XTerra Trail Run World Championship

In July Kyle and I signed up to do separate trail runs at Kualoa Ranch on December 4th.  I was going to run my first 5k and Kyle was going to tackle a 21k.  He had heard about the run from some guys he worked with that had done the run the year before.  Finally earlier this month the day had come.  Kyle and I headed toward the ranch for our races.  I was nervous because it was the first time I would complete at 5k.  I've never been much of a runner but if Kyle could complete at 21k then I should be able to do a 5k.  Traffic about a mile from the ranch was terrible.  It took us forever to finally get to the ranch.  I decided to take some pictures while we were waiting in the car. 

The road we were on was right next to the bay.  Sometimes it was a little unnerving how close it was to the road.  Once we got to the ranch I realized how beautiful the scenery for the run was going to be.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  Kyle's race started about 5-10 minutes before mine.  I stood there fretting about the unknown until the race started.  Once it got going I began to relax a bit.  The first half was very difficult!  Most of it was uphill and my calves were screaming!  Once we got through the first half though it got much easier.  I managed to finish the race in 52 minutes.  My biggest accomplishment was that I did not finish last!  After I finished my race I settled in to wait for Kyle to complete his.

About half an hour after I finished, the first person completed the 21k.  He finished in 1 hour 21 minutes.  That is a mind blowing amount of time. 

This is the first man to cross the finish line

He completed the run in 1 hour 21 minutes and 36 seconds

About fifteen minutes before Kyle made it in, a group of guys named Team E.X.T.R.E.M.E. ran the entire 13 miles wearing gas masks.  They ran in honor of fellow Marine Cpl. Todd Love who lost both of his legs and part of his arm in Afghanistan last year.  They all parachuted into the valley before the race, including Cpl Love.  It was pretty inspiring. 

Team X.T.R.E.M.E

Shortly thereafter Kyle made it across the finish line.  He looked exhausted but he had completed a grueling 13.6 miles in 2 hours 56 minutes.  I wasn't able to get a really good picture of him since I was cheering for him. 

 Kyle was one of first of his group to complete the race.  They all met up afterwards for a victory photo.

Kyle and I were both proud of ourselves and very glad to have the races over with.  The next several days I was incredibly sore.  It was definitely glad I did it but it was a once in a lifetime experience. 

Our Little Turkey

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Alec's class put on a Thanksgiving play.  They had Indians, Pilgrims, a Preacher, and of course turkeys.  Alec got to be one of the turkeys.  He made such a cute turkey.

He seemed a little embarrassed at first to perform in front of everyone, but he warmed up after a little bit.  The play only lasted about 5 minutes but the kids did it twice because one of the parents was late and missed the whole thing.  Alec was much more animated the second time around.  I guess he had found his groove by that time. 

Standing with the whole class after the first run through

Alec and some of his fellow turkeys

The kids seemed to have a very good time performing for their families.  The practiced for weeks before the play and all the practice paid off.

A couple days later we spent our Thanksgiving with a group of friends.  It was a potluck Thanksgiving.  Even though it was a potluck, I did a lot of cooking.  I really enjoy cooking for Thanksgiving.  I love making food I don't normally make for a big group of people to enjoy.  This year we got to enjoy a fried turkey.  I had never tried it before and might I add that it was delicious!  It cooks so much faster as well!  After several helpings of food and some delicious dessert, we were all exhausted.  We made it an early night and headed home.  Kyle and the kids went to bed and I prepared to head out with some friends for Black Friday shopping.  We went to Target at midnight and it was a mad house!  The line wrapped around the store and down the block.  I had never seen anything like it.  Despite the apparent chaos, it was actually very well organized.  I managed to find everything that I was looking for that night and got some great deals.  It was a good end to a great day.  It was another successful Thanksgiving.  The only thing that would have made it better were our families. 

236th Marine Corps Birthday Ball

This past weekend was the Marine Corps Ball.  I look forward to this event every year.  It is one night we get to dress up and spend time with the good friends we have met in the Marine Corps.  This year a whole group of us decided to rent a limo to take us to the ball in Waikiki.  There's nothing like getting dressed up and being chauffeured to the Ball.  

Everyone but Kyle (He was still wrapping up loose ends)

Our stretch Excursion

A group of us before everyone arrived

 We listened to music and joked around on the way to Waikiki.  It was such a good time. 

Once we arrived, we got our official ball picture taken and then got to enjoy cocktail hour before the ballroom opened.  We caught up with some other people that we know before finding our table.  The ballroom was beautiful.  Once everyone was settled the ceremony began.  They played the Commandant's birthday message and it was very powerful.  It made me very proud to be married to a Marine.  The guest speaker was retired Sergeant Major McGuirk and he was great.  After the ceremony was completed it was time for dinner.  The food was amazing.  Once our bellies were full it was time to get on the dance floor and work off some of those calories.  We did the Cupid Shuffle and the Electric Slide.  That is about where the good music ended.  People were making some very questionable requests.  Smooth Operator by Sade?  Not really Marine Corps Ball dance music if you ask me.  So instead of dancing we enjoyed the company of our friends and had a great time. 

Me and the girls

Me and my Marine :)

The Birthday Cake

Gunny, Kyle, and Master Guns

Before the night was over we took one more group photo outside on the balcony of the hotel.  It was such a fun night!

It takes a lot of planning and anticipation every year before the night of the ball and it is gone in a flash! 

Halloween

This year I decided to be well prepared and get the kids their costumes early.  So at the beginning of the month the kids chose to be the Grim Reaper and Ariel.  A few days before Halloween we got to carving our pumpkins.  I didn't want them to rot before Halloween...but the did anyway.  Hailey was a little apprehensive about getting all the pumpkin guts on her hands but I talked her into it.  Once she got into the swing of it she was a pumpkin gut removing machine!  Alec dove right in and started with a spoon getting the seeds out.  He quickly decided that his hands were a much easier tool to use. 

The look on Hailey's face is her feelings about touching the inside with her hands

Alec had no problem touching the insides

The night of Halloween the kids got all dressed up to go out trick or treating.  We went out with our friend Colleen and her two daughters.  The kids loved cruising around the neighborhood getting candy.  Alec was a little frustrated by the slow pace of the youngest trick or treator in our group but he tried to hide it well enough.  After Colleen's girls got tired we set out on our own to trick or treat at quicker pace.  The kids made off with a ton of candy.  On top of what they collected we still had a bunch left over since we didn't get a lot of kids that stopped at our house for candy.  I'm pretty sure we have enough candy to last us until next Halloween!

My grim reaper and little mermaid

All four kids together

This house was all done like Alice in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts

What a little diva

It was definitely another successful Halloween for the Border family!

Paradise Cove Luau Take 2

A friend of ours was doing pre deployment training here in Hawaii for the last few months.  We decided to take him to an authentic Hawaiian luau.  We went to Paradise Cove earlier this year but it was so much fun we had to make another trip!  What was even better is our friend's dad came out to visit him that weekend as well so he was able to experience the luau as well.  We started with some Polynesian tattoos which the guys thought would be cool to get on their faces. 

Phil getting his tattoo

Alec's shark tattoo

Kyle getting his tattoo

Hailey's dolphin

The facial tattoos that last about 30 minutes

We got to see the pig roasting ceremony again and enjoy their delicious food.  Phil and his father both really enjoyed the whole event.  I'm glad it was something we got to share with the two of them. 

Trying coconut milk

Waiting for the roasted pig ceremony to start

There are so many things to do at the luau that we can never get through all of them before our meal comes.  I guess we will just have to keep going until we get through all of it!

Our Staycation

Towards the end of September Kyle's grandparents planned a little trip to the islands of Hawaii.  Their first stop was a 4 day stay on our little island of Oahu.  This was the first time we had seen them in almost three years!  Though they didn't stay long we managed to cram a lot of outings and sightseeing into a small period of time.  We went to the swap meet at Aloha Stadium the day after they arrived.  Though we have lived here for over a year we had never gone to the swap meet.  It is basically a huge flea market on the grounds surrounding Aloha Stadium.  There are some incredible deals there and the vendors have a bunch of little knick knacks and treasures.  It was fun to walk around and look at all the local finds.  After our day perusing the swap meet we went back to their hotel and relaxed at the pool.  The kids had a great time playing in the water.  Hailey was most content staying on the stairs but Alec was definitely the water baby of the two.  Once he had his water wings he was set to go!

Getting brave without the water wings!

Her permanent perch

You wouldn't believe how mad she got at him for "ruining" her photo

The following day we took a trip on a submarine.  Yep you read it right, submarine.  They have special tourist submarines that tour the area off of Waikiki.  It was a pretty cool experience.  They kids thought it was very cool getting to see underwater without having to get wet.  We had to take a boat ride out further into the water to get to the sub.  After we boarded and started to descend we realized that mine and Hailey's shirts had taken a very different color.  The kids were pretty astonished by this. 

What we looked like in the sub

What color her shirt actually was

At times the water was a little murky but we did get to see many different fish.  The most recognizable was the yellow tang that Alec actually called out by name.  We also got to see a huge sea turtle relaxing on the deck of a sunken boat. 

If you look close there is a sea turtle in the picture I promise!

Looking out the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of a shark

Once we were done with the tour we boarded the boat again and headed toward the shore.  There was a pretty spectacular view of Waikiki from the boat. 

A view of Diamond Head over my shoulder

Waikiki

The day before his grandparents left we went to Pearl Harbor.  Though we have been there many times we actually went on the USS Bowfin which we have never done before.  The Bowfin was one of the submarines used during World War II.  I guess the theme of their visit was submarines!  It was pretty cool to walk through and see where hundred of men lived for months at a time.  I know that I couldn't live in such a cramped space like they did!

A view from the deck of the USS Bowfin

Walking down into the sub

A view of the USS Missouri from the periscope

After we were done on the USS Bowfin we went over to the USS Arizona Memorial.  No matter how many times we visit, it is always a sobering experience.  It always amazes me how much the kids understand about how serious the memorial is even at their young ages. 

The American Flag flying above the memorial

We had a great time while Ed and Tomilee were here.  It was a much needed visit.  It was a fantastic though brief trip.  It was fun to show off a little bit of our island and the culture we are temporarily a part of.