Mahalo

My husband began his military career as an infantry soldier in the Army. He was one, who many would deem "lucky", to be stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Although the island of Oahu is absolutely gorgeous, my husband's time on the island wasn't always a positive experience for him. He arrived on the island after he had just barely turned eighteen on Christmas Eve. He deployed from the island and returned there after spending fifteen months in Iraq. Needless to say, his view of Hawaii is probably a lot different than many world travelers or dreamy vacationers.
My view of the island however, is completely different. I had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time on the island with my husband before the move was made back to the mainland. I absolutely fell in love it. The weather is perfect. The island way of life is wonderfully relaxed. The terrain is absolutely stunning. The beaches of course are unreal, but my favorite part of the island is the mountains. I never got tired of waking up and looking at those beautiful, lush, green mountains that are a part of the island. And I loved seeing, almost everyday, why Hawaii is known as the rainbow state. Everyday, I saw just how incredibly amazing and beautiful God's creation is and I loved every second of it. I miss it, terribly. Since my husband now drives boats for the Army, our options are somewhat limited to where we are able to be stationed, however Hawaii is one of those options. My dream is that one day we will be stationed there again. My husband isn't quite as thrilled about the idea since his past on the island doesn't always hold great memories, but he is open to the idea and understands that things would be much different the second time around. Sometimes my desire to live on the island again is strong that its almost painful. Yes, I understand that may sound corny or lame, but I don't know how else to describe it. Today or maybe this whole week (actually month), was one of those times when I just couldn't get the island, and the friends that we've made there, off of my mind. So below, I've used pictures to show you just how incredible my time on the island was and why I fell in love with it:

Beautiful scenery and awesome hiking trails! This trail is called Kole Kole Pass located on base at Schofield Barracks

More from Kole Kole Pass

Beautiful Sunsets and Sunrises

Street Performers on the Waikiki Strip

Chinaman's Hat- I was dying to see this! 

You bet I had to get some riding in on the island!

Watching storms roll in

The traditional island garb

Vacation Bible School

The views from Makakilo

I'm a HUGE fan of LOST, so I loved visiting all the LOST filming locations. This is where "the others" lived!

Fourth of July festivities at Schofield

One of our favorite places to go to: Ko Olina

Ever since I was little, I've wanted to go to Pearl Harbor. I never thought I would ever have the opportunity, so the day we were able to visit meant a lot to me. It was an incredible, sobering experience.

This place ranks up there in the top three places I loved about the island: snorkeling at Hanauma Bay!

I had the opportunity to be a counselor for our church's summer camp. I loved my girls!

I was able to witness my roommate's gorgeous wedding!

No words needed

the island at night

Rock jumping on the North Shore with the locals (yes thats me jumping! So fun!)

There is so much more that I wish I would have taken pictures of: spam musabi, sticky rice, shaved ice, the locals, surfing, outdoor malls, movie scenes, outings with friends, downtown Waikiki, Luaus, coffee farms, pineapples (which taste unreal by the way), learning to hula, the beautiful language, I could go on and on...

Living in Hawaii again is one of the deep desires of my hearts. It is something that I pray about very often. The Bible says in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". Now, obviously this verse does not mean that God is going to grant me every single desire that I have. Sometimes His answer is "no" and sometimes it is "wait". But I do know that God wants us to talk and communicate with Him through prayer. He wants to know our desires just as much as He wants to know our needs. I just need to remember that He has a perfect plan for me. One day, it may be allowing us to live on Hawaii once more or His will may be that I never set foot on that island again. Whatever His will may be, I find comfort in His words from Jeremiah 29:11, " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "


Mahalo Hawai'i for the wonderful memories. Maybe, one day, I'll see you again.

I Salute You

If you want to see me get emotional throw any type of patriotic song, video clip, or picture at me. I'll lose it. This country, and all the freedom that it stands for, means so much to me and my family. So much, that the majority of my family (both immediate and extended) have taken on the responsibility of defending it. Today is Armed Forces Day and I wanted to take the time to recognize and thank the members of my family who have served or continue to serve in our military:

                                            

                                                               My Dad- served in the United States Marine Corps.

                                                         

My brother-in-law, Brad, currently serves in the United States Navy

My older brother, Matt, served in the United States Marine Corps then, transferred to the Army. He currently in seminary studying to become and Army Chaplain.

                                         

My sister-in-law, Christel, served in the United States Marine Corps

My brother-in-law, Jason (left) continues to serve in the Army Reserve. My husband is next (but I'll get to him later ;-), my father-in-law served in the United States Army, my brother-in-law, Bill, served in the United States Army, and then Joe's brother-in-law (my brother-in-law-in-law?) Scot, served in the United Stated Army as well.

Finally, my husband (right), Joe Duffey. This picture was taken after he finished jump school. He joined the Army at 17 years old and continues to serve. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. I love how selfless he is in our relationship, and just in life in general. He has given up time with his family and friends to serve our country. 

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He has completed a tour in Iraq (where he met an Olympic Gold Medalist and got to wear the medal!) and is gearing up for his second tour to Kuwait in October.

I am just so proud of my soldier!


I can't even touch on all of the extended relatives and friends who are serving in our military. I am so proud of all of them and so grateful for all the sacrifices that they have made and continue to make. On this Armed Forces Day, I also want to take the time to thank all of the men and women who are serving. I support you, appreciate you, and thank you for all of the sacrifices you make on a daily basis. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are currently serving overseas and for their families that they have left behind. I especially think of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for me and for this country that I love so dearly. Thank you.
Today, I salute you for all that you've done.

Puerto Rico, Prom and a Policeman

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you have experienced every emotion possible in only a 24 hour period? If your a guy, probably not and you have probably already checked out of this post thinking its going to be some crazy woman venting her feelings to the world. And your right...


Yesterday morning, I said goodbye to my husband. For the next month, he will be making several trips from Puerto Rico to Cape Canaveral to transport some cargo. This is also his qualifying mission before he deploys (for the second time) in October. 

Some of the cargo on board

He's a hard worker, and a great soldier. I'm so proud of him!

After spending four years in the Army as an infantryman, Joe changed his MOS and now drives boats for the Army. This is his bed for the next month! 

People always ask how I'm doing on the day when I see Joe off for his missions, trainings or deployments. On the first day, I'm fine. Its just like he is going to work for the day or maybe the weekend, but I feel like I'll see him in a few days. Now, when day four or five rolls around, it starts to hit me a little bit harder that he isn't going to be coming home for a little while, and those days get tough. Day six and seven, I pretty much keep to myself and deal with my random break downs. Day eight, I settle back into my routine of "single" living and wait, as patiently as I can, for his phone calls. On this mission, phone calls will be minimal. Its tough, but it makes those times that I do get to talk to him so special. If all goes smoothly, I should be hearing from him sometime on Thursday. My phone will not leave my hands that day at all! 


In order to keep my mind off of the fact that my husband will be gone for a little while, I try to keep myself very, very busy! I am a middle school English teacher at Lakeside Christian School, and when the junior class "advisor" asked me to help her out with prom this year, I jumped on board! I love decorating and planning events, and when she told me that the theme was "Rustic Romance", I was beyond thrilled. That theme is just right up my country alley! We found an old feedstore at The Largo Cultural Center that had been renovated for events which fit the idea of "Rustic Romance" perfectly. Below are some pictures from Prom 2012!: 

we used mason jars with tea lights, burlap, pearls, and barbed wire ( don't worry it wasn't real) as table center pieces 

Our chalkboard sign for the candy bar

It was a dessert only prom. The kids LOVED the candy bar! 

We also had a chocolate fountain with plenty of sides to dip in the chocolate!

Some even "roasted" marshmallows over the tea lights! 

beautiful ceiling and floors! 

The dance floor

We lined the porch with TONS of mason jars and tea lights

We hung bunting made from doilies and twine as well as the paper laterns

The dessert table

Prom Committee! Of course, I HAD to wear a pair of boots! 

Even us chaperones had to get some dancing in! 

All the hard work and planning  paid off. The night went so smoothly, and the students really seemed to have had a good time. While I had a great time chaperoning, my mind was elsewhere most of the time. Watching all the other chaperones slow dance with their husbands made me miss mine. One of my fellow colleagues even bought his wife a corsage and they danced the night away! They were so cute to watch, but again, it made me wish that Joe could have been there with me. He, however, was absolutely thrilled that his mission just so happened to be during the same time as prom! Dancing isn't really his thing :-) 


I forgot how late prom goes, and when you have to tear down all the decorations afterwards as well, it makes for a late night! I was definitely running on fumes from all the sugar that I had that night while I was driving home. I hadn't been on the road five minutes when I noticed that a car was following me very closely. I checked my rearview mirror several times and then those blue and red lights went off. As I was pulling over, I was trying to figure out what law I had just broken. I knew that I hadn't been speeding because my trunk and backseat was backed full of prom decor and food, and I didn't want it spilling all over my brand new car. As the cop was approaching my window, it hit me. It was past midnight, pitch black outside, and I didn't have my lights on. You see, in my old car, the lights turned on and off automatically so I never had to think about turning my lights on. And in my new car, the inside of the car lights up automatically, but you have to turn the outside lights on. Sure enough, the cop questioned me as to why I was driving without my lights on. I explained my situation, but the whole time I was wondering how many times he had heard the same excuse. He went through the whole cop routine: taking my license, asking if I had been drinking, telling me to update my address on my license (I don't bother to explain we were military), and he eventually let me off with a warning; for that, I am SO thankful!


Puerto Rico, Prom, and a Policeman. That was my day yesterday. A lot of events, a lot of emotions, a lot of craziness. So what was the point of this completely long, random post? Well, I think this one was more for just Joe and myself. When he calls on Thursday, he's going to want to know everything that he has missed at home. He needs to feel, as much as possible, that he isn't missing out on anything. Its my job, as his wife, to make sure that he knows that even though he isn't here, he is still very much a part of my life and is always in my thoughts and prayers. So, today I have recorded yesterday's events (which I will continue to do) so that I can tell him all about it tomorrow