Paradise…

I know, I know…long time, no post…the last couple of weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y-T-O-W-N. But amazing, nonetheless. I got the opportunity to go to Hawaii with my family! Because of that, I had to get two weeks of school done in like three days…but it was totally worth it…I missed music Monday this month, so I wanted to share a few photos from our trip and give you a few new tunes to check out!

This might be one of the greatest photos of Casey ever…

 The gorgeous view from our hotel in Oahu…that’s the Gilligan’s Island marina, by the way!

 It’s not every day you see a real life flamingo…

 Absolutely gorgeous.

 Exploring the North Shore on Oahu…

 Gorgeous Waikiki sunset #2…no filter.

 Good morning, Ford Island! We got to visit the USS Arizona memorial, the USS Oklahoma memorial, and the USS Missouri…every time I visit a US memorial, it ends up being one of the more moving experiences of my life. I am so incredibly grateful for men and women like those who were killed in the attacks at Pearl Harbor. I’m thankful that there are still men and women serving our country with such valor today.

 I didn’t realize until I went to the memorial that one can still see the USS Arizona in the water…quite incredible.

 The massive gun turrets of the USS Missouri, or the “Mighty Mo”. The USS Missouri is a symbol of the beginning and the end of WWII. It began construction in 1941, and finished in 1945. It was on this battleship that the treaty that ended WWII was signed. She was decommissioned after Desert Storm, but is ready to be recommissioned at any time the US needs her.

 Even battleships need wiper blades…I don’t know why I found that funny.

 USS Oklahoma memorial…

 This is amazing to me…aerial shot of the USS Arizona and memorial…

(via Google Earth)

 This is an aerial shot of the USS Utah where it lies today…this memorial is only available to Naval personnel, as it is on a military base…but this ship is also very visible from the surface.

 Then there was the Dole plantation…mmmmmmm…

 Then it was on to Maui! Hello, Lahaina…

 Exploring the road to Hana…

 Visiting my first black sand beach!

 While the boys went scuba diving, us girls got to horseback ride through the mountains of Maui! My horse’s name was Frieda…she was part Clydesdale and Pinto…SO FUN!!!!!!

 These ducks let us get SO close to them! I’m literally inches away from them, here. That doesn’t happen in Oregon…haha!

 We were there during a pretty intense storm, and there were many, many boats that ran aground, like this one…

 I loved every second of my time over there…and someday, I want to go back. But for now, I’ll simply say, “Aloha”.

Looking for some music??

1. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston (Rest in peace…)

2. Desert Soul – Rend Collective Experiment (GREAT ALBUM!!)

3. Bette Davis Eyes (Live) – Taylor Swift (I really loved her Speak Now World Tour CD/DVD)

4. Hurt – Johnny Cash (So good.)

5. Thinking of You – Dierks Bentley (Such a cute song!)

A Walk in the Park

Today, I went for a walk with my mom’s camera…here’s what happened:

I went to the Oregon Korean War Memorial…

  Then I went to the Wilsonville Memorial Park, and saw this barn!  And some cool roots…  And this sweet creek… And this tree… And the pristine Willammette River…  Then I went on a walk in my neighborhood with my sister, Casey… Oh, snap! All out of green eggs… Gorgeous day… And then we saw this cool old building… And then we saw the MAX!  And then Casey ate a sandwich. The end.

…And the Home of the Brave.

So, this may seem a little random, but what about this blog isn’t? 🙂 A couple of years ago, I was able to go to Washington DC with my family…all I can say is that it’s probably one of my favorite places in this country that I’ve traveled to. I love this country so much, and I had many relatives that have fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. It was such a blessing to see a lot of those rights in action, and the memorials of the wars that they’ve fought in. I wanted to show you pictures of some of my favorite places in DC.   This is Arlington National Cemetery…hundreds of thousands of men and women who fought for our nation, as well as many other historical figures are buried here.  The Jefferson memorial…I want to go back to Washington DC in the spring so I can see everything with all of the cherry blossoms!   The Vietnam Memorial…there are so many names engraved into this wall.  This is the National Archives building. It’s one of my favorites…it’s HUGE! Way bigger than it looks. Also, it contains so much history, which I think is awesome.  The capitol building…I got to tour it! It’s just as cool on the inside as it is on the outside…  This is the World War II memorial. My great grandfather served in World War II! I think this is my favorite of all of the war memorials…is that weird to have a favorite memorial?? I think it’s just all of the sentimental value involved. I remember going fishing with my great grandfather early one morning, and he told me the story of his time serving the country…it was really the only time that he opened up about that part of his past. He had a pretty incredible story! So for me, I saw this memorial, which is physically beautiful, but also a beautiful picture of my great grandfather, and the thousands like him, that fought for the United States in WWII.

“Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

-The Star Spangled Banner (Final Verse)