ALOHA

We went to Oahu , HI for our first ever in sixteen years kid free vacation! It was magical from the time we stepped off the plane into the tropical breeze. Paul & I couldn't get enough of the beautiful flowers, clear blue waters, & beaches. We snorkeled, we drank yummy tropical drinks,we shopped , Paul fished, & we swam with a real Sea Turtle! It was an amazing vacation that was long over due for just us two. So many times as a military wife you push aside alone time for fear of not letting the children have their time with dad. Fear that if you go away by yourself your being selfish because you have no idea when or if he will get leave again anytime soon. Not this time, this time I was not feeling guilty one bit. Did we discuss the boys, yes. Did we miss them yes. But did we want the with us - NO! We did decide to take some tax money come February & catch a MAC fight back to the Islands with the four boys so they too could experience the wonders of Hawaii. But I would not change one moment of this time with my husband.
 Here a few pictures, but honestly we just snorkeled a lot, cuddled, & acted like we had just got married- it was AWESOME!

The beach in front of the Hale Koa where we stayed

FIrst day on the beach- I was singing " I got my toes in the water Arse in the sand" hehe

Can you tell I was excited to be sitting in sand in 85 degree sunshine!

  My handsome husband

Hanauma Bay a Sealife Reef that is protected. We snorkeled & it was amazing!

Paul fishing on a Flat's Boat- was a really fun day! We saw so many Sea Turtles & beautiful views. Our guide was hilarious & kept us laughing all day.

Lau night was a lot of fun!

We snuck over to the West side of the island on one day for some snorkeling we heard was amazing! It was at the Lagoon at the Disney Resort. What a great quiet beach & Paul found me a Sea Turtle! We where able to swim right with him for about ten minutes! I was thrilled! Paul was so great following him around when I couldn't see him good to make sure I kept right with him. I love Sea turtles they are one of my favorite animals.

This was one of my favorite spots in the hotel. It had beautiful flowers that these pictures don't begin to do justice.

I couldn't have asked for a better getaway with Paul. I am so lucky that the grandparents came to babysit so we could escape. It was nice to have the time to reconnect & enjoy some much needed down time. Now we are home & I am jet lagged. But it was so worth it & I would do it again next week if we could. I can;t say enough about how nice the Hale Koa was. If your husband is returning from a deployment go check them out for a getaway. There is plenty to keep you entertained on site & they offer a generous 30 off as a Thank You to our returning soldier's. There is a lot of family activities if you choose to take your kids as well. But I highly recommend taking some time away with your guy if you can. It was nice to be reminded hy I fell in love with this man & have stayed married to him for the past sixteen years. It is memories I can hold on to should the Army decide to send him away again anytime soon. They are special moments I'll never forget.

Busy Week (end)

We had a busy start to our weekend already. Yesterday Banyan finally got to meet up with his new trainer & Liberty the other handsome Golden in training through All American Dogs . We met up at the Yelm park where a lot of ducks come to swim in the pond. The two boys where a beautiful site to see walking around together in their service vests. They where excited to meet but soon settled into a good walking pattern that gave me a chance to talk over some goals & such with Banyan's new trainer. I am really excited she lives so close only about twenty minutes from our home . This hopefully is going to allow us a lot more opportunity to do some training during the days so we aren't so busy at night. It will also give Banyan the chance to work with another well trained pup!

Banyan also made it to the gym with me to watch me do a little cardio & relax in a much needed sauna. I have still been super busy working on my  fitness goals while the boys are at school or I have a free moment. This week  I had the chance to add a second workout in on Tuesday & Thursday evenings during my youngest son's soccer practice. A couple of the moms asked if I could come bring my workout equipment and help them get beach body ready while the boys practice. I don't claim to be an expert by any means. But having taken the ISSA course & working out like I do with my trainer for so many years I thought, why not? It will give me the chance to get a little extra in and I would just be sitting in the van reading for an hour. I love it when other moms decide to get healthy & work out! We did circuits with the weights & other fun things I was able to bring. We also jogged a really nice lap - I did it twice. It was a good start & I am sure the ladies will get faster and stronger with each passing week. It also gave me the chance to share some nutritional information along . They are eating pretty clean & healthy but there are some tweaks that could be made to drop a few of those pesky pounds.

Today we have our first soccer game of the Spring season and we are ready to go! Banyan will join me in watching the game which should be exciting for him with all the crazy distractions. A lot of kids, fast moving balls, etc. I think it's a perfect training opportunity. But before that I am off to walk the trails around my home in a new 25llbs weighted vest a friend got me. I came home & it was sitting on my front porch- ahh she knows me to well because I was super excited! It'll be perfect for helping me get ready to carry crazy heavy objects from point A to point B in my runs. I love my friends! She thinks I'm a fitness nut but hey she supports my habit!

My husband and I also got the wonderful news this week about Block Leave- you other military wives know what that means! I can see the light at the end of the long dark deployment tunnel! We actually talked & decided to take a much need 6 night 7 day vacation anywhere I wanted to go that we could afford. Let's face it with four kids there isn't a lot of options but I wasn't passing this chance up! With his everyother year deployment schedule we need the time to reconnect & remember why we love eachother. Why we choose to stay married through this crazy roller coaster ride called Army life. I called the grandparents up told them the dates we had in mind & of course my  mom said whatever you all need. YAY!! So Ommie (my mom) will fly out in July to watch my boys for a week while we jet off to Hawaii!! That's right folks finally I am going to lay on a beach somewhere with my man & no children! I did some checking and found out that the Hale Koa Hotel   that is just for active duty military now offers a special of 30% off for those soldiers who are on R&R or on Block Leave home from a deployment!! We where super excited because that fit our budget! We locked in the dates we wanted and soon will hopefully find some good cheap airline tickets. We have already made a tentative itinerary of activities that we both enjoy & want to do while in Hawaii. My goal is to have everyother day be an activity that one of us chooses that the other participates in whether they love it or not with out complaining. With all these multiple deployments I am very aware of the fact that both me & my husband have grown - changed with every deployment. My husband who was once quiet but would go out with me anywhere to enjoy a night with friends now prefers to stay home alone with his computer or the fmaily. Or he only fishes all day every day all the time. It can be hard & frustrating for me who is beyond out going & never sits still to long. I have turned into the girl who use to be outgoing but because I was forced to do it all alone for years now needs to constantly be moving & yeah well fly-fishing your just sitting in the river all day not talking much- so not my thing. We both know we need to reconnect & find things we can both enjoy doing together as a couple. That will be what Hawaii is all about.

We have a fishing day trip planned for him where I will pick a book I;ve been dying to read grab my camera & sunscreen. I will lounge on the boat in a gorgeous setting snap a picture when I need to of my man and his fish- but I will not complain! I think since I will be surrounded by clear blue waters and sky I should be good! He will go on that romantic sunset dinner cruise with me even though romance has never been his thing- but I crave it since he is gone so much. He will try to not to cringe at the luau with all the other couples surrounding him and enjoy the fact that we can talk about whatever we want with out little ears listening as well as gaze at eachother & be mushy!! Then we have snorkeling planned which we both are excited about as well as a day of hiking because we both love to hike!


 This week has been fun and one of the most challenging in my life for several reasons . I am excited about the future & ready to get this deployment over with! I hope everyone out in bloggy land is enjoying the start to Spring with some renewed hopes & dreams . Doing what you can to make them come true for you. We aren't promised a tomorrow with our family & friends. We aren't going to stay the same we are always moving forward and changing. We just have to remember as we do move forward to make sure we take our loved ones along for the ride & enjoy every moment! Have a great weekend everyone.