Mommy Goes to Hawaii

Last Monday morning I boarded a plane for my 14 hour journey to O'ahu! My team lead and I were heading to Hickam AFB for a meeting with the Army. Our meetings didn't start until Wednesday so besides responding to phone calls and emails on my BB, we had the day off! We were up at 4:30 for a teleconference with the team back home (HI is 5 hours behind right now because they don't do day light savings) and met at 7 for breakfast in Waikiki before heading to Diamond Head for a hike.

Diamond Head is a natural crater but was built into by the military prior to WWII for defensive purposes. The tunnel is the only way to enter unless you come over the ridge.





This is the view of Waikiki and Honolulu from the top.



Even without the sunshine, the water was a really cool blue/green.



This is all you would have seen from your post if you were stationed here 1900's. Actually, you would have seen the other islands in the chain on a clear day!



After hiking we went on a kayak tour off of Kailua Beach on the East side of the island. The weather got really bad so I don't have any pictures of that. We were freezing when we got back! I got warmed up and cleaned up and decided to take a walk on Waikiki before dinner. You can see Diamond Head in the background of this lovely self-portrait.



You can see how stormy it was but that didn't stop the surfers. There were tons of them out there all the time! The waves were not that big or that frequent at all so I'm guessing it's more of a social/spiritual thing.



This is Jim and I in our "nah-nah" pose for the team we left behind in Boston...



You know your a total dork when you're excited that the Sea Based X-Band radar is in port and that you'll get to see it up close! I don't work on this radar specifically, but come on, this is pretty cool.



Yes...I wanted my picture taken with it.



This is a view of the Arizona Memorial from Ford Island where I was to see SBX. I didn't get a chance to visit but just being around such poignant history was humbling.



This was the only sunset that I managed to see all week! I broke away from mongolian bbq at the Officers Club to get a picture.



We worked really hard while we were there but I was happy to have a little time to myself! I ended the week by spending a few hours at a spa right on Waikiki. It was ridiculously relaxing! I sat in a lounge overlooking the beach for an hour drinking lemon water, reading magazines, and eating fruit while waiting for my massage therapist to summon me. I felt like a million bucks! And then I flew 12 hours home...

I was really hoping to make a big entrance when I got home because this is the longest the little man and I have been away from each other. However, I opened the door to nobody. Ethan was napping and Steve was in the shower! Even when I went in to get E up from his nap he just looked at me for a minute and then asked me to read him his Curious George book...again. I guess I should be proud that I'm raising such an independent young man but I was really hoping for a little more fanfare!