Another Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to MY LOVE!!!

We celebrated with an outrageously GREAT meal from Ruth Chris Steakhouse!! Oh my!! What a meal!!

Sparkling water, cocktails, Chivas and sprite, warm bread, seared ahi, Caesar salad, ribeye steak, lamp chops, and creamed spinach and warm apple tart with ice cream.

Makes my mouth water all over again!!

I LOVE MY HUSBAND! :)

You deserve this and more!! Feel better soon my love.

 *we went to the tourist Ruth Chris in Waikiki, just to feel the ambiance and robust vibe Waikiki has to offer.  It is good to experience that every once and a while, even if parking is a B*!

The environment was beautiful and what a wonderful time we had, DH is going to have a birthday redo as I will describe later what happened to my LOVE this past week, including on his actual bday while I was on the Lost set.

My poor bebe....

Question: When will I stop being carded for alcohol? DH said it's because of my size, I am "little".  Well, I guess I don't mind, even though I am almost THIRTY! 

It could happen to YOU!!

Guess who was called by the Lost Casting department?  

Yes, as in Lost, the t.v. show.  

Yup, you guess it!

ME! JAI!! 

(I have the voicemail saved to prove it!!!!!!!)

It all started one hot Saturday afternoon, when DH had duty and I had read in the Honolulu Advertiser, that there was going to be an open casting call for "Lost".  I  decided to go ahead and try it out and see what it all entailed.  Well, that morning I dropped off DH at work and I piddled at home trying to talk myself out of it and couldn't find anything to wear.  I didn't have anything else to do that day, so I finally got dressed and head on over to the location.  The line was SUPER LONG!! Adding to the procrastination and urge to chicken out, I couldn't find PARKING, especially for the big truck!!

I find a public park down the way and walk to the elementary school(where the casting call was taking place), the whole way down I am praying that our truck isn't towed, and that it is still there in one piece upon my return.

So, I make the hike in a cute summer dress and I feel my makeup melting, and then it clouds over, yup you guessed it, rain.  Just a little.... so the hair is still good.

I sigh and join the line.  Looks like about 200 people in front of me....In front of me is a talkative bunch.  They are reminiscing about their previous casting experiences.....oh dear, why did I bother??????

**Sidenote, I was like number 1573, I heard that over 2000 ppl were seen.**

The couple behind me are also seasoned casting call veterans and they tell me that they "heard" that casting is looking for bilingual "extras".  The couple also has a huge umbrella..so whew I am sheltered from the sun and rain.  They were SUPER nice.

One hour passes and I am getting HUNGRY! I did not plan on being out for hours and I did not eat breakfast and I had dinner plans with the HMW (Hawaii Military Wives board) girls.

I wait another hour and casting comes out to cut the line.  Thank goodness, I wasn't cut.  By this point the group in front of me, ordered pizza, and that was grueling to watch, they did invite me to purchase some with them but I don't ever carry cash.

Here comes Miss Hawaii in her Mini Cooper, it proudly flies a Hawaii flag on the antenna and the red mini has Miss Hawaii on it, and she just parks the darn thing on the street and walks on in. Are you kidding me?  She is stopped by casting and has to wait.  

Another half hour goes by and I am getting to the front of the line.  Finally I get to the guarded gate and I am handed a number with an application printed on the back and go inside, I then find out that I am in the last group being seen for the casting call, everyone else is being sent home.

I quickly try to powder my nose, fill out my application and give them my real stats, height, weight, clothing sizes, shoe size, etc , acting experience...and proceed to have them take a head shot and they ask me some questions and see on my app that I am bilingual and the casting guy says that's great and  you're pretty.  Ugh, thank you????!!!!

Fast forward to this past Monday and casting actually calls me and I seriously thought that it was a joke.  NOPE!!! The REAL deal!!! YAY!

Sorry, no details from me about the set or anything, just that actors are REALLY thin!!

"Kate" is nothing but flawless and she is tall and ultra lean, so pretty and NICE!

I saw others on the set and was on set ALL day long, what an experience and the coolest thing about it all, it was DH's bday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE,  your wife is famous! :)

Question:  Can a Chinese food chain restaurant run out of soy sauce?  Yes, while at Panda Express this past Friday, they were OUT! Ugh, how does Panda Express run out of soy sauce??? Just give me a dab from what you are cooking with, geez, the service was poor that day!! They were rude!!!!!!!!!!

It's Aloha Friday!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! :)

(For you mainlanders, we call Friday... "Aloha Friday", we try to get a jump start on the weekend and typically most get off of work early to begin the weekend!)

To my peeps back in TX, have a 99 cent Jr. Banana split for me from Sonic.  LOL I see the commercials and my mouth just waters. 

Photos of last week..

Last week was a busy week! Here are the photos I promised!! 

Enjoy !!

Yummy!! Dinner at the Cattle Company to

 celebrate our successes here in HI!

Dinner was complete with dessert!! Lushcious strawberry cheesecake!

Our quaint little trip to the Ewa Train Museum and Ride!

All abroad!!! 

Aww, DH enjoying the view from the train.

Pretty, huh?!!

Working in the yard...

DH and I made a "ghetto" sifter, to sift out the rocks and junk from our backyard, since we don't own a tiller.

We used the left over wood from our homemade bed slats and wood from a broken mirror stand.

We are very proud to reuse!  

*sidenote* During our move, the movers lost our bed slats. DH made new ones!

You likey?  Hey, it worked!! 

Stayed tuned as we wait patiently for our beautiful bermuda grass to grow! :)

Attention Military Spouses!

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED IN CONGRESS IMMEDIATELY. 
 
The House of Representatives recently passed the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act.  This bill, if it passes the Senate, will apply the same rules of residency to military spouses that currently apply to their active duty service member (so you would no longer have to worry about changing your driver's license, vehicle registration, voter's registration, etc., every time you move).  The idea that we should be penalized for these moves WHEN IT IS THE MILITARY that is choosing to move us is ridiculous.  Military spouses, like service members, simply go where the military tells them to go.  The hardships associated with these frequent moves should be ALLEVIATED by Congress, not perpetuated.  
 
Shockingly, the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act is currently BEING CHALLENGED by the DoD as it is being considered by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.  If this bill does not get approved by the VA Committee, it will never get voted on in the Senate and thus never become law.
 
This is your chance to make a difference and to be heard.  You need to call the Senators that are sitting on the VA Committee.  Ask to speak with their legislative aide about the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act.  Tell them that "the committee needs to support the Carter Military Spouse language."  For some reason, the DoD does not believe that military spouses should have the same residency protections that service members do.  Obviously, Military Spouses for Change disagrees with the DoD on this.
 
It will not cost the federal government anything to make this bill a law.  It will not cost the Department of Defense anything.  All we are asking for is a reprieve from the practical and financial burdens of having to change our state of residence every time the military decides to move our family.  Either that or the military should start giving our married service members the option of staying at one duty station for his or her entire career.  Since the latter is unlikely to happen, then the federal government should at least move to provide us with the same legal protections it provides our service members since we are no more immune to the change of duty stations than he or she is (absent divorcing or separating).  
 
Print out the numbers below and take the time to call each office and tell them that military spouses deserve the same legal protections that their service members get when it comes to state residency laws.  They say that the military recruits a service member but retains the family, well this is a step the federal government can take toward doing that.

Please forward this email to other military spouses you know and/or post on message boards and blogs!   

 

Akaka, Daniel K.- (D - HI) (202) 224-6361
Aide: Lisa F.

Brown, Sherrod- (D - OH) (202) 224-2315
Aide: Diane Wilkinson

Burr, Richard- (R - NC) (202) 224-3154
Aide: Kevin Tuess(??)

Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID) (202) 224-2752
Aide: Patrick (Nielman??)

Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC) (202) 224-5972
Aide: Adam Brake

Hutchison, Kay Bailey- (R - TX) 224-5922

Isakson, Johnny- (R - GA) (202) 224-3643
Aide: Lauren Walter (along with Houston Ernst)

Murray, Patty- (D - WA) (202) 224-2621
Aide: Joshua Jacobs

Obama, Barack- (D - IL) (202) 224-2854
Aide: Ruchi Bhowmik

Rockefeller, John D., IV- (D - WV) (202) 224-6472
Aide: Clete Johnson or Barbara Pryor

Sanders, Bernard- (I - VT) (202) 224-5141
Aide: Janko Mitric

Specter, Arlen- (R - PA) (202) 224-4254
Aide: Will Wagner

Tester, Jon- (D - MT) (202) 224-2644
Aide: James Wise

Webb, Jim- (D - VA) (202) 224-4024
Aide: William Edwards

Wicker, Roger F.- (R - MS) (202) 224-6253
 

Your ally in progress,

Carissa Picard


-- 
Carissa Picard, Esq.
President
Military Spouses for Change
P.O. Box 216
Copperas Cove, TX 76522

254.554.1513

www.militaryspousesforchange.com

Involve. Inform. Inspire!

So Much Can Happen In a WEEK!

Oh, it's Monday! 

Duty day AGAIN!! (@#$%&*!!)

So, it has been a week since my last post and so much has happened.  

Let's see...

*A hurricane has hit Texas.  (thank goodness all of our friends and family are safe and well)

*Remembering 9/11

(just the stories of how DH was deployed at the time and they had to turn around to go back!! DH actually got to fire some ammo! I was a SR. in college at UNT, remembering this and now as military wife..my life has changed)

*DH and I got iPhones!!! LOVE THEM!! (I am addicted!!!)

*DH and I got contacts, so WE CAN SEE! (umm, remember I nearly failed the vision exam for my new Hawai'i license..yeah, that was with my glasses!! DH and I are going to have blind children, our prescriptions are nearly EXACTLY the same, our eye shape is just different..SCARY!) This is the first time DH and I have had current vision correction and see clearly, now we know what we truly married...LOL

*we dug up our entire backyard to plant grass seed and made a ghetto sifter to get the roots and rocks out of our dirt and then laid down netting so those darn birds won't EAT the seed AGAIN! (forgot to write about that!)

*there was HUGE fire a few streets down from us (very smokey outside for a long time!!)

*I had a job interview (YAY!!)

*minor detail, I kinda lost my military dependent ID ..BUT it has been recovered!

(I can now recite procedure on how to get a new one!)

*DH and I now have Hawai'i driver's licenses

*gas has dropped at the exchange to $4.13/gallon

*I hung up at UNT flag on our front porch and DH said it was blasphemous! 

*We begun looking at our holiday travel costs, airfare to return home is OUTRAGEOUS! Looks like I will be cooking a holiday meal for 2, I did find a butterball turkey breast at the commissary, rumor has it to buy it early, because the island sells out FAST!! 

*We rode the cutest little historic train on the island!!! It was so adorable to hear the story of the train and the volunteers who give their time to share it with others!! It was a good scenic route from Ewa to Ko'Olina! :)

*We found a good steak place with ample dining room!! The food was de-lish! 

*We ate GOOD (notice I did not say GREAT) Mexican food

*We ate BAD Mexican food

*I learned how to make ringtones using iTunes for our iPhones, yes DH will confer that I AM A COMPUTER GEEK!! 

So, that is what is going on here on the rock!  

You?  

We would love to hear from you all. 

It is so good to get emails from friends(REAL EMAILS; NOT FORWARDS!!), you don't know how much we miss the mainland.

Question of the day:  

What is the name of the University of North Texas mascot?

Give up? Scrappy the Eagle.... 

Oh, did you know that there are not many local sports to watch in Hawai'i? I am going to be deprived of my Mavericks, Dallas Stars, even the Texas Rangers!! HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!! I don't want to watch the WAC conference here! I know, know, I think UNT was once in the WAC but they aren't now!!! I would order the cable channel for the Big 12 if, IF.. I had a job!! Oh... this is going to be a long, long, time at this duty station! Looks like University of Hawai'i football, oh no!! HECK NO! GO MEAN GREEN! HOOK'EM HORNS!! BTW sports come on here at weird hours because of the time difference, guess no Saturday morning cartoons here!! Will someone please email Pearl Jam for me???, I could really use a concert right about now!!!  Until the next time....

p.s.

Sorry for the lack of photos, I will go get my cord to the iphone shortly!! I am being lazy...I guess I could bluetooth, but again, L-A-Z-Y!! 

MORE Birthday LOVE!! Thanks LULU

So, today I decided to get my butt into jogging gear when I think, I will check the mail before leaving the casa.  What did Jai find?  A key in our mailbox to open up a BIGGER mailbox, because I had more birthday goodness!!!! YAY!!! Lulu mailed me a box full of L-O-V-E! I got some cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute new tops, a lightweight jacket, hairproducts!!! Bedhead superstar volumizer, k-pak conditioning treatment and split end mender, gorgeous new baseball cap and mouse pad.  She mailed me a power cord we had left and even the jacket I had let her borrow!! She even sent DH some goodies! Oh, and some Mexican spices and peppers to cook with!   :) So thoughtful! I must admit I cried after opening it.  The package evoked some emotions about missing home, and MY MOM! It is the greatest feeling to be loved and to know that the love that you carry and share with those around you is because of something so much greater, the love of your parents.  Mom and Dad, I LOVE YOU and MISS YOU BOTH! Ok, well the eyes are tearing up again, so I leave you with this question.  Question: Have you told someone you love them today? Answer: I live my life every day as a devotion to my parents and in that show them love in actions. Photos of the loot later today, I have an eye appointment, I nearly failed my eye vision exam here in Hawai'i, WITH my glasses.  Time for a new set! There that made me laugh!  <3

Birthday Goodness CONTINUED!

For those of you who really know me, you know my distinct fetish with Pearl Jam. Actually, more specifically EDDIE VEDDER! My husband was so wonderful to have ordered me the best gifts for my birthday. (Makes me want to crawl the wall like a small child for Christmas!!! and you know that is so NOT ME!!) Unfortunately, there was a significant delay for them to arrive onto the rock. Nearly 9 days late.  He was so upset and disappointed. He had ordered them about 2 1/2 weeks prior to my bday but now we know to order things at least a month in advance.  But here they are without further due!! My DH bought me the latest Pearl Jam concert on DVD; (I didn't even know that was out!!, what is happening to me????)  Pearl Jam: Imagine in Cornice - Live in Italy 2006 (2007).  Whoo hoo! We had our Saturday night plans, a concert and dinner.  It was amazing! But wait, there's more! He also got me what I had mentioned to him some time ago... (he really does listen!!) He got me the rare coffee book that I had been wanting for quite some time!

I proudly own: Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros: 13 Years of Tour Posters - a chronology of Pearl Jam's celebrated concert posters spanning 1995 to 2007.

YAY!! Words can't contain my happiness! I am so excited! I nearly read the entire thing within the first hour of holding it! I really love the different artwork and the quotes and the stories behind the art. The quality of this book is outstanding! It is very nice and I want to put latex gloves next to it for those to turn through the pages!! LOL No fingerprints please.... Sure, some of the artwork is a little much but I am such a Pearl Jam fanatic!! As my DH would say, I am obsessed! What a man! He has fueled my obsession with this fantastic addition to my PJ stuff.  (Eddie stuff...LOL)  Despite the late arrival(please note that I was a good girl and did not pout about a gift, I really enjoyed my bday weekend), DH was estatic to see how happy I was with them and enjoyed watching the concert with me and just watching me smile from ear to ear with my gifts.  I tried not to sing out loud, but I just couldn't contain myself.  On the DVD we see some great views of Italy as well and Eddie's daughter, what a cutie! The DVD fuels my want to travel, DH has been fortunate enough to visit Italia, but I have yet to do so.  It is definitely on my

list of places to go.  I am eager about being a military dependent and taking full advantage of Space A(vailable) travel.  I will eagerly stand in the terminal waiting for ANY flight with a bag, you know how much I love to travel and the spontanity of just getting up and going!! I now know the happiness that DH had with his EARLY bday gifts...he got 

Married life is grand!

Blissful!

Of course with love, determination, and compromise, life is good! :)

Why did I wait so long??  LOL

Today's question(s): What is Jai's favorite PJ song? --> there are many, but old PJ - State of Love and Trust" and NEW Eddie, "Guaranteed".

Why are DH's new toolboxes blue? --> the NAVY duh, no actually it's DH fav color.

Does anyone know if PJ is coming to play Hawai'i anytime soon?  Or even Cali? I guess I will check out Pearl Jam.com 

What did you do last night?

Last night? Hmmm...what did you do?  Last night, I declared that I am officially a stay at home wife.  I FINALLY made DH his no-sew flannel blanket that I had promised him for TWO YEARS!! I wish I was kidding, but I think it has been almost two years since I bought the flannel.  I am very sorry to the person that "involuntarily donated" the rotary cutter and mat. I totally forgot we still had it, until our household goods arrived and we were packing EVERYTHING and ran across the cutting board/mat, rotary cutter, well at least one mat and blade was purchased by myself.  (We have since also repacked some of our stuff back into boxes for a garage sale or immediate change of duty station.  SOME DAYS, I WISH!!) Sorry Family D.  I should ship it back.  Anyways, I found scissors to be way easier than the cutter and I was just about done with the knotting when I found a stupid lonely piece of material, yes some where along the way I got off on the knotting process! GRRRRRR!!! Needless to say, I did have to tug at the flannel some before beginning because it had stored with the beginning 5 x 5 squares already cutfrom each corner, DH helped me with that years ago! Anyways, I pulled and pulled and readjusted the alignment and taa daa! Carefully, I cut away with skill precision using the ruled mat and was singing along to Shakira in Spanish, and here is DH's new blanket, I mean OUR new blanket! I guess I will get started on the other material I bought too! ENJOY! This blanket is cozy! I surprised DH with it while he worked diligently with our baby last night.  (our iMac)

He was shocked at what he found me doing quietly in the living room and took a quick photo of me working last night, he was probably wondering why I was so dang quiet!

Please excuse our messy living room, courtesy of me.  As you can see from our loft view you can see the living room nearly in its entirety.

That's me working! Let me give you a quick tour, that is the grants and scholarship book by the couch.  (you can barely see my study guide for graduate testing and the lsat) The mat and scrap (selvage edges) material behind me.  A picture frame waiting patiently to be hung.  Our BEAUTIFUL Persian rug DH bought on deployment, our first house warming gift.  Even if it was to our selves.  He said he bought it for me. It's sooo soft and nice.  Quite expensive, and definitely not anything I thought I would ever own.  I really love it, although I am afraid to vacuum it! We bought a small hand vac for it.  DH carried that thing onto the ship and stored it there, what a guy! I am telling you HE'S the BEST! Ipod touch charging behind me, we are apple fanatics, we own too many electronics from Apple.  We are only 2 ppl and we own 4 ipods.  I know, I know.  They each have their purpose.  

Here it is, with the infamous Sailor Bear.  Thanks Lulu for the bear! (thank you for your countless efforts trying to rescue this bear from the claws of Wally World and your $30 to get him for me because you knew I would love it!)  As you can see it is one of my favs.  <3

This is in our guest bedroom, please excuse the purple tissue box on the night stand and the box in corner awaiting garage sale day! 

Gas is going down!!

For those of you mainlanders.... jealous of our Hawaii life, gas went down today to $4.19, I do believe that is the cheapest I have seen since my move.  LOL  

Only in Hawaii

You are required to not only register your:

*Children

*Pets

*Automobile

but.....

*YOUR BICYCLE!!!! ( I think they just want our $15! We bought my bike out in town so we had to register, DH didn't as he bought his at the Air Force Exchange...breaking the law!!)

Gotta love aloha! 

Hey, it is beautiful here!

(see my beautiful flowers from my front yard, they even smell good!!!  We don't miss North Texas thunderstorms, flooding, humidity or 100 degree heat)

The BEST Birthday Weekend EVER!!!

Where do I start?  Remember that DH (dear husband) had the infamous duty day for my actual birthday?  Well, DH did a magnificent job ensuring that this past labor day weekend was phenomenal! YES, PHENOMENAL!!! I got my birthday wish of a homemade strawberry birthday cake from DH, and I have the photos to prove he baked it!! YUMMY!! DH said that baking definitely takes away his man points.  

I don' t think so.  

(Although, I refrained from posting embarrassing photos of DH baking.)

Well... So, DH came home EARLY from work on Friday and thus began the best weekend ever!!!  Thankfully, it was Labor day weekend so we had plenty of time to enjoy birthday festivities! Friday night was full of beverages and dancing and even an infamous Taco Bell run to satisfy my "happy" hunger, even if now it gives me "tummy aches".  (I AM GETTING OLD!!)  We went out and enjoyed live music at Aloha Tower, which is near the water which is totally romantic despite the smell of the water.  (another great shot of me being too short! actually we need to delete the mishap shots!)

No worries, it gets better! I was treated to dinner Saturday night at 

Buca di Peppo and it was soooooo good!! I LOVE ITALIAN!! mmmmm.....It has been a while since I have had some good Italian food, because well the island lacks some decent Italian and Mexican food for that matter.  We had a great pre-party at home gearing up for going out and laughing at our ipod shuffling choices for the night as we prepared to hit the town.  It is so good to hang out with my husband and laugh and be myself.  We were so giddy by the time we left we were dancing fools in our living room before dinner.  We found out that here in Hawaii there is a Kmart conveniently located on the way home that is open 24 hours, just in case of a pit stop.  Yes, me with tiny bladder.  We had to recover all day Sunday from Saturday night fever.  LOL

 We went out to Pearl Ultra Lounge.  We closed the place down at 4am and well the experience of being PROBABLY the only married couple (married to each other, for sure!) was quite interesting.  It felt so good to be there with the man I adore and married.  We quickly realized that we hadn't been clubbing since before we got married and it was a unique experience for each of us.  We felt awkward knowing that we did not care for the happenings of the club patrons or anyone else around else for that matter.  We are so over the going out looking for somebody chapter in our lives.  Dressing up to go out and "search".  We are only care about each other! It has been like that for us for 3 years now, but now with married life we happily walk hand in hand.  It was so good to know that all attention about our surroundings did not matter and all we needed to have a good time is each other.  The music was decent and reminiscent to previous going out days and we were talking about our previous going out times with each other and how our paths crossed and now we are married and on the same path.  The weirdness of girls looking at my husband, I could feel them stare at him and then they realize that he has a wedding band and that the girl he was with IS his wife, duh matching wedding band!! It didn't deter some from staring that's for sure.  I walked with confidence as I knew my husband was with me and not any thought to anything or anyone else matters.  We share a love for dancing even in public places and I honestly admit my husband can dance and does so much better than I.  I am grateful for that.  Another plus, girls you will like this one, well besides that my husband is a gentleman and to this day will not let me touch a door or carry anything, but the feeling of knowing when I walked out of the restroom @ Pearl, he is there waiting for ME! (even if he says that at times my eye shadow color choices are a little much,  well you only live once! yes, I am wearing aqua, gold and black shadow and the night before, PURPLE!)  

Pearl was a good venue (check the place our here -Pearl Ultra Lounge)and we will visit again, the drinks are GREAT(my dear cousin Joe, I definitely had one for you!!!), it wasn't full of the teen age Waikiki crowd(aka Señor Frogs...did I tell you all about our honeymoon Señor Frogs experience? I NEED TOO!), thankfully a more established group even if the girls were looking at my husband,parking was relatively easy and we actually liked that it is located at the top of a mall seemed to be way safer than some places we have seen or heard of in Waikiki.  It was fun though to be celebrating another birthday with the man I love and he truly is the best.  We realize that not everyone will be able to fiesta in Hawaii, so why not live it up? We also learned that we both happen to like the Madonna/Justin Timberlake/Timbaland 4 minutes song.  (ssshhhh, he probably won't admit that fact!) 

Sunday was recovery day.  I am learning that I am not nearly as young as I think I am and well my recovery time is getting longer.  Our eating out continued as we had Ruby Tuesday and I would like to be an advocate for the turkey avocado burger, that thing is GOOD! Sunday was relaxing, and then we still had Monday! Whoo hoo! Sunday night was baking night as my love baked my bday cake, yumm strawberry and we searched the Sunday paper for labor day sales.  Let's pause to do a friendly reminder for my military friends! Don't forget your ID! I went to the mini mart to grab a few things because I did not want to hassle going to the commissary when I go to check out and I realize I left my ID in my other purse, grrr.  I stashed my basket, I know...BAD! But I went back home got my ID and found my basket and checked out.  

Monday, we went to Sears to see the sales on a possible early birthday present for my love.  AHHHHHH!!! They had one! He has been wanting a craftsman tool box for the longest time and bless his heart, he hasn't been able to get one because of somebody...ok yes me, and well he said it wasn't a priority.  We were approached by a salesman only to tell us that we were mistaken, the model we were looking at wasn't on sale.  WHAT?! I asked the gentleman, may I see your sales ad, please.  He didn't look to happy.  He comes back with it and what do you know?!! It's on sale.  My bad, he says.  My bad? Whatever.  It must be mislabeled on the floor, you are correct.  Would you like to purchase?  Ugh not from you...(that is what I was thinking, but I don't say out loud for ONCE) but my DH proceeds to ask questions about other models and says we need to think on it.  Ok, salesman goes and returns again, this time DH says yea ok. Do you have one in stock?  Upon this intelligent salesman's search, oh no sir, we sure don't.  Can you wait a couple of days?  Or you can go get it from our distribution center tomorrow.  What?  We decide to go look at curtains, I have been so desperate to beautify our home that the search for living room window treatments has been a bust, I am waiting for the right ones.  DH finds them! How does he do that ?  Really?? He has impeccable taste and found some wonderful curtains, I swear I married good! This man knows how to match.  I remind him of that.  He already knew how to match his clothing, his shoes ALWAYS match his belt and knows when to wear white or black socks and I totally believe this to be PRIOR to his military service,(I know his mom, trust me SHE taught him well, the man is also A CLEAN FREAK!) there are photos to prove it and HE CAN IRON! LOL Anyways, so of course there is only 1 curtain so I am on the hurt for an associate to locate others in the backroom when HOLY cow the line for the cashier is 2 miles long,  come to find out towels were on sale.  Finally, I reach someone who goes to the back to find curtains and when she comes out totally walks past me and leaves them with the cashier.  I go and grab them and well DH and I decide that this is my bday treat for him the tool box I go to make my purchase of tool boxes and curtains when the NEW sales associate, asks "do you know where merchandise pick up is?  Ugh, yes I do.  (DH bought some new tools upon me arriving to the island) Why?  You can pick up your merchandise as soon as you are ready.  Excuse me???  ALL of the pieces of my love's tool box set was in stock!! I really don't think there was a drop off in the 30 minutes we were looking at curtains, just one of many Hawaiian mysteries of being treated like a haole.  Today's question: Why is it that people here think I am native? I finally look like others around me I guess, and I am TALLER than most.  No, I am not kidding.  I have always thought to be Asian or Samoan not the Mexican, Italian, Spanish American I am.  Asi es la vida. Photos to come of the infamous tool box.