I recently heard Rush, Rush by Paula Abdul for the first time in many years. I was instantly transported back to 1991. Listening to that song, I remembered it playing on the radio as my parents drove our family through Aliamanu Military Reservation (AMR, “the Crater”) scouting out homes, because that’s where we were moving to next.

While basking in my warm, nostalgic moment to the backdrop of lovely Paula, I pulled up Google Maps to take a walk down memory lane. I typed in my old AMR address, and was completely dismayed to find my house was gone. Literally gone.

I was very upset, and wanted to know what happened. So I spent some time digging into it.

While researching AMR for this website’s first blog post, I realized there were lots of other military kids like me who also grew up in AMR, and who also felt homesick and nostalgic after learning their home was wiped off the map.

What’s the point of this website?

I honestly have no idea. Not yet, anyway.

All I know is I wanted to start this website to talk about AMR, and other Hawaii-related stuff only military kids would know.

But, that’s silly. I can’t just dedicate an entire website to AMR.

This website isn’t just about AMR, Hawaii, or about being a military brat.

It’s about experiences, places, and people nobody talks about anymore. Some of it doesn’t exist on the Internet, so you’d never know it existed or happened if I didn’t write about it. That’s what I want to do here.

I want to revive and talk about people, places, things, and experiences that aren’t really mentioned anywhere else online.

I was born in 1980, and spent most of my childhood in Hawaii. Growing up as a military brat, I was exposed to lots of places and experiences within a short time frame.

My name is Sarah, and this site features some of my stories and insights.

Last Updated on March 15, 2026 by Sarah