2011 Marine Corps Ball

This year's ball was definitely different than the last three I've been too, in good and bad ways. I know that everything is more expensive in Hawaii, but our tickets were super expensive and didn't include an open bar during cocktail hour. In the previous years' the bar has been open for the first hour (aka: cocktail hour) one year it was beer & wine, the other two were beer, wine, and the hotel's specialty mixed drinks. So, that was a bit of a let-down especially when one beer cost $7.00 a pop. I think the biggest let-down was the utter disrespect a large majority of the attendees (Marines included) had for the ceremony! It literally took halfway through the description of the "Missing Man Table" for the room to finally quiet down. Now, I don't condone playing a video to end a ceremony... but the fact that so many people got up for drinks, started chatting, and mingling during it was quite ridiculous. After all it was the Commandant & Sargent Major of the Marine Corps! I think the worse part was that the CO didn't get up and demand everyone quiet down.

However, I liked the photographers better because we didn't pay & pick-up at the ball, it was always awkward carrying around our photos. Instead they were posted online 4 days later and we got to pick which ones we wanted, crop them how we desired, and even with paying shipping they were cheaper (and we got more) than at the last three balls. The dessert was by far the best I've had at any of the balls... pineapple and lilikoi (passion fruit) ice cream cake! We went with a great couple, Brian & Brittany... Brittany is going to be one of my "deployment sisters." It was fun to hang out with them! We also ran into Kyle & Shayla, and many more new/old friends.

We stayed at the hotel (Hawaiian Hilton Village) so we got to wake up and walk along the beach. We were down in Waikiki at the same time as APEC so we did have to wait 15min to check-out because the Philippine Consultant General was checking in for a conference. It was a great night... I felt like a princess with my "knight."