Allegiant Flight Attendant

I got to cross off one of the things on my bucket list!
Every time I was on a plane, I wanted to be a flight attendant and do the demo and serve drinks and fly for free!  So I applied, passed ALL of the interviews and got hired as a FLIGHT ATTENDANT!  I spent six weeks in Las Vegas going to flight attendant school and passed!

 

Luau at Paradise Cove

Luau at Paradise Cove
(only the best luau on the WHOLE, ENTIRE island)This might be our next Christmas card!

SgtMaj Kellogg (USMC, Ret.) is a Commemorative Medal of Honor Recipient...
and I work at the VA with him!

My Wedding!

on the beach :-) at the alter!

Pro Bowl 2009.

Pro Bowl 2009. The last one in Hawaii...but I got to go and didn't see a bunch of the game, but had fun, drank some beer and chilled with some Marines.

Hollywood Knights - Celebrity Basketball

A bunch of B and C-List celebrities came to town to play basketball against the Marines. I got pictures with a bunch of them. NEATO!!

The Lieutenant Dan Band was here!! I hung out backstage and got some cool pics! Check this out!

Aloha in December 2008

Aloha and a belated Happy Thanksgiving!!
Some recent events...
Marine Corps Ball
I attended the United States Marine Corps Ball!!! Three of them!!! A Marine Corps ball is a BIG DEAL. It's like Prom, but bigger, better and way more important!Each unit/command fundraises throughout the year to rent a ballroom and catering at a fancy hotel in Waikiki. Since I found out about this Marine tradition (back in my Washington days) I've always wanted to go. This means getting invited by a Marine... and I've never had a date to take me. But since I work for the Marines... all I had to do was get invited by the Senior Enlisted. It just turns out that I communicate directly with the Senior Enlisted on a continuous basis, I asked them to invite me and three of them did!!!! I thought it would be really cool to go stag because then I would get to dance with all the boys. I would have been right, if only all of the boys hadn't come with a date :-(
In all, it was interesting, informative and educational. It's a very formal occasion and has a lot of tradition and history embedded in it. And getting to see all those boys in dress blues was neat too!
Cirque de Soleil
I had another birthday ... boo hoo :-(
My present from my roommates was Cirque de Soleil! It was really neat! I thought it would just be a lot of gymnasts and acrobats but it was a variety show and we all had super fun.
Another present ... I got my ear pierced. :-) I've never got my ears pierced, and I wanted it to be worth it when I finally did it. So for Christmas I got myself diamond earrings!! I've always wanted to get them as a gift, but at this point in my life, I can buy my own damn diamonds! :-)
Bridesmaid
Another one of my friends is getting married! I get to be one of the bridesmaids.
One Year
I been here a year so far and work is already getting easier!!! This past year, I've been executing someone else's ideas and activities. But now I finally got to make my own plan and make changes for the better. Planning programs is easier and efficient. I've done a lot and I kept everything super structured and organized so I can look at my files and make improvements and learn from previous events.
My Blog
After learning about Blogspot.com from another friend (thanks Andrea), I started posting pictures and emails there. It can be found at the following link:

http://marcella-t-c.blogspot.com/

There's some pictures and the lastest emails.
Christmas
Christmas in Hawaii just doesn't have that holiday feel. There is no cold weather and no snow (which is what I LOVE about Hawaii). I watch Good Morning America and the TODAY show and watch people standing out in the cold and all bundled up and it seems so weird. It's 80 degrees here and perfect beach weather.
Rain and Wind Storm
There was a massive rainstorm these past few days. Winds usually come from the northeast - and are called trade winds. It's always windy here, but the wind keeps away the vog (volcanic fallout from Big Island) and the mugginess (cruel humidity).
Well, there was a shift in winds and they came from the southeast. This phenomenon is called Kona winds. The winds came gusting down from over the mountains and brought a lot of rain. It rained almost all day yesterday. And at some points, the wind caused the rain to come down sideways (horizontal instead of vertical). The comparison is a blizzard. People shouldn't have gone out yesterday, but they did (including me). Traffic was awful and there was flooding all over the place. Today there are massive potholes all over the roads.

Gas is $2.18/gallon. That's the lowest it's been since I moved here. One year ago, gas was $2.14/gallon

WWDC-FM Player

WWDC-FM Player

Aloha in October

Aloha!

Greetings from paradise! Life is wonderful and pretty uneventful and drama free!

I got to go to the mainland twice in two months!
For my first trip, I went to Seattle to see my sister and her family.

I went the last week of August because the kids were still on summer break. I hadn't seen any of them in 3 1/2 years. I travelled 4,000 miles across the ocean and I went to a water park!!! The good news is that the day we went happened to be the best day out of the whole summer! The weather was wonderful - not too hot, not too cold! But the very next day...BAM...cold! Good thing I took pants to wear on my trip! I had to wear them every day I was there. I don't even remember the last time I wore pants! In addition to the water park, I also got to go to several wineries in the Yakima Valley. It was fun for the whole family!

For my second trip, I went to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to attend a training. It was flipping awesome and I came back all motivated and ready to save the world, well at least the single Marines I work with. I had to take a test (that I passed) and now I am a Certified Program Planner. I learned about the differences between Generation X and Generation Y and ways to write to appeal to them through programs and marketing. I learned that I don't have to be creative and try to think up new, innovative programs. I just have to listen to them and give them what they want...quality experiences.

Just last weekend I participated in a biathlon. 2 sports ... swimming and running. It began with a 500 meter swim in the bay (ocean...yuck) but I did it anyway. Then it was followed by a 3.1 mile (5K) run. I WON!!! ... first place my age group. The prize was a medal. :-O
Since my division is the one that puts on the races and all of us are required to work them, I had to persuade the forces to let me participate in a race. This is the only race I got permission for so it was nice to go out and finish well, letting them know that I wasn't just trying to kill time. I am a truly competitive force of nature!!!!
There were 130 participants. I finished 9th among all the women. I finished 40th overall. But all the women had to start 3 minutes after the men and the times weren't adjusted.
I really did work hard for this. I've been running and swimming extra, err..actually training!
My next goal is a triathlon. But I don't have a bike and I said I wouldn't compete in another triathlon until I actually owned a bike! So i'm still looking for a bike.

Time is flying - it's hard to believe that I've been here 10 1/2 months already and everyday is something new!!!

Aloha in April

Aloha from Hawaii!

I thought I’d tell you all about my adventures with the sharks. As one of my “activities” I went on the Shark Cage Adventure.

History of the Shark Cage Adventure

It all started 7 or 8 years ago when the fisherman were returning back to shore. They would stop 3 to 4 miles off shore and dump everything they didn’t want…like the crabs and fish that were too small. The sharks began to associate the idling and stopping of the boat with a free meal.

So there’s only one company that offers this. They take you about 3 to 4 miles off the north shore and put you in a cage. They are feeding the sharks while you’re in the cage. There were so many sharks!!!! They looked just like jaws, but smaller… 8 to 10 feet long. I almost didn’t buy an underwater camera…I’m sure glad I got one, now I just hope my pictures come out!

If you ever come to Hawaii, I highly recommend this adventure. I can even say it’s worth $85 – yikes – :-O)

But go early. The later in the day, the more choppy the water gets. We all got seasick.

I bought a laptop! My first! Now I can have access to internet at home too!!! I used to have to come to work for all my internet needs.

Gas is 3.73/gallon…today – it will probably go up tomorrow…again. It was “only” 3.70/gallon yesterday.

Aloha in March

Aloha from Hawaii!
I just got back from a conference in Texas where I got to meet all the other Single Marine Coordinators around the nation and Japan too!
I’m super motivated right now and ready to save the world! It was an amazing opportunity and I learned a lot too! The people were like me…or at least I got along with them and made lots of new friends.
Before I left town, I also got to participate in Jane Wayne Day – a day where the wives of Marines get to BE a Marine for a Day. I’m not a wife, but since I helped this battalion with the Barracks Bash, they invited me to participate. They even set me up with an honorary husband for the day. I felt sorry for this Marine at first. I thought he had to work just because I wanted to participate, but turns out he had to be there anyway. I got to shoot the guns, go in the gas chamber and take a ride in an Amphibious Assault Vehicle. And there was supposed to be a BBQ at the end, but instead there were MRE’s. I made a sacrifice and left for my conference before they busted em out and I even made the newspaper.

Gas is 3.62/gallon…today – it will probably go up tomorrow…again.
Did I mention I’m an Arbonne rep? It’s the “new” Mary Kay or Avon. I get a 35% discount on everything. If you’re interested in Arbonne…CALL ME!! I used it for a few weeks and my skin was glowing they got me. I paid $100 for a face wash, lotion and serum. But since I paid the $29 to be a rep – I got the 35% discount. See, I’m not only a salesperson, I’m a client too.
I STILL live in Lanikai. That’s relevant because I’ve been here 4 ½ months and moved 3 times!!! But there is still drama from the dirty old man who I was renting from in Kaneohe. Ask me about drama…go ahead…ask! OK – not that much drama except for that... That’s a good thing.