I'm alive! I swear!

And I will, no I MUST, keep on blogging! I love sharing our lives with you, but I especially love to be able to look back on my blog posts to see where we've been and what we've done in details I may have not remembered otherwise.  So, particularly Megan, but other friends and family may as well, keep me accountable! As of now I will aim for something called "Thursday Ramblings".  This means that every Thursday, that's right, you heard me, EVERY THURSDAY I will make a post! These posts will be about something I did, something Kyle did, something we did together, something that's been on my mind, something I love, something I hate don't love, or just some random thoughts.  I will start next Thursday so look out :)

Alrighty.  You'd think we'd had a tsunami over here where we lost Internet connection for (make a clear the throat noise) 2 months, but we have had a whirlwind of guests for a total of 6 weeks, so that's my excuse. :) I am going to try my best to sum up the last 2 months with mainly pictures and descriptions. So. Here. We. Go.  

August 18 - August 20

My good friend from Colton growing up, Jess and her fiancé, Joel, came to visit! Sandy (Jess' mom) planned a Hawaii trip with Joel's family for her graduation present from nursing school.  They flew to Maui and then the two of them hopped on over to Oahu to visit us! It was only for the weekend, but it was great having them! 

        Pyramid Rock (on base)                                Took them to my favorite beach, Lanikai.  Jess                                           

                                                                           thought the sand felt like flour.  I thought that was a 

                                                                                                  perfect comparison :) 

On our hike up Olomana.  If you've read previous entries, you know Kyle and I have done this before...and it blows.  It was beyond humid that day (can you tell from our lovely sweat marks).

Jess doing the last bit of rock climbing.  Atta girl!

 

We made it!!! And the view is always worth it!

We also took Jess and Joel into Waikiki to watch the sunset and we gave them a beautiful sunset.

August 28 - October 1

Dad arrived for his second visit here in Hawaii and we tried to do some new things this time that we didn't get to do last time and there was also a surprise in there...

Klipper Golf Course is on base and the hole dad is golfing at is ranked #1 in the DOD (Department of Defense) courses and I would have to agree. Breathtaking.

                                                                      

Kyle and I walked with Dad for the back 9.  It was fun to finally see the course and we had nice conversation and Dad got a caddy :)

 

Beach time with Dad (@ North Beach near our house)                 Lookie here! Olomana AGAIN! We 

                                                                                                       made it to the top in 1 hour 6 minutes!                        

                                                                                                       Other people took almost 2! We rock! 

Kyle decided to hike the other two peaks (behind him).  He went super-duper fast so Dad and I didn't have to wait long and I think his expression explains exactly how he feels. 

So, this trip Dad came on was supposed to be back in February, but we didn't have a house on base yet.   He rescheduled his trip for this one and he didn't really think about what was happening on September 7th and it just so happened to be his only grandchild's 1st birthday! After he already made the trip final he realized and was completely bummed :( BUT...Mom had something up her sleeve.  Mom was supposed to fly out on the 10th, well...that's what she told Dad anyway :)

September 7 

I told Dad I needed to go to the commissary, but look who I went to pick up instead! Katrina, Macie, Ty, and Mom! 

Here is what happened next:

So happy to have them here! And on Macie's 1st Birthday! So we had to celebrate!

  

My friend, Mandee, came over with her two kiddos, Maddox and Marcella because it was Mandee's birthday too!

Before cake we headed outside to play with Maple and Sadie who are my neighbors dogs and there was a little neighborhood get together.  I love where I live :)

Macie trying to blow out the candle!

Playing with the piggy bank Uncle Kyle and Aunt Brittney got her.

Happy Birthday, Mandee!

We also celebrated at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.  Macie LOVED her ice cream!

Maddox loved the ice cream too :)

Luau at The Hale Koa (military hotel) in Waikiki.

Getting ready to pull out the pig!

Turtle beach!

Beautiful Sea Turtle

Waimea Bay on the North Shore

Chinaman's Hat rock.  Moms favorite viewpoint on Oahu :)

Hiking in the jungle.  All the way to Maunawili Falls.  Here is a clip of what Ty did there:

We went to Hanauma Bay which was nice since Kyle and I had yet to go there since we moved here!

It's time to look like dorks and go snorkeling

We rented a boat from the Marina on base and took it out to the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay.

Enjoying time on the sandbar!

After Dad, Ty, Kat, and Macie left, Mom and I had some time on our own.  And we babysat Marcella and Maddox :)

I also had a jewelry party that Mom was able to come to and meet my friends! My friend Jenny (who I lived with) sells Premier Designs jewelry and I LOVE IT!

Here are the Blue Angels from my backyard!  The weekend day Mom was "supposed" (you'll see why I say supposed later) to leave.  So Thursday they were practicing!  They were SO loud and so AMAZING!

So, we were going to take Mom to the airport on Friday, but she checked her schedule and her flight was supposed to be on Thursday! So...we got to keep her for another few days till we could get her a flight out. On Friday they had the airshow open for military families, so we decided to go watch when it was less busy than the weekend when it was open to the public. 

 At this point they are only 18 inches away from one another! Awesome!

 This is Juliane.  She is a high school friend who was visiting MCBH because her cousin just had a baby and she was helping out.  So we met up at the airshow!

This is Alison.  She is a family friend of the Durant's.  She lives in America Samoa and teaches and was on Oahu for a conference, so she stayed with us for a couple days.  Mom and here were able to keep each other company while Kyle and I worked which was nice.  And she was able to spend time in an "American" type home, which she enjoyed.  

October 2 - October 9

Darcy and Josh arrived and this was one of the first things we did :)  Kyle's favorite game, Settlers of Catan.

Kyle's parents arrived on the the 5th and wanna guess what the first thing my husband wanted to do after his mother got here.  Bull riding.  You heard me.  Bull riding.  On a mechanical bull you ask?  No.  A real. Live. BULL!!!  Kyle had heard a few of his Marines who went to Waimanalo and paid $40 to ride a bull.  All those Marines were injured.  Why wouldn't Kyle think it was a good idea. ;)  I'm prefacing the pictures to let you know he survived and so did the other Kyle.  But...my Kyle's neck is still bothering...I told him I wouldn't feel bad for him, but he knows me too well...I do :)

Oh boy...

  Kyle on Maui Man.  We were pretty far away and couldn't get a great picture, but there he is...

I got a great shot of the other Kyle but that was because they had a professional photographer who had a huge flash and I took it at the perfect time to get his flash with mine!

The bull riders who will never ride a bull again.

We took a day and went up to the North Shore (Pipeline) and watched the waves. 

After the beach we headed over to Waimea Falls! BEAUTIFUL waterfall, but after this I got 24 bug bites! 

I took Josh, Darcy, and Larry to Maunawili Falls too! It's a beautiful hike!

On the night of the October 8th, we went bowling with Kyle's parents and my sister, Megan went into labor! On my last frame, I got the call that my niece, Alexis, was born!

I love her and I haven't even met her :)

On the 12th, Kyle and I headed over on a morning flight to The Big Island to meet up with Rhonda and Larry who flew there on the 9th.  One of the main reasons we went was so Kyle and his Dad could watch The Ironman World Championships.  Kyle's friend, Dain, from college who also did triathlons with Kyle and also did the Ironman in Coeur d'Alene like Kyle and Larry.   

Hanging out at the pool with Dain and Ella.

Peter Jacobs of Australia is the Ironman World Champion! 2.4 mile swim, 114 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run.  Holy smokes!

The last full day we were on Hawaii we went to Volcano National Park

Black Sand Beach.  

Abou the time this photo was taken, Kyle and I were supposed to fly out, but our flight was delayed so we got to witness this beautiful sunset!

After 6 straight weeks of house guests, I guess you could say we were a bit tired of living like a tourist. We were definitely ready to get settled back into our routine, which includes me starting a new job.  I quit my job at the youth center.  I started teaching pre-school which I won't will never, EVER teach again.  Bless those people who teach pre-school, no make that 2nd grade and below.  There was also changes with management and the program did not fit what I had in mind, plus the pay was minimal.  SO...I began subbing again! Today I had my first sub job and I am thankful to be back in the classroom.  Sometimes I feel the longer I'm away from the classroom, the more I'll forget.  But ya know what, I still have it :) The assistant in my classroom today said I did a wonderful job and introduced me to all of the 5th and 6th grade teachers.  I was so grateful!

Along with a new job, Kyle and I have been, well, for lack of a better word, LAZY.  We have been what Kyle calls, "Lazy Bones Jones aka LBJ" :) It's nice to just stay inside and enjoy some beautiful sunsets from our backyard like these:

Las Vegas

Sorry I'm falling behind on blog posts, but I've been getting adjusted to my new work shift (5:45 to 2:15), friends visiting Hawaii (I'll blog about that next), and preparing for family to visit.

We took a red eye flight to Vegas on the 12th and arrived at our hotel at 8am.  We got washed up and headed out to the strip.  Darcy (Kyle's sister) and her husband, Josh, were already in Vegas, but they were still sleeping when we arrived.  Kyle started gambling early and within the first hour we were up $120! We won't talk about what happened after that. ;) But we had a blast playing black jack and roulette.  We actually gambled a lot and did NOT go over the limit we set.  Woo hoo! Maybe next time we'll come home with a thicker wallet. :)

Here is a little documentation of our trip:

The Strip during the day.  What a view!

The Flamingo where Kyle started ahead of the game, but then it wasn't too kind to us.

The New York New York.  Kyle and I really loved the look of this hotel/casino the most!

 

Kyle and I playing slots.  We didn't play many slots, but Kyle just wanted a free drink, so we decided to play a bit.  Slots are more confusing that table games! We LOVED black jack! The 4 of us played a lot and made our money last quite awhile, which was fun!

Before Cirque Du Soleil!  

Where our seats started out and before the show started we ended up getting moved to the 8th row! 

   The show was fantastic! Can't wait to go to another one!

Kyle and Josh had $25 chips before we decided to leave...they told us, "That's not enough to cash out.  We need more than that!" So they decided to place their $25 chip on on the table for one hand of black jack.  Kyle AND Josh pulled a 10 on their first card, then Kyle got a 3 and Josh got a 2.  Ouch! ;) Then Kyle hit and got an 8 and Josh hit and got a 9! THEY BOTH GOT 21! It was hilarious! So here they are with their two, $25 chips :) 

In the colosseum inside Caesar's Palace, right AFTER watching Celine Dion perform! It was a 2     hour show and was SPECTACULAR!!!

I have loved Celine ever since I was a child and never thought this day would happen! Thanks to Kyle for taking me and sitting through it! 

The Strip at night! Such a sight to see!

Bellagio light show! Thanks Aunt Linda for telling me to definitely see this while we there! It was a great thing to see! Now when I watch Oceans Eleven I'll be able to say, "Hey! I've seen that!" :)

Goodbye Vegas! View of the strip from the airport at 6am! Ready to fly to Portland to have our 8 hour layover! We were so happy and excited to be able to spend a few hours with family before heading back "home" to Hawaii.  Here are some pictures from our time in the Great Northwest!

We were able to meet and EAT and Red Robin (since we don't have one in Hawaii).  Our families came plus Aunt Sherry and Dona!

Greg and Kyle were excited to see each other again, as well as me to see Meg and her pregnant belly!

Siblings! So great to see all of them again and to see how big Macie has gotten!

Our parents :)

Overall, our 4 day trip was a blast! Vegas was so much fun and it was fabulous to have a layover at home! Next time, we do a Vegas trip or other vacation, family and friends are invited because did I mention...

We bought a time share :)

1st Lieutenant Kyle Durant

No more butter bars! :)  2nd Lieutenants wear gold bars on their uniform like this:

Kyle's last day to wear gold bars :)

Butter bars is a term used that isn't usually used in the nicest context and sorta means "boot", but now Kyle's got his silver bars, baby! :)

For Kyle's promotion they said they were going to hold it at the front gate where there is a smaller version of the Iwo Jima Memorial.  We parked there and then his Captain and Gunny told him, "Give your wallet and phone to your wife...alrighty we're gonna go to the ceremony down my the water."  Kyle knew something was up, so he said, "Nah, I'm good...we can stay up here."  But they insisted :) 

Luckily, Kyle had a Marine (from Oregon, who's a Duck fan) who took some wonderful pictures of the ceremony. 

Kyle saluting Captain Petronzio before his oath. Kyle's platoon is behind him.

Captain chucking Kyle's gold bars...See ya later!

Gunny Shaw (who Kyle works closely with and really enjoys) and I, pinning on his new bars.

Taking his oath.  Right after this I heard Captain Petronzio say, "Have at 'em boys!" I knew they were going to throw him in the water so before they could reach him, the wife had one request...a picture before he's soaked :)

So proud of my Marine :) 

After our picture, this is what happened! :)

And finally this :) Kyle put up a fight, but his Marines got him!  Captain told us this is a tradition for AAV Officers and I'm sure the Marines love throwing their Lieutenant in the water, so no wonder the tradition stuck :)

This was definitely a memorable promotion!

Kyle's Marines congratulating him.

Kyle and Gunny Shaw

And one last picture with Kyle and his soaked cam is :)

All in all it was a wonderful promotion ceremony and I am so proud of my husband!  You are an amazing Marine, Kyle and we are all so proud of what you are doing!