So nice… he lets me take pictures of him while I play with my new camera:

Dave, uploaded by tara.aukerman.

My body doesn’t know what’s going on.� After 4 hours of sleep, I stayed awake for 20.� Then I went to�bed at 6:30pm (HI time).� I woke up every 15 or 20 minutes after 2:00am (which is my normal wake-up time of 7:00am, IN time) until I finally got up at 6:00am (HI time).� I’ve made it ’til 9:00pm tonight, but I’m fading fast.�

I’ve been trying to get in a last hour of work today, but work right now is�some graphic manipulation, trying to squeeze an image and find an extra 24 pixel rows – then trying to use that image as the base of a 20-image series.� It’s just too detailed for me to really focus on right now.� So I’m posting a funny video.

We ate at the Hickam AFB officers’ club tonight – at a mongolian barbeque.� It’s a building with only 2 walls, opening out over Pearl Harbor.� While we ate, submarines and motor boats floated by.� I got some fun pictures of my family, but can’t put them online or they’d cry…� my favorite is one of my dad’s face right after a baby puked all over the table in front of him and in his coffee.� =)� Use your imagination.

Leah and I asked Kelly (mom’s friend) to take a picture of us goofing off.� I handed the camera to her in video mode instead of picture mode.� =)� Here’s us posing for her, then waiting, then posing for a second shot just in case the second didn’t come out (pushing the capture button started then stopped the movie):

[coolplayer] http://tara.elmadera.com/images/hickamposes.AVI [/coolplayer]

Other pictures from tonight are posted on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/taukerman/.

It’s quiet around here.� Except, of course, when the neighbors start or park their really loud car – then, the dog barks and whines and runs all over the house.� Maybe someone he loved (or hated) had a motorcycle.� Maybe he’s watching for David to come back.� Which is why it’s so quiet.

With David teaching at Taylor and staying up north this week, I’ve been on my own.� It was nice to have some time alone after vacation and being surrounded by people, but now I’m just missing my husband.� Good thing he’s coming home tomorrow.� =)

I’ve gotten a lot of extra hours of work in – enough to make up for the holiday this week.� I’ve also done a lot of catch-up work for a client.� It feels good to not be buried under a backlog of work.

Oooh… and me and Jake have been getting along well.� That means he’s not running all over me anymore.� At least while it’s just me and him, he’s pretty obedient.� I haven’t had to wrestle him once.� =)� He gets in his crate in the morning and at bedtime.� He sits without being bribed (well, he did once).� He even stayed for a few seconds (with a heavy bribe).� He’s a fun dog�- I’d be crazy here completely alone, and he’s good company.

Cousin Jen named our puppy.� =)

David’s task is to come back to Indiana with a “glorious” tan.� He might just make it, by IN winter standards.� =)� We’ve spent the last couple of days (and will spend some time tomorrow, too) at the beach.� Christmas on the beach…� man, I don’t think it gets any better than that!

Look at the color of this water…� It was crystal clear, even while we were boogie-boarding!

�
Dave, doing what mathematicians do at the beach.� Solving�mathy puzzles.

Leah.� =)� (Mom in the background.)

Here we are.� Here we’ve been for the last week.� =)�

We arrived Wednesday afternoon here in O’ahu after flying all day.� Went straight from the airport to Debbie, Bianca and Kyle’s house.� It was fun, getting to see them right off.� The last time I was here, we spent a lot of time together and I made friends with Kyle.� This time, he was a bit shy – it’s been six months since we’ve seen each other, and he has two other Woodrum girls to take my place.� We’ve seen him again since and things are returning to normal.� =)� I love that kid.� This time, I’ve gotten to see a little more of Bianca one-on-one…� not much, but more than before.� I’m glad.

So.� We flew off to the Big Island for the weekend.� Pictures are here.� While there, we stayed in a military camp within the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.� We visited volcanic craters, areas devastated by past lava flows, rifts in the earth made my volcanic earthquakes, and the highlight: took a rainy night hike out to see the current lava flow.� We saw red lava flowing into the ocean, making new land.� It was phenomenal.

Not such a highlight of our Big Island trip:� I spilled an entire cup of coffee into my laptop keyboard.� The computer shut itself off and never came back on.� I had gotten my leg stuck under a desk – really stuck – and, panicking, tried to stand up.� I knocked the coffee right into the computer.� That was Monday.�

I spent all of Tuesday looking at current models of laptops after I found out it was cheaper to buy a new one than to repair the Vaio.� Went to BestBuy and found a replacement.� The most important thing I did, though, was to pay for a whatever-the-heck-happens-to-your-computer-we’ll-fix-or-replace-it warranty.� Forget this manufacturer’s warranty crap – I paid for one of those last time and came out with nothing.� Waste of money.� I figure that I’m clumsy enough I’ll make this policy worth what I paid.

I haven’t been able to get hardly any work done, and I can’t show you any other pictures – everything was on my old laptop.� When I get home, I’ll borrow some equipment from a friend and copy everything onto this machine, but for now, it’s locked away on an inaccessible hard drive.

After we got back from the Big Island, we had a day at home, then we spent 4 days at Bellows AFB.� My folks rented a cabin right on the beach and David, my sister Leah and I stayed there for 3 nights.� Mom and Dad joined us for night #2 and my sister Melissa was there night #3.� I got a sunburn that I hope will turn into what my pastor refers to as a “glorious tan.”� We’ll see.� At least I won’t come back without any color.� And at least David spent some time outside without his t-shirt on.� =)

We just got back this afternoon.� I spent the afternoon going through a thousand emails from a client and getting things squared away with that account.� Since then, I’ve spend most of the night in the kitchen making various types of cookies.� My folks are semi-hosting a Christmas dinner tomorrow for their group at church and we’re doing desserts and mashed potatoes.� They went to buy a paring knife, to develop some film for me, and to get my mom some flour for “fudgy bon-bons.”� David and Leah are busy sweating and jumping to DDR (a video game that has them dancing on mats).� Melissa is playing World of Warcraft.� I’m doing my civic duty here.� =)

That’s it – we’ve been busy, but now you know what we’ve been up to.

That’s been the theme of our week – food and family.� Oh, and lazing about.� =)

Wednesday, I went out to lunch with Bethany – it was great to see her one on one.� Since she’s been engaged and then married, she’s been too busy to spend any time with any one person – when she gets to socialize, it’s always in big groups.� We had a long lunch and talked – it’s good having my friend back.� =)� When I got back, so many people from my office had taken off early that my boss emailed and said to go home.� We met her at a hole in the wall pub and spent a couple hours laughing and chatting, then she and I went to an Aveda salon on Mass Ave.� I picked up this matter root shampoo and conditioner that add red tones to dark hair – and smell really nice – and then Dave and I drove to church.� When we got home, we played through the first third of Lego Star Wars (he brought the game home for me as a surprise).

Thursday, I got up at the crack of dawn – no, before dawn – and went to help the pastor’s wife and Bethany make some of the food for the church’s Thanksgiving dinner (which I was missing).� I came back and took a nap, then woke up and�worked and lazed about.��David started writing his Aquinas paper – the last requirement from a class he took this summer.� That night, we went to his parents’ house and had Thanksgiving dinner with most of his Mom’s side of the family.� It was fun – I love that group of people.

Friday, I spent the ENTIRE DAY cooking and cleaning.� It’s been so busy around here that I haven’t had much of a chance to keep up with housework.� I would have waited until today (Saturday was�the traditional cleaning day in my family growing up), but we had Dave’s parents, brother and sister-in-law, and grandmother over for a birthday dinner.� Usually on birthdays, his mother cooks whatever meal the birthday person requests and makes a cake.� Even on her own birthday, because David’s is the day after.� This year, we thought it would be nice if she didn’t have to cook – and it was a great excuse to get the family down to Indy to see our house.� =)

Today is a lazy day.� I looked around for things to do, but couldn’t find any cleaning left.� So, I’m taking it easy.� Updating things on the computer, watching a couple of episodes of a TV series, etc.� Dave’s still writing that paper, so I’m on my own.� Not that I mind – it’s been a full week of people and things to do and places to go.� Now… back to the lazing about…

I have pictures to show you.

These are from Randy and Carrie’s wedding (including a semi-clear shot of the YMCA-ing Aukermans), in no particular order:

Uncle Mike and Cousin Sarah.� Don’t know why they’re sad.� =)

Uncle Ron doing a “dollar dance” with Randy.� One of my favorite pictures.

The original John Aukermans.

A new Aukerman – Carrie.

Mom and Dad.

Me and David.

A very fun picture of Cousins Tim and Jen.

And last, but not least…

A heavily edited picture (it was dark) of the YMCA.
(this photo courtesy of Cousin Sarah)

Hey, cousin Roy!

Roy emailed me today, introduced himself, and asked if I were related in any way to a Leo, Ron, John or Paul Aukerman.� I said yes – in fact, they’re my uncles by marriage.� Roy is the son of Roy, the brother of Harry, the father of John, the father of my David.

I told him I’d post a picture of the brothers on this blog – and I’ve looked all in my picture files and through emails.� I can’t find it!� Bear with me though – perhaps someone else has one.� There were a lot of people around with cameras, not to mention the photographer at the wedding.� I’ll get on that.

In the meantime, imagine this:� the four brothers are sitting in chairs, all in a line.� Rather than all of them YMCA-ing (it was that part of the reception where the silly songs start getting played), each one had a letter.� Ron makes a very enthusiastic Y (and does a dance from the waist up).� Paul makes an M (on top of his head).� Leo makes a C (without moving anything but his arms – including his shoulders).� John makes an A (laughing very hard at his brothers).� It was hilarious.
You who were there – did anyone get a clear picture of this?� =)

There was a big earthquake on the Big Island of Hawaii today – my family felt it on O’ahu.� They’re staying at Bellows this weekend, which has cabins literally on the beach.� They were in their cabin when the earthquake hit – Mom said they all ran for the same doorway and had a collision.� =)� After the shake stopped, they ran out to the car…� their first thought was big earthquake = tsunami.

No tsunami actually came, but the quake shook some gas pipes loose on the base.� They can’t get back in to get their stuff – and they can’t get back in to have my Dad’s birthday party with their friends.��But hey – they’re all still alive, and no loss of life has been recorded as a result of this 6.6 quake!� Since they can’t get back onto the base, they’re going over to Debbie’s – Mom said she and her kids were a little shaken by the earthquake (who wouldn’t be, on an island after the 2004 tsunami in east Asia?).

No earthquakes here in Indy – just a long, long 24 hours.� =)� Our Saturday/Sunday schedule (this isn’t even�much crazier than a typical day for us!):

SATURDAY
7:30am-8am – prayer meeting at church
8:15am-9:30am – breakfast with church folks
9:30am-11am – work day at church (we raked and raked and raked leaves and acorns)
11-12 – shower and dress
12-12:45 – drive to Anderson
12:45-2 – lunch with Dave’s family
2-5 – errands
5-5:45 – free time
5:45-6:45 – meeting with contractor who’s going to do some work on our house
6:45-7:00 – dinner
7:00-1:30am – chaperone youth lock-in at church (we left when they went to sleep)

SUNDAY
8am-8:15 – prayer meeting
8:15-8:45 – serve breakfast to the kids & clean kitchen
8:45-9:30 – shower & dress
9:30-12:30 – Sunday school and church
12:30-2 – prepare, serve and clean up after youth-hosted lunch for entire church
2-4 – crash HARD (2 hour nap)
4-5 – stumble around waking up
5-6:30 – choir practice
6:30-7 – wash dishes left over from church lunch

This kind of schedule is why we’ve been so exhausted.� =)� It was a good couple of days, though – I had a great time with the Mead kids at the lock-in, and I always enjoy the folks at church.� As hard a day as today was, it’s nice actually serving.� Sometimes I feel like I just exist – I go to church meetings, but that’s it.� Today, we were USEFUL.� =)