Catching Up

I know, I know. It's been a while. I've been busy. And I just haven't had the desire to update this thing. So my apologies for the 4 of you who actually read this. And all the lurkers. You know who you are...

Anyway. Here's some of the bigger things I've been up to. Two weeks ago was a glorious four day weekend. As I've been doing lately, I completely booked it full of appointments and time with friends. I got a massage, spent time with friends, said farewell (for now) to my cousins and dear friend Paula, and enjoyed Memorial Day.

I went to the Punchbowl Cemetery. It's the Arlington Cemetery of the Pacific. They had flags everywhere, big, little and in-between. Like at Arlington, they had a flag at each grave. Since it's Hawaii, they also had leis. Simply a beautiful way to honor our nation's fallen heroes.

Then I met up with Paula for lunch and the lantern floating ceremony. If you go early enough, you can get one of the 3000 lanterns and write a message to someone you've lost. I did, and I chose to dedicate my lantern to SSG Kevin Kessler, who was killed last summer in Afghanistan. Absolutely one of the best NCOs I've met and a true American hero. And here's the view of the 3000 little lights sparkling on the Pacific Ocean.

I also had to say goodbye to my sweet Caldon cousins, James, Crystal and Graeme. They have been such a joy to have around in Hawaii. Graeme just got out of the Marines, and he's going to school in Washington. We did the Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise, which was lots of fun. :)
I've been out in Texas since June 2nd. It's pretty boring, but there are a few bright sides. 1) I get to eat so much good food we don't have in Hawaii--Five Guys, Chick-Fil-A, and Chipotle with all the sweet tea you could ever want! 2) I got to see my friend Colleen, who was my bestie from BOLC II in Georgia--the girl who introduced me to Navs.
We come back in about 9 more days! Only a little over a week! Definitely looking forward to being back on my island home. And this just in...

That's right. I'm getting promoted on 1 July! I'm so excited. It was a little earlier that I was expecting. AND I'm thrilled because I get the chance to have my promotion when my dear friend Meredith and my best friend Hilary will be visiting! More to follow.