Overwhelmed...

I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed today. A new week is beginning tomorrow... My parents just left after a 5-day visit (which was a great visit, by the way) and I'm back on my own again...

You know, I've done this so many times before. I can handle anything, I've proven that to myself over and over again in my life. Why am I so full of anxiety this time? My husband has been in the Navy for going on 18 years now... Ack! What's the problem?

I think it must have something to do with the fact that I now have 2 teenage daughters and 3 toddlers (also girls) to care for now. Not to mention a big, new house and a dog to mind as well...

::: I can do this::: ::: I can do this::: ::: I can do this :::

Repeat as many times as necessary, girlfriend.

107°

107°... That was today's temperature where I live. OMG.

When we left Hawaii in the summer of 2003, we thought moving to Southern California would be a good thing for us. We could get a bigger home (which we really needed since having the triplets) for a more affordable price. Real estate in Hawaii is very expensive and quite limited. I mean, the islands are small... Of course they will get top dollar for homes there, small or not. And then there's the LOCATION factor.

So we moved to SoCal, and eight months later purchased the house. I love it. It's big and spacious, it's a great floor plan... but it gets so darn hot here in the summer!!! Of course we couldn't afford to buy a place on the coast, so we had to look inland. But INLAND IS HOT!!!

Will I ever get used to this weather? I know, I know... People live in much warmer weather than this, right? I mean, there's Las Vegas, there's Phoenix, etc... But I'm having a hard time adjusting. All I have to say is... thank goodness for A/C!!!

Excuse me while I go pour myself another tall glass of the fabulous sun tea that I've been sipping all afternoon! That is one perk of having all this SUN! Great tea made from the sunshine!!! MMMMMM...

Goodbyes are so hard to do...

Well, yesterday we said good-bye to my husband as he began his six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf. Wow. It's really happened. He's really gone now and I really won't see him for SIX MONTHS. It crept up on me like I don't know what. We both kept thinking that this day was so far away and that it would be such a long time before the time came for him to go. Why did we imagine that we had all the time in the world?

He's somewhere out in the Pacific Ocean right now, sailing away from us. I feel a lump in my throat.

I love this picture of my husband and our daughters. It's rare that I can get all five of them in a picture together, much less with my husband too. It was so tough for all of us as we gathered with the other families and friends to see the guys off. Not to mention, Malia, (center with Daddy) threw a fit when we had to leave my husband. She screamed and cried and tried to get out of her carseat and grab onto her Dad after he buckled her in... She cried for more than 15 minutes in the car.

:::gulp:::

Like it wasn't hard enough.

So I'm just here sitting in my gloom today trying to imagine what it will be like for the next few months without my love. He takes such good care of us, and I hope I can handle things well and keep them running smoothly on my own. I've done it before but the situation is so different now. You know I'll be praying everyday about this.

It feels good to get this out... Now on to making the best of it, huh?

Whoa...

Man... where have I been? I've received a few complaints for not updating my blog recently, so here I am again. How could have forgotten my BLOG? Hmmm... I guess it's because I have a gazillion things on my mind right now, the main one being my husband's 6-month long D E P L O Y M E N T ! Yep, the time is finally here; he's shipping out on Saturday and I've gotten myself into a FUNK. I'm just so worried about how things will go while he's gone. You know, with the house, the kids, the bills, etc... I will be praying every single day that things go smoothly and that no unwanted surprises creep up from behind.

I'm hoping that I can fill my schedule in the coming months enough to make the time pass more quickly... So if you wanna do anything, I'm game! Playdates, crop dates, trips to the grocery store, someone to hold your hand while you're at the dentist, etc... I'm there. Just give me a 48-hour notice and I'll pencil you in.

Hey, while I'm here, why don't I share a few shots of our 4th of July?






So, the children are mine, the chubby feet are mine, and the last is a shot at sunset in Oceanside, CA. We had a great time.

I'll be back soon. :)

Page 1 Sheryl's CJ (Creativity Today!)

girl_woman1
Originally uploaded by aloha_chris.

This is a the left side of a layout I put together for a friends Circle Journal. Her theme is "The Girl in the Woman." It was fun. Very simple layouts, but I dig it.

By the way, this isn't my wedding or anything... This is me & my hubby to be on the night of my Junior Prom.

Gotta go, I'm off for a day-long crop in Anaheim Hills with friends!!!

...scroll down for the additional images of this layout...

Page 2 Sheryl's CJ

girl_woman2
Originally uploaded by aloha_chris.

Right side

Journaling tags

girl_womantags
Originally uploaded by aloha_chris.

Here is an up-close scan of the journaling...

Slipper Heaven

Slipper Heaven
Originally uploaded by aloha_chris.

This is the beginning of this summer's rubber slipper collection. Yes, I said SLIPPER. After living in Hawaii for over eight years, I do as the locals do and call them SLIPPERS. To be perfectly accurate, I should be saying "Rubbah Slippahs." But then who would know what I'm talking about? No one on the mainland, that's for sure...

A friend and I had a conversation on just this topic last Saturday after lunch... She says they are "flip-flops", and I say "slippers". It's the whole po-ta-to and po-tah-to thing. (But of course, I believe I am the correct one...) :::wink-wink:::

Anyhoo, I'm loving these slippers and can't wait to expand this season's collection. But to be perfectly honest, anyone who knows me well knows that I wear rubber slippers year-round, not just in the summer. I will just wear more subdued colors in the cooler months!

Special thanks to Tenika Morrison for posting her weekly editions of her very own "Funky Finds" on her blog. That's how I found the darling pink slippers on the bottom left. So cute!

Aloha!