Playing Tourist

Aloha!

I can’t believe we’re already at the middle of March! It felt like January went by SO slow, then February just flew by!

I’ve gone on a couple of trips and have had a few people come visit! Its been a jam packed couple of months!

Of course, everyone is dealing with the corona virus. I just want you to know that i’m praying for you and the world at this time. It has definitely slowed our flying down and cut back who is working, but we’re always going to be ready and training doesn’t stop!

Quick Recap

I’ve gotten the chance to see some friends in the past couple of months either on the road or them coming here! I got to grab drinks, food, and even see the Arizona Memorial with others! I’m so grateful for the friendships that college and the Air Force has brought to me!

I FINALLY finished a DIY project I was working on for forever! I turned an old dresser into a bar, since I don’t have a ton of storage in my apartment! Check it out below!

I’ve been trying my best at getting my runs in for a half marathon I was supposed to be doing in April (its been postponed…thanks Corona) and even tried an OrangeTheory workout with a friend (just go ahead and try blind yoga with headphones on for 2 hours). A group of us also did a 5k Bubble Run over at Dillingham Ranch, it was a blast, but ended up being very muddy.

On Martin Luther King Jr Day, I went out with a few friends to help with a beach clean-up over on my side of the island. There are TONS of microplastics all over the beaches, so there were over 500 people there helping to sift through sand to get these little plastics cleaned up! It was awesome to see!

In the past couple of months, I got the chance to fly two missions so far going to places like Alaska, Singapore (support for the air show), Thailand, and Japan. I’ve done a couple of locals around the islands as well and even got to see some whales!

As soon as I got back from my last trip, I had my family friends come visit, Kyler & Katrina! It was an awesome time to have them and it gave me an excuse to play tourist some more and just sit and chill on the beach! SO happy they could come visit!

Family was HERE!

I’ve done so much in January and February, but what I wanted to really talk about was my most recent visitors: my family!

My parents, sister and her (now) fiancé came to visit a few weeks ago and we had such an amazing time! I was VERY sad to see them go!

What We Did

We did SO much! Each and every day we came back to my place and we were EXHAUSTED!

Some days we ate at my place or we just hung out for a little bit and relaxed. It wasn’t all just go-go-go, which I think we all appreciated!

Hikes:
– Lanikai Pillbox Hike for the Sunrise
– Makapu’u Lighthouse Hike
– Likelike Falls Trail

Whale Watching Tour:
My mom had always wanted to go on a whale watching tour and since its the season for the whales here in Hawaii, this was a definite priority to get done!

We went with Star of Honolulu for the whale watching cruise line. It was only a 2 1/2 hour trip (and we opted for no meal) and it was AMAZING! The first hour was pretty boring that resulted in us looking for a while, but eventually we saw some whale activity around Diamond Head!

There was a couple of moms and her babies, of which one just was playing in the water constantly and jumping out off the water! It was so great and made us all so happy to see!

Pearl Harbor:

Of course, we had to go see the USS Arizona, USS Missouri, and the USS Utah while my family was out here! This was a definite favorite of the group!

The weather cleared up just as we got out to the Arizona, which allowed us to see so much of the boat! Also, since I had base access, we just drove onto Ford Island to see the USS Missouri and the USS Utah, instead of taking the tour bus!

Other things we did:
– International Marketplace
– Kailua Night Market
– Shopping
– Dole Plantation
– Famer’s Market

North Shore:
There’s PLENTY to do up at the North Shore and we drove up that way twice! Once, was just the tour of North Shore to see Sunset Beach, stop and eat at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck & Ted’s Bakery, and take plenty of pictures while watching the surfers!

The second time we drove up was to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the late entry (saw one show in the villages), the Luau, and the Ha: The Breath of Life show. I personally loved visiting here and the shows!

C-17 Tour:
I finally got the chance to show my family where I work at and take them out to see a C-17! It was awesome, because only my parents had seen one before I even dropped them in Pilot Training and my sister and her boyfriend had never really seen one before. So, the opportunity was there for them to FINALLY see where I spend so much time and sit in the same seats I do!

Where We Ate

A lot of these are my personal favorite places to eat, of course there are others, but I figured I would just list them all really quick!

• The Lanai
• Crepes No Ka ‘Oi
• The Coffee Bean
• Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
• Maui Brewing Company
• Champa Thai
• Honolulu Beerworks
• Restaurant 604
• Bowles Burritos
• Leonard’s Bakery
• Assagio’s
• Banan

These are just some of the places we ate at! I’ll do a post soon of my top favorites for the island!

Amy & Jake Got ENGAGED!

My own very little sister and her boyfriend of 3 years FINALLY got engaged! I’m SUPER excited for both of them and was so grateful to be a part of the engagement!

I figured I would have too many photos to pick from it, so below is the post I made just for the pictures! You can check them out here!

Amy and I also got matching tattoos (FINALLY)!

It was an amazing time with my family that is recapped in a video here! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the family time that I absolutely loved.

I’m so grateful for my ohana and for all of you reading this post!

Until next time! Aloha!