First of all, I’m going to apologize for the camera phone pictures, that’s all the pictures that we took besides the ones in the photo booth. I opted not to take formal pictures this year; the mister didn’t want to take any and I didn’t really care for them. I remember the formal pictures that I took with just the Wardroom ladies last year, but I looked super red. It seriously looked I had a really bad sunburn, but that wasn’t the case. And from what I noticed this year, it was the same thing, so I didn’t want to put money into that. Plus, we were 100% happy with our photo booth pictures and random selfies here and there. What would a night be without a selfie? [Read more…]
Memorial Day
Sometimes I can never put the right words together especially when it comes to Memorial Day. I know when this time rolls around, I truly hope that everyone takes the time to remember all those that we have lost. The ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Whatever you decide to do today, take a moment to honor and remember them.
Tonight, I’ll be sending off a floating lantern to honor those brave men and women.
There was this video that I came across that I wanted to share with all of you, it nearly moved me to tears. Please take a moment to watch this video, it left me speechless and even now I have no words to express.
10 Things I Do …
when he’s out at sea.
- shop. There’s maybe like a few days, when he’s away that I just shop away. It’s definitely not the best thing to do, but there’s nothing like retail therapy!
- leave the house a mess. Now the mess doesn’t last that long because I can’t function in a messy home, but usually the days surrounding when he leaves; total mess.
- read all day. Yep, I will silence my phone, lay on the couch and just read all day. I can easily finish a couple books a day. I’m such a book worm.
- go on adventures. Whether it be hiking or snorkeling, I’m bound to be hitting the hiking trails in the ridges or at the beach, swimming with some fish or a pod of dolphins.
- try new hobbies. It’s definitely the best time to do so. At the moment, I’m tackling sewing and that’s something I need to perfect. And I’m throwing calligraphy in the mix.
- sleep in the middle of the bed. Actually I tend to sleep diagonally (if that makes sense) when he’s gone. I have no idea how it happens, it just does.
- leave the island. I either travel between Washington State and Big Island, just to spend time with my family. Being alone isn’t all that bad, but I rather be around my family most of the time. And these aren’t short trips either, they’re sometimes a month long.
- do something to my hair. And usually it’s dying it and getting a plain haircut. For a while, I had all my hair dyed a red-purple color, which faded into a very lovely shade of brown. I got that natural ombre going on since I haven’t dyed it in over a year and a half. For my next hair experiment, I want to do a red balayage. Pinterest it, to be honest, I really don’t know the difference between an ombre and a balayage, but they’re pretty.
- watch Youtube videos. I can pretty much do that all day. My favorites are proposal and pregnancy announcement videos. Those definitely get the tears flowing! And any Jimmy Fallon video to get me giggling!
- bake. I love baking and trying new recipes. My new thing with recipes is eliminating massive amounts of sugar and butter, there’s quite a few alternatives, and it always turns out delicious. I’ll be making French Macarons today, wish me luck.
The Dreaded “D” Word
The Dreaded “D” … what in the world are you talking about? Is it something inappropriate?!
All you lovely military people know exactly what I’m talking about!
We’ve already done one deployment during his sea tour and was expecting another before we go on shore duty. Safe to say, it was definitely on our radar that it was bound to happen, we knew vague details of the when. But that was all a general/somewhat safe to share timeframe. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times that timeframe has shifted, more than I imagined could happen. Or maybe that’s just me being naive and it happens a lot more than I thought. Yet again, I can’t divulge too much information on the interwebs because there’s so much to it.
As of recent, there was a major shift and it goes well over our time of when we were suppose to set sails to another part of this world for our beloved shore duty that I’ve been hearing so many great things about. Let me tell you, I can’t wait until that day finally happens. It always seem so far away!
We’ve been getting a lot of questions of when will they be leaving? And boy that is the question of the century. The most common reaction that I get is well that means you get more time with him. Even though that is extremely true, it’s like peeling a band-aid off. It’s better to just get it over with as quickly as possible. It’s very rare for a deployment to get cancelled; it may not be happening now, but it will be happening. And I’ve always liked the saying, better sooner than later.
For now, work-ups will be happening and I’ll continue to venture around…
Importance of Having Non-Military Friends
One of the best advice I can offer to military friends is to make friends outside of the military, it’s just a must! With the military life things can get stressful and raise your anxiety to an ultimate high especially with those lovely last minute notices or the never-ending deployment work ups. It’s always great to have your friends that know very little of the military world to kind of help you forget the madness of the living the military life.
As most of you know, volleyball is one of my passions and I played competitively for years. And I’m so happy that I found my little volleyball ohana on the island. They really are some of the greatest people that I’ve met and all of our time playing volleyball is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Not only do I get to play the game that I love; I get spend my time with some really great people who love the game just as much as I do. Plus our time together is bound to be a hilarious one and full of food! We always go out to eat after we play, food and conversation. What’s not to love?!
Anyways, wherever you end up, join in on events outside of your community and meet new people. You’re bound to create some unforgettable friendships like we sometimes make in our military life.
WHAT OTHER GROUPS HAVE YOU MADE FRIENDSHIPS THROUGH?
Happy Veteran’s Day
I’m not too good with expressing myself about certain things and this is one of them. You’re probably a little bit surprised by that, but it’s oddly true.
I just wanted to take the moment to thank all the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve. You are all the reason we have the freedoms that we have to day, and I wish I had a bigger way of thanking you all.
Happy Veteran’s Day to America’s heroes.
Photo by Natalie Franke Photography
My Thoughts // This Military Life
A fellow spouse posted this article on facebook yesterday, so I had to share with my blogging world, I know that many may not agree with me, but if you want to comment, please keep it on the positive side.
Check out the article, ‘What You Sign Up For’ When You Marry Into the Military, here. And below is what I shared on the Facebook.
Since we’ve been married for two years now, I’m gradually learning the ins & outs of this military life and all that it entails. And then reading this article, all I have to say is that it’s all very true. If you think you can predict how my next year will be like, please do tell me cause I can tell you that things change on the daily for us. Yeah I guess you can say that I didn’t exactly know what I “signed up” for, but being the #1 supporter to my husband, hell yeah I signed up for that! I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I’m sorry if I get mopey and bummed out, when he’s gone. It’s only natural, a part of me is missing, what do you expect me to do? I do know that as long as my husband is proudly fighting for our country, I’ve accepted that I will be second to his career. Call me crazy for thinking and accepting that, but their job isn’t always easy. Most just witness from an outside. So yeah, I guess you can say that I didn’t know what I “signed up” for, but I don’t regret any moment of it. This has been our adventure, the ups and the downs, but I’m proud of him and what he does.
We’ve lived together since we graduated from college in 2011, we already moved 3 times. It wasn’t too long after we arrived on the island that he was deploying to who knows where (yes, I never really know where he goes) and we hit our one year deployment mark, last month. We’ve been on the island for about two years and we’re set for another deployment before we leave.
I really liked this article and definitely agree with all of it. Regardless of “knowing” what this life entails, you don’t exactly know what could happen. Yes, we have deployments, everyone knows that, but there’s so much more that evolves around that. I can’t say too much about it, but the amount of changes surrounding deployment and this military life, it’s been pretty messy and darn right stressful. And I’ve given up keeping track of it all.
And that’s why I have this attitude where you just take things one day at a time because you never want to get into the habit of getting your hopes up and then seeing it shot down. It happens all the time and it took some time to really grasp that. I am currently not working and it’s not a topic that I discuss with anyone. People can get too judgy about it and I guess I just don’t care to hear people’s comments about it. I have my plans and yes it’s taking me some time to accomplish it all, but it will happen because it’s what I’ve wanted for a very long time. And I am so dang grateful that my husband has been accepting of that, it hasn’t been the easiest for him, but his support has been amazing.
It’s a crazy life we live and no way am I asking for a pity party, I never have. With all the downs we face, there are so many ups. I’ve gained some awesome friendships and support through this experience, I’m constantly proud of what my husband does, and not only is our relationship growing,, but so have I.
So yeah, I signed up for this crazy adventure with the man that I love and I wouldn’t change any of that.
What did you think about the article?
Military Life Moments // Friendships
After I graduated from college, I jetsetted off to live with the mister in Charleston, South Carolina. It was such a big jump, especially for the both of us. It was my first time moving and being away from everything that was familiar. Being scared was an understatement. And the thought of making friends was daunting.
In Charleston, I didn’t have a license (long story, short, I got it when I was 22) or a car, so I was stuck in a house for a couple of months. And that’s when I landed a job working retail, it was low pay, but it was a blessing because I became pretty close with a few of my co-workers. It made my time there a lot better and miss them all so much, and only hope that I can visit again soon. It was a bittersweet good-bye and then it was off to start our new chapter in upstate New York.
I transferred with my job, so that was a great way to meet people. We did make good friends with this awesome lady that worked in a restaurant across from our house. She was even one of our witnesses for mine and the mister’s courthouse wedding. New York was definitely a lot better when it came to having friends around, some of our mutual friends were there and there was even one from Charleston. What are the odds of that?
We made a few new friends from prototype and we stay in touch ’till this day. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting some lovely military friends until we were a few months away from moving to Oahu. We had a little night out on the town and it was a fun time, we still stay in touch every now and then, but I’ll never forget that night! Good ole memories for the books.
Off to Oahu we are. I was completely nervous about this one because you hear about the stories and the “wives”. But all of that was quickly thrown out the window upon meeting our wardroom, we’re a pretty awesome group and we hang out all the time especially during the times when the guys are underway. I seriously owe so much to them especially during deployment.
And I’ve made friends through volleyball, I like to call them my volleyball ohana. It’s always great to have friends that aren’t part of the military world, it’s a good balance to have in your life.
The one thing about the military, it can be quite the small world, you’re guaranteed to see everyone again. It becomes full circle. We get thrown into situations where we quickly have to learn to adapt and accept things that we can’t change. Regardless of how crazy this life can be, I’m thankful for every person that I’ve crossed paths with.
Military Life Moments // A Deployment Story
How did you feel when he left?
It’ll go by quick. / He’ll be home soon. / He won’t be gone that long, you got this.
And it was just another chapter that we had to get through.
Did deployment bring you closer in some way?
How did you feel upon homecoming?
Homecoming pictures taken by OpenWater Productions.
Military Life Moments // Military Wedding
A couple weeks ago I did a Throwback Thursday post that featured our wedding, but I realized that I didn’t talk too much about it. We did the whole courthouse thing before we had a big celebration with our friends and family. When he proposed, we were only a few weeks away from moving to our first duty station, which is where we are now. And at that point, we knew that the dreaded “D” word was on our door stop, so our wedding celebration couldn’t happen until a year later. I guess you can say it was a huge pro for us because it gave us plenty of time to plan things out. But it’s not always easy planning a reception that took place in Washington State, when you’re on Oahu. And you can bet that I took advantage of taking the military flights home every chance that I could to finalize some wedding decisions.
It was definitely a memorable moment for the both of us because we had so many of our friends and family that really helped us out. From the catering, our invites and save the dates, my dress being designed, the list goes on. And I was extremely happy that some of his friends from the Naval Academy were able to fly out for it.
It was such a fun time and I managed to stay stress-free throughout the entire planning process. It was one of those moments that you never wanted to end.
Last week, I had the incredible honor and privilege of flying out to Washington State to photograph Malia & Andy’s Wedding in the small town of Centralia. It was the trip of a lifetime with Krista Jones by my side and an amazing couple that was excited to celebrate beside the people they love most in this world.Malia and Andy are truly an extraordinary couple. Through distance, deployment, and military life – these two have conquered every possible challenge in the pursuit of their friendship and love. Family, or ‘ohana as Malia’s father explained to me, was the uniting theme of the entire day. Andy’s father officiated the ceremony and brought laughter and tears to everyone in the room, while Andy’s brother traveled all the way from Singapore to stand beside him at the altar! Malia’s parents handled all of the catering (and it was absolutely incredible!), her mother made the bouquets, the beautiful Hawaiian music was performed by family friends as well, and it was the men of Malia’s immediate family who performed a traditional Hula to celebrate their marriage – Rarely do you see two people so perfectly united, surrounded by so many others who share in their joy. And I am so excited to be sharing a few of my favorites from their wedding with you all today!
Wedding Questions
- IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY? I don’t think I would change a thing, I loved every single of our moment of our special day. Although, we didn’t get to play the slideshow that my sister(she’s not actually my sister, but she’s definitely close to it) made .. And I felt horrible about it. I still do, I do have the file, so I should add music and share it.
- FAVORITE MOMENT? Definitely a hard question because there were so many moments. But one of my favorites was when I danced a hula for him, he’s never seen me dance before. I’m sure nobody could tell, but for me and him, close to a teary-eyed moment. As any guy would say, “I have something in my eye”. Although, I completely butchered the song, I forgot most of the song because I was so nervous! But I’ll share the video below 🙂
- WHAT MILITARY TRADITIONS DID YOU INCORPORATE? The sword arch was a must, we had a small one, but we made it work. We had the uneven count of 5 and they marched in to add a bit more to it because of our venue space. And we cut our cake with the sword!
- DID YOU ADD ANY OTHER UNIQUE TOUCHES? I guess you could say that. We had a very non-traditional wedding, I had two maid of honors and my best guy friend stood on my side, it was absolutely perfect. We did a little ceremony for family and close friends, so we asked his dad to officiate! We already married, so no “laws” were broken and it just made it much more personal!
Wedding 2.0
Big Mahalo
Photography : Natalie Franke & Krista A. Jones
Hair: Mieka – A Friend of the Bride
Makeup: Giovana & Melissa – Friends of the Bride
Jewelry: Francesca’s
Florist: Flowers from KMS Floral
Dinner Music : Na Leo `O Hawai`i
Caterer: Phil Ibarra & Ohana – Father of the Bride
Gown Designer: Katie – Handmade by A Friend of the Bride
Invitations: Jenica Sparks of The Sparks Studio – A Friend of the Bride
Wedding Cake and Cupcakes: Sage – A Friend of the Bride
Bouquets: Mother of the Bride
Venue: Aerie Ballroom in Centralia, Washington
Dance Lessons: Jacob from Arthur Murray Dance Centers of Hawaii
Photo Booth: Emerald City Photo Booth