Goodbye North Carolina…

I think that I left a few things off my list of “stuff I’ll miss in New York” last night, including…

• I don’t get stopped on the street and asked for my passport to prove US citizenship.
• I can vote without showing multiple forms of ID and without worry of being “flagged for citizenship status.”
• I also don’t have to prove citizenship status and “show my papers” to have water hooked up to my house.
• You can’t drill for natural gas five feet from my property (at least, not without my permission).
• Keith’s brother can marry his partner here, and my friend Roger could marry his partner of over 10 years.
• Should someone I love ever choose to have an abortion, she does not have to be humiliated, intimidated, and punished.
• And, to further the above statement, no one can stick something inside my body without my permission.
• We don’t electrocute people, even if our emotional brain tells us its righteous.
• I can record a public conversation with a police officer without being arrested for it.
• We don’t electrocute people, even if our emotions would support it.
• I can buy my own land, even if I’m an Asian immigrant.

And, there’s more…

• Should I lose my job, I’ll have a stronger, longer safety net to keep my family and I afloat until I can find alternate employment.
• The roads here are in much better condition than almost anywhere else – and when it snows, they actually get plowed and sanded.
• Although we wouldn’t beat a handful of other nations, New York’s education system is one of the very few to be listed as “well above average.”
• Most of the state’s children are vaccinated.  I know it’s hard to believe, but a significant portion of the nation prefers putting their children at risk.
• New York is a “top ten” greenest state.
• We are diverse.  We host the largest African American population, the second-largest Asian American population, and the largest Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Jamaican populations.  Queens County is the most diverse county in the nation.
• We actually have a yellow brick road and a Munchkin parade.

There are many, many more reasons why I love New York, but I’ll leave you with my very favorite thing about this place…

It’s where most of the people I love are.

Not to be missed – your thoughts?

It’s apparently impossible for me to watch this Muppets video without crying.  I’ll claim it’s because its appropriate for me, for this year, for the next few months.  The truth is I’ve always cried at various puppet tear-jerking moments, like when Big Bird is missing Snufleupagus or when Ernie and Bert get in a big fight then forgive each other by singing, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”  Tear-jerking, heart-wrenching puppet moments.

I imagine that’s what a lot of the next six months will be like.  Tear-jerking, heart-wrenching people moments.

I love the people who surround me here – family, friends, colleagues.  But I also love this state – cookies in the City, camping in the Adirondacks, balsamic vinegar in downtown Saratoga, Troy on Halloween, college insanity in Binghamton, fishing off Captree Island…  My whole life has been in New York.  My career started here.  Thirty-one years, it’s all I’ve ever known.  And, despite my burning desire to live in a place where it’s physically impossible to be more than 15 miles from the ocean, I’m going to miss this place.

Keith and I are planning a trip to Lake George, Howe Caverns, the Bronx Zoo, the New England Aquarium, and a few other locales before we start packing.  Any recommendations on places we should be sure to see before we go?

The Pains of Military Non-Information

Why is it I wouldn’t be shocked to see Keith doing this…

I know, I know.  It’s over six months before we move, but I’m a planner and my head is spinning with questions, wonderment, and anxiety.  Yet, despite some good info and a plethora of floor plans, the actual moving information is completely, utterly MIA.  It’s as if thousands upon thousands of military families sit on their front porches, waiting for the movers, and then somehow – psychically – know just right where to go.

Okay, so I’m not so naive to think that’s possible, and I imagine that there are guides and bits of information that can help you move from point A to point B.  Of course, this scarcely-oiled machine would not operate without at least some information, somewhere.

What do I want to know?  Well, how about everything…  When do we move?  Who moves us?  When do they pick up our stuff?  Are the companies insured?  Will they wrap everything well, including my 100-year-old rocking chair?  Can we send other stuffs in advance… you know, things we’ll need?  Where would we send it to?  Where would we pick it up?  How do we schedule our flights?  We need to be on the same flight as the dogs, so how do we do that?  Can we pay ourselves to upgrade to first class?  When we arrive, where do we go?  Does the Navy book a hotel for us or do we do that?  What do we have to do when we arrive?

Seriously, the list goes on and on and on and on.  I’m fairly certain I’m going to make my first mission in Hawaii to create an informal Navy moving guide and Hawaii informational site.  What I’ve found otherwise is not only sparse, but much of it is, truthfully, inaccurate or inapplicable to anyone whose sponsor’s rate exceeds E-4.

For now, I’ll hobble along and thank my lucky stars I’m smart enough to figure most stuff out on my own.

Dogs in Paradise

It’s only Monday, but it’s already a busy week.  That’s not a bad thing, by any means, but it’s just a sign of the times to come.

This week, we’re working on getting our ducks in a row with the dogs travel to Hawaii.  Did you know that Hawaii is the only state in the nation that is rabies-free?  That’s right – they’ve actually never had rabies in paradise.

Moving our dogs to a state where it’s virtually impossible to come across an insane, foaming-at-the-mouth, aggressive  [rabid] animal is a plus.  (Note:  It is very possible there are insane, foaming-at-the-mouth aggressive animals without rabies in Hawaii.)  But, it makes moving the dogs to Hawaii a real bitch.

In order to get Jack and Dutchess on island, we have two options:  subject our dogs to a 120-day quarantine in a state facility where we get very little time and interaction with them – and, most likely, they have to be housed in separate kennels with concrete floors, or, we can do the 5-day or immediate release program.

Since our dogs are a bit pampered, we’ll be going with immediate release.  This means that we’ll have to get our pups microchipped, have their bloodwork sent to Kansas, fill out a mountain of paperwork, and fly out of Chicago.

Our cats – well, they’ll be going to Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Rick.  It about breaks my heart to talk about leaving them behind, so I’ll leave that for another entry.

Dutchess and Jack

Seeing that we’re around 180 days out, it’s about time to get started with the pups.  At least the vet gives out doggie bones.

Here we go…

To Hawaii we go!

With less than 200 days until we officially pack and move, I thought it, well – soothing – to create a place where Keith and I can share our journey to Hawaii.

If you’re reading this, you’re already a friend of ours, and you know that we’re headed for Honolulu in November.  Keith will be stationed, most likely, on the USS Greeneville out of Pearl Harbor, and I will live comfortably in a lovely three-bedroom home, hopefully in a community called Halsey Terrace.

What’s ahead of us is exciting, exhilarating, and beautiful.  What we leave behind is even more incredible.  What we leave behind are family, friendships, favorite places, and memories.  Oh the memories…

Before I get too gushy and sentimental, I must remember that this is just the first day of this journey, and that there are many more memories to be created.  Speaking of that, we’re starting to plan for a few parties and soirees this summer, including…  a Golden Girls girls-only night, a birthday barbecue for my favorite man, a Danish Dinner party, and a good-bye luau to celebrate all the New York moments we’re going to miss.