Mary Alice's trip to Oahu!

For the past week and 2 days, Mary Alice was in Honolulu with me! We had SUCH an amazingly fun time while she was here. Here is a brief run down of where we were each day!

Sat. p.m.: MA arrived, and we had pupus and drinks with Steve, Marisol, Joe and Anna at Indigo, then hit the hay since we were both tired.

Sun.: Blow Hole and Sandy beach until we were rained out (just heavy sprinkling), fabric shopping to make shams for MA's bed, a late lunch at Wahoo's, Punchbowl National Cemetery then home to make the shams.

Mon.: Breakfast at a friend's house and Lanikai Beach all afternoon. 

Tues.: Hiked Diamond Head, explored Waikiki hotels, lunch at Cheeseburger Waikiki, Taco Tuesday at Dave & Busters and fro yo at Menchie's. 

Wed.: Aloha Stadium Swap Meet for souvenirs and dinner with the ladies at my house.

Thurs.: USS Arizona, lunch at Dixie Grill, Turtle Beach on the north shore, and Ehukai beach - where we luckily avoided being eaten by waves.

Fri.: Polynesian Cultural Center and our first luau ever!

Sat.: Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, and an 8 year old friend's birthday party followed by dinner at Duke's Waikiki.

Sun.: Swap meet (again) for other souvenirs, brunch at Haliewa Joe's, back to Ehukai beach for some body boarding and more sun. 

Mon.: Beach time at Ala Moana beach park, lunch at Kau 'Aina and packing up MA's stuff. :(

I am so sad that time passed so quickly while she was here. But, we had sooo much fun. 

I love my sister!

For the rest of the pictures, CLICK HERE!

Me ke aloha,

RAWE

Zac's sub is going to be on OPRAH this Thursday!

ALOHA! 

It is with extreme pleasure that I announce that Zac's submarine, the USS Louisville, will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show THIS Thursday, May 21st!!! :)

The title of the show is "Where in the Skype Are You?", and was taped week before last, when Oprah skyped in to talk to the boat (first ever sub to do so). On the B roll footage, if they show the extra shots, Zac is sitting in the ward room (officer's office/dining room/etc) reading a book. :) So, set your DVRs, check your local listings and gather around your televisions Thursday and look for Zac and his fellow submariners!!!

Please forward on to anyone else that may be interested!!

Today Mary Alice and I went to breakfast at a friend's house with some of the wives from the boat, and spent the afternoon on Lanikai beach. Melissa and baby Mason even spent most of the afternoon with us! We all then came back to our house, ordered pizza and watched some Monday evening television.

So excited for the USS Louisville,

Rebekah

Aloha Mary Alice!

So sorry for the lack of posts. I haven't had much to talk about lately, until now!

I picked Mary Alice up from the airport last night! She is here visiting for 9 days (yay)!! We headed straight for salsa dancing with some friends, but found that they had changed the night. Sad. So, we all had pupus (appetizers) and drinks at Indigo instead. Afterwards the gang was headed out to find another club, but MA and I were tired, so we retired for the night.

This morning Mary Alice woke me up at 7:24am (yes, that is 724 for all of you USS Louisville readers) after sleeping as late as she could. We lazed around for about 2 hours and headed out to see Oahu! We drove over to the south east side of the island to see the blow hole and enjoy Sandy Beach. While on the beach Zac called!! He has been at sea for a while now, so it was sooo uplifting to hear his voice. He is doing fine and working hard. After a short hour and a half or so, it started sprinkling on us. Boooo. We headed back towards town and hit the Goodwill in Kaimuki for some old Hawaiian men's shirts, and to Kaimuki Dry Goods for some fabric. Mary Alice will be moving in to her new casa in Austin when she returns to the mainland, and wanted more pillows for her bed. So, we found some blue fabric to make shams. By this point we were starving, so we went to one of the places Zac and I eat a LOT, Wahoo's. And then....we drove to the NEX and base to see the naval station. We then drove up scenic H3 to the windward side of the island (weather conditions: still overcast and sprinkling). Since the weather was still not totally cooperating, we stopped by the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl. When we came home we started working on Mary Alice's shams...and here is one of them!

We just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire (great!) and I have sent the sleepy sister to bed.

Tomorrow we will be back out sightseeing - so until that post,

Me ke aloha,

RAWE

Zac's sub is going to be on OPRAH!

That's right!! Zac's sub is going to be on the OPRAH show! They finished filming yesterday (while underway!) and the show should be airing some time this month. When I know the specific date, I will definitely let you all know. The subject of the segment is rumored to be something like "Where in the world are you Skyping" or something like that. They shot footage of the ship earlier last week, and then yesterday the Captain Skyped in and talked to Oprah. 

I am not sure if Zac will be in any of the clips that make the edits, but he was filmed in the Wardroom (Officer's boardroom/dining room/etc) reading a book. What's funny about that shot is that he is reading Service Etiquette a book that is on the boat that they rarely ever (IF ever) read or use. :) He is reading in the Wardroom with Randy and Jason, so I hope that they use that shot!! 

Regardless, I am excited that Oprah is bringing light to the submarine force! While I know that their division of the Navy is secretive, I am so glad that submarines in general will be acknowledged. They are CONSTANTLY silently serving. So, keeping checking The Oprah Winfrey Show website for her show schedule! We are so excited!!

Today is also Military Spouse Appreciation Day (for the Navy). So, to all of the military spouses out there of ALL branches of the military - THANK YOU!! I honestly never ever thought that I would be a military spouse before meeting Zac. But, I have made some amazing friends and learned so much during my time with the Navy. I wouldn't trade it for the world! 

Until later,

Rebekah

What I've been working on today...

Today I made two little birdies for the Peanut's nursery. :) Mandy's bedding is black and white prints - and she wanted a pop of green. I saw this project in Better Homes and Gardens Creative Collection "Quilts and More" magazine.

I also had my hair cut! But, I will post a pic of that later.

Me ke aloha,

RAWE

Odds and Ends

This weekend we had a Farewell for two of Zac's co-workers, Randy and Luke. They will soon be rotating off of the USS Louisville, so we all got together to celebrate their time on the boat. We made Mexican food, shared stories and gag gifts and enjoyed being together. CLICK HERE

to see pics! 

Yesterday Melissa and I drove up to the North Shore to run an errand. So, we stopped by Turtle Beach to see if any turtles were out sunning, and, there were several! Here is a pic of Mason's first trip to Turtle Beach (outside of the womb). HERE are a few more pics of that trip.

I finally had the house clean enough to take pictures. Now you can see what the house looks like with our stuff (and we have lots of it) in it! CLICK HERE for the pics.

Speaking of LOUISVILLE, or "Looahvuuuul" as some may say...it's almost time for the Kentucky Derby!! I am getting excited! Horse racing has been a part of my family since my great grandparents (and maybe even earlier), and I look forward to the derby season every year. I remember phone calls with my grandparents and parents before the races discussing who we thought would win, some of the crazy trainers and all of the beautiful hats. ONE DAY I will attend the Kentucky Derby in person - it is definitely on my bucket list. Who doesn't love horses, wagering, training drama, fashion, parties, etc?? Read all about the Kentucky Derby HERE, and, if you are throwing a fun party, HERE are some recipes for some classic drinks for derby. One day I'm going to go...one day...

Me ke aloha,

RAWE

At Peace

It is always so difficult to come to a place of peace after a friend or loved one passes away. Most battle with the thousands of questions concerning the circumstances. Many consider their own mortality and realize how precious life really is. Some deny that what they are experiencing is actually reality. Today I have struggled with all of these things, but I have finally reached a place of peace and understanding. I know that Chrissi is with the Lord, and looking over all of us now. I know that she will continue to do so for the rest of our lives. I also know that she is wanting us to all continue to living our lives and not to be sad about her death. But, we will always remember her - in lots of different ways. When we see her favorite plumeria, when we see pictures of her bright smile, when we get together and miss her laugh, when we go places that we have been with her, when we play with Lizzy and Matty - we will remember her cheerful and beautiful self. But, we are thankful for the many moments that we did get with her. She was an amazing mother, wife and friend. She has only slipped away into the next room...