Happy Life

These days I blog and edit my photos from my mom’s kitchen table that I’ve transformed into a makeshift desk. It's facing the front window with a view of a budding plumeria tree filled with finch birds, and a slice of the Honolulu cityscape in the background. In the dawn of early morning the birds chirp wildly, serving as a natural built in alarm clock, and at dusk the sun falls behind the highrise building in an orange glow, setting the evening sky on fire. It’s the perfect space to work and the best spot in the house, but when I’m not writing or responding to email, we’re spending the day traveling around the island and lounging on the beach.

I’m still learning how to navigate around Honolulu --there’s a ton of bumper to bumper traffic, and just as many walkers and cyclers. Some days it takes an hour to get to point A to point B; other days it takes ten minutes. We’ve worked out our traveling to a science; mapping out our destination around the days of the week and time of day, figuring out what to do when, and the result of our grand mathematical equation? It goes a little something like this: hit up the beach early morning or late afternoon, pray for a parking space, and hope for little traffic. Genius, no?

We’ve explored several beaches thus far --some with smooth sand, some with grainy sand; some with turquoise water, others cobalt blue; some have big waves, others so calm that that you  can see to the bottom-- each one is so different, but yet the same. Despite being jet lagged, having inconsistent sleeping schedules, and irregular meals, one thing remains consistent-- the kids are loving every moment of this adventure, even when the sand gets stuck in their hair and in the little cracks of their body.

And while it’s absolutely beautiful when the sunshine reflects its rays off of the ocean, my favorite part of the day is sunset, hands down. It’s breathtaking --glowing shades of orange, pink, and radiant blue bursting throughout the sky, illuminating the tropical landscape and turning our bodies into dark silhouettes.
 

There’s something magical that takes place during this sliver of the day.

This, this I can get use to. This, this is a happy life.

Aloha,

Em

We've Arrived.

After five hours of a restless night’s sleep, I painfully awoke to a 6am alarm clock. It’s a big day for us, huge actually….

“Now boarding Group 4”, said the stewardess over the intercom.

“Here are go kids.” I excitedly exclaimed. I flung our carry-on bags, a diaper bag, and the laptop over my shoulders, while quickly shoveling two kids to make our way onto the plane. It was a good flight; check-in was pie, we had an easy layover, I seamlessly navigated around the Dallas Airport –on my own, thankyouverymuch-- and for the most part William was a mellow toddler. I couldn’t have asked for a better flight experience, except for the woman who was yelling and filing a complaint with the flight attendant because they switched her seat with William’s so I could sit beside my two year old, and yet American Air wouldn’t seat my nine year old with me, but did I yell and throw a fit? No… but that’s another story for another time.

As soon as we hit Hawaiian soil, my mom greeted us with fresh leis made from a tree in her front yard.  The smell of plumeria filled air, the sky was vibrant blue, and the foliage was lush-- I know this trip is going to be a dream and just what we need to recharge our batteries.

my mom with Krysta and William

 

my mom's plumeria tree

As the sun began to dip, it transformed the sky into the perfect shade of pink, causing a magnetic force that drove us closer to the water. We piled in my mom’s car and hightailed it to Ana Moana –and when I say “hightailed it”, I really mean 20 mph because it’s bumper to bumper in Honolulu.

When we pulled into the Marina, I’m pretty sure I died right then and there because the view was nothing short of heaven. There were hundreds of boats, crystal clear water, white sand, palm trees, and glistening city lights. And to top that off, in the background there were sounds of beating drums and people cheering surrounded by burning tiki light from a luau off in the dark distance. 

And now here we are, our very first sunset in Hawaii.

I will be back later this week with a post about Krysta’s dance recital.

Aloha,

Em

on we go (otherwise known as the big instagram overload post)

Written several days ago, but never quite made it to the "publish" button...
Flashes of lightening and the rolling of thunder ceased at dawn as the sun attempted to stretch its rays bringing forth a new day, only to be chased off by grey clouds. It’s a dreary morning –one where I slowly drink my coffee, staring out the window, watching the rain as it slowly rolls down my roof, sprinkling across the yard leaving small puddles for birds to play in. Here these birds are --despite previous storms (tornado type storms), current rain, and next week’s forecasted storms-- enthusiastically chirping and living it up in my front yard. I’m reminded that even in the hardest of times and the gloomiest of days, there’s a Bright-side and a positive outlook in very situation. For an example, I lost my wedding ring last week. Bright-side? Um…It’ll turn up…eventually.

As I write, both kids are still sleeping; making this truly a rare moment --a rare moment when I can sit alone and breathe in the silence. I needed this, this moment to myself, to clear my head, to heighten my senses and to grasp and be thankful of the beauty that surrounds me in the smallest of places.

Lately, life has been fast paced, a blur really. I can’t recall our happenings or even describe the little moments that have now quickly vanished with time. But I’m okay with fast paced. I’m even okay with blurry. I get lost in the haze of the day which quietly slips into a week, and before I knew it, it became clear, “life moves on. we're moving on. and we're okay."

Here are some of our blurry moments…

(you see that photo, right there? skyping with my Love is a huge highlight of our day)

photos from Instagram iPhone app. Join us! http://web.stagram.com/n/emilyroe

I knew this month would fly by with all of the preparations for our big upcoming plans. I’ve been diligently checking off my jammed-packed black-hole of a to-do list that consists of ballet, jazz, and pom practices/rehearsals/recital, finishing projects and paintings, wrapping up my current obligations, and preparing the house and my Louie Lou (our pookie cat) for our departure-- that’s right, we’re going out of state to visit my mom (aka Mimi) later this month, and we couldn’t be more excited. I take that back... we're OVER THE MOON! It's all Krysta talks about, and we're counting down the days until we leave. I know this trip is just what we need to fill the empty space until Ron returns.

What are your big summer plans?

On we go,  *click, publish*

Em

Almost Halfway plus Cooper and Me and the Military Book Review

I stood in the hallway drinking my morning coffee, gazing into the kid’s room. As I quietly watched them play, I couldn’t help but to think of how incredibly blessed I am. Despite the evils and negativity of the world, conflict and troubles, I have all I need within these four walls of our home. My babies. They have been my glue through this deployment. And I’m sure without them keeping me grounded and my mind occupied, someone would have locked me up and thrown away the key because I would have broken, fallen apart, and gone completely nuts months ago.

I’ve given them extra care, extra snuggles, extra kisses, and extra attention (hence the reason why my blog has been quite lately), and yet it’s exactly what I’ve needed too. I’ve needed those extra snuggles and I’ve needed those extra kisses. They are my rock and I am theirs.  

I’m not sure when it happened, but as we speak, the healing process is in the works. I’ve been sad, felt helpless, cursed the government, grieved the absence of my husband, and now…it’s time to heal. As the days go by, the more inspired and optimistic I become. Perhaps it’s the changing of the seasons-- Spring shifting into Summer and knowing that when Summer rolls into Fall, this deployment will come to an end. We’re almost halfway through this deployment-- ALMOST HALFWAY! I’m not sure exactly how you celebrate an almost halfway point, but it needs celebrating, and so we did.

We ventured out to our usual spot --Barnes and Noble, two towns over-- to nestle ourselves between the pages of Mother Goose and American Girl. For nine years, it has been our spot; our place-- different states, different towns, but always ours.

Our book store outing routine is always the same-- hit up the café for a latte for mama, milk for kids. Browse the new releases, the clearance section, and magazine rack, then after my hands are full of goodies, we march to the kids area where we play trains and put on pretend plays on top of the green stained stage. For most people, this may not be exciting, but for us we get our fill of family togetherness with a healthy dose of literary enjoyment.

And speaking of literary enjoyment, we received a book in the mail from Propeller Publishing, called “Cooper and Me and the Military”. As Memorial Day approaches --along with our current deployment-- the timing couldn’t be more perfect.  

Cooper and Me and the Military is a simple worded book making it easy for little minds to read and understand. There is an additional open discussion along with a life lesson section at the back of the book to better help young children grasp the concept of having a deployed family member or loved one who is away serving overseas.

This book serves as an excellent tool to better relate and communicate to my small ones, and to let them know that there are other families experiencing the same long distance relationship with their daddies as we are. Cooper and Me has become part of our nightly reading and a beloved treasure to my children’s library.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day! Grill out, drink a beer, and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Much Love,

Em

my name is Mom.

Just a quick weekend note:

We found ourselves nestled between pillows and blankets while Disney movies played in the background. William peacefully slept, while Krysta softly breathed in a slow slumbering rhythm in my bed. I didn’t intend for the past two weeks to pan out like it did; I had every intention of finishing the kid’s portrait, starting a new painting, and de-cluttering baby toys. But life threw us a curve ball and it hit us hard with fevers--no runny noses, no coughs, just fevers that went hand in hand with zero appetites, drained energy, chills, and aching bodies. It was painfully awful, the sickest we’ve ever been. And just when I thought it was over, the flu crud turned its ugly head, boomeranging back and whipped me out.

I wouldn’t wish this amount of exhaustion and pain even on my worst enemy, but I must say it’s nice to be needed. To be the one my kids run to, the one that they rely on and turn to when they need to be held. I’m their mom, and I love that.

We’re now healthy and happy and I love that too.

Today is Mother’s Day, and while some say it’s the hardest job in the world, I say, it’s not a job but a way of life, it’s the most heart filling, soul satisfying way of life-- of bringing a little life into this world, and guiding, loving, and nurturing that life to grow and sprout into something amazing.

I’m so honored to be Krysta and William’s mommy. It’s truly the most amazing experience any girl could dream of. Through their eyes I’ve grown and learned so much about myself, I see the person that I want to be. Because of them, I’m a better me.

Thank you Krysta and William for making me a mommy; and Ron for giving me the opportunity to be a mom and for traveling down this road of parenthood together.

I hope all of you Mama’s had a fantastic Mother’s Day,

Em