Sunday, May 10, 2009

Maui, Day 3

Once again, Daniel and I put on our running shoes and started pounding the pavement. Okay, I put on my shoes, strapped him onto my front, and went for a walk. But it sounded more athletic the first time around, right? We had another great walk and the little man was voted Cutest Baby Around by everyone we came across.

Our plan for the day was to take a catamaran to snorkel Molokini in the afternoon. Molokini is what's left of an old volcanic crater that is mostly submerged. Now it's a very popular dive and snorkel location because of its awesome coral foundations and tropical fish. I've flown over it in the helicopter many times and always wanted to snorkel there. Alas, it was not meant to be......

Because Daniel and I spent our afternoon in the ER of Maui Memorial Hospital instead! About two weeks ago, we put shoes on him, just for fun and because he NEVER wears shoes. I guess the shoes were a little small or maybe his chubby feet just weren't used to being confined because he ended up with blisters on his left pinky toe and right middle toe. Somehow the blisters got infected and a big red spot started to grow on his left foot. Better safe than sorry (plus Zach kept thinking it was gangrene), so I had him checked out at the hospital. There was an infection, so the ER doctor sprayed some numbing stuff on his foot and sliced open the blister to drain it. The antibiotics have kicked in now and everything seems to be fine.



Layne did go snorkeling, however, and said it was a great time. She even got to see a shark, just a "little" four-foot long one. I wish I could have gone, but now I have a reason to go back to Maui!


For dinner that night, we hit Teppanyaki Dan (!), the Hibachi restaurant in the hotel. The Sheraton had a really cool promotion where guests can call the front desk, say, "I want to be green" and the maid service will be turned off the next day. In exchange, the hotel gives a $30 credit to one of the hotel restaurants. We only took advantage of the offer one night, but we could have done it each day we were there. Pretty cool offer! Anyway, Dan was very impressed with the knife skills of the chef, even though he did seem a little scared when he lit the onion volcano on fire. Dinner was delicious and the little man was kept entertained so I could actually eat!


The Dan in the Mirror:

Maui, Day 2

Daniel and I woke up early for our morning walk and it was great! When I was on maternity leave, we would walk every morning, with me carrying him in the front pack. When I went back to work, I really missed our morning strolls, so I'm glad that we can resume them now!

Later on in the day, we headed into Lahaina for some window shopping and lunch. When we got back to the hotel, we hit the pool. I'm a little paranoid about Daniel getting too much sun, so we waited until late afternoon to get in the water. I lather him up with 50 SPF sunscreen every time, but he's still getting some color, so I think he's just naturally got a bit of an olive undertone to his skin. But I swear that I'm not rubbing on the bronzing oil--he's just naturally a brown baby!

Daniel is becoming much more comfortable in the water, as you can see. He loves splashing around and putting his face in, mostly so he can drink the water like a puppy. I even dunked his whole head under and he didn't mind a bit. I can't wait to start him in swimming lessons!






The sunset was gorgeous and we had the perfect view from the beach in front of our hotel. The island of Molokai is off in the distance and it was definitely a romantic setting. Too bad Zach is thousands of miles away!



Friday, May 8, 2009

Maui, Day 1

Layne, Daniel, and I headed off to Maui on Monday for a few days of rest and relaxation. I was celebrating being done with work and I also wanted to give Layne the chance to have a little fun after spending the last few months taking care of the little man. So we packed our bags and hopped on a (30-minute) flight and it was time for vacation!

Even though Maui is just a short trip away, it really did seem like a different world compared to Oahu. It was a lot warmer and sunnier (especially compared to our house, right at the base of the mountains) and it was a lot less crowded and populated than here. We arrived in Kahului, picked up the rental car, and headed off to the Ka'anapali Coast, on the west side of the island, to the Sheraton. The location of the hotel was just perfect--it's the last one in a long line of hotels, so we had our stretch of the beach to ourselves. The pool was perfect and the grounds were beautiful. Every morning, Daniel and I would take a walk along the sidewalk that runs about a mile down from our hotel, separating the hotel properties from the beaches. If we ever get a chance to go back, I now have a good idea of which hotels have the best pools for kids (Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, in that order)!

On Monday, we spent the afternoon getting settled, unpacking a little, trying to get the little man to take a nap (unsuccessful for the most part), and splashing around in the pool.




For dinner, we headed into Lahaina to see what we could find. What a cute little town! It was a major whaling village in the 19th century, but the whalers didn't get along very well with the Christian missionaries, so the town also saw its share of violence. Lahaina was probably Hawaii's version of the Wild West, with gambling and drinking and shootouts, but now it's just a fun tourist destination.




Layne and I had a delicious dinner at the Lahaina Grill, where we discovered that they had a kama'aina (Hawaii resident) deal of half price entrees. Thank you, recession! Daniel did very well at dinner, as long as we kept him entertained. He even fell asleep as the entrees arrived, so Layne and I were able to really enjoy the fabulous food.

More of Maui to come.....

Monday, May 4, 2009

Last day in a uniform

Friday was my last day of work, so I had Layne take a couple of pictures for me. It's funny to compare them to what I looked like the first time I wore my summer whites, in August of 1996, for Plebe Summer Parents' Weekend. Man, was I skinny back then! (And I had a lot less ribbons--ha!)
1996:


2009:



Everyone keeps asking me how I feel, being done with the Navy. It's kind of hard to explain. I'm definitely happy to be moving on, because I was never one of those people who wanted to make the military a career. I do have some great memories and I don't regret for a second going to the Naval Academy, or choosing to be a pilot, or any of the other decisions along the way. I never would have met Zach if our paths had not crossed that fateful day in flight school, that's for sure!

The Navy sent this Kansas girl to 20+ countries that I would probably not have seen otherwise and I've made friends along the way that I'll never forget. So, no regrets there. But I also have no regrets about choosing to leave because I know it's the right time. If I chose to stay in, my career path would have taken me out to sea next, and I could never leave Daniel for months at a time. Some people can do it, and it's worth it to them, but not to me. Everyone has to make their own choices, and this is the best one for our family. I don't know if I have what it takes to be a stay-at-home mom because that's a challenging career (unpaid and unappreciated, most of the time) in itself.

I just feel very lucky that Zach and I have planned and prepared for this, so I can stay at home, for now, without having to worry about finding another job right away. In the future, probably, but not right away! I'm looking forward to a life of soap operas and leisurely afternoons on the couch, curled up with a good book. Oh, wait, that's not how life will be with an 8-month-old? Maybe it's not too late to get back into uniform...

Walking?

No, Daniel's not quite walking yet, but he is pulling himself up on the coffee table and inching himself along, one little baby step at a time. My grandma keeps telling me that we shouldn't let him stand up because he'll be bow-legged. Maybe that's advice from parenting books in the 1800s, when she was raising kids, but I'm not too worried about that now. (Only kidding, Grandma!) We do have to watch him like a hawk, though, because that table does have some sharp edges, but he seems to be pretty tough so far.

The Dan Man in action:

Friday, May 1, 2009

13 years later....

Well, this is it. Tomorrow is my last day of wearing a Navy uniform. I'm still technically in the Navy for two more months, but I'll be on leave so I don't have to go to work, so tomorrow is my real last day. I've definitely had some good memories but I'm ready to move on.

Here are some pictures from my first day at the Naval Academy, July 2nd, 1996.

Lauren, Layne, and my mom in the middle of a long, hot day:

Moving all my gear:

Right after the swearing in. This would be the last time I saw the family until Parents' Weekend at the end of August:



I'll have Layne take a few pictures of me tomorrow on my last day in uniform.....

Here comes trouble

Who knew an 8-month old could have a guilty face? Well, Daniel does. He's crawling for real now and he's started pulling himself up on pretty much everything--the coffee table, the windowseat, the side of the bathtub, the rocking chair. He even walked himself all along the edge of the coffee table and then managed to bridge the gap to the couch. Talented little buddy! I think I'm in big trouble here....



Trying to push every single thing off the table: