The Hawaiian Holiday

Aloha! Last week, we were blessed with the opportunity to take a week-long vacation on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The first half of the trip, we stayed at the Lodge on the beautiful Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe Bay, and spent the remainder of the trip at the Hale Koa, an exclusive military hotel on the famous Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. The weather was perfect! Above is a nice shot of us in Waikiki with the Diamond Head Crater in the background. Here are a bunch of photos from the trip:

A driving the coolest rental car ever, a Ford Mustang convertible!

Two photos from our hike up Diamond Head (a 1,000 year-old volcano, nice work-out, great view of Waikiki).
A perfectly arched rainbow, as seen from the car window (doesn't really do it justice).

Hanging out at the North Shore (no big waves though).













A on the boat leaving the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor (the Missouri battleship behind).

L "holding" a rainbow, also in Pearl Harbor (there's a ton of these in Hawaii).
At a traditional Hawaiian luau on the beach at sunset.












The scenic road on the east side of the island, heading up to Kaneohe Bay.

Sunset in the hills, as seen from the east-facing Marine Base (did I mention how much we really liked this base?).

An ocean view from our room at the Hale Koa (not bad for a military hotel!).
We hiked a mile through a rainforest to the Maunawili Falls (although not seen in this photo, the trail was dangerously muddy and we had to maneuver over a stream several times; the best shoes for this would have been combat boots...)

More from Waikiki (we eventually got nice tans).

A typical Hawaiian neighborhood, with the coolest, smoky mountains ever.

We still have too many more photos but this could take all night. Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and we wouldn't mind if the Marine Corps ever stationed us there!

2008: A Year in Review

Time for the annual look back at this quick year of 2008! Here are some of the noteworthy highlights for us:

WINTER/SPRING
- On New Year’s Day, went to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena to see A march with the Marine Band (and the TV footage zoomed in close on his face!)

- Took a little trip to Las Vegas, Nevada to see “The Phantom of the Opera”

- L started taking a Wado-Karate class on the Marine base

- A went on tour with Marine Band San Diego to Seattle, Washington

- Said ‘good-bye’ to L’s 15-year-old Izusu Trooper and purchased a 2008 Saturn Vue

- A took the extremely difficult Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Course and graduated as a Green belt Instructor for his unit

- L performed in her first belly dance performance

- Moved out of our small apartment of 3 ½ years and upgraded to nice, off-base military housing

- A re-qualified as a 2^nd Award Rifle Expert on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton

- L started a new harp gig of getting to play for the Tea at the fancy Westgate Hotel

- L earned her yellow belt in karate

- A went on a tour to Albuquerque, New Mexico with the Marine Band

SUMMER

- A performed in several Marine Band concerts between San Diego and LA County

- Went to Chicago, IL, to visit Leah's sister and brother-in-law, and coincidentally attended our Marine friends’ wedding

- Traveled together to London, England and had a blast getting to see all the historic sights

- Celebrated our 4^th wedding anniversary on August 6th

- L performed in the Robert Drasnin Orchestra at a Tiki Oasis Convention, under the direction of Robert Drasnin himself, a long-time Hollywood composer

- L earned her orange belt in karate, and danced in the Celebrate Dance Festival in Balboa Park

FALL

- L began taking ballet classes

- A traveled to Houston, Texas with the Brass Quintet

- L performed in the musical theater production of “The Light In The Piazza” with Lamb’s Players Theater, 7 shows a week from September to November

- A was promoted to Sergeant (on his 2-year Marine Corps Birthday)

- A went on tour to Chicago, Illinois with the Marine Band

- A went on another tour with the Brass Quintet to Indianapolis, Indiana

- Attended the MCRD Enlisted Birthday Ball to celebrate the Marine Corps 233^rd Birthday

- A turned 28 and got his first gray hair

WINTER

- In the MCRD Christmas Concert, the Marine Band premiered 2 of A’s arrangements and L got to play the harp in the concert as a featured soloist.

- L earned her blue belt in karate, and played a dozen different Christmas gigs

- Had enjoyable family Christmases in several installments.

- L celebrated her 26^th Birthday

- Rang in the New Year in Pasadena again to see A march in the Rose Parade (and the TV cameras caught his face a couple of times again!)

And in 2009…

- Beginning the New Year right by going on a vacation to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu!

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We're thankful to God for blessing us with another successful year! Happy New Year!

Marine Corps Birthday Ball 2008

Happy 233rd Birthday to the Marine Corps! Since 1775, Marines make a point to celebrate their birthday with many formal events and even ceremonies all over the world. This year, we attended the Enlisted Birthday Ball for MCRD at the Harbor Island Sheraton in San Diego. The celebration continues about every night for several weeks and of course the Marine Band performs at every event. Although it is a very busy time of year for A in the band, these Marines still try to find a little fun. Below is a video of Marine Band San Diego rehearsing a song for the birthday ball pre-show. You can see A playing trombone with the brass quintet at the beginning, and then I'm sure you'll have a good laugh when the rock band takes over and the group rocks out to "Bohemian Rhapsody." Marines aren't allowed to have this much fun!


Happy Birthday, Marines, and Semper Fidelis!
(A cool shot of A at a wedding. Just like the Marines commercial, sword and all.)

Another Promotion!

After only two years in the Marine Corps, A was promoted to Sergeant on the 1st of October. Sergeant is a pivotal rank in the Corps and things have really begun to look up in A's unit. In addition to his many duties within the band (including Public Affairs Office and Martial Arts Instructor), A has taken up the responsibility of arranging musical compositions for the full Concert Band and Brass Quintet. Here are some shots from the promotion ceremony at MCRD:

A getting his new Sergeant chevrons pinned on by the Colonel and Sergeant Major (yes, once in awhile Marines do crack smiles).

Fellow Marine Sgt. Barger congratulating A.
Sgt. Panos and his very proud Marine wife.

The Light In The Piazza

This fall, L is playing the harp in the musical production of "The Light In The Piazza" with Lamb's Players Theater in Coronado. L will be extremely busy as the production runs through November, seven shows a week! The cast and orchestra are amazingly talented, and L thanks LPT for this special opportunity!

Since there is no orchestra pit in this theater, the small orchestra (of about 8) plays from the backside of the stage behind the set of Roman columns. This picture was taken during preview week before the scrim (a black screen) was hung to better hide the orchestra. There are still points in the show when the musicians are lit up and see from behind the scrim.
Here's more info from the website:
LPT is pleased to present the regional premiere of this gorgeous new musical!

The year is 1953, and Margaret Johnson is on vacation with her daughter Clara in Italy. Both are entranced with the art, the architecture, and all-enveloping romance of their surroundings as compared with their native North Carolina. Margaret is taken back to days when she visited the country on her honeymoon, while Clara finds herself in a sudden romance with a charming young man named Fabrizio. But a secret both women carry may prevent young love from blossoming, and both will soon make a series of life-changing discoveries about love, identity, holding on, and letting go.

With a gorgeous Tony Award-winning score by Sondheim protegé Adam Guettel, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is a San Diego premiere that will stun you with its beauty and make you glad to be alive.

"Breathtaking!"
New York Magazine

"The first great musical of the post-Sondheim era!"
The Wall Street Journal

"The most intensely romantic score of any Broadway musical since West Side Story!"
The New York Times

"It will win your heart!"
Newsday

"A blessing for those in search of signs of intelligent life in the American musical!"
The New York Times

Last Bit of Summer

A and some Marine friends from work decided to have a little fun by creating a "World War II" dress night at a local German restaurant. The Marines all wore a uniform that literally hasn't changed since that area and their dates also tried to dress like the gals from the 1940's.








Also that same weekend, L performed with her friends in the Celebrate Dance Festival in Balboa Park.