Congratulations to Keoki!!!!

Well, what kind of a sister would I be without a little bragging of the awesomeness of my family!
Tonight my brother Keoki received a CD from a friend of his who, by-the-way is a recording artist, came by to pay a quick visit. My brother - Keoki Baclayon, has one of his songs recorded on a CD by Natalie Ai Kamauu!

In the acknowledgements, Keoki is addressed and on the song area - there is a description of what the song is about. Keoki did his little happy dance as we listened to his song. It was amazing! I told Keoki that I could definitely see people dancing hula to his mele (song). It's an upbeat Hawaiian song that Keoki wrote about for his Kaua'i 'Ohana.

What a great evening!

If you'd like to hear an excerpt, the song is "He Hali'a Aloha" and can be found at:
http://www.mele.com/music/artist/natalie+ai+kamauu/%60a++%2812-12-2011%29/

Also, I'm sorry I haven't kept up on my blog - just going through a bunch of stuff that needs to be settled before reconnecting.

Much love and light!

Na Lima Ke Ola

"Na Lima Ke Ola" - has been a phrase that has been on my mind for some time. Basically, it means "The Hands of Life". Now, I'm sure most of you are wondering what that means. Well, it means that I am attending Massage Therapy School in Hawai'i!

Is that crazy? Absolutely.

I came to Hawai'i on a vacation with a carry on full of clothes and another carry on with my computer and books, and now BAM! here I am going to school here now. It's pretty intense. Because I don't have a lot of time to tell you the story, I'll have to make sure I put that in a later blog. It's quite the story.

AND, I'm very sorry to anyone and everyone who has to read that I am in school in Hawai'i rather than me telling you in person, via e-mail, or on the phone. Oh, and another funny odd story - I washed my cell phone last week when I was doing laundry. SOOOOOO I don't have a cell phone anymore. (At least not at the moment.) I will see what I can do about getting another one. And although it probably won't have text messaging etc... hearing a friendly voice at the other end is always nice. :)

I'll keep you updated on my adventures.

Oh, and for those who are in Idaho, I'll be there the first weekend of November for military stuff.

Miss and love to all who still read this! Wish me luck in school!!!

Massage anyone? ;)

Back in the U.S.A.

It's weird to finally be able to post things on here. Since July, my "publish" button on my blog was not allowing me to post anything. However, now... I'm back!

Well, here I am in the good 'ole U.S. of A. It's been a few days now and I think I am adjusting a little better than I was the first few days I was here. It was really depressing. I'll be honest, it's still a little weird to be back, but I have to remember that life moves on. It's onward and upward.

My plans after deployment?

I have no idea.

I thought I had things figured out, and of course... I don't. Apparently the Lord has different things for me. I don't quite understand or see how these things will unfold, but I am looking forward to finding out what it will be. For now, it looks like I will be looking for work after my travels, if I don't get back into school right away.

All I know is that my travels will consist of the following:

- Back to Idaho tomorrow, 17 September 2011. :)  (Exactly one year since activating.)
- Utah, California, Hawai'i, Arizona, (possibly New Mexico), Okinawa, Italy or Greece, New York, Canada, or maybe just renting a vehicle and travelling across the US before winter hits (probably not going to happen.)

Anyway, life has been quite the adventure this past year, and one that I am so very thankful for. I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for the love and kindness He has shown me during my time of deployment. What a blessing it was to serve my brothers and sisters overseas.

If anyone still reads this, you are more than welcome to also e-mail me at stupidfairy@hotmail.com or hpbaclayon@gmail.com.

Thank you for following my adventures with me and for supporting me in my choices, life and deployment.

Hopefully I will fly to Idaho tomorrow and not tonight. That way, my dad can be there when I get in.  I'll post photos on here when I can.

One love to all~

P.S. A random note: I am typing at the computer lab on a laptop, Fort Lewis, Washington for demobilization, and I LOVE the keyboard on this thing! I types smooth and the keys don't stick or are hard to press. God bless smooth typing keyboards! ha ha ha... paz.

R.I.P.

Rest in Peace Uncle Chad.

Thank you for your service in this life. May you always be remembered in our hearts and in the hearts of your beautiful daughters. To my cousins - I love you. To Auntie Nae - it's okay to mourn. Take the time to mourn.

Love to one and all, Pili girl~

Salsa Dancing and other things...

Just wanted to say that I miss salsa dancing and my salsa buddy at Prosperity. My little ray of sunshine is gone - but I pray he has an eternal life of happiness...

So - with all new things, I just have to "adjust and shift fire" or rather, go with the flow and do the best with what I've got. Besides, I think I'm developing my own little ray of sunshine over here... (Don't ask questions, because I'm not going to tell you. You all can make your own assumptions on anything and everything I just typed.)

An update on the new area in bullet form:
- We get more people everyday... breakfast this morning was a chore to find a seat for four people.
- I found out I'm staying in the S1 shop (Human Resources) as the assistant S1. (At least I now know I have a place, a function and a purpose.)
- I am also now our point of contact and webmaster for our unit's secure networking side. I get to manage the web page, update information, post documents and up coming meetings etc.
- I have been farmed out to the Battalion to work on our Yearbook for the deployment.
- Tomorrow (27 July), I have a years worth of photos and write ups due. Yay me! (sarcasm, sarcasm, sarcasm)
- I bought bread and jelly to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the times I'm either too busy to go to chow, or when I'm feeling a little anti-social. :)
- I've stopped wearing mascara (the only war paint I wear anyway) because of the dust, etc. I have to admit, it's been SUPER GREAT not to have to worry about that. Yet, at the same time, I sometimes see myself in the mirror and have to do a double take because my eyelashes are so light and thin that at times it seems that I don't have any eyelashes at all! ha ha!
- I have narrowed my school choices to two: Idaho or Utah

Okay - that's all for now. Love you all heaps!

Missing Prosperity...

I miss my old duty station.

Moved to a new area. I feel like I've gone from little country town to the big city. As if I've gone from Kaua'i to San Francisco. So strange.

Anyway, I really am having a hard time being here. There were a few times I wanted to cry. (I know - I'm strange.) I think it also has something to do with not having a place in my unit any more. I'm not assigned to a job and I feel like I'm in limbo. Not knowing where you belong kind of stinks!

Well - here's to driving on...

Choices to Make

Alright - I've narrowed it down to three areas:

- Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho
- Utah College of Massage Therapy, SLC, Utah
- Hawaii Healing Arts College, Kailua O'ahu, Hawai'i

I will be attending massage therapy school at one of these schools. That is - unless the Lord tells me other wise.


Side note:

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MORE MAIL. I WON'T GET IT.

Thank you.

On the Road Again...

My dearest family and friends.... please forgive my absence.

I don't have much time to type, however, I would ask that you NOT send any more mail. I won't get it.

Thank you! Love you! Hope you are well.

Much love from the Land of Father Abraham.

New Changes

Well, with it being nearly the end of June - all I can say is: WHERE DID IT GO?!?

The past two weeks or so I have been training to work in the Human Resources area. And, today, being day one that I am absolutely working by myself - my brain is fried. Over the last 2days, I've filed over 1,000 pages, created checklists documents for ever member in the unit, prepared for 2Soldiers to come back from leave, checked out 2 more to go on leave tomorrow, attended a meeting, gave a briefing to the Commander and 1SG, sent documents to our higher ups, found out that I have to submit 30 photos with information on them before the 10th of July, and still complete the 3 months (that our unit XO lost) and this past month's photos and write up by the end of the month.... phew - I'm exhausted!

I'm forcing myself to get on my computer so I can update this thing, and send out a few much need-to-be-sent e-mails, providing my Internet holds out.

Not to mention, tomorrow will be a new day and most of that stuff will begin again - then again, a lot of new and different things will happen as well.

To add to the stress of it - they are serving Quesadilla's tonight for dinner and I want one sooooo bad! However, I can't. I have my height/weight/tape tomorrow. Meaning, I have to find out how much I weigh and since I obviously don't weigh 158 pounds, I have to be taped. (They take the measurements from my neck, smallest part of my waist, and then the largest part of my "bottom", calculate it, and then ... [drum roll please] ... we see how "fat" I am.) Ugh, the curse of having "plump" genes. But, what can I do. I think I'll get a Quesadilla anyway and eat half of it tonight, and the other half tomorrow for lunch! :) (Not going to lie - left overs in Iraq are not that great.)

Okay - I'm going to rest my brain before I head to chow in 15 minutes. Hope all is well!

Happy Belated Father's Day!!!

Happy Belated Father's Day!

Hope this lovely June is well for each and every one of you.

Love - from the sandbox,

P~

Happy Memorial Day!

To all those who have paved the way, gone before, passed the torch, expected more of us and those who are attempting to not only fill the shoes, but free the way for others...

Happy Memorial Day and Thank you!!!

My "Real" Parents - yet another long blog! :)

Alright - some of you may be wondering what I mean by "real" parents. Well, as my Idaho family comes to think of it:

My Idaho Mom and Dad are my "Real" parents and my birth parents are just my "financial" Mom and Dad! ha ha ha! (I've always thought it was hilarious!)

Patsi, my Idaho "real" mom sent me the following, and my comments are at the end of them as well. Enjoy!

You didn't ask me for any memories I have of you! I will give you one anyway!! HAPPY BELATED 30TH BIRTHDAY!

The first day you came here and we were going to the barber shop quartet and I couldn't wake you up.

*It was June 9th, a Friday, 2006 - I got home from my church mission on May 5th and knew that I needed to go to Idaho. So, before I even got home, my mom and dad asked Patsi and Lee Hinckley if it was alright if I came and stayed with them, as I tried to get into BYU-I. Well, it was a done deal. And June 9th was the day I moved to Idaho.

On June 6th, just three days prior, a very dear friend of mine died. I was soooo heart broken. So, needless-to-say, I probably didn't sleep that much over the next few days. When I got to Idaho, I was greeted with a huge hug and a lei. All I had was a suitcase, guitar and a carry-on. I felt like a true pioneer.

When we got home, I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! I was loving it, because it felt like my last few areas of my mission. Remote, isolated, an almost forgotten little untouched paradise. At home, we had supper. I don't remember much about it, but I remember that great garden salad with dill on it! So yummy!

Then, before heading out to the quartet show at BYU-I, I asked if it was okay that I go lay down for a little bit. Well, I ended up passing out. Patsi called for me, patted my arm, and even rolled side to side. Apparently I didn't budge. I was out! She went back upstairs and told Lee that I was out cold and wasn't moving, and Lee asked if I was at least breathing! He was worried what he was going to say to my parents if I had died in my sleep - the first day I got to their home!*

Breakfast at Frontier Pies after your singing at the morning fireside.

*I was asked to sing for the Mother's weekend or Women's Conference - or something like that - that was going on at BYU-Idaho that day. I asked Patsi if she'd like to attend. When I saw my "Mama Patsi" in the audience, it felt awesome. I know my mom couldn't make be there and having Patsi there was just a special. It was nice to have some "mother - daughter" time.

We went to Frontier Pies afterward and took a picture. I don't have that picture on this computer, but I know there's a picture of it on the whiteboard at home in Lewisville.* :)

Cleaning the house that had the lime green toilet, sink and tub.

*What a chore that was! Of all the features in that little house - of which I adored - yes, there was a "lime" green toilet, sink and tub! I could literally sit on the toilet, nearly put my feet halfway in the tub, and wash my hands at the same time. That's how small the bathroom was. I think if any of the Hinckley's ended up sitting on the toilet and stretching out, they might be able to touch all four walls at the same time! (I'm not even exaggerating... okay, maybe a little, but they would only be an inch or two short of it!)*

Watching you help Lee fix the tractor and coming in the house with grease all over you.

*Soooo, I like getting dirty! A little elbow grease, chicken grease, tractor grease never hurt anyone! Well, I can't exactly say that's true for the chicken grease - that's a heart blockage waiting to happen!!!*

Knowing you were cleaning your room and then hearing the guitar play and you came up and sang the new song you had just composed.

*Oh yes! How could anyone forget this! This was the day in September 2006, that I wrote "Today". I was inspired by a Hallmark movie that we were watching and a line in there really hit me. One of the guys didn't want to tell his Uncle why he was spending so much time with this Lady that the Uncle fancied. One day, it was late in the morning and the nephew told him and said that he was so tired. (Now here comes the line...) The Uncle puts his arm around his nephew who lays his head on the Uncle's shoulder, and the Uncle says, "Rest. Rest. It's already tomorrow."

Well, the nephew dies. Sad movie, but great line!

Anyway, I started playing around on the guitar and "Today" was born. The chorus goes as follows:

"Tomorrow's already here, it's been yesterday's another day, for over a year.

Tomorrow's already here, and I need to know how you're feeling, today."

Basically, it is a song about waiting for someone to tell you that he/she loves you. We don't have time to wait for tomorrow. People need to know how we feel - Today. Patsi loves this song and has said that whenever she passes, which I pray won't be for many more years, that she wants me to sing that at her life celebration!*

Having fun on Wagon Train!

*Wagon Train!!! What a great time that was!

Before I got hired at BYU-I Continuing Education Department, I had a lot of time on my hands. I loved it! Well, I got to go on Wagon Train up at Heise with the Draft Horse Association of which Grandpa Rock is a part of. We ate dutch oven food, there was a bear trail for the younger children to go on, you got to see all these great different horses: Dapple Gray, Strawberry Roan, I think there were a few Shire, and Quarter Horses etc.

We got to ride on the wagon with the Zohners. They Zohner's are friends of Patsi and Lee, and a great couple! Going up, down and over these huge, small and narrow trails. All of it was a joy. Not to mention, being able to play card games with Patsi! Watch out, she's gooooood!*

I have definitely been blessed in my life with great people. The Lord has taken me to people that have been most influential in my life, and are as family as family can be. The Hinckley/Rock family is that for me. Not just my "Idaho" family. My family.

Love you all!

Sharing my Birthday Wish with You!!! Beware, it's a long entry!

Hello my darling friends and family!

For my birthday I e-mailed my family and asked them to e-mail 5 memories they have of me. It could be good or bad, a newly made memory or of one growing up. Then, they could choose two of those memories and expound on them - more details to it. So, I thought I'd share a few with you:

Brother #2:

1 Helping you clean your room in the off-base Okinawa mansion. You were so small (2 yrs old?) and so cute, that I remember feeling sorry for you standing in the doorway not knowing what to do. I ran into the room to help you put your clothes and toys away. You were so happy!

3 Running with you in your 5k to “No Wai Te Winiwini” and seeing your get a second wind on your run to finish in a record time for yourself, I have to add going to your senior prom was kinda exciting too, you were the most beautiful young lady there.

*It was actually a 10k that I had to do for school, then, that night, I took my brother to Prom with me! It was waaaay fun! Oh, and I remember Keoki saying to me "Wow, Pili, you have a lot of friends!" I told him that I really didn't. I didn't know half the people who came up to me at prom, some of them I've never seen before, but apparently they knew me - AND, I told him that the only reason why they were coming up to me, was because of him!

Oh, and let me brief you on the prom dress as well. My mom made my prom dress that day, not fully finished, but pretty cool looking. Anyway, she forgot to sew one part of the dress, and so, I fixed it... Well, it was an ice breaker for my table. You see, when we got to prom, my friends and their dates were all there at the table also, but no one was really talking. So, I asked them if they wanted to see something funny. I told them that my mom didn't have time to finish my dress, and then BAM - I flipped the neck portion of my dress over, and there it was - all nice and shinny! Everyone had a good laugh.... it was clear packing tape holding my dress together. Everyone was much more talkative after that!

Thanks again, "Koki Poi", ha! ha! ha!*

My lovely konga-tonga sister-in-law:

1. meeting you at Keoki's 26th birthday party

2. playing guitar at Aunty Candy's house

3. Eating Gabe's crabcakes!

4. Getting a pedicure with me when I was pregnant with Paenoa and choosing a sparkly PINK color!

5. Being your escort in the temple

SECOND CHOICE: Is you playing guitar at Aunty Candy's house. It was the second time I had seen you and was still getting to know you. Actually Keoki was playing and you were dancing hula. You were the most graceful dancer I had ever seen and I was admiring your moves when abruptly you stop your graceful dancing to belch something monstrous! I could not believe how someone so ladylike could make such a noise!! ha-llarious

*I forgot about this until she e-mailed it to me. I died with laughter and my co-worker was looking at me like I was weird. It was great!

One of the fun memories I have of Foeata is when I went over to her home in Concord for Halloween and she and my brother Keoki were dressed up like Indians. Actually more like improvised Indians. They had glow sticks hanging from their clothes, and Indian hats. Even Foeata's grandmother was an Indian!*

My brother #3:

5. off the top of my head....when we were kids in NC..not in the rat trap trailer...which was fun...until we had to clean out the rat traps...ewwh...or hear the traps go off in the middle of the night...this was in the house.....this was kinda of scary...all of us kids where at home by ourselves you, keoki, and I...we were playing space shuttle and the left the lights off in the house...and we were still in the house....well someone tried to break in the back door, rattled the door...tried to take a screw driver to the back door...we all headed into the back and huddled in the corner...well...I figured i didn't want anyone to harm you...so me being like 12 or so....i jumped up grabbed a knife from the kitchen and screamed something to the person and they dropped what they were doing and ran.....i love being your older better looking brother...lol

7. When you sang here right before leaving to where you are.....we watch the live video clips...and cant stop smiling every time we see them....

*Truth be known, my brother KB and I used to fight ALL THE TIME when we were younger. Here's a memory I have of with him that some of you might think is funny:

- So, we lived in Virginia at the time, and we get home from school. I'm starving and want to get something to eat. I grab the bread and decide that a sandwich would be AWESOME! Then, KB tells me that I can't eat the bread because of something-or-another... I tie the bread back up, throw it on top of the fridge - the bread rolls off and hits him on the head. He turned with those devilish eyes and punches me in the back! (He thought I threw the loaf of bread at his head.)

Well, I'm pretty much in tears because the boy can punch! And what more can I say after that? ... Keola and I learned how to patch a dry wall!

You see, I ended up falling to the floor (probably very dramatically) and started kicking the wall. Then, I stopped crying and kicking abruptly... In fact, my foot was there... embedded in the wall next to the bathroom with white little flakes of drywall finding it's way to the carpet. Crap - I kicked a hole in the wall.

We moved a plant over the hole in hopes that no one would recognize it... But - guess who did? MOM! I don't remember what happened after that, but I know that I was down there with my dad putting the drywall mesh on the wall and then plastering it. Good times....*

Lovely sister-in-law Zelita:

2. Me & you competing in Tahitian commotion together in Merced on us looking buttilishus ;) as always
3. You coming out to California to help me take care of Azucena when she was 3 months old, after my car accident, I can not thank you enough for doing that
4. You coming our to Missouri to surprise us for Azucena & Keola's birthdays and spending time singing to Azucena

5. The last time you came to visit us in Cali, we were cloths swooping(as we always do) & me and you taking pictures of out butts side to side because my but for the first time was bigger then yours...lol

*Zelita and I are always comparing boob and butt sizes.... last go around she won on both - but I think I might be winning again... I've gained quite a bit in the last little month! Uh-oh!!!!!!!!

OH, and Zelita can move it! I've never seen anyone who could out do my wild and crazy hips until I met my sister-in-law. She could start a tornado with those hips! Watch out San Ramon - "hips don't lie".

From Dad:

Pili, Thank you for choosing us as parents and um, for the Love you for us as parents. Um, the respect you have for yourself as a daughter of Zion...we appreciate her for all she does for us...this is memory for me...the giggle you have, um, your smile, I'm proud of you from growing from an infant to a grown woman....the things you have accomplished and for letting us be part of your life

Thanks!
Love you! Dad

*Okay - here's another funny for you:

I don't remember what age I was, but I remember we lived in North Carolina at the time. My dad took me to the bank with him and being a little girl who was shy (imagine that) I clung to my father. When we were at the front of the line, I remember looking off to the left, turning around and then not seeing my dad there. Well, I run to my father's leg, and sit on it as he's walking to the counter. I hug his leg tight, kiss it and tell my dad how much I love him.

I look up to and am greeted by a stranger looking down at some little random girl who is sitting on his leg, hugging it and telling him how much she loves him! Oh the horror!!! I jumped up and away from this father impostor and see my dad standing near by laughing at me! He takes me by the hand and we leave the bank! I don't think I ever went back to that bank with my dad.... ever again! ha ha!*

Okay - I hoped you enjoyed this rather long blog entry. I thought it was pretty neat. It's nice to know what people remember and see some of the things that are important to them. If you stayed this long reading this entry - you've done awesome! Oh, and when brother #1 and mom send their little ditty's I'll add them in here too.

Thanks for reading~

Thank you all for being my family. 'Ofa atu~

Turning 30 PT1 and a few fun pictures

Turning the big "30"...

Well, ladies and gentlemen.... I am now entering my third decade. Ugh... ha ha ha!

When my brother would say that I was getting old, I would rub it in and remind him that I was the last child out of all of us that was still in her 20's. Fortunately and unfortunately I can't say that anymore. I have joined the rest of the siblings of being in their 30's. However, I can say that they will ALL make it to 40 a lot faster than I am!

SO - what have I learned in my meager 30 years of life? To be honest, not much and a whole lot of nonsense! Just kidding. I think I've actually learned waaay more than my age, and tooo much of probably what NOT to do. Then again, I didn't specify if I learned things good or bad. However, I've, hopefully, been able to take my unfortunate lessons and turn them into something better - for the future.

Anyway - I'll blog more about my birthday later. It's late and I'm going to bed. (By-the-way, it's my birthday here for me, but just think... I'm still going to consider it my birthday until the people in Hawai'i end the 26th of May!)

Here are some pictures as of late.

A big 3-0 picture I did back in January. I'm so silly.

Me and one of SGTs in my unit - we went to have Kava with members of the Fiji Army.

Here I am getting an award. I was pissed but trying not to show it. I don't like being in the front of everyone. I would have much rather they tossed me my award and said, "Good job, now get back to work."

I got to participate in an egg relay race. The females in my battery got together and did the relay as a team.

Here we are... we won! Our prizes were these cool little howitzers that they mechanics made. Waaaaay cool!!!

Alrighty then... blog you later!

The Future...

Lately I've caught myself getting sooooo wrapped up and concerned about "what I am going to do after deployment" - that I have let it, some what, consume me. I've found that I've spent quite a lot of time researching, calling, e-mailing different schools and looking up tuition, financial aid, and when classes start. So, yesterday, I decided I wouldn't get on my computer and do the daily checks, and rechecks of what schools are available to attend. By-the-way, did I mention I'm looking for a good massage therapy school?

Anyway, tonight I was reading my scriptures and was led to a few scriptures that I read out of order - but in the following order, it was meant exactly for me:

3 Nephi 13

v. 33 - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

v. 34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself...

v. 32 - For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Even though it's good to have a background and a good knowledge of my choices, I am pretty sure that God definitely is mindful of me and will look out for my best interest. I have, however, been praying that I will have the strength and courage to do what He needs me to do. (Hm... well - it's not praying for "patience", but sometimes I think it's pretty close. Blah!)

Anyway... here's to the future and trusting that the Lord's plan will always be better than what I could do for myself.

Race for the Cure

Even in Iraq, we were able to participate in the Race for the Cure run that happened in Boise, Idaho. We paid a fee, donated money, got a shirt and I don't think I've ever seen more "men" wear pink, than I did that morning. Here are some fun shots of our runners.

Oh, and if I look absolutely tired and funny looking in one of the pictures, it's because I did the 5k in 38 minutes with a ruck! I beat my last personal 5k record with a ruck by 5 min 19 seconds. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Then again, I am the one doing the rucking. Ugh!

Surprisingly, I do have a picture of myself actually doing things. I don't really have a lot of pictures of myself on this deployment, and honestly, I really don't mind!

Happy Mommy Day!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

An Adventure for Sure!

Helllooooooooo, Darlings!

Well, these past few days I've had the opportunity to go out with some of our teams and take photos of them. Most of them are of the Soldiers getting ready for missions etc. I do have to admit, I've been able to get in some of these pictures, too! YAY! I think you'll laugh at some of them.

This one is of me putting a gunner's harness on. (Why they only got me with a weird face - I'll never know.) The Convoy Commander let me ride in the gunner's hatch to take some photos. Granted, I also had to be aware of my surrounds and scan the area for any kind of threat, but IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

Here's a picture of me sitting on the little webbed seat swing that, surprisingly, fit my bottom. The actually gunner jumped up and took a photo of me. He thought it rocked that I was up there. Then, he had to complain that the driver was going extra gentle on his driving because I was up there. Bah - I didn't care. It was a sweet deal.

Then, the gunner got my camera again and took a picture of me coming out of our vehicle. I don't know if you can notice, but I'm wearing my glasses and my eyes are a bit puffy. The night previous, I guess, the mosquitoes had a field day on me and decided to bite me on my eyelids. I had to spend an hour just trying to get the swelling down in my eyes. It was horrible!

Okay... I'll end here for this mission. I hope you read the next blog though. It's pretty stinkin' cute! Today we had our "Race for the Cure" (Cancer Run) and a lot of people wore the shirts, but others also got into it! It was a great morning. I'll see if I have time to post it on here a little later.

A Brief Hello

One of my favorite memories of being overseas:

It's funny - I felt more at home on a camel than I did on the back of a horse! I guess that's my ancient bloodline going all the way back to the "Land of Father Abraham" making me feel like I've lived here all my life! Even though this picture was taken in Kuwait about 6 months ago, it's still one of my favorites that I wanted to share.

AND, if you've already seen this picture - pretend like it's the first time you're seeing it. It's more fun that way. :)

Get a Clue!

Honestly people - when you see a ring on someones finger... DO NOT COME ON TO HIM/HER. It's irritating as all get up! Seriously! Sad to say, I get upset and end up being a complete "not nice person". Ugh...

Okay, so here's the little story. I'm sure I shared this on here earlier today, but I thought I'd share it again.

Soooooooo - we arrived here on Thanksgiving day, and after getting my things to my room, I headed out to chow. My battle buddy and I sat down and commenced to eat. Some guy sat down by me and then proceeded to ask me questions, then asked for me e-mail, then asked for me to take him to my country and to join the military... blah, blah, blah. Then, seemingly enough, several times during my time here I've been asked to move to another country to marry; and have even been asked to marry and move here to Iraq. Oh boy!

So, would you like to hear how I met my "husband"?

- We were introduced back in college. ROTC together.

- We "married" December 22, 2009.

- His name is Sam. Works for the "Government".

Translation?

- In college I was introduced to the military by taking ROTC classes.

- I enlisted on December 22, 2009. I guess you can say that's a type of marriage - a "binding contract" for a specified amount of time.

- The name "Sam" - came from "Uncle Sam"... Get it? Married to the Government. He works for the Government, too.

Well, I think it was pretty witty.

Anyway, that's the story.

Have a nice day! :)

It's a Boy!!!!

First, let me clarify - I'm not pregnant, and I have not been pregnant. This is not about me.

I'M AN AUNTY... again!

My brother Keoki and his lovely wife, Foeata, had a baby boy on the 6th at 1022 PM. Or in military time: 2222 :) I heard he was 20 inches long and 8lb 9oz or something of the sort! Man alive - by the time I see him he'll probably be soooo big!

When I get a picture, I'll see if I can post it. YAY!!!!!

One love!

P.S. His name is Paenoa!

Hello Darlings!

Okay friends and family -

I know, I've been slacking on what to put on here. But, honestly, what am I supposed to put on here that doesn't compromise things. Besides, half of you might not know what I'm talking about anyway. Sooooo, am I forgiven? :)

I thought I'd put a few pictures on here and write a little description about them. Not sure what I'll put on here, yet, but here we go!

Here's the American Flag flying on our post. 01January11

We flew flags for some friends and family members. Here is one of my favorite people folding the American Flag.

A brother to two of our guys died that morning. We flew a flag on his behalf. A few days later, the brothers were on their way home with the folded flag from Iraq.

Me with some of the cleaners. They strung "Christmas" behind us.

Some of the Fiji Army came and sang Christmas Carols to us. Oh the beautiful sounds of Polynesian voices! YAY for brown people!

A Bit Sad....

Sad news -

One of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life passed away this past Monday. I am so heartbroken and sad. I can't mourn with the rest of my friends who's lives she's touched and loved. Oh the heartache of being alone.

"Oh, What a Beauuuuuuutiful Morning..."

Well my friends - it's another beautiful day in Hawai'i nei!

I am loving my time away from everybody and everyone! (No offense)

Last week was my week to chill out with my brother Keoki and help him with school.

Last night Foeata and I went and got a pedicure done. (Don't judge.) It was actually really nice. But it was soooo weird when the lady was working on my feet - I couldn't help but laugh a lot because it tickled!

This coming week, I am off on my own to do various fun and adventurous things. For example: go to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, go to Hickam and get some goodies, make my presence known at the Post Office, get my passport done, buy a bunch of books, etc.... AND, most importantly - GO TO THE BEACH!!!

Funny story - the other day, Foeata told me, "Wow, Pili, you're really white!" (Have to love the people who don't sugar coat things.) Yet, it was true, I am very fair skinned. I was putting my clothes on the other day, getting ready to go to school with Keoki, and I gasped... I am REALLLLY white! I knew I was fair, but the way the sun hit my skin - oh yeah... I'm white to the MAX. Needless-to-say, I'll be hitting the beach this week! And, hopefully getting a massage, too. Oh the joys of being in Hawai'i! :)

Alright my dear friends and family. I might update this post later with the more DETAILED version of my Pedicure Adventure and, perhaps, may even share a few pictures.

One love from the islands~

Happy Love-Love Month

Well friends, I was attempting to find a stark black background that had some kind of "Death to Valentine's Day" on it... but decided against it. Mainly for the reason that it doesn't exist. :)

Some of you may know that Valentine's is not my favorite "holiday". None-the-less, just like the sun rises, Valentine's Day and the month of February will always "come to pass". Ha! Yet, another overrated and commercialized holiday to "boost" the economy. (Don't get me started on that.)

This year, I'm going to try and do something a little different. I am actually making a bunch of

Valentine's for our living area. Let me clarify... not just my chu, but our entire "pod" living area. That is... approximately 165 Valentine's. Phew! That's a lot! Man alive, I'm not sure how I'll be able to make each one unique. But, I'm hoping that this will get me in touch with my inner child when making Valentine cards and giving treats to others were fun and given with unselfishness.

Unselfishness - you know... I guess that could, in essence, be the "spirit" of Valentine's Day. Letting other people know that they are thought of, appreciated, and loved. (Even though I don't dare say that I particularly "care" of some of them. At least in a small way, I can say that I love everyone... but I would just "love" to see some of them stuffed. Oh... I said another mean thing, huh? Blah)

Anyway, I'm grooving to my "Colbie Caillat" station on Pandora and hope to finish at least 20 more Valentine stuff today. (I'll be putting them on the doors, and will make some letters that spell out "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY" and hang them from some of the cargo net hanging on the walkways of some of the chus.) Hopefully I'll be able to take pictures and them post them on here after the damage is done. :)

Okay - I'm going back to letting the creative juices flow! (Oh! No I'm not... going to the gym instead.)

One love!

Oh, and if anyone is serving here with me reading this blog.... PLEASE DON'T BLOW MY COVER! Thanks!!!!

P~

A Little More Thoughts and Adventures

I apologize for this blog entry. It will be a compilation of e-mails and journal entries from this last little while. I will apologize, also, in advance if my excerpts of my entries don't flow or make sense. I don't have much time to update this, but I've had requests to do it, since I haven't done so in over a month. So, without further adieu - happy reading.

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"Being here in Iraq has been one of the greatest times of my life. In all honesty, I love it here. I like the work that I am doing, and feel very blessed to be here working. I do, however, wish that more people would just leave me alone – let me be, and not think that just because I am nice, means that I am interested in anyone. I am not weak for being nice... I am finding my balance in being nice, not trusting, and keeping my heart locked. Trust me, there's NO ONE here that I care about in the "romantic" sort." - Let me explain. I got asked to move to another country by someone who told me that "even though we're far apart, a lover's heart never grows old." Gag me with a spoon.... PLEASE! (I know... that was rude of me.)

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"- I got to go out on a mission this past Monday, the 10th. I got to go with... a... PSD team to ...a settlement. We took two UN PSO to an IDP settlement. There were 950 families living in that settlement area. It sort of reminded me of the Philipines. Run down, dirty, poor living conditions.

The children were really cute and it was nice to be able to get a picture taken with them. SGT Abrams took my camera and took some snapshots of me with the babies. They were sooo cute. I'm thankful Abrams did that. He said that I am always behind the camera, so it would be nice for me to be in the front this time. So true.

The school that most of the smaller children attend is a two room school, two bathrooms, a itty bitty play ground with no electricity. (We used our flashlights to view the inside of the rooms.) On the walls were drawings that the students did. I even recognized a pokeymon character on the wall. J Not to mention, the awesome paintings of Popeye, Bert, a Smurf ... I wish I could have done more.

The pictures I was able to take that day are being put on a CD and given back to the two UN PSO's that we took out with us. (Hence, a RECON.) There were sheep there that were eating the trash – riffling through the rubbish piles. Live chickens running around, pecking at the moistened ground looking for food. The random dog, wagging its tail as we walked by. The horses that pulled a flatbed and person in the rear. The simplicities of life that many don't realize or understand, however, I was blessed to view a bit of it."

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"Nothing exciting, however, at work, I wrote 16 letters and typed 3 brief e-mails within 3 ½ hours. It took me a while because my hand was cramping. I wrote so many cards because I was responding to the many letters and packages that I received during the holiday season. I wanted to write and express my thanks for the letters/cards/packages. Although I should have written sooner, I was hoping to get my little newsletter done and be able to print that out, and perhaps some pictures as well, to send to people. Obviously that didn't pan out. So! Hence, the hand cramps and letter writing."

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"Karaoke: We got there at 2245. It usually closes at 2300, but we ended up staying for longer that than. The first song that I ended up singing after a while was: "I Can't Make You Love Me", by Bonnie Raitt. Man, what an EMOTIONAL song! I didn't expect my emotions to hit me at the end of it. Carter was there, and he said "P! You killed it! Freakin' nailed it. So much emotion."

Honestly, I only picked that song because I knew the words and the tune to it, not because of what the message was. SSG Fink ended up welling up with tears and told me I almost made him cry. That it was one of the most emotionally songs he's heard sung. I guess Suell also got teary eyed. Seriously, I got teary eyed and started to let it out a little when I was done. It was such a relief and a sad moment at the same time."