If only there were something more exciting to tell

Well here we are mid may-ish and there's really nothing to report. Jenny and her son are here. They spend most of the time here at home but are out and about during peak times. Jaren, my cousin, is working for Don doing all sorts of odds and ends. Landscaping, flooring, masonry. He's gone most every day and with April at work, that leaves me and you, dear reader, me and you, so what do you want to do?. Well and the girls of course. Which over the last few days have been quick sick. Fevers, runny noses, coughing, the nasties. Abbi is cutting teeth and Hannah just got a cold or something. April had it and likely brought it home from the hospital with her. Now, I'd like everyone to know that the only three confirmed cases of swine flu are on Oahu at Tripler Army Medical Center. So when April came down with it and went in to have it checkd I told everyone in the ward that she had the swine flu. This was done entirely to benefit me of course, I figured if the word got around and since everyone seems to be treating this like a deadly plague, the relief society would eventually have to bring over food since my wife was going to surely perish after growing a little curly tail and pointy ears. So far, no good. Oh well it was worth a shot. She in fact does not have the swine flu, just a normal something or another. Funny thing, one day we were on our way back home and stopped at a busy light and on the radio was announced that the three confirmed cases were now accompanied by two suspected cases. I rolled down the window and shouted, "wahooo, my wife is FAMOUS, she has suspected swine flu!" I thought it was hilarious and our moment of fame, the other drivers just looked at me like I was nuts. But hey, it doesn't really matter what strangers think of you, right? As long as you have your day in the sun at your poor sick wife's expense. Heartless, yes. Everyone now seems to be on the mend. The fevers are gone and April has felt good for a few days now. I, thanks to my mom for the immune system, don't get sick very often. I make up for it with a bad back that loves to go out under stress. See, there really is justice for all.
April's job seems to be going very well, my job seems to be lagging though. When tech prices fall, so does my profits, and its starting to seem a little less than fortune building at this point. Oh well, onward and upward. April and I did go to the local waterpark the other day, that was fun. We forgot the camera but did enjoy ourselves. Its not quite as big as lagoon-a-beach. But they have to big Keiki (child) pools that have lots of slides and waterfalls. The even let abbi go down the big tube slides. Well I say big but its probably not half the size of the tube ride at crystal springs. When money isn't so scarce, we've considered getting season passes because they are so cheap and that would enable us to get a discount on passes for our guests. So WHEN (notice I didn't say IF) you all (Stokers being called out on this one) decide to come, we can add that to the itinerary of excellent things to do. Just so you all know, Jenny and Jaren leave early next month. That means we're gonna have a big house in paradise with no one to help us occupy it! Hint Hint.
Speaking of mad cows. Some of you know that the temple is shut down here on Oahu for MAJOR rennovations. They have closed it for 18 months. The white coral facing has all been stripped away and the insides are completely gutted. The are leaving the shell of the building intact and starting over I guess. But being that it is closed, the wards are now scheduling visits to the small temple in Hilo, on the big island. April and I are going on the 22nd to the 23rd for a temple excursion. Funny how it means so much more to you when its not readily available. Kind of like going to the beach. Inter-island tickets are about $30 for residents and well, we're gonna make it an over-nighter. We'll send pictures. From what I hear, that island looks just like the one we live on! NO WAY HUH!
So lets recap, naw, did that last time.
PLEASE COME VISIT (Nambi Guazu)

The adventure takes another turn 2.0

Alright folks, here's the 411 on recent events. Mirjam has been here for almost a month and leaves tomorrow. Jaren arrived last week and Jenny and Ethan the week before. The biggest news we have is that the Myers have finally chosen to abandon us. After all the ups and downs and landlords and moves, they have made their arrangements and are headed back to the 0-town tomorrow as well. Lindsey will be missed, Chris smells like the frog you dissect in biology so him, not so much, but Lindsey oh Lindsey why for art thou leaving me oh sister? Ok thats not nice so Chris you don't really smell like the frog. As afore mentioned we added to our family. We brought home a 1.5 lb furry ball of love on April's birthday. Her name is April too. We just yell and at least one of them comes in a hurry. Ha ha, just kidding she hasn't finished that part of her training and the dog doesn't know her name yet either. I'll put more pictures up later on. Now for those of you who know, I have a dog named copper that my cousin was gracious enough to take in. I tried every method I could to find a cost effective way to bring her to Hawaii, but after all the vet visits, shots, kennel, plane ticket and quarantine fees, it would be near $2000 to have one poor beagle mutt brought to the volcanic spec we call home. Obviously it was just too high of a cost so we invested in another pooch that wouldn't require more transportation than the ride across the island to a new home. We named her Sascha. Moving on, I am going to attempt another video post, this one is a direct upload so it shouldn't slow down the webpage. This video is of Abbi and her backup dancers at the Local Thai restaurant. They had some jammin' belly dancing music going on in the background and out of the blue Abbi starts shakin' what her momma gave her. It was hilarious, the waitress kept coming by to watch. I whipped out my cell and tried to capture the moment, I mostly succeeded:
Hopefully it works, if not I probably won't get around to fixing it anytime soon. April got her first permanent paycheck as an official government employee. Being a nurse employed federally means that she not only has great pay and benefits now, but total job security too. Her retirement will also kick in when she is 46. Now I am going to make this next comment with the best of intentions. It has come to my knowledge that a couple of weird rumors are floating around about us moving back to Utah. April and I don't have plans to change or domicile any time soon. In fact this move may very well be permanent. Of course we miss being near the family but we both agreed that the life we lead here together has not only improved us financially but has really cemented our marriage. In spite of the hardships we've faced here, we will be staying for a minimum of a few more years, if do move it will have to be a state that April can transfer to. Now the next comment is made with a little less sugar spice. If you haven't spoken to ME (Chad) directly about visiting and planned exact dates, I am not planning on lodging you. We cannot support more than one (entire/parents and kids) family at a time. This was a lesson hard learned during last Christmas. If you'd like to pair up with another couple and come without kids, then by all means make plans. We just don't have the room to put up more than about 4 adults or 2 adults and a few kids. As of this moment, the Foley's are coming again for Christmas, the Melos have hinted at a possible summer visit and the Spencer's have requested some time early next year. So jump on the band wagon folks because we would love to have the family visit. As always the same visitng house rules apply, the first two weeks are on us, just help with the food bill, after that you we'd like you to help cover the utilities. The average electric bill in our neighborhood is between $300 and $400 per MONTH. Keep in mind that our water heater is electric so when you throw another 4+ people in the mix, well you see where I am going with that. I hope this doesn't come across as being short or rude, just want to clear the air so everyone knows how we feel. Keep in mind that the family is VERY important to us and we miss being around you and all the kids, so please make arrangements to visit. We can provide a free two weeks stay and a 24 hour buffet, just open the fridge, and all the card games you can handle.
As a quick recap, Lindsey and Chris Myers leaving, Mirjam leaving, Jenny and Ethan, and Jaren Arrived. New dog arrived. Dancing Abbi. We're not going to move back. Please call us so we can plan your visit. Boy, what a great post. Glad that's all cleared up, So how are you?

Well I have survived the first week of Mother-in-law-dom

Ok so its not really that bad. In fact April and I finally have someone to play games with! Its been a while since the last posting and frankly, its been rather uneventful excluding mom's visit. But boy oh boy do we have the up and comming household. My Cousin Jaren will be returning on the 14th and JENNY is comming home to hawaii! Yay, well I say home because it is my home and I wish it were her's, under better circumstances. So we're back to the overflowing house again. *sigh of relief* Just the way I like it. I am so excited to have more people here that i dusted off the ol' aggravation board and am getting it ready for some late night marble tossin'! Wahoo.
April is doing her "training" this week for her new job. Funny that they are training someone who has worked there for the better part of a year! But that means we finally have health insurance for the entire family. I can finally have that growth on my neck removed, good thing too, it started talking to me and requesting Carl's Jr.
My job is going well and is all that's keeping us afloat right now. Because the govt. pays you for the two weeks previous to the current, we have to wait an entire month before the checks start coming in....that means a tightened belt and no Thai food for a while....oh well, mom can't eat it anyway. Who's bright idea was it to go on a diet before you go on a tropical vacation? Seriously, there's something amiss with that rationale. Hey, whatever tips your canoe.
Well, and this next news bit is just for Lynette, we are adding to our family! Yes, that's right we are adopting a new baby girl. We've decided to name her Sacha (pronounced Sasha). That's a Russian name for 'defender of mankind'. She is a black little baby with only trace amounts of white in her. We figured it would be good for us to show that we are more than just typical Haole's (that's Hawaiian for white mainlander). We have all the paperwork done for her and are almost done paying the bill. We will get to bring her home in May. Mom was really excited because it brings back memories of her own addition from a few years back. Sad that it ended so tragically. No one should ever have to part with a loved one like that. Life is so unfair and people drive way to fast on 2600 N. It'll be nice to have our own little adopted barker. Its been a long time since Abbi was that small.......so have I laid it on thick enough yet? Here's a picture of our new baby girl: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk37/captain_axle/zoo/IMAGE_006.jpg

Ha ha, Poor Nyettie, I keep picking on you. Its out of love. You can repay the favor when you visit someday.