back to island life

that's right...rian and i are currently in hawaii waiting to board our next leg to guam! it's been a long night. we left northern california about 8 pm last night and got into hawaii around 2 am local time. our next flight should leave around 5 pm local time. so for the time being we are just hanging out in the terminal. we can't wait to see matt again!

Our 1st Space A Experience

Warning: This is a long post!

We found out on Sunday, Jan 3rd, that there was a flight from Guam to Hawaii to San Diego! I was so excited, but I knew I needed to contain myself until I actually boarded the aircraft, since we all know we could be turned away and what an disappointment that would be.

When we checked in we found out that we would be flying on a C-17 Globemaster III, which is a gigantic cargo plane....see pics below! I don't even know if these pics do the plane justice. I mean it was so big, it was carrying two military helicopters. Yes, I am dead, serious. We flew home on an airplane with two helicopters strapped down next to us. It was just crazy!

Do you see how tiny the stairs and door look in the first picture? And that is like 13 or so stairs we had to climb up. This aircraft was gigantic. In the next picture, I wanted to show how big the back door is so the cargo can be loaded. The third picture shows how tall this aircraft is. Those are people standing inside of it...do you see them? And last is a picture of the plane taking off. It was just so big, it was incredible!

Since this is a cargo plane, the seats are lined up along the sides of the aircraft. I opted not to bring Rian's carseat onboard because I knew majority of the time she would be allowed to run around. She looked so tiny in the seats. I bought a boxed lunch on both legs for only $4.25 each and they included a sandwich and bunch of goodies and drinks. Not to mention they had free all-you-can-eat/drink soda, bottled water, and cookies once we boarded the plane. So here is a picture of Rian digging through the box of goodies!

Since our seats were lined up against the walls of the aircraft, one would think that your view would be the other passengers on the opposite side of the plane, right? Um, no! Instead this was our view: a gigantic medical helicopter! If you click on the picture, you can see some stairs to the right of the front of the helicopter. Those stairs lead up to the cockpit. That's how tall this plane is!

The first picture is another view from our seats, but this time towards the back of the plane. This contraption was holding the propellers in place while we were flying, so they didn't bounce around. Can you see the second helicopter too? The second picture was taken while I was standing next to the second helicopter in the back of the aircraft facing the first helicopter.

Here is a picture of the back of the aircraft. I was trying to show how tall it is.

Our flight left at 5 pm island time, so it was nice that we were flying mostly throughout the night. But of course, I still had to entertain my little girl for many, many hours. They only had the fasten seat belt sign on for takeoff and landings, so we were allowed to walk around the plane. In fact they handed out blankets (because it was absolutely freezing) and pillows for everyone too.

A generous passenger offered his foam mat to us so Rian could use it while laying on the floor of the aircraft. I love these pictures because it shows how close we are to these helicopters. Rian also made a friend on the flight, who nicely shared her Nintendo DS with Rian. Even though Rian had no clue how to play it, I liked this picture because here she is on our layover in Hawaii chillin in her chair, legs crossed, looking like she knows exactly what she is doing!

Overall, we were traveling probably 18-20 hours. We only had a few hour layover in Hawaii, but we got to see the sunrise there, so that was cool. I am very grateful that this trip back to California worked out so nicely. Instead of spending $3000 and flying on a commerical plane, we spend $8.50 and had the most incredible experience on a military aircraft. Seriously, I will remember this forever!!!

Could This Really Work Out So Perfectly?!

All I can say is I sure hope so!!! There is a possibility that Rian and I can get on a flight leaving Guam on Monday and landing in Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Then only after a 3 hour layover, catching another flight straight to San Diego. This would be an absolute miracle if we can get on it. And I am so praying we do.

It would relieve so many stress: Not having to worry about staying overnight in Hawaii, not having to get a shuttle from Travis Air Force Base, Northern California to the Oakland Airport, and not having to add a third leg to our already loooong and exhausting trip.

If you feel the need to remember us in our prayers or even to just cross your fingers for us, I would be forever grateful! We'll keep you updated!!!

An Experience??? To Say The Least...

This post is really long, but if I want to come back and visit family in the states, this is what I have to do....

Pay $3000 to fly both Rian and myself home or take military flight (space a) for practically no money at all.
At first the answer would be easy, right? Fly for free, but there is much more to it then just a plane ride home.
For starters, here is a picture of some of the planes we might be on. Not quite your commercial airliner huh?

We knew when we first moved out here that Matt was going to have more training in California and the Navy would only pay for him to fly back stateside. We figured no biggy, we would all fly back space a. Well, it turns out that Matt is not allowed to fly space a this time because he is coming back for training. If it was for a vacation, he could, but this time, he can't. So Rian and I are doing this alone.



We have absolutely no clue when we might be able to catch a flight back to the states. I'll only have 24 hours or less notice that a flight to California is available. So our bags are already packed. I have to call the terminal several times a day to see what flights are available, if any. Once we learn there is a flight, that does NOT mean that we will be on it. We have to be at the terminal for 'roll call' which is usually before 6 am and bring ALL our luggage, carry ons, carseat, and stroller.

Then we sit and wait to see if Rian and I make the flight. They only have a number of seats available and we are in category 5 out of 6, which basically means the bottom of the list. If we were flying with Matt, we would be category 3, but so much for that.

So if we do not make the flight, we load all our luggage back into the car, strap the carseat in and try again, and again, and again. Sometimes it can take weeks. Hopefully for us, it won't take long. Once we are told we made the flight, we go through security and are bused to these loving planes pictured above. I have no idea what type of military aircraft we will be on, but they all look like this. I have some descriptions of the planes we may be on and...well let's just say all I can do at this point is laugh and say "are you serious?"!

This is what I have learned about them so far: I do know it will be cold, some planes have the seats facing the rear, some aircrafts have a reputation for always breaking down, all are very noisy (they actually issue ear plugs to all passengers), some have basically a porta potty behind a screen, some have sidewall seats kind of similar to a hammock. They mostly all will be carrying cargo as well. But I have also learned that most of the time, they let you lay out a blanket on the floor to sleep or play on. They also let the kids run around a bit, so they don't have to be strapped in for 8 straight hours.

Our first layover will be in Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. We will most likely be there overnight, but they can't really tell me that information yet. So I will have to try to get lodging at the base hotel last minute because I can't make any reservations since I have no idea what day we'll be there. I cross my fingers we will have a room to stay in because staying overnight in the terminal with all my bags and a 2 year old does not sound like fun. But I guess it is do-able if it comes down to it.

Then we leave again, very early in the morning, to Travis Air Force Base, California. After another 8 hour flight, we will have to catch a shuttle to Oakland Airport about 1.5 hours away. Then we will have to purchase our tickets, go through security, and wait to catch another 1.5 hour flight to San Diego.

All this by myself, with a 2 year old. We could seriously be traveling for 48 hours! My carry on is so packed full of food, number one and lots of it, and toys, books, markers, anything to keep Rian entertained for so long.

Sometimes they do have flights that go directly from Guam to San Diego or Riverside (about an hour north of San Diego). They are few and far between, but we are praying for one of those. How awesome would that be to eliminate the entire Oakland Airport leg! Your prayers are welcomed too :)

I am grateful that this flight is basically free, but I do feel like I deserve some kudos for doing this. We'll see how it goes this time, I'm sure I'll be blogging about it. The Navy has already given us so many 'experiences' that we would have never had if Matt had not joined. And we've only been in it for such a short time. When I think about this trip ahead, some days I am more optimistic than others, but in the end I have to keep telling myself that like anything else in life....it is what you make of it.

Are you exhausted yet, because I totally am and I haven't even travelled yet!