Paul's Home!

Yesterday I had the distinct honor to accompany my friend Mary Abigail to her husband's homecoming. It was so sweet. We got to the submarine pier at Pearl Harbor at about 5PM, and waited for the sub to pull into the harbor and dock itself at the pier. That process alone takes forever, but the Navy MWR (Moral, Welfare, and Recreation Department) had icecream cake, sub sandwiches (Oh, the dry humor of the Navy...), cheerleaders, small U.S. flags, and a band! What a showing! Of course, they do all of this to keep the families entertained while they are waiting for the real show: the submarine.

Once the ship was docked, one lady goes up to the plank to receive the "First Kiss". Her husband/boyfriend is the first to get off of the boat which, as you might imagine, is a very big deal. (She has won this honor through a raffle held by the boat's "wives' group" I say "wives" because there are only men on the boat. One of the last bastions of institutionalized maleness in our world.) After that, the rest of the guys get off the boat, including Paul, who looked great. I was so happy to be the official photographer for the event, and I'd like to think I did a pretty good job.

Here's what didn't happen: announcements. For anyone that has ever been around the military, you know that at times like these, people like to talk about how momentous the occasion is, or how successful the deployment was, or something. They do not do that in the Coast Guard, but I always thought that is because their deployments are so short. There is no shortage of pomp or circumstance in other areas of Coast Guard life.

So, yesterday, I was fully expecting to hear some words spoken by the captain of the boat, or at least something NBA-esque like, "And now, serving as the operations officer for USS Chicago, Lieutenant Paul Reinhardt!!!!!" At which point, we would all scream, wave our U.S. flags, and Mary Abigail would go running down the red carpet to greet him. No such luck. It's probably just as well because I might have gotten so into the event that I would have forgotten to take pictures...

Welcome Home, PAUL!

Disaster Kit

This weekend, Jeff and I started a tradition. We put together our first Family Disaster Kit, in accordance with American Red Cross recommendations. (See the photo above.) Given that we are entering hurricane season, I thought it important to spend a few minutes putting together the food, water, and supplies we might need in the first few days after a large disaster.

Jeff was skeptical as to why we needed to do this at all, but after a few hours of convincing, he was on board. So we headed to the exchange (the military term for Walmart) with the "Preparing for Disaster" brochure put out by the Red Cross. Secretly, I just couldn't do another presentation on why people need to have disaster kit without having one myself. I'm always terrified that someone is going to ask me, "Do you have a kit? What's in it?"

The biggest problem with the kit was that Jeff wants to re-think the whole disaster-preparedness thing, while I am content to follow the list provided by a rather reputable organization on the subject. Either way, we came up with some good additions: sunscreen, playing cards, and tequila. (If I'm going to be stressed, I'm going to need a way to relax!)

Many people donate the food from their kit at the end of the year so that it feeds people in the community and doesn't spoil - you can plan your annual kit maintenance around the Letter Carriers' Food Drive, for example. Jeff came up with a better idea: next Memorial Day weekend, we are going to live off of our kit for the three-day weekend. Jeff is convinced that this will not allow the food to go to waste, plus we'll have a better idea of whether we have planned well. (We'll know if there is too much tequila, or not enough.) Though I must admit that I am not looking forward to consuming only canned foods and bottled water, I am willing to participate in the project. (If you live in Hawaii, please invite us over for dinner next Memorial Day weekend. Please.)

The second part of the deal is preparing a Family Disaster Plan. A plan should include a meeting place outside your home (the park across the street), an alternate meeting place (the 24 hour bakery down the street), and an out-of-town contact (our moms). Much of this planning is frustrated by the fact that Jeff and I have no idea whether we will be able to be together in the event of a hurricane. I will be working at the Red Cross headquarters, but he will likely be flying planes to a safe location, which means that I will be here by myself, which will make the tequila all the more important.

So, we're prepared - at least as much as we can be for something as catastrophic as a hurricane. Hawaii is threatened by more natural disasters (volcano, blizzard, flood, hurricane, earthquake, tsunami) than any other part of the U.S. Plus, we're isolated, so there's no getting away from things before, when, or after they occur. That's the nature of living on an island.

For more information about how to prepare you own family, go to www.redcross.org.

Sunday Morning

It's a rainy Sunday morning here in Honolulu, which is a welcome relief from the heat of the last couple of days. Unless you've been here, you just cannot imagine this type of heat. I grew up in hot, humid conditions, but I have never felt sunlight burning my skin in seconds as I have here. It can be a bit ridiculous.

This week, my good friend Taylor Hicks won American Idol. Okay, he's not a good friend, but doesn't he seem like he could be? I think that's why he won - he's just a good guy that everyone can relate to. Who hasn't made a fool of themselves at a big party with a silly dance move that just came out of nowhere? I know I have. I am just so pleased that someone has turned that awkwardness into applause. Every talented, yet ostracized kid in the country should be grateful for the path forged this season by Mr. Hicks. Perhaps they, too, will one day get their shot at stardom.

Speaking of big endings, my friend Mary Abigail's husband Paul is returning in a couple of days from his 6 MONTH deployment on a Navy submarine! I am so excited for her, and impressed, that she is able to keep it together while he's gone. Her job, dog, and friends have all kept her occupied during his absence, but there's no replacing a mate. She was able to go to both Guam and Hong Kong to see him for a few days during the deployment (Her shots of Hong Kong were awesome!) and they could talk on the phone and email occasionally, too. I guess I'm just so lucky to have Jeff with me as often as I do, and so thankful that Paul does the work that he does to keep us safe, and happy that Mary Abigail has remained by friend even when I complain about my husband working so much. What's more, there are thousands of spouses around the country who make sacrifices like these to be with the ones they love, if only for a few days at a time, including those whose spouses work two jobs, drive trucks, etc. Isn't it amazing what we will do for love?

Baby Blanket

Two weeks ago, a good friend of mine became a father. Wade and Mary Cox had their first baby, Westbrook Austin, in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I found out Wade was going to be a daddy, I knew I had to do something very special for the little one, but I was without inspiration. My friend Mary Abigail is quite the knitter and one day I decided that I would learn to knit and whip out a baby blanket. No problem.

Little did I know the time and dedication is takes to knit anything, let alone something big enough to cover yourself up with! In fact, I think this is why babies take 9 months to pop out. I think it used to take about that long for mothers to knit something to catch them in... Still, it was a labor of love, and I am so proud to have produced something for the little one.

My favorite part of the pregnancy was, without a doubt, the awesome blog that Mary updates often with her experiences as an expectant mother. She is hilarious and strong and daily inspires me with the belief that real women work and have babies and find time in this hectic world to do what makes them truly happy. If you're interested in her blog, send me an email and I'll send you the address!

I'm just so excited about the blanket, but I am admittedly having separation anxiety. I've spent hours each day for the past few months knitting this blanket, unknitting it to fix a mistake, and knitting again, so I grew quite attached to it. I think my next project will be something that Jeff and I can keep, but I won't be starting that for a while! Best wishes, Westbrook!

Mirror, Mirror...

...on the wall, who is the buffest of them all? It's Sarah!

So, last night I went for my first trip to the gym in ages. I met Jeff, Navy personal trainer, who was AWESOME because in the first 5 minutes he told me that I am in great shape but that I don't eat ENOUGH. What?! I love this guy. Of course, I also found out that my body fat is 25%, which almost left me speechless, until he said that that's normal. How can it be that 25% of my body is FAT! Anyway, we knew it was time to focus: lifting weights builds muscle, which burns more energy than fat, which means that I can drink more glasses of wine without guilt! (He actually said that. He was a VERY good judge of character!)

First we did the bench press, with only the bar (45 pounds) and I almost dropped the thing on my face! I'm really going to have to work on that one. Then we did another chest exercise, then a back exercise, then we were on the rower - one of my favorites. We moved on to legs, which I thought would be sooooo easy, 'cause I've been walking. Then he says, "You should always start out with your weight or more." I won't bother telling you all how much that is - suffice it to say that it was NOT easy. Plus, all of this weight was above me, so I was super-scared that my legs would fail and the whole thing would smoosh me into a pancake. That fear worked in my favor, though, and I did even more reps than I had to!

After that, we moved on to arms and shoulders, which I really felt we had already covered with the whole chest and back exercises, but apparently there's a reason that I am not a personal trainer. My favorite part of this set was the HUGE guy to my right who was doing the same exercises with about 10,000 lb weights, while I was trucking along with my 5 lb dumbbells. I did soooo many more reps than that guy. Sucker.

Overall, I felt the night was a success, and I was home in time to see the American Idol results! I didn't really care who got kicked off as long as Taylor made it to the finals. I always tell myself that I'll vote for the Alabamian if they make it to the finals, but once they make it to the finals, I feel like they have already gotten so much press that they don't need to win. I know, I know, it's horrible, but I just can't bring myself to vote for a television show. Maybe next week I'll get over it...!

Big Island, Hawaii

What a weekend! I had to go to the Big Island on Friday for a meeting that night in Kona and on Saturday morning in Hilo. Jeff flew in to Hilo to meet me late Friday night and attended the Saturday morning meeting to learn all about the new way we will be providing Red Cross services in Hawaii - riveting, I'm sure. He asked a couple of great questions and I was very happy to have him there.

By noon we were in our rented 2005 Mustang convertible on the road to Black Sands Beach near the southern-most point in the US! It was great to feel the wind, cool because of the increasing elevation, and sing my heart out to the radio. The beach itself is very cool and was a great preview to the evening's trek to the lava fields of the Kilauea volcano!

Because of time constraints and lack of flashlights, we only saw the lava flows during the early afternoon and twilight. Besides, the whole thing is super-scary! Lots of signs saying that you will die unexpectedly or suffocate due to the volcanic plume that is constantly rising from the point where the lava flows into the sea. Still, we felt it was important to at least see it, since we don't plan on getting near any active volcanoes in the future!

Our favorite part of the trip was the Volcano House hotel. Our room was nothing fancy, though the cost was considerable, but the view from the hotel is unreal. The Volcano House is oldest continuously operating hotel in the country, and the only one that I know of that is situated on the side of a volcanic crater! On Saturday night, we treated ourselves to the best dinner we've had in months at the Volcano House restaurant. Filet mingon, shrimp, and scallops - YUM! We also spent a few hours in front of the fireplace - a REAL fireplace with REAL wood and REAL rocking chairs in front. They say the fire has been burning continuously for over 70 years...

Everything went great the whole weekend, lots of relaxing and being good to myself. Then I flew home in the very last seat on the plane, in the window seat without a window, on one of the windiest days of the year! Blaugh! (I will not try to make Jeff feel badly by mentioning that he was in first class, through no fault of his own. That would be petty and I'm not petty.) Overall, it was a much-needed break from the home-work-home cycle. And I would recommend a trip to the Big Island to anyone - Dad???

Jeff's Home!

So, last night I'm sitting on the couch knitting and watching the American Idol results show (which I will comment on in a moment) and I hear heavy, man footsteps on the side porch! Of course, I am paralyzed with fear and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get to the phone and call the police without the bad man hearing me. And then I hear the bad man fooling with the door knob! At this point, I am still sitting on the couch (because it all happened so quickly that I was still trying to figure out if I should take my knitting with me when I was running out of the front door. By this time, I had decided not to make a 911 call but simply to leave the house and run into the street screaming, but I didn't want to leave the 40+ hours of work I affectionately call my first knitting project...) As I'm thinking through the best course of action - and still not moving a muscle - I hear "Hello..." It's JEFF! Jeff's home! One day earlier than expected! And with a mustache! And a beautiful present for me, a painting, and a big hug and kiss! It was so nice to see him. He said that he didn't let me know that he was taking the early flight so that I didn't clean the house or make a fuss. As if I ever do that sort of thing! (I was very embarrassed that evidence of my dinner, which consisted solely of tortilla chips and various dips was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Oh well!) I'm so glad he's home. The last two weeks have been hectic and it's nice to have my support system back in country. Kudos to Mary Abigail for teaching me to knit, which kept me occupied for untold hours in the past couple of weeks, and for being my biggest blog fan! Jeff hasn't even seen the blog yet, so I hope he likes reading his first post...

On American Idol: TAYLOR IS AWESOME! I loved the Elvis theme, and I thought it was perfect for Taylor's voice. I was disappointed that Chris was kicked off because I think he's a better singer than the girl, but I just don't think people in his genre are as likely to vote. I'm not worried about him, though. He's on his way. I'm going to bite ALL of my finger nails off next Wednesday waiting for the results!

David Blaine "Drowned Alive"

This is a little late, but I just have to blog this: Did you watch the David Blaine "Drowned Alive" special on ABC? I had absolutely no intention of watching it, and I should have followed through on that, but there I was on Monday night, knitting and watching the preparations for this horribel stunt. In case you missed it: David Blaine is a magician who pulls off these intense feats like being buried alive without food for a week or standing up inside a block of ice for five days, not to mention the more traditional magic stuff that he does. So, this time, he lived in a water-filled bubble in Lincolcn Center for a week. THEN, on Monday, he tries to break the breath-holding record (WHILE STILL INSIDE THE BUBBLE!) while freeing himself from 150 pounds of chains and 8 sets of handcuffs. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? Have we gotten to the point in this country that we cannot just settle for being a little bit better than the last guy? We must absolutely obliterate the other guy's record! As they were getting the audience (myself included) primed for the spectacle, they showed video of a professional diver trying to free dive for 8 minutes and she DIED! Is this good for me to watch? No. Am I still watching? Yes. So, I changed the channel immediately because I do not need to watch such things while I'm home alone and Jeff is on deployment flying over the Pacific Ocean everyday. But, with every commerical, I would hit "Channel Return" just to see what was happening in the bubble. It was like a car wreck that I just couldn't pull myself away from! I was rewarded by seeing the last minute of his struggle to free himself AND hold his breath. At 7 minutes he was turning blue, shaking, and struggling with the chains. AHHH! He'll never make it. And he didn't. Right then, he let out a big set of bubbles and the guy in charge of the whole thing says, "Go, go, go!" to the two divers who are poised to rush in to save him. Now comes the interesting part... the first diver jumps in and puts her hand over David's mouth and nose so that he doesn't breathe in any water. The other diver goes down to unlock the rest of the chains, which takes him about 20 seconds. That's 20 seconds of brain damage people! (Arguably David Blaine is already brain damaged after attempting so many of these stunts - and then wanting to do it again!) I just couldn't believe there wasn't a quick release lever on those things. And shouldn't they have gotten another magician to do that part? I mean, who would do it faster: a professional swimmer or a professional escape artist???

In the end, he survives - I think. I couldn't find anything on the internet about how he's doing now. Oh well. Needless to say, I survived, but with some pretty considerable, self-induced freaking out. But I got a LOT of knitting done!

Grossed Out!

You won't believe what I just found in my yard! How is it that I can raise thousands of worms to eat my trash, but one look at this guy and I was totally grossed out?! I was pruning my hibiscus plants in the rain, because of an infestation of mites (another story for another time, but suffice it to say that I am not happy!) and I see this thing I think is a slug by my foot. Now, I am vigilant about slugs, and I usually spear them with a twig or something before throwing them in the trash, but this was different. It just kept going and going and going - almost 8 inches! (I immediately grabbed a plastic jar and captured it least it get away before I have time to check it out sufficiently.) I came inside (after the obligatory call to my friend Mary Abigail to recount how grossed out I was) and searched on the internet for a while before finally finding this picture. This is a Shovel-headed Flatworm (Bipalium Kewense), commonly found in humid, rainy places - which my yard is - and are predators of slugs and earthworms - which is great by me because slugs and earthworms eat my plants. Here are the two grossest things that I learned about this animal: 1) Its mouth serves both as a mouth and an anus. Yuck! 2) In times of extreme hunger, it will digest its own reproductive organs and eat them. Double yuck! If you would like to read more about this lovely animal, you can go to http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/shovelworm.htm. In the meantime, I haven't decided whether or not to keep the little guy until Jeff gets back from deployment in a few days or not. Thoughts?