Monday, June 6, 2016

Monday Musings

IMG_1800

Weekly highlights: It's been a weird week for us. We're tired of living out of suitcases, we're tired of eating out, we're tired of house hunting and we're tired of the other various issues we've had (like delaying having our kitty flown out because we couldn't find cat-friendly accommodations; Hawaii is not a very pet-friendly place). We finally found a house that's decent and meets most of our needs, and we had tentatively decided to take it. We'd move in the end of next week, which sounds great -- except when we called the moving company they said they're all booked up and our stuff can't be delivered until July 1! We're still going to take the house, I think, and try to make do with the military's crappy loaner furniture for a few weeks. (But we'll have to go out and buy things like sheets and towels. And what about cookware? And a TV? And a router so we can get our internet hooked up?) Sigh. It's been one thing after another with this whole move, but that's just how it goes with a relocation out of the continental U.S. -- and that's just part of being an Air Force family.

On the plus side, we did take in some pretty Hawaii scenery this week, and we went to our favorite beach on the North Shore to collect sea glass. The photo above is from our drive around the southeast side of the island Saturday. Lanai Lookout is one of three scenic pull-offs along the south shore and it's always stunning. There are several more photos on Instagram of our first week and a half back in Hawaii if you're interested!

Reading: I didn't get a whole lot of reading done this week. I finished my advance-read copy of "June" by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (which came out a week ago) and started another ARC, "Lily and the Octopus" (out tomorrow). "June" was excellent; I gave it 4.5 stars and I'm working on my review. The characters, the setting and the story -- which takes place in 1955 and 2015 -- were all spot-on. "Lily and the Octopus," a story about a man and his dog, is cute and quirky and sad, but I'm not nearly as enthralled as I was reading "June" -- at least not so far. Next up is another ARC from NetGalley, "The Wolf Road" by Beth Lewis, which comes out in July.



Eating: After nearly two weeks of living out of a hotel, Jarrod and I are most definitely getting tired of eating out twice a day, every day. Everything is just so heavy and rich -- which is awesome in moderation, but not so awesome every. single. day! On the flip side, though, we've been working our way through all our favorite restaurants from when we lived here three years ago, and everything has been pretty damn tasty.

One new-to-me thing was this amazing dragonfruit margarita! (And yes, that is the actual color of dragonfruit -- it's so gorgeous!) This weekend I got my first boba drink (my favorite flavor, purple yam and sweet coconut) since we've been back, which was a treat. I couldn't ever find a good bubble tea place in Ohio. I also tried my first-ever Moscow Mule, which was delicious! I'm definitely going to have to find a good recipe to make them at home -- and possibly purchase some of those fun copper mugs!

IMG_1759

Watching: "The Revenant," which I really liked. I loved the stunning scenery, the beautiful cinematography and the simple but intense story. We also finished the first half of season 2 of "Fear the Walking Dead." It was ok, but I'm still not nearly as into the story or the characters as I am with the original show.

Blogging: On a total whim (Jarrod was at an in-processing appointment and I had some time to kill) I put together my first ever monthly recap on the blog. I'm hoping to fine-tune it (and come up with a better name) and make it a regular feature!

Looking forward to: Same as last week -- getting a house, getting our household goods delivered and getting settled in!

*

I'm linking up with Kathryn from Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

8 comments:

  1. Beautiful scenery. I would hate to be away from my pets at all so I can't imagine how you feel. I just received a copy of June in the mail on Friday and I hope it's as good as I think it may be - can't wait to see your review. We watched "The Revenant" about a month ago and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Good luck getting more settled this week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. June looks good. I hope you are enjoying Lily and the Octopus.

    Glad you found a house. Sorry you have to wait for the movers.

    Gorgeous photo.

    ENJOY your reading week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think a lot of people dream of moving to Hawaii but I can see where the relocation would be difficult, going from the mainland. Best of luck through the process! That picture is stunning... :)

    Feel the same way about FTWD. I like it when they're at sea for some reason, but on land... I don't know, the story seems to fizzle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't imagine moving around like that - you are a champ!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am getting June in the mail sometime here soon and looking forward to reading it. Hope you enjoy your books. Great photos. Hope you have a great week happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hope the beautiful scenery will help with the pain of waiting for your household stuff to arrive.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds like a busy and stressful week!! I'd miss my furries like crazy. In fact, a comment commonly made in our house is "Let's Move to Hawaii!" "But we couldn't take all our fur kids..." We have a dog and four cats. Luckily we love Oregon and can visit Hawaii!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a nightmare! Maybe they will have a break in their schedule and can bring your stuff to you sooner. At least you've found a house. That's something.

    I hope your weekend is a good one!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! Comments make my day, and I read and appreciate every single one!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...