Moving to Hawaii

So, this is a post to let family and friends afar know some details of the upcoming adventure for the Waychoff-Shockley Clan. Our military tour in Colorado Springs has sadly come to an end (temporarily I hope). We've made so many good friends and made so many memories here and are sad to leave. In July 2012 we will be moving to Hawaii (the island of Oahu) and have been reassigned to D Company, 53rd Signal Battalion. I am so grateful to have afforded this non-deploying assignment and to be able to work with some of the finest NCOs in the Army, as well as an amazing commander and a small team of civilians. This is a subordinate unit to the unit that I work in right now. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, and motivated for both the change in scenery and the change in responsibility. I will likely be working as a Platoon Sergeant responsible for the morale, training and welfare of about 40-50 smart, dedicated US and Australian Soldiers. The last time I was responsible for this many folks was when I was in Kuwait.

We are not sure what our plan for housing is. Right now we own our home in Colorado Springs and intend to rent it out while we are gone. Once we get to Hawaii, our first choice will be to live on a base where elementary and middle schools are available (possibly Schofield Barracks). If this is not an option, we have about 60 days authorized in a hotel to look for a suitable house off base. Our #1 concern will be finding decent schools. The school system is somewhat on the bad side in Hawaii. A lot of kids go to private schools, but we'd never be able to afford that with our clan.

The government will pay for our Dodge Durango to be shipped over, along with all of our household items. We plan to pay to ship the Jeep over so we can have two cars. We will have to rent a car in the interim. Hopefully we'll ship it in early June so that it will be there when we get there.

Kooper will not be coming. He is very old and we are afraid he won't do well on the flight. He will stay with our good friends Bri and Jake and hopefully live the rest of his time happy and comfortable. The tentative plan is to leave Diesel behind until we find a house and then have her sent over. The military does not pay for the cost to ship pets, but it's not too awful expensive.

Dave will not work for at least the first year we are over there. This will be good for several reasons - we won't have to worry about finding childcare, the boys will be able to participate in any activities they want (karate, football, surfing lessons) without having to work around our work schedules, and baby Eli will have a parent raising him instead of a daycare provider. Some other perks - Dave will be able to keep his gym schedule, I won't have to cook or do laundry and Dave will be able to play golf and go to the beach at his leisure (aka his GTL) :-p

Gabe and Brian will be able to continue their Kempo Karate in Oahu. This was actually where Kempo Karate was founded. They have several schools throughout the island. The boys may even have an opportunity to meet Grandmaster Martin T. Buell while we are stationed there and maybe even train with him. If all goes well, they will both achieve black belt before we depart Hawaii.

We will be in Hawaii for a minimum of 3 years. We already have quite a few friends that live there and are excited about rekindling those friendships (Dani and Chris I can't wait to see you) as well as developing new ones (Jeff and Lindsey). We are excited that the boys will be exposed to a new climate and culture, with most of them being old enough to appreciate and remember it when they grow up. I absolutely love the idea of it being warm enough for them to go outside very single day, year round, and to the beach every weekend!

We will be keeping our current cell phone numbers when we move. We will provide a mailing address once we get settled. Hawaii is 6 hrs behind the East Coast so please keep that in mind when calling us (yes Dad, I am specifically talking about you!)

This is huge, exciting transition for us. It's the first time we will have moved cities as a family in over 8 years and the first time Dave and I have relocated together since we've been married!! The boys will have to make new friends, Dave will have to find a new softball league, and I will have to try not to lose my mind while everyone settles in. We will ALL have to learn to function without Mom and Dad Waychoff (aka Grammy and Grampy) and Dave's sister Katey, who have been a short 20 min drive away for the last 6 years. That will likely be the toughest part of the transition. They have been such a huge part of why our family has been able to function as well as it has for the last 6 1/2 years.

We can't wait to start this next chapter in our lives and hope you all have a chance to be a part of it. I can't promise a bed (unless you con one of the boys to give theirs up), but I can promise a floor or a couch if you decide to come visit. Pack some sunblock, a camera, and a swim suit and come on out for a visit. If you've always wanted to go to Hawaii but never really had a reason- feel free to use us as your excuse!

Mahalo!