Space A: Hickam Edition

We finally got out of California on a flight to Hickam...we just knew it would be easy to get from Hickam to Kadena...more on that later.  The flight was empty.  (Apparently everyone gave up and decided to purchase tickets home to Honolulu.  No one seemed to be going any farther than Guam and CERTAINLY not all the way to Japan.)  We were met at the Hickam Terminal by our future sponsors (when we finally move there), the Graham's, who let us crash at their house for "just a day or two at the most".  They took us to the main drag of Waikiki for dinner.  More to come on the "vacation in Hawaii".

Taris on the C17 to Hickam

Space A: Travis Edition

We started this Space A adventure to go see our friends, the Marshall's, in Okinawa, Japan.  Taris and I decided that we should try flying Space A out of Travis AFB, CA.  It always has plenty of flights out to Kadena (Okinawa, Japan).  We flew into Sacramento on Monday morning and rented a car to drive the 45 minutes to Travis.  We just knew that we would make it out on the first flight.  Boy were we wrong!  We ended up getting bumped off of the flight.  We were stuck in California for four days.  (In those four days we got to see the area and catch up with some old friends...more on that later.)  We got out on a flight to Hickam AFB, HI just knowing that we would catch the tons of flights that head from there to Kadena...stay tuned for our adventure in Hawaii.

Fairfield, CA

Fairfield, CA is the home of Jelly Belly jelly beans and a Budweiser factory....among other things.  It is also the home of Travis AFB.  We had plenty of time to check the place out.

Up first, the Jelly Belly factory.  We enjoyed a great tour, the sample bar, and of course photo opportunities!

Next, the Budweiser factory.  I didn't take hardly any pictures at the factory.  It was a lot of fun (even for someone who doesn't drink beer).  Trust me, if you ever have the chance to stop in at a factory for a tour (there are several across the country) I recommend it.

Stay tuned for miniature golf, Napa Valley, and busting out of here.

Touring Napa Valley and Wine Country

Since we had some time to kill in California, we decided to head to Wine Country for the day.  We had lunch and toured a little in Suisun Valley, then headed to Napa.  It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day and a great place to go back to visit.  I told Taris that next time we would have to do the Napa Wine train tour!  The one thing that I didn't seem to get a picture of was the cupcakery that we went to...Sift.  They won Cupcake Wars on Food Network.  They were tasty and it was neat to go somewhere that was famous.



lunch eatery




sign at Mankas Corner



where we tasted and purchased our wine



the crazy protesters...oh California





they had some great art all over the downtown area



Southwest Airlines

My friend, Kathleen, is a pro when it comes to the Space A adventures.  She has been giving me the ins and outs of how to get around in the system.  One of the best tips was the military rate offered by Southwest Airlines.  They offer a military rate that only has to be bought 24 hrs. in advance...which is what you need if you are trying to fly Space A.  I have never really flown Southwest that much (they don't have a hub in Pensacola), but if you can get to a hub it is the way to go.  They are so easy to deal with and it is a great option when you need a last minute ticket!  If only they flew to Hawaii.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kendall!

Over the weekend, we drove to Dallas to help celebrate my niece, Kendall's, second birthday.  It was at a park this year and had a garden theme.  It was a lot of fun.  I created the birthday invites, along with the cupcake picks, cupcake wrappers, thank you notes, and thanks for coming tags.  Lots of pictures were taken...I will try not to bore you with them all.  Here is a sampling of some of my favorites.



Ashley, Kendall, and Alexis




Kendall and Gramms (my mom)





She LOVED the pinata




Her other favorite thing was letting
the balloons fly into the sky



Guess Who is Home!!

Taris got back from his one year remote today, and I couldn't be happier.  He has actually been away from the house since January 2010.  This was by no means our first rodeo in the deployment world...more like number six...but it was certainly the longest.  Now that he is home we will be starting that fun and painful journey of PCSing, but I can't complain about our destination.  I don't have a lot of pictures from him coming home, but here are the few that we have.



Some of the welcoming party



My only picture of meeting...with both of us in it