Visit with Kent & Kathryn

We had our first house guests in Hawaii. Kent and Kathryn came over here for work and I was able to spend a lot of time with them. They stayed the last few nights at our house as well - which was really nice to have company and show our new place. The first night that Kathryn arrived I brought her to see our house out in Ewa Beach and visit for a bit. We went into Waikiki for the evening and found Kathryn's hotel before we headed out to Thai for dinner. On the second day I joined Kathryn for dinner again at a fun Hibachi restaurant - also in Waikiki. The next evening, after Kent had arrived from Kauai, the three of us had an underwater dining experience at the Oceanarium restaurant. Sunday I picked them up after church and we came back to our place for a day of baking lessons. Kathryn taught me how to make strudel and also gave me a refresher course on her famous gumbo. All of the food was delicious and just happened to be a few of Doug's favorites. Which was perfect timing because..... he arrived in Hawaii the next day! It was such an exciting day and so wonderful to have Doug home after so long. It was great to share in the excitement and joy with Kent and Kathryn (more on that in my Welcome Home post).

Beatrice's Photo Shoot

My mom's co-worker and friend Lisa Nathan was kind enough to take some pictures of Beatrice while she was still in Washington. The pictures turned out great and I am so excited to share our photo shoot.

You can look at more of Lisa's work at www.nathanimages.com

Boat Lei

Here is a picture of several of the North Carolina wives who got together to make this 45 foot lei that the boat will drape around its sail for the homecoming.

And, back home to Hawaii

After my trip back to the northwest Beatrice and I made the trip over to Hawaii. There were a few minor gliches along the way but I am so happy to say that Beatrice made it safely to Hawaii. She is home with me now and getting aquainted with the new house. She has already made great friends in my landlord and his son who adore both Beatrice. Maybe I should ask for a reduced rent in trade for play time with her ;). I have felt really busy since my return because I am trying to get the house all finished up. On Friday I trained at the Dolphin Store here so I can volunteer. This store also donates all proceeds to the same scholarship as the Dolphin Store in Connecticut. I am also hoping to get involved with volunteering at the elementary school down the street from me. In addition to that I have been busy helping with homecoming events for the submarine's arrival. We created a giant 45 foot lei for the boat and have been planning all sorts of fun events. Everyone is getting excited and really looking forward to the big arrival.

Visit to the Mainland

This past week I made a visit back to Oregon and Washington to pick up Beatrice. I had a nice visit and was very excited to be able to see my big sister, Noelle, who was in town for another DG's wedding. Noelle and I had don't see each other often so I was really excited about the chance to see her for a few hours.

I also got to be around for the birth of my new baby cousin Lane and see him before I left town. He is quite adorable and a wonderful addition to our extended family.

It also worked out for me to drive up to Olympia and meet Dave and Andrea Smolin (both members of our wedding party) for lunch. It was so nice to see them as it has been several months since we have gotten together. I am trying to convice them as well as Noelle to fly over for a Hawaiian vacation!

All in all, I spent a lot of time with my family playing games and in general enjoyed seeing everyone before coming back to Hawaii.

Beatrice is Famous!

Beatrice was selected "Pet of the Month" at the McKenzie Animal Clinic. I wanted to share the cute little blurb.

www.mckenzieanimalclinic.com/Pet_Of_The_Month.html

Article on the North Carolina

My landlord told me about this article that was on the front page of the Honolulu Star Advertiser earlier this week.

www.staradvertiser.com/news/20101104_New_sub_heightens_capability_of_Pearl-based_fleet.html