JUST A FEW THINGS ABOUT HAWAII

I've been in Hawaii for 6 days including today, which i don't really count because I was supposed to fly out last night but to make a long story short, I didn't and am here this morning as the sun is breaking over Diamond Head and spilling onto the rest of this beautiful place. Now to remind you, I came out here from Northern VA just after that "little" blizzard of the century we had a couple weeks ago. So needless to say this breath taking island was a sight for my snow blinded eyes. After being on the island for 6 days there were a few things I realized, some quicker than others:

1. There is a secret ab program over here that probably 90% of the island has discovered. Never in my life have I seen so many 50 year old men with abs of steal. Don't worry, I'm working on finding out what the secret is and I'll let you know when I do... I'm hoping it has something to do with pineapple or their shaved ice (snow cones).

2. It does rain in Hawaii. poo. BUT normally when it's "raining" (more like a spitting or misting), you'll more than likely see a rainbow somewhere or another. pretty.

3. Can you say illiterate? That's what happens to you when you're a "main lander" trying to read the traffic signs out here. You literally can NOT read the signs without sounding like a kindergartner learning how to read for the first time. Likelike.... so you know, is pronounced leeky-leeky not LIKE-LIKE. just so you know. And that's an easy one by the way.

4. They. Have. No. Chick-fil-a. How is that possible??? I mean it's bad enough they aren't open on Sundays, but not one single establishment on the whole island. These people have it rough ;)

5. There are more shades of green here than I ever knew existed and some how, some way they all coordinate with each other.... God can be such a show off sometimes.

6. You can eat fish for every meal. and it's a-maze-ing!

7. Being 10 minutes away from a beach is "far" from the beach.

8. The snow cones here are to die for. TO. DIE. FOR. I would gladly give my right arm for another Hawaiian Delight! mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm.

9. Flying in and out of HNL is almost never an on time thing... I was delayed coming, cancelled, going, delayed going etc... Let's just hope I make it home by Monday, or I may just have to take another week of leave!!

The final thing I've realized while being here in Hawaii....

10. SIX DAYS IN HAWAII IS NOT LONG ENOUGH!!!

Me Time - Commuting in Northern VA

Everyday it happens. I get in my car, plug in my ipod, start my car and begin my morning commute. And I've gotten quite use to my 40-60 minute commute. Here's why. If you would've told me 4 years ago that I was going to be commuting at least an hour and a half daily to and from work, I would've told you to kick rocks. 90 minutes in a car EVERY DAY....ludacris. But alas, I have come to not just tolerate this time of the day but really enjoy it.... well, other than the fact that on the way to work it's morning time, and I hate mornings. Coffee anyone?? mmmm.

Now I know MOST of you are thinking I'm nuts or just a pathological liar. But I'm niether of the two. Here's why. This obligatory tires-to-road time that I have been doing for the past four years, some how morphed into what I like to call me time. I'm not sure how or when this happened, but it did. Now there are days, like last Wednesday that I imagine my car is an MRAP so I can just drive over cars in order to get home, but that was more because I needed to be somewhere and everyone in VA must have drank something that made them forget how to merge with out coming to a complete stop, making sure the wind was blowing at the right speed and that they color coordinated with the cars that were already on the interstate. You get the picture. But most days, I enjoy sitting in my car, sippin' on some really sweet coffee, letting the music playing from my ipod move me or take me back through time or be the background to my solo debut...in my car. This happens frequently so I'm not sure I can call it my debut anymore. Sometimes I wonder if the people driving around me feel the need to call the police but I just don't care... it's MY me time and I'll do whatever I like! I'm not making them pay to watch me, so get over it people!

It's funny because I hardly blink anymore when someone cuts across four lanes right in front of me, slams on their brakes, making me slam on mine, spill my coffee AND my purse, only to decide they don't want to turn right anymore so they get back over in the other lane and they don't even throw up a shameful "my bad" wave after all the havoc they just created. At least they used their blinker....after the fact. *sigh* As soon as my heart crawls out of my stomach and I regain feeling in my legs, I fall back into the immersion of my music and all is forgiven. It's almost theraputic, as strange as that sounds.

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edited 2/25/2010

Okay, so I wrote this blog at the end of January... before the insane snow storms of 2010. I, and the other commuters in NOVA must've been having a few good weeks when I wrote this because I now must add to this blog by saying, the initial post CAN be true SOME of the time....But not ALL of the time. Not 1. on the days that something is bothering me. And not 2. on the days that my heart is aching for a good reason or no reason at all (see #3)... or 3. on the days that I'm PMS'ing. On these days, it seems that just the littlest indiscretion of even a minor traffic law can make me want to run my little car up into the trunk of the culprits unsuspecting car. Is that wrong??

So there is the adendum to my commuting bliss (some days) as I travel all over the Northern VA/DC area!

Trip down yonder.... waaaay yonder!

Well, I'm back from South Carolina. I went down to my parents' place in Six Mile, SC and had way more fun than I deserve. I got to hang out with my family, sans the Little Scotts, visit with old friends, golf, play in the lake and chill by the pool for 5 days! Doesn't get much better than that, does it?! It's a different world down there in Six Mile. Megan and I were driving to the grocery store from church and saw 5 cars pass us... we looked at each other and said it must be rush hour. The lake is absolutely beautiful. You can see the Smokey Mountains from almost anywhere and you get the feeling that God is showing off just a bit when taking it all in... "you see all of this? enjoy it. marvel at it. take care of it. Can you see the joy it brings me when something I have made takes your breath away?" I think I would've stayed on the lake all day, everyday if it were possible. I kept asking Dad to take me out on the boat as if I were a child asking to go to the park. I ended up giving him some gas money because he obliged and took me out more than my fair share of times! :) Thanks Dad (and Mom). I'll post some more about the trip but for now I'm just going to list my Top 6 moments of the trip and put some pictures up!

6. Tubing with old friends.... watching Megan try to get in the tube for the first time might have been one of the funniest things about that event!
5. Golfing at the Cliffs
4. Sunset cruise with Mom and Dad
3. Pool competitions with the fam (baseball, races, helping Beckham fly highest, inner tube diving... it was a riot)
2. Watching the Olympics....Cheering the Men's 4x100 relay team to a Gold medal over the French.... most amazing race I've seen!!!
1. Being with my family - my favorite.... Food, Fun and Fellowship

Jules and I just hangin out

The Newlyweds :) cute

Captain and his mate!

The Smokey Mountains from the Lake

Meggles and I on the boat...again.

The kiddos

Golfing at the Cliffs with Mom and Barb

Dani and I on the tube... well trying to be!

Beautiful SC sunset...ahhh.

A balanced life...for now. (and pics)

There are seasons in our lives when it seems like whatever it is we're involved in, whether it's a job, commitment, or the everyday chores of living life and getting by seem to swarm around us and suffocate any type of freedom we may have once had. I remember being in high school and even college for that matter and people saying "don't be in such a rush to grow up." I thought they were crazy. I couldn't wait to be on my own, doing my own thing. My question is, why didn't they hold up caution signs and wear bandages around all the scars that they've accumulated throughout this journey called "being on my own." Then maybe I would've heard what they said and slowed down to savor the "I have no real responsibility" journey. I would've seen that driving an hour to work and home after a 10 hour work day is really not what most people would call fun. Most sane people anyways. Or those silly things called bills that seem to never stop coming no matter what, aren't really that cool. Kind of annoying actually. It's like they never die. Persistent little creatures that seem to grow every year.

In saying all that, I have realized that although some of this "on my own" thing is more work and less play, some how I have found a sort of balance... for now. The Lord has blessed me with a fairly secure job (keeps the bills satisfied) that at times can actually be fun and allows for me to travel and visit, as well as meet a lot of people. It also allows for me to take vacations, for the most part, when I feel the urge. And just this week I was offered the Head Coaching position at a Episcopal High School. Needless to say, there will be less balance when I start that in November on top of my job with the Army. But it will be fun working with the girls and I think it will be fulfilling.

Speaking of living a balanced, grown up life, I figured I'd post some pictures from my different escapades over the past month. I was in FL (for work), NC (for fun) and Cali (for work). This being "on my own" thing isn't really that bad once you get the hang of it and figure out how to enjoy the ride. Sometimes you gotta roll with the punches but for now the blows have been minimal and I have to say the last month has been refreshing. I definately have tons to be thankful for. The Lord has kept me in His care and provided me with more than I deserve. He's an awesome God and I'm thankful for this season of my life, even if it's not quite what I expected. So here are a few pics from my trips.

Jamar and I on Country Western Night in the Outer Banks

Being silly

Majestic... Point Magu, CA

The sunset was amazing....

see what I mean?!

ps- I love my camera... look what
cool things you can do with it

Shoreline in Malibu

Off the Pacific Coast Hwy in Cali

Did I tell you I met the Bachelor?! :)
Just another day in the office!! lol.

Fantastic Fridays

So I've decided since I'm really horrible at blogging consistently I should start theme that I can blog about weekly. Since Fridays are normally FANTASTIC (b/c it's the last day of work for the week), I decided I would blog about Fridays....b/c most of the time they are fantastic.

Today I woke up to "go to work," remember I'm in California right now with the All Army Triathlon team so "work" is a relative term. My office has literally been the transition spot from the swim to the bike for the last couple days. After meeting up in the parking lot, I took the team and their stuff out to the beach so they could get a practice ride in and swim or run the day before the race. Today (and yesterday) the Point Mugu Beach was my office. And let me tell you, if I had a view like that to sit in front of every day, I wouldn't mind waking up so much! While the athletes were training I got to just kind of hang out on the beach with the sand in my toes, music in my ears and God all around. I got to just hang out for about an hour or so with just me, my thoughts, and God. Not a bad way to start off a work day if you ask me!

As my athletes were coming back from their ride and transition either to the swim or run (they kind of do their own thing to prepare for tomorrow's race) I couldn't help but notice how fit they all are. It's a bit ridiculous actually. BUT very motivating. I am now going to do my first triathlon in VA this coming August with Amy and crew. :) We'll see how the 60 year old knee holds up (fingers are crossed) so maybe I can start competing more often and have something to train for. Lord knows, I'm terrible at aimlessly stepping onto an eliptical and getting a good workout in.

After they were done working out I had to take two of our team members to sign autographs at the NEX (Naval Exchange) as publicity for the triathlon they're competing in tomorrow. On the way back we grabbed some taco bell, which they can afford to eat being that they burn thousands of calories during their multiple workout day, and came back to the base to have a little picnic outside in the beautiful weather. Sound fantastic enough to make the "Fantastic Friday" blog yet?? :)

I'm now about to go workout myself and then meet the team for dinner. We're eating early b/c they want to go to bed at a decent hour (have I mentioned how much easier the triathletes are than the team sport athletes to keep under control??). So after dinner, I'll probably have time to make it back down to Malibu and hopefully get some pics when the sun is setting. But if not, I already have a bunch of awesome pics that I can't wait to post! Well, I'm off to the gym.

What a FANTASTIC FRIDAY...... :)

Here and there and back again...

Just real quick... I know I don't update this thing nearly as much as my siblings (sorry) but I'll try to start being better (really). So here's the scoop real quick on where I've been in the past month.

I went to Cocoa Beach FL the first week of May for work. Was there for a little over a week. CAme back to NOVA for a couple days and was off to the Outer Banks for a fun Memorial Day weekend (and then some) trip with 38 of my closest friends.... well a couple of my close friends, the rest are now new friends! Came back for no longer than 9 hours and then hopped on a plane to the wonderful state of California and landed in L.A. for work (rough life, I know). So I will be back on the 1st and will try and update pics of my trips. It's been a whirlwind of a time but it's been good to get away and travel some!

Well, gotta get back to work (in L.A.)... love you all!

Katie

"Joe," my backpack... NY cont'd....

If anyone knows me and my packing habits, you know that I am NOT a light packer. You have to have options in my opinion. I mean, what if someone in Central Park noticed my athletic prowess (chuckle) as I walked by their practice and I asked if I would join them in their game later that night b/c they needed big boomer and I only had my open toed shoes or flip flops?!?! Disaster I tell you!! So I tend to 'over pack' and take home a few bags of mostly unused clothes and shoes... in order to be prepared of course :) So I decided to pack light and only take my backpack for my two and a half day trip. That's an attainable goal right? It was!! My poor backpack was busting at the seams and when I got off the bus and hit the streets of Manhattan I started to feel like I had someone hanging on my back. Not only was this backpack way heavier than really should be possible, it stuck out about 3 feet past my back side. Needless to say, moving through the over capacitated streets of New York is not an easy feat for one person alone.... But I was walking for two. "Joe," (yes, we decided he was so big he needed a name) was constantly getting in the way and knocking into unsuspecting people as they passed on the street. It was Joe's first experience in NY and he experienced it all... he took the train, walked downtown, rode in a taxi and got the full deli experience. We were quite the group of tourists and looked the part. But we didn't care, it was a blast. And for the most part, I had enough options to make it through the weekend, kind of :)

NY cont'd... Is it the person or location?

Okay so you've all been anxiously awaiting to hear about my trip to NY. Just calm down! This girl is busy and I can't really expect the government to pay me to blog so I have to do it in my spare time, what is that, when I'm not working. I'm going to blog a few different times about my trip being that we packed so many different things into a little over 48 hours....

The trip started off at Dupont Circle where I waited to catch the bus up to the City that NEVER sleeps! I was way excited to get away for the weekend and to see Carrie and Carrie (McKee and Nygard) as well as an old college aquaintance (now friend), Katie. Yes, you just read that correctly. It was Katie, Carrie, Carrie and Katie. But let me tell my first adventure before I even stepped foot on the bus to head north. I was handing my ticket to the trip coordinator in order to get on the bus and all of the sudden I was doing a 360 and almost fell over. I look up to see what gust of wind could've been so strong to spin "Joe" (my backpack received a name b/c it was so heavy it was almost like carrying someone on my back) and me completely around and stumbling back a few steps before being able to catch my balance. But I see no hurricane, tropical storm, tornado or even a slight breeze. But what I do see is some woman storming off shaking her head. I can only imagine what was going through this 5'5'' woman's mind as she pushed me, and Joe, out of her way. What would give such a small woman (I'm using the term woman loosely by the way) the idea that she was justified? I'm gonna have to go with the fact that I must have looked like her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend that he just went back to b/c of her anger issues. That's the only thing I could come up with. It's either that or she was apparently having a really bad day and the two steps it would've taken her to walk around Joe and I just caused her way to much effort. The thing is, I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HER COMING.... I didn't even get a chance to get out of her way. There was no "excuse me miss" or "can I get by" or heck, even a "move!" would've been better than being made a tackling dummy. After I realized what had happened AND that she wasn't sorry, I thought to myself "I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be the rude ones. If it gets worse than that, I think I may just take the Metro back to Vienna."

Thankfully, it didn't get any worse. In fact, it got better. Being the tourists that we were, it was quite an adventure to get uptown, to downtown over to the Eastside and Westside. But the Carries were very good for the most part in figuring out what train we needed to take and how to get around... and when all else failed, we'd ask somebody. To our surprise, New Yorkers are very nice. The seem to be very proud to be from NY and were more than willing to help you take delight in their amazing city. I suppose that everyone in NY isn't like that, but as far as I'm concerned New Yorkers are A-OK in my book. Even a couple drag queens helped me find my way back to the Upper Westside after a long day of walking around in Chinatown. I got the full New York experience! I wonder if people were nice to us b/c we always had our map out and it was painfully obvious we were trying to make our way in this big city of theirs!! Either way, I don't care. They were helpful and nice and not once did I feel nervous when we weren't sure of our direction. Thank you New York, we enjoyed you and your residents!

More to come.... :)

Road trip SOUTH! :)

This past weekend I traveled down yonder for a bridal shower in Charlotte... Since I was going down that way I wanted to make the drive worth it so I made sure that I got to see Janetta, one of my best good friends from college, Danielle, one of my teammates from Oakton, Julie (cousin) and of course, the Watkins clan (my sister, Julie and her fam). The plan, which if you know me you know that I make plans but never have a problem altering them, was to leave after work on Friday night or leave in the morning on Saturday (it's always good to have options) and then depending on which day I left, see Janetta and go to the shower and then go to the Watkins in SC (just south of Charlotte). Well, I decided Thursday night that I wanted to get there Friday so I could hang with Janetta a little longer. I guess I need to work on my communication skills a little better b/c while en route I got a call from Janetta and Julie asking what time I was leaving that night and what my ETA (military for estimated time of arrival) would be. I told both of them when they called that "I'm on my way now," and they were both surprised (wierd). lol. I forget that everyone I know does not live inside my head and when I change my plans I should probably let them know especially if it involves them. But luckily they are both very flexible and were excited I was coming early.
So I spent the day driving and then hanging out with Janetta and her family and even got to go to her fathers awards ceremony where he was pronouced Mr. Shaw University for the year as well as President of the SGA for next year... Go ahead Mr. Heggins! Janetta and I did what we do best and just chilled the whole time I was there. We went to Dave & Busters to partake in some adult beverages in celebration of her passing all of her tests and obtaining her Masters from ODU!
On Saturday I headed to South Charlotte and got to see my old friend Tosha Jamison (from Western Carolina) at her bridal shower. It was so much fun to see her and a whole bunch of other people that I haven't seen in years. It was so crazy to see how much has changed with people but still stayed the same. Tosha's getting married in June so I plan to be down there again for that! It's gonna be a heck of a celebration!
I got to the Watkin's home on Saturday night and was happy to get to sit and talk with Jules and Monte for a while before we all went to sleep. They told me stories of the kids that made me laugh and realize how different my life is than theirs. I just can't believe the little amount of sleep that they have to function off of. I need my 8.5 hours if I am going to be anything close to functional... makes me wonder if I will make a good mother lol. (speaking of, it's bring your kids to work day here where I work and this kid keeps riding by my cubicle on one of the big mail carts like it's a scooter... where the heck is his mother?) We went to Sonny's for lunch, which happens to be one of my favorite places to go and I was in Heaven because we don't have Sonny's up here. We took the kids to the park, took a walk, sat outside with cousin Julie and just chit chatted about what's been up. All in all a great trip to the Watkins mansion, I mean house!
So on Monday I headed home but not before I went to lunch with Dani and got to see her cute preggie (yep, it'll be her and George's second) self! We laughed and cried, mostly b/c I was PMSing but it was great to see her and a good way to start my trip home!
It was a lot of driving in one weekend but it was totally worth it.... I hate driving, mostly b/c I'm always worried about getting a ticket but if there's a good reason to drive I'll do it! Oh and I'll be happy to report--- I arrived home from my trip ticketless!!!!! Praise be to God! :) See miracles do happen every day. I haven't gotten a chance to download pics from this weekend but when I do I'll put them up with this blog! PS- Roadtrips are much more fun when you have someone driving with you.... HOPEFULLY IN JUNE I CAN FIND SOMEONE TO RIDE WITH ME.... Any takers????