10 year anniversary

Here is the restaurant where we had our anniversary dinner, Top of Waikiki

The view was incredible with a great sunset

Very nice view of Diamond head

Here is Lynn watching the dvd movie.

Lynn had the seared swordfish with fresh ginger, it was very good

I had the roasted garlic rib-eye steak

Here is the video dedicated to my lovely wife, capturing pictures and event from the last 10 years.

just another day at the park

When I got home from work today, I found all of the neighborhood kids playing together and Lynn had just finished snapping a few shots of them all. This is the typical crowd that plays daily at the park behind our house.

Winter in Hawaii

What a beautiful Hawaiian weekend we have had. Perfect temperatures and lots of sun.Friday started off with the state pretty much shutting down for predictions of high winds (30-60mph). Schools, state offices and most military members stayed home, however the high winds never produce and Hawaii escaped the wrath of mother nature

Yesterday Lynn and Amanda went to see "Hotel for Dogs" and loved it. A must see for all pet fans out there.

When the finished they walked over to the "as seen on TV" store and purchased two snuggie blankets, since it is winter in Hawaii.

This weekend as also been filled with helping a friend move from one house on base to another a few blocks away. He has done all the work except when it comes to the big stuff

He also discovered this very nice credenza from this Navy guy that is moving. This thing was very nice and verrrry heavy, but we were able to get it into his house

All in all a near perfect Hawaii weekend

Family day

Today was a nice day with the family enjoying each other's company. It all started off slow this morning as we waited for the heavy rain to pass. Once it past we decided it was a good morning for breakfast at Anna Miller's. We call Ben and he decided to join us for a muffin and coffee. We came home and completed a few chores and errands. Amanda thought he would be a good idea to go to the base pool so we changed clothes and loaded up the van to go to the pool for a little dip.

It was a very nice day at the pool, the water was a little cool but not too bad once you got used to it. The kids had no problem with the water temperature

After the pool we thought we haven't been to Ruby Tuesday's in forever and we were in the mood for a good salad bar. We got there just in time as it started getting busy.

We all had the salad bar and it was very fresh and tasty. As we left we heard Ben had just arrived to eat there as well

After dinner we walked down to Starbucks for a warm beverage to end the evening.

All in all a very nice day just chilling and enjoying each other's company.

Aloha Friday

What a beautiful Aloha Friday we had today. It all started off with a nice sunrise and very nice weather for the entire day. First thing this morning I had to go pick up copies of my medical records from Tripler medical center, this is where Jake and I both had operations awhile back. This is a massive place on top of the hill overlooking Oahu

Here is the view from Tripler looking toward Waikiki

Then at noon my work had their quarterly picnic and I brought the kids for a quick lunch. We left the picnic and decided to go to the windward mall for a round of glow in the dark mini golf. These guys love this place

picture of the indoor golfing facility

To top it off we had some good bbq chicken and homemade pasta salad.

Nice surprise (no-special occasion) dinner

Tonight Lynn and the kids planned a nice (no-special occasion) surprise dinner for me when I got home from work. It was a healthy manicotti, salad and fresh fruit. What a very nice surprise. Tasty manicotti

Jake's very own salad with a little help from Lynn

Jake making a fresh fruit bowl

Jake making homemade salad dressing

Today was also a big day for Jake, he decided to donate his Thomas train table set and trains to some less fortunate Hawaiian kids. A co-worker does a ton of community service and has a perfect home for this well taken care of train set and knows a bunch of kids that will really enjoy playing trains. Both of our kids or so thoughtful to those less fortunate. Way to go Jake!

Angels in bed

Every since Amanda is been on Christmas vacation these guys have been wanting to have a sleep over with each other, so last night we gave it a try.
They both went right to bed and was asleep in less than 20 mins. All was well till 0200 when Jake had a bad dream and Amanda came in to tell us. She quickly seized the opportunity to swap places with mommy. These guys really get along well with each other for being so young.

Hammerfest followed by invisible shield

I received my ZAGG's invisibleSHIELD™ for my blackberry bold today, it is a thin polyurethane film originally created for the military to protect the leading edge of helicopter blades. What's unique about this military-grade, patented film is how tough it is - it doesn't scratch. What makes ZAGG's exclusive invisibleSHIELD™ so strong, flexible and scratch-proof? Its Nano-Memory technology™. With this technology, it also allows it to curve and contour around an entire device (not just the screen) and adhere to the device unless you want to remove it (without leaving adhesive). Pretty cool stuff to hopefully prevent any scratches on my Bold
Today I was able to get in a lunchtime ride (seems like it's been forever since I rode at lunch). Great turnout of riders and it was nice to mix it up with the speedy guys for a short duration.

I will miss Hawaii weather that is for sure, it never changes 72-88 with a slight breeze

Homemade pizza (kids style)

This evening Lynn and Amanda decided they wanted to make homemade pizza (dough and all). Of course Jake and I had to get in on the fun and it turned out really good. The pizza on the left is Jake's and the one on the right is Amanda's. Both were very good. Amanda being photogenic evening while making a pizza

Jake and I with the "Shaka" signs after his pizza creation

Both of the kids being extra lovely to each other before we took them to toy-r-us to spend some of their Christmas money. They can be so cute together sometimes.

50 mile ride and New Year sales

This morning was a real treat to knock out a 50 mile ride. The weather was cloudy but there was no rain and the roads were dry. On the ride out we had a 20-25 mph tail wind that made the ride nice and fast. On the ride back we know had a head wind that made it a little more difficult and we were unable to maintain the same speed as we did going out. All in all it was a good ride. 51.5 miles, 3000 calories, 3 hrs 21 minutes.

I've also decided to try and sell my first road bike. This was an excellent bide to start with and now I've listed it on Craigslist to see I can find a new home that can enjoy it.

Also selling is a very nice child trailer. We used it about 6 times and there is no need for it where we are heading.

2009 will be the year of change

Now that we have thawed out from our Alaska trip, we are ready for 2009 (I think). This is going to be a big year of change so we are going to roll with it and make the best out of it. I only have 6 months till I retire from the military and 4 months before we move to Colorado Springs. Still working on lining up the job but it shows lots of potential for me to step into. Not sure how the fitness goals will pan out this year, but I've decided to get in what training I can and enjoy each and every minute I have to do something aerobic/anaerobic. Due to all the changes ahead in 2009, I will not be racing any this year (not that I was a threat) biking or running. I will try to maximize all my training efforts and minimize any injuries. I will also try to keep up with the blog as much as I can.

Wish everyone a safe and healthy 2009.