Regional Cheer Competition

Sunday, 4 October, 2009 by Beachbums1


Favorite Girl participated in her second regional Cheer Competition and for the second year in a row, the team placed within the top three and will be heading to the State Competition later this month. Her team got 1st place this year and also were awarded the “Spirit Trophy” ~ they wore orange ribbons in their hair in support of a team member who is battling cancer and was unable to cheer at the competition but she did come to watch her teammates.

Unfortunately, Favorite Man will be gone by then so, like last year, he’ll miss all the excitement of hundreds of screaming 9-14 year old cheerleaders. Reminds me to get the ear plugs ready for the event 🙂

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Deployment Ceremony

Sunday, 27 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

The 2BCT Deployment Ceremony was blessed with near perfect North country Weather. The ceremony is conducted so the units who are deploying can “case” their colors (unit flags) and then they “uncase” the colors when they arrive in-country. It marks the official start of a deployment. It was heartwarming to see the  huge crowd of Family members in attendance.  Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers during the year long separation.

For a glimpse of the ceremony, click on http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/61509512.html

Note: Favorite Man is at about the -13 (the end of the clip).

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39 and several months

Sunday, 13 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

Happy Birthday to Favorite Man! It was actually last Wednesday but we’ve been celebrating it all week. We didn’t have time to bake a cake on Wednesday (that was run to the ER night) so he got his cake on Friday, we went out for a birhtday lunch on Saturday and since I had to order his birthday gift we’ll still be celebrating next week. Talk about milking it…

Since he’ll be away for his birthday next year, it’s just as well he’s getting to celebrate it multiple days this year.

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Hawaii: Smuggled Lava?

Sunday, 13 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

A Big Island legend is if you take lava off the island, Pele (the Fire Goddess) will be angry and you’ll have bad luck until you return it. There used to be a display at the Volcanoes National Park Center where letters and returned lava were displayed on a board. People wrote letters begging the park rangers to return the lava so the bad luck would go away. I’m not an overly superstitious person BUT I’ve never been tempted to take lava off the island.

John, on the other hand, always teases me that he’s going to sneak some lava back.

Since we’ve been back from Hawaii, we’ve had a strange week. On Wednesday, I overslept AND had set the alarm incorrectly so poor FG missed her bus, then my mom’s dog died, and Favorite Girl had to go to the emergency room to have x-rays taken after a cheerleading accident. There were other things happening which were just “off”.

I finally called John on Friday from work, when yet another thing went wrong, and asked “This is serious, are you sure you didn’t bring any lava back?”

He promised me he didn’t but did mention the women in front of him getting on the plane had a big chunk of lava. Hmmm…

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Labor Day 2009

Monday, 7 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

For me, Labor Day has always been a fun day off ~ the last long weekend before school starts. But this year, I’ve been reflecting a little more on this Labor Day and how thankful I am to have a great job in this crazy economy.

It isn’t easy keeping up with a “career” as I follow Favorite Man around the world in this ever changing Army lifestyle. Everytime we move, I give up my job and wait to see what’s available at the new post. I lucked out once again when I landed a GREAT job here that’s not only challenging but it pays enough to keep us traveling.  An added bonus, my boss is wonderful and the people I work with are nice.

Happy Labor Day to all and I hope you love what you’re doing ~ if not, I hope you find your dream job soon! Keep looking, it’s out there.

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Hawaii: Home Again

Sunday, 6 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

We’re back in New York. As much as I love to travel, it always feels so good to be back in my own home. And one day, that home will be on the beach!

Even though we had a great flight without delays, I don’t do well on “red-eye” flights and this one was no exception. Thankfully, we’ve got tomorrow off and can recover.

Don’t know if I mentioned that my mom made the trip to Hawaii with us. John has always been her favorite but even more so now ~ not only was he OK with his mother in-law traveling with us but he gave her his upgrade miles so she could sit in First Class and have the extra leg room. That’s why I married the man ~ he’s a great guy!!

We like to list our top favorite things about our vacation and here’s a compilation of our combined top five things we enjoyed during our visit:
1) Horseback Riding in the South Kohala Mountains
2) Snorkeling at the following beaches: Puako, Hapuna, Lapakahi
3) Helicopter Ride over Hilo and the lava flow
4) The Eisenhower House at Kilauea Military Camp
5) THE FOOD ~ we ate a lot!

There’s so much to do on the Big Island so we’ve made a list of what we want to do the NEXT time we visit. Yes, we’re already planning a return visit:
1) Green Sand Beach
2) Black Sand Beach
3) Waipio Valley
4) We’ll stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel or in a rental villa. It’s nice to have access to a kitchen
5) Play a round of golf at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

Our Last Full Day of Beach Bumming

Friday, 4 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

We plan to take full advantage of our last full day on the island ~ we have plans to snorkel in at least three different spots ~ Puako, Spencer Park and Lapakahi State Park.  Then this evening we’ll be back for a swim at Hapuna Beach which is where we’re staying:

It’s so convenient staying at a hotel on the beach. Favorite Man spent last evening sitting on the beach under the stars and a full moon. I’m guessing he enjoyed a beer and cigar while there. I stayed in the room because FG was exhausted from all the swimming and walking around we did during the day.

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Big Island: Horseback Riding in Hawaii

Thursday, 3 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

The sun was shining so we decided to go on a Paniolo Ride yesterday. And am I ever sore today. It’s been many, many years since I trotted on a horse but it was the canter that did me in. Ouch. Other than the pain involved, it was WONDERFUL. We went on the Sunset Ride and got an added bonus of a full moon and a rainbow. Breathtaking.

That’s the joy of the Big Island of Hawaii ~ there’s such a variety of things to do.

Logan is ready to go riding again but I’m headed to the beach to swim with the sea turtles.

Life is good!

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Big Island, Hawaii: Kilauea Volcano

Tuesday, 1 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

It’s very exciting (and a little scary) flying directly over the Kilauea Volcano and watching the lava flow to the ocean.  In spite of the woman with motion sickness on our flight, it was wonderful! My daughter and I got to sit in the front seat with the pilot.


Lift off


The Caldera


Steam as the lava enters the ocean


Try to get insurance on this property 🙂


Back on land…

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Islands, Travels | 1 Comment »

Hawaii: Kilauea and the Volcanoes National Park

Tuesday, 1 September, 2009 by Beachbums1

The Big Island of Hawaii is, well… BIG!

That’s what I love about it ~ it’s so diverse.  We began our visit in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It’s located on the Southeast side of the island which is usually damp and chilly.  We’re stayed at the Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) which rents out cottages to military members and their Families.  We splurged and rented the “Eisenhower House.”  President Eisenhower stayed in this cottage in 1946 when he was General Eisenhower. It’s a beautiful house with two bedrooms, dining room, living room, full kitchen and two bathrooms. I could easily live here!

As lovely as the cottage is, the best part is the proximity to Kilauea Volcano and all the sights to see in the Park. There is a lot to see in the Park and I highly recommend the hikes. Makes you feel like you’re on another planet sometimes ~ the vast, empty spaces that have been covered by lava.  Well worth the trip to see it.

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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