NCO Academy Graduation

Our close family friend, Keith, graduated from the NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) Academy last night, and I was so fortunate to be there and share in the celebration. Having gone through this type of training myself (when I was pregnant with Isa, no less) I cannot begin to tell you how much hard work and effort it takes to successfully navigate that course. The support of your loved ones is a must - and I think he felt the love from all of us as we cheered him on! Check out the graduate below:

TSgt Keith Townes and his beautiful wife Reshon

And of course, you can't forget the members of his cheerleading squad:

On another note, please keep Isaiah in your prayers. He injured himself yesterday morning, and was in such severe pain that he was unable to attend the ceremony. Being that Keith is his best friend, he was devastated that he could not be there to watch him graduate. Poor Isaiah is currently sporting a neck brace (definitely not comfortable) and trapped at home with me for the next several days...on second thought, pray for me too! (just kidding....sort of)

Folding Laundry

Living with 3 men has practically guaranteed that my laundry hamper is a bottomless pit of clothes - gym clothes, basketball clothes, football clothes, you name it, it's in there. Some days I feel like my life revolves around washing and drying and folding...but fortunately my Isabella has decided that she would like to pull her weight in the household and help her Mommy out! She started off pretty well...

...until she found her paño (blanky)...

...and decided that she would rather lay in the basket!

But she had fun, apparently! I will train her better in time!

Pro Bowl 2008

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Johnny and his football team had the privilege of going to the Pro Bowl which took place here in Hawaii on February 10th. They participated in the Pre-Game Show, and got some awesome seats to watch the game here at the Aloha Stadium. We were rooting for the NFC, so Johnny and his team were thrilled when they took home the victory!

The Hickam Tigers (Johnny is in the middle)

The team carrying the AFC Banner

The Half-Time Show

My Day of Flying

Yesterday was a blast - thanks to the guys at the 535th Airlift Squadron, I spent my day flying on a C-17 around the islands of Hawaii. We flew around Oahu (our island), Molokai, Kauai, Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island, of course. I have never had the opportunity to see them with my own two eyes from such a low level while flying...very cool! You could see everything from the whales swimming in the ocean to the lava flow on the Big Island. Here are some island pics taken from the flight deck:

My friends and I being goofy...don't my neon earplugs rock?

Here is my girl Denise displaying the virtues of the "Motion Sickness Bag" for the PAX:

And then of course you have me, who was just happy to be on a flight and not worry about taking care of patients!

Don't I look thrilled? Ha ha....

But all good things must come to an end.....

Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice sit-down lunch from Bucca di Beppo's...mmmmmm..... trust me, it's a GREAT change of pace from the standard military box lunch!

Family Geneology Project

As some of you may already know, my father Ramon began an interesting project while in recovery from his most recent surgery. He has undertaken an extensive family geneology project involving a great deal of research, data input, and sorting through old photos and documents. The amount of information he has already managed to unearth is incredible. So far, there are over 500 individuals listed and over 100 families connected through our family tree!

I, for one, am intrigued by the various ties that bind us all together - we are such a diverse mix of cultures, languages, and unique backgrounds. It fills my heart with pride when I think of our respective accomplishments and the various ways in which we are all connected. Many people - myself included - identify strongly with their backgrounds; it becomes a major part of who you are, and often, who you become. I definitely look forward to the prospect of being able to share our family history with my own children.

Because we are all constantly growing, embarking on new professions, and traveling/relocating throughout the country, it can be very difficult to track down each person on an individual basis. And being that nobody knows our immediate families as well as ourselves, it would help my father tremendously if anybody interested in this project would contact him. He would love to hear from you! His contact information is below:

Email address for Ramon A. Colon-Latorre: doncolon@comcast.net

I Have Entered the Realm of Temper Tantrums

Yup, it's been one of those weeks. While Amir and Johnny have been well-behaved, Isabella has discovered the beginnings of that disturbing phenomenon known as "the temper tantrum." This is entirely foreign territory for me, as I truly do not recall experiencing that with the boys. In all fairness, that is probably because I was working and they went to daycare during those years - so the likelihood is that their daycare provider got to handle those. But this child of mine - bless her independent little heart - has decided that she wants to act a fool when she doesn't get her way. Falling out on the floor, legs scissor-kicking in the air, you name it...all while howling like a banshee. I have never been so frustrated in my life! Isn't that supposed to happen when they turn two? Fellow mothers of the world, feel free to send me your advice...needless to say, I will be SO glad to have Isaiah home from Thailand this week!

Other than that, we are doing fine. Amir's basketball game was a success, with a final score of 24-18. Johnny is his usual happy-go-lucky self, going about his business without a care in the world. And I am counting down until next weekend, because one of my very close friends is coming out to visit. We met in the military and have been tight ever since. I am definitely looking forward to getting to hit the beach and the stores with her - we always have a blast together!