Family visit, birthday, and picture dump...

Hello Everyone!

It's been a while. Frankly I'm still too busy to post a full update but I had to write a little something about the birth of my Leilani.

To start out my family came to visit me all the way in Hawaii. It was the first time for all of them...and Popo's first time flying. My husband took us all to a luau the night before Leilani was born. Then they had to spend a couple of days at the hospital given that I had some problems. After that we hung out at the beach and spent a lot of time at the NEX (military shopping area).

My pregnancy was pretty difficult at the beginning and at the end. I should have known better than to let the hospital give me a Friday the 13th delivery date. But alas I am not very superstitious. I'll save you all the gory details but basically I hemorrhaged and I ended up having two slight blood transfusions and two balloon treatments. I was very close to having a hysterectomy. Luckily the bleeding got under control and after two days I was finally sent to a regular recovery room.  My little Leilani is perfect.

 

Here is a quicky picture dump from a March Hawaii tour. It was a super windy day, which made it super fun for the kiddos.

Too busy for a real update but here are some family pics.  Hawaii is lovely and we're adjusting relatively well.

Back to Hawaii and BIG news!!!

Hello my blog family!!!

It's been another long while since I've updated this thing.  My apologies.  Not sure this entry will be very enlightening but I do have a BOMBSHELL of a news to share.  Hold your horses...I'll get there.

Yours truly graduated from BOLC (officer training)!!!  My lovely family came to join me.  It was the sweetest thing to get saluted from my husband.  He said "enjoy this, for it is the first and only time I'll ever salute you". So cute!!  It was a hot, awkward day but my family made it bearable.  So, I'm officially Captain Rosalinda Reyes.  Holla!!!

SFC & CPT Reyes

After graduation I still had to complete a couple of weeks of the psychology track training.  The last few weeks of my officer training were much easier than my time in the field.  That was just awful, stinky, sweaty, and miserable.  Internally I was such a complainer.  I later learned that I didn't complain much out loud but in my head I was a high maintenance, prissy of a woman.  (smiling). Again, the last two weeks were easy enough...sat in a classroom listening to a certain instructor love the sound of his own voice.  Some of the material was useful...some.  Mostly I was ready to come back to Hawaii and get to work.  So fast forward a few weeks and voila, here I am back in the Aloha state of Hawaii.

5th Platton...Angry Birds!!! (Ca-Caw!!)

Black Hawk...excuse my tore up appearance.

Guys from my platoon...called them the Molestaches. They grew them out just for the field.

My internship doesn't officially begin until 1 October but we got a head start on online classes (computer safety and threats, etc) and other trainings.  There are two civilian interns that started in early September.  They seem very nice.  I look forward to getting to know them too.

Compliments of the civilian interns...

Tripler Army Medical Center

I have found a place to live on the Navy lodging.  Got a four bedroom duplex in Pearl City where my back yard basically leads into the bay, peninsula, or some sort of body of water.  (HAWAII!!!)  Most of the houses in Hawaii are very small...I was lucky to find a four bedroom anything.  So, we will get our household goods pretty soon!  I should have most of our things in their proper location by the time my family gets here next month...3 weeks to be exact!!!

My backyard...

That's about it, folks.  I have been separated from my family for a long summer and am ready to have them back.

So...while I was at training my husband came to visit me almost every weekend.  I am so blessed to have a great husband.  He came so often that guess what...

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!  Joey and I are expecting our first child together and our eighth as a merged family.  We are super excited and so very blessed.  Cannot wait to share about this new development as I begin to see docs.  :0 )

Baby Reyes...due April 19th!!!

With the family...8 weeks preggo!!

Hello strangers! I'm alive!!!

Hello er'body!!!  I know it's been a while but life has been really busy for me lately.  Not sure I can possibly catch up on all that has occurred since I left Texas and returned but here are a few snapshots.

Right before leaving to HI, my dad had a heart attack that resulted in triple bypass surgery.  Thanks to God and my dad's relatively young age he came out doing really well.  I was able to see he would heal just fine just in time for me to leave....

 

Left for Hawaii in June...leaving my babies was terribly hard on me but I knew I had left them in good hands.  My parents and my sister are the most helpful, loving people that things just naturally worked out. 

Right before leaving...

Right before leaving...

I was fortunate that Joey was able to take some leave and join me on my journey.  He stayed about three weeks with me while I in-processed and got things done.  He was a huge help since all this Army stuff is new to me.  If it hadn't been for him I would have missed out on certain things that made my life a little easier. While in Hawaii we stayed in the Hale Koa...where we stayed a night or two on our honeymoon.  It is lovely.  We had breakfast and dinner on the patio of the hotel restaurant, in front of a beautiful ocean view.  We also did some hiking and visited the beach...

Once I finally took my oath things on the work front moved a little quicker.  It took about three weeks to get all my in-processing stuff done.  I feel so proud to be serving my country, to wear a uniform that means I'm a member of such an outstanding group of people, and to be able to work in the field that I love.  Hooah!

Towards the end of my time in HI Joey had to leave...but I was only alone a couple of days before 1/2 of my best friends ended up in HI for work.  I was so glad to see Alice!!!  I hadn't seen her more than five minutes in years.  Unfortunately we were both there on business so we didn't exactly get a lot of time together but it was fun, nonetheless.

Dole Plantation...

Come mid July my new cohort and I jumped on a plane (literally...we got last minute orders and RAN to the gate) and headed to San Antonio.  Texas sun is no joke...a month in lovely Hawaii had me spoiled.  By the time we had arrived in San Antonio it was 3ish a.m. and we had to be up at 430.  So, I basically rested for an hour then took a shower to wake the hell up.  We basically sat in a huge auditorium listening to powerpoint after powerpoint.  DBPPT->DEATH BY POWER POINT.  Ay yay yay.  I don't remember much of those first couple of days since I was up for 36 hours straight.  At some point I finally had enough sleep and was alert enough to pay attention (sort of).

What 36 hours w/o sleep does to you...

Life here is basically PT (exercise) at 5 a.m. followed by classes from 8 until 430ish.  PT is not as hard as I had envisioned. ...that or I was successful at preparing myself.  On some days PT is awkward as they are transitioning PT to fit the new PT tests we're going to start taking in October.  On one morning we tumbled like little kids (made me dizzy), we high jumped (fancy for skipped), and had to carry a person on our backs.  My person was at least 80 pounds heavier than me...and I weigh a lot.  I did make weight though!  Holla!!!  I did relatively well on the diagnostic PT test.  Ran the two-mile in 18 flat (I am allotted 21 min), did 25 push-ups (minimum is 15), but only did 27 sit-ups (needed at least 42). So I have been taking the extra PT, an hour before regular PT, just for fun and to strengthen my core.  Official PT test is this Friday...wish me luck.

So things here are not so bad...week after next we'll spend three weeks in the field--no showers, sleeping in tents outside, sweating like dogs.  YAY!!!  Should be much more exciting than DBPPT.

Can't wait to get back to Hawaii....