A Weekend to Love

Right before going home to NC for a visit, I had the most wonderful weekend. My good friend Marybeth is also an army spouse. Her husband Bryan works with Mike. He was a part of the first wave of soldiers to come home for RR. While Bryan was home they rented a cabin on the west side of the Island at one of our favorite military rec spots--Pililau (pronounced: Pee-Lee-Lau). The military owns the land and there are cabins for rent right on a lagoon. The best part of this place, minus the relaxed, slow-paced atmosphere and the killer sunsets is that this is where tourists pay money to come to swim with the dolphins. In kayaking distance, and even swimming distance if you are pretty good--you can come into contact with huge pods of dolphins playing in the lagoon from anywhere to an hour to all morning long. This weekend in particular was amazing! The dolphins came out every day, and stayed for 4-5 hours. They came very close to shore and were extremely playful. We literally spent a few hours out in the middle of the lagoon swimming with the dolphins--for free. You could stick your head under water and hear the high pitched squeals of the dolphins long before you could see them. As the squeals got louder and louder you knew they were coming closer to you. It was so exhilarating to be in the wild with the huge animals--just swimming with them.

After such an awesome Saturday, i know you think it would be hard to top it on Sunday, but really Sunday was beautiful and relaxing and the very essence of what I love so much about Hawaii. After church Carrie, Hillary, Renee and I went to the North Shore for some beaching. We went to a small secluded cove that was so beautiful and maybe even my new favorite beach to go to. It had awesome trees and calm waters that were inhabited by many sea turtles. This beach is actually not far from where the beach camp scenes of LOST are filmed.

As tradition states, after all North Shore beach experiences, we must go to Matsumoto's Shave Ice. Although there has been much debate on the best shave ice in town, there is no denying that Matsumoto's has the largest selection...and I absolutely love their coconut cream and banana cream. Matsumoto's is by far the most well-known shave ice establishment and a definite tourist trap--but for that wonderful coconut banana cream flavor, i would just about suffer through any long line! Funny, in all the times of going here this is our first picture together. And if your wondering, Hillary just doesn't like Shave Ice and if you ask me, i am just not sure she is human.

As if things couldn't get any better, Carrie, Hill and I had our first bible study on Wailua Beach to the beautiful setting sun, where we were graced with sporadic breaching whales way out in the water. God's creation is so beautiful--and living in Hawaii is a wonderful reminder of that. We often play with the idea of getting rid of all our houses and all moving in together in a beach house on this very beach. There really isn't anywhere more beautiful...just take a look.

...and top all of that off with some Thai food from Haleiwa Eats.... what's not to love about this perfect weekend?

There went Peter Cottontail

Geez, there the weeks go flying by again! I have some serious catching up to do--Easter was like 3 weeks ago now! I don't know how I always manage to do this, but Easter weekend was as chaotic as it was fun, and i seriously needed a vacation from my holiday!

I actually had my first pampered chef show on that Saturday, hosted by Hillary. It turned out to be a good show, especially considering it was my first--but with Hillary and I both having a busy work/school/church week, we were definitely doing everything last minute and it was pretty hectic.

After the show, all of us girls spent the evening together eating yummy leftovers and dyeing Easter Eggs with Alexandria. (and maybe for Carrie too-- She was all excited about those camouflage eggs!) Hillary and I then had to get prepared for children's church the next morning, because the weekend had been so busy we hadn't even had time to prepare--we aren't usually QUITE that bad about procrastinating.

The next morning it was up at 3:30 am for sunrise service. We needed to be there at 5am --it takes about 25 minutes to get there and I had to get ready. I was helping our skit characters get dressed for the service. I have somehow assumed the role of costume coordinator for the church. I am sure this is because my wonderfully creative fashion sense! (then again..maybe i am dreaming, it probably has more to do with the fact i can sew!) After sunrise service we had potluck breakfast. My plate consisted of fried rice, cheesy potatoes and baked beans-praise be to the non-breakfast breakfast food! Next was childrens church where I played Nicodemus (don't I look just like him?) Then it was off to Carrie's apartment to cook for our Easter lunch at Katie and Mackey's house. I would like to point out at this time that I am a much nicer person than my friends after not having much sleep. They obviously did not get as much practice as me in school...or else i really am just nicer ;) ...but seriously, please note Carrie's crabby hat that she and Mark like to wear when they are feeling..you guessed it..CRABBY!

After lunch, we had a small Easter Egg Hunt with Alexandria, where we tried to teach her the excitement of finding the Easter Eggs. I am not quite sure she understood why were were looking for those plastic eggs to begin with. She wasn't all that interested in them, so all of us girls clapped and cheered very excitedly every time she found one, hoping that she would catch on and find it interesting...the plan sorta worked, but she sure was cute huh?

Then finally after the few games of catch phrase and then packing up all my things from the entire weekend, I basically zombie drove all the way home, made myself stay awake until 8:45 then went straight to bed for work in the morning. WOW!

*Check my pics link for lots more Easter Pics!*

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Ok...so i have been a little slack this month with the Hawaiian vocab--so sorry, sometimes life is just plain busy, ya know?

Anyway, our new word (actually words) is chicken skin. Definition: goose bumps, especially when afraid or frightened.

I think this one is pretty funny. Derived to describe the tingly feeling you get when something scary or moving is happening, it basically is just their word for goose bumps.

The classroom i have been working in the past 3 weeks is seriously the coldest place i have ever had to suffer sitting through. I really don't have warm enough clothes with me here to make it through some days in that room. And although slightly out of context from what it was originally meant, the locals do not really use the phrase "chill bumps" at all, so when you are cold, you get chicken skin. So it would be safe to say that throughout today, i had blue toes, a numb nose and perma chicken skin. And geez, do i hate being cold!

and the World's Best Husband award goes to....

...CW2 Michael C Burns!

Last week, I found at my front door a box of beautiful flowers from my hubby with the inscription " because you are the most remarkable woman i know..." WOW. I am not really sure what I did to deserve that or him, but again...WOW. I am really so blessed! In the midst of everything else Mike is doing right now for our country and especially all of us, he still finds time to take care of me. So just a little tip for all you husbands and wives out there, no matter how busy you are or how much you may get to spend time with each other, make sure you let your loved ones know how special and important they are to you by doing something for them for no other reason than "just because".

March Down Range

The month of February has sped by incredibly fast here in Iraq as we get a little more settled in and used to the daily redundancy that a deployment creates. Although I do not care for the “Groundhogs Day Effect” for reasons I am sure you all can understand, looking on the optimistic side of things, I am still luckier than most. Highlights are few and far between to come by out here so I here goes my schedule on any given day. The alarm usually decides it must go off at 0400, only because my roommate Jordan sets it so we can go to the gym. I admit I am a morning person, but getting out of the rack at that time to throw weights around is not what I consider fun. Thank goodness for IPOD’s and Scope! The gyms here are really nice in comparison to what I have had in the past. There are all types of equipment, free weights, and cardio equipment which gives everyone the opportunity to stay in shape during their tour. After a good workout it is time for a shower and little something to eat. We always go to what they call the CSM Cooke DFAC (Dining Facility) which is the closet to our CHU (Containerized Housing Unit). The military makes acronyms for everything….I promise I will devote one whole BLOG to just acronyms very soon. Now getting back to having breakfast there is a multitude of choices to choose from on a daily basis. In fact you might even say that I am getting spoiled when the hardest decision I have to make is between the fresh fruit or fresh omelets but who’s askin! The coffee could be better, but they have to make it such abundance that they just never can get it right unless you creamer it to death. After breakfast it is time for my daily devotional and then off to work. This is a 2 mile walk so I usually make it there after about 25 minutes. My work schedule differs everyday but generally I do not get out of the ammo before 1900, and then it is time for the nightly meeting. I might as well be asleep during this meeting but my 15 second piece is just too mission essential…sarcasm? After I grab a bite to eat, it is time to go back to the gym and call it a night….Usually we have a season of something to watch like 24 or Sopranos, but here lately there just hasn’t been any time.


Our room is far more comfortable that any I have ever had before while being deployed. Usually I have been in a tent, so these trailers are a major upgrade. The heat and AC work great although the real test for that will be later this summer when 125 degrees roll around. I guarantee I won't be leaving any doors or windows open! The CHU’s are well protected by the concrete overhead, and the sandbags around from any rounds that may find themselves in our area. I have been receiving plenty of letters and cards from home and I try and place most of them on my wall. Please keep them coming as they are appreciated.



All of you wishing to email me my email problems and access issues have been resolved, so please email me at any time to michael.burns6@us.army.mil.

Video Teleconference with Mike

Tonight I got to have my first VTC with Mike. Even though we do get to talk, this was the first time I have gotten to see Mike since he left in Nov. The silly girl in me started getting a little nervous and i dealt with those feelings by spending longer than necessary in the bathroom getting ready for the "big event". I just recently got a new dress and decided to wear it, tried to curl my hair a bit (not that the humid weather allowed one curl to stay) and I even lotioned up and put on body spray (like anyone was actually going to smell me--the things we girls do for our loves!). The end result for the bathroom was a bit disastrous and will need to be dealt with tomorrow--but it was all worth it to see my sweet husbands' smiling face.

There is a classroom set up for these meetings and I was in it all by myself --and Mike was on a screen in the front of the room. It was really the first time since he has been gone that it felt like we had any privacy. His normal calls are always in rooms with lots of other people--and for this, it really was just the two of us. The reception was really good and there was hardly any delay. We were supposed to have a full hour, but there was a mix up and we just had 30 minutes. Still, it was so great to see him and very easy to set up. We are going to hopefully try and make this a more regular thing.

I know the pic seems a little crazy, but i just couldn't resist. We even took a little time to make a few videos for family. It's kinda funny to think about taking pictures and videos of a video image of Mike...but if that's the best you got, what do you do?

Anyway, Mike is good and should be sending another blog update in the next few days so check back soon! Holler.

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Auntie: Respectable term for a female older than you

Ok, its an easy one this week--but this is also one i particularly like. Almost everyone who has spent any time here in the islands adopts this term. It is a good way to teach kids to respect their elders, but it is also implies inclusion in a family that you are not related to.

The girls on my soccer team go between calling me Coach Jessi and Auntie Jessi. My friends kids all call me Auntie Jessi and at school sometimes, instead of the kids calling me Ms. Burns or Ms. Jessi, they may call me simply "Auntie". Kids aren't the only ones to use this term though. Many times I notice grown adults referring to their elders, whether we are in a store, or church or in the schools as Auntie.

"Uncle" is used the same way when referring to males. So Mike and I are almost always Auntie Jessi and Uncle Mike. With the absence of blood family here HI, hearing a kid call me Auntie Jessi helps my feel included and a part of a family here. I believe that is one reason it has been so easy fitting in here.

Fire Fairies 2008

2 Little Girls and all their Aunties

"........put on your dancing shoes and come along, we'll be here till the cows come home.......... ALL NIGHT LONG!"

For all you wondering out there, the concert was awesome. I've been to some good concerts, but this one definitely is right up there with the best. The concert was a part of the Kolekole Jam on Schofield Barracks. It's basically one big open field, with a huge stage. You could tell that there were roped off areas for VIP seating, but the area was pretty big, so as soon as the gates opened we high-tailed it to the stage.

Our seating was front right, although we had our fingers crossed for front and center, that was given to the wounded in action soldiers. We decided that they definitely deserved it and came to peace with our slightly to the right, 15 ft. from the stage seats. But even getting to that point was a bit tricky--as spouses of deployed soldiers, we had rights to the VIP area, but with thousands of soldiers deployed from our base, there were still lots of people to maneuver through. **Here's the first rule in concert etiquette.** There are no such things as lines--it is every person for themselves! Although some women didn't quite agree--and we were beginning to wonder if a fight was going to break out. Once a redneck, always a redneck...even in Hawaii where no one even knows what a redneck is!

So, once our seats --or i should really being saying, "plot of grass" was secure with blankets and chairs, we were able to relax and enjoy the show. Six of us went--Hillary, Kim, Renee, Christy and Lyndsay. We had a t-shirt making party a couple of nights before, so we were all matching in our most AWESOME concert attire! Thanks to Kim's catchy slogan, the back of our shirts were lyrics from Montgomery Gentry with a twist--" My Husband's Something to be Proud Of". We actually did catch quite a bit of attention and everyone wanted to know where they could get one. So..future mental note, make extras to sell--drunk people would pay anything for a cool shirt!

Opening for the concert was a 17 year old girl from Texas, Katie Rae Davis. She was pretty good, but mostly played cover songs from artists like Little Big Town and Willie Nelson. Next was an Alternative band, called Bowling for Soup. They were also good--sounded almost identical to Blink 182 and they were hilarious. I think we all enjoyed the times they were talking to the crowd more than the times they were actually playing songs. After that it was finally time to bring out the big guns--Montgomery Gentry came out strong singing "daddy won't sell the farm". I don't think we stopped jumping and screaming the entire time. They played all their best hits, even our shirt song "Something to be Proud Of". This was so exciting we pushed our way to the front, ripped our shirts off (don't worry we were prepared for this with undershirts!) and held them up like signs for the band to see. Which they did see, we were spotlighted and pointed at by Eddie Montgomery himself--we are famous! That was definitely the highlight of the night! Then the show ended with a very appropriate "Gone"--then we went home and crashed for our early Sunday mornings.

So it was a wonderful night with the ladies--wish they had more events like that on the island!

My Cool T-Shirt

The Girls and Private Pickle

Bowling for Soup

Montgomery Genty

February's Flying By

So I can't believe it is already 3 weeks into February! If I get myself started thinking about the rest of the year and everything that I have planned, I start getting seriously overwhelmed--this year is seems to be flying. Before I know it I will be going home in April and then I have some long jobs lined up for the end of the school year. There seems to be quite a few people coming to see me this summer and then Mike will come home for R&R in the fall and then I will most likely be back home for Christmas. WOW.

I have just been staying busy as usual. February has been a bit uneventful and I have actually felt a little stir-crazy. My weeks have been normal--subbing a few times a week, going to meetings for the Army Family Readiness Group, soccer practice, helping friends out with their kids, church on Sunday and then Sunday night dinners with the girls.

Valentines was pretty much just a normal day--Kim and I went to get some dinner and see Definitely, Maybe. Mike did call, on his Vday and mine--which was very sweet of him, and the first time he's called two days in a row since he has been gone, so happy v-day to me! He also got my roomie to get me a gift certificate to a spa here in town. I am excited about that and saving it for a day when i really need it.

In response to my stir-crazed weeks, I convinced my friends to make President's Day our very own Tourist Day (a day we would play tourists at a nice hotel). It really was a beautiful day--although maybe not the best day to choose to sneak into a hotel pool and play tourist. Also on this day, the Fields Open golf tournament started and security was tight. About 10 minutes after we got settled in chairs at the pool, we were politely asked to "leave the area". So, we packed our things and headed to the beach to lay on the sand, because us "locals" aren't allowed the chairs. But it wasn't a bummer for long, because as I mentioned before, the day was perfect. After an hour or two, we decided to get some lunch at the ocean side grill, but before we even made it to the restaurant, Kim decided to faint right out in front of the building. It was of course of big commotion, and even though we happened to be with 2 nurses, the hotel insisted on bringing in their "CPR trained employees" to take care of the situation. After Kim started looking better and the CPR people were taking her blood pressure and stuff, i wanted to try and get a picture of the whole scene, but was scolded by my "not so fun friend" Renee (just kidding!), she said that "this is not the time, Jess". Although, I am certain, Kim would love to have the picture now--and it would be a great addition to this blog! Anyway, all ended well and we went ahead and had lunch but opted out on beaching the rest of the day and instead went home to take naps.

This next weekend is going to be great fun--Montgomery Gentry is coming to town and is playing on base for free. Since our husbands are deployed, we also get priority seating, so i am certain it is going to be awesome! In preparation for this event, us girls have made matching T-shirts that say on the back "My Husband's Something to be Proud Of" (playing off the MG lyrics, if you are unfamiliar with the band).

The only other news I have is I am now officially a Pampered Chef consultant. I go to enough parties and own enough stuff at this point it just seemed the logical thing to do. I really do believe in the products. Hopefully this will serve as a good side job that I can keep no matter where we move to. So, if you are interested in hosting a party (or for my NC friends, we can do catalog shows or schedule parties when I come home) or are just interested in ordering something you need just let me know.

Ok, so that is all for now. Be sure to check back next week for concert pics!

Presidents Day/ Tourist Day at Ko Olina Beach Club

Lunch at my favorite Burger Joint--Kua'aina Burger
with Katherine, Hillary, Kim, Lyndsay, and Alexandria

I don't know who taught her that!Playing with my FotoFlexer...isn't this just like a poster!
Rocking the 80's outfit and playing DDR--my new favorite past time

Look how cool we are, we can still do back bends!

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Haole; pronounced: How-lee--definition: originally foreigner, now means Caucasian

So, I am a haole. If you are white and live in Hawaii, you basically just have to come to grips with this label. It sounds kinda derrogatory, i know, but in most instances it is more of a statement of fact than an insult or racial slur. I am sure if I were to walk down the wrong street or be in the wrong place at the wrong time, someone could call me a haole and mean me harm--but as of my almost 2 years here in HI, I have yet to have that happen.

In church, more so when we first started attending, we and a few other young, white military couples were known as the "haoles". It even went so far that our pastor used us in a demonstration where he pulled 5 "haole" ladies up to the stage and had us try a famous Japanese food, Natto, made from fermented soybeans. It was disgusting, none of us new what we got ourselves into. Needless to say my gag reflex is working as great as ever and everyone in church got to see it.

At work in the schools, I am commonly known as the "haole teacher". One of the first times I subbed, another teacher quickly walked into my room expecting to find the lady i was subbing for, and instead instinctivly said, "oh, your the new haole sub". I was like, "uh, yeah I guess so". I think she may have been a bit embarassed--but it really is just second nature to everyone around here. Also, at school, the teachers refer often to my blond hair and blue eyes...neither of which are very accurate. But to them, we haole's all look alike. Funny considering, before moving here I felt the exact way about the Asian population.

My last example, comes from a friend of mine--a local here in HI. She was talking to me about a date she had went on the past weekend. When I asked how it was, she told me that it was just ok--that there weren't any sparks. I asked what was wrong with him and she replied that he was too "haole". My response was something like, jaw to the ground, "uh i am a haole!" Even though she quickly apoligized and laughingly and said, "jess you know what I mean" and i told her i wasn't sure that i did and put on my best pouty face. She then tried to elaborate and said he was too country, which of course my southern roots did also take offense--but i decided just to let her off the hook.

The fact is Hawaii is a serious melting pot of races and every race and raical mix has a name around here. We all have to use the terminology just to identify whoever we are talking about. So what, I am a haole, here me roar (or even better, here me drawl).