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?
One of the things I was really looking forward to was driving to the top of Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui. While this isn’t an active volcano like what you can find on the Big Island, it is still … Continue reading
Let me tell you, having a kid old enough to just set loose at the beach is one of the most awesome things ever! I am still patting myself on the back for the beach party idea. A bunch of … Continue reading
When Omar came home, his mom, sister and niece came for a visit. One of the things at the top of their (and my!) list was a luau. This is one of the ‘Hawaiian’ things I had been saving to … Continue reading
One of the perks of our current home is the proximity to the University of Hawaii Aloha Stadium. We have been lucky enough to attend a few games this season but this weekend was Hawaii’s last game of the year. With an 0-11 record it wasn’t looking too good for the Rainbow Warriors but they were playing Army and tickets were half price. Definitely can’t pass up that deal!
Hawaiians know how to tailgate and hanging out for hours ahead of time is part of the fun. Our set up was pretty modest compared to the fans that had multiple canopies, full size propane grills and a buffet spread able to feed dozens.
We were just fine with our single canopy, mini grill and enough food for us all to be stuffed. Also playing some cornhole is always a great time. We played couple vs. couple and ended up tying one game each. (Cornhole is a bean bag toss game, can be very competitive and can cause rifts in marriages, ha! Let’s just say it’s good we pulled out a win in our second game!) Technically speaking we aren’t really supposed to play it at all in the parking lot, the rules say no throwing anything and that includes balls, frisbees and bean bags. However the parking lot we parked in is the quietest one farthest from the stadium itself. I think security patrols where all the college kids hang out.
Hawaii fans! Really, they are just there for the snacks. After all that tailgate food, as soon as we sat down Mckenna was asking for a gyro.
Photobombed by my lovely daughter…
The Hawaii vs. Army game was also military night so we had halftime show that was honoring military members as well as wounded warriors. There was also a promotion ceremony for some lucky Army soldiers. Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant. (I have no clue what that means)
Small sample of the forces present on Oahu. Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Congresswoman was also there to honor the military. She is a veteran herself. I really like her and it was hard to not go get my picture taken with her but I hate being ‘that person’.
One of the last plays of the game, and Hawaii pulled out a win. It’s always fun to go to the games, but WAY better to get to see the home team WIN! Go ‘bows!
Sink Or Swim 