in the front yard together while I was pregnant with Katie Beth.  In fact, I found out I was pregnant while sitting in this very living room.  So there will always be some very happy memories attached to Guam - the little island I didn't even know existed until Jason told me he was going there.

My hand-drawn (in case you couldn't tell) version of the Guam flag

We've been acting silly all week, saying things like "Awww.. this is the very last meal we'll ever cook in this kitchen!"  and "Awww.. this is KB's very last bath in this bathroom!"  There are so many more things we've used the "very last" phrase with.. it's been a bit ridiculous.  We've had fun getting ready to go, and I can't wait until we're there!

Gorgeous view of Talofofo Bay

So.. Here's what comes next.  The movers will take our unaccompanied baggage shipment today.  It will be put on a plane at some point, and will hopefully only take a few weeks to get to us.  Then Housing will come and pick up the loaner furniture we've been using for the past 6 weeks.  After that, Housing will come do one last inspection of the house to make sure that I haven't punched holes in the walls or something.  Then we give them our keys and we are officially homeless!  We hang out in the hotel for the next 2 days, turn in the rental car Wednesday night, and then get on a plane bright and early Thursday (March 17) morning!

We will actually cross the International Date Line (read as: travel back in time) so we'll arrive in Hawaii around 6 pm on Wednesday, March 16 local time.  Our rental car and hotel are booked there.  We'll settle in, and then Thursday morning (again..) we start getting checked in at Pearl Harbor.  Jason will have to check us in at Squadron.  Then we have to go to the Personnel office (PSD) and get all of our information updated to say Hawaii.  We'll get checked in to TriCare (health insurance office) and get assigned doctors (for me and KB, anyway.. not for Jason).

Then!!  We have a meeting at the Housing office at noon.  They'll get our housing allowance (BAH) set up, and we can start house hunting!  We know for sure that we want to live on the Windward (North) side of the island.  I fell in love with Kailua while we are there, so that's where we're headed.  Kaneohe is another option.  There is a Marine Corps base there, so we'll still have easy access to things like an Exchange, the Commissary and a gym.  We've seen tons of gorgeous houses all over that area.  Say a little prayer that we can still find one in 4 days!

Kailua Beach

So once we get there, we have about 13 days to get signed in, get our car out of storage, find a house, schedule our stuff to be delivered, get utilities turned on, and finally move in.  It's going to be a mad dash!  I'll consider myself lucky if Jason is able to be there to help me get things hung on the wall.

So, for all who were curious, that is how a military COH (Change of Homeport) move works.  If it were a regular PCS (Permanent Change of Station), Jason would be able to stay with me and might even be able to take a few weeks' leave in between one command and the next.  We'll get to do one of those next year!  Ah, the life of a Navy wife!