One of the things I’ve been DYING to do is hit up Aulani, Disney’s gorgeous resort in west Oahu. But let me tell you this place is EXPENSIVE! So we finally found a good shoulder-season weekend and booked it. One … Continue reading
Well we now have less than a year left in Hawaii.
Just like when we were geting ready to leave Spain I am getting super sad and nostalgic before we even leave. It does feel like less time than that because Omar is deploying in late winter so we have to get all of out Hawaii to-do stuff done before he leaves.
I don’t want to go! I love, love, love it here. The weather, the people, the food, the ocean, the mountains.
So soon it will be decision time… where to go next. Of course it’s not like it is our decision entirely, the Navy will offer us a list of options and we will choose a few of those. We will either get one of them or have to try again next month.
Now staying on this ship IS an option but honestly not a real one. This command has been ROUGH. In the 3 years we will have been on this ship, Omar will have been underway or deployed for over half of it. We are ready to get away from this intense pace.
Omar would really like to get back to Virginia, he is ready to be back near family buy a house and settle down.
I am not ready to go back! I love and miss our family but I love living all over the world and can’t imagine living back on the mainland.
Its just hard because Mckenna is going to be going into high school soon and I don’t want her to have to move in the middle of a school year then.
But as always I stress and make plans and the Navy will probably throw us another curveball!
What is your dream duty station?
I L-O-V-E Halloween. One of my favorite things to do is make my kids their costumes. They don’t always let me but some years they cave into my begging. I think this is one thing they will remember fondly. (well … Continue reading
So I am a little irritated by myself because I was doing SO good posting this month and was planning on having posts ready to go for our trip so I didn’t have to worry about it. Nope totally didn’t get to it.
Oh yeah, also? We went to California! I didn’t say anything beforehand because I am paranoid of people breaking into my house. Yes, I am crazy.
Anyways, we flew to the SF Bay Area to spend Thanksgiving with some of my insanely awesome family. We hadn’t been there since 2008? Sometime before we moved to Spain, Omar was just a baby! So the kids got to see cousins, aunts, uncles, and their great-grandma! It was SO great to see everyone again. My aunt Nell threw such a wonderful Thanksgiving. Her house was packed to the brim with friends and family and I spent a wonderful day cooking with my family in my aunts kitchen. I would stop and look around at the family and friends I grew up with and say, “I can’t believe I am here!” The kids had a great time, we ate ourselves silly and spent a ton of time with our family. We are closer now to our California family now than we have been in a long time, so it won’t be 4 years before we visit again!
My biggest bummer? I left my DSLR camera battery at home. I was BEYOND angry. And since my camera is a few years old no one carries the battery. So I had to make due with my ipod (which thank goodness I had!)
Meeting the pilot on our flight!
Fun with tape at Aunt Nelly’s house!
Thanksgiving Day… Steph prepping sprouts. They came on a stalk! I was so impressed by that!
Mckenna and Nick on potato duty. We actually barely had enough mashed potatoes! NO leftovers!
Uncle Bill brings the BEST sodas!
Me and my beauty. Pre bake…
Headresses were made. They were awesome…
Cooking, cooking, cooking. And yes, even Aunt Nell was in on the headdress action!
Uncle Fred, aka the big turkey.
Obligatory turkey picture. It was fabulous and again, NO leftovers on a 23lb bird!
Me and Nell!
One. More. Bite. Of. Pie!
Omar and Great-Grandma Maryann! It was SO great to see her!
So after  long day of fun we decided to keep driving west until we hit the beach. One of the best beaches on that side of the island are the Ko’olina Lagoons. We grabbed a spot, pulled the ever-present beach chairs from the trunk, and just enjoyed this fabulous life we have.
This was one of the best sunsets I’d seen since we moved here, we are rarely over on the west side of the island and the sunsets just aren’t quite as pretty from Pearl Harbor, too much in the way! Â Stunning.
Mckenna of course wanted to model for me… This girl loves having her picture taken but it’s hard to get one now where she isn’t posing like a crazy person. 
And then there is this kid who HATES having his picture taken but I can occasionally get such a wonderful shot of him I could die.
Okay, disgusting post I know, my kids are gorgeous, I live in paradise. What can I say, it’s a rough life!
Day #19
Today I am thankful for my daughter Mckenna. She is growing into an amazing girl. I know as her mom I have a tendency to give her a hard time but it’s because I know she is capable of greatness! Having daddy be gone isn’t easy but she is still doing great in school, staying busy with her robotics club, doing as best as she can to help with her brother, and is really making an effort to be more helpful around the house (or at least less messy!) I never pictured myself having a daughter, I always wanted sons, and she is the daughter I could have never imagined. How this bright, beautiful, creative girl came from me is a mystery! I do love her so!
Sink Or Swim 