The hubby and I were BEYOND excited about our trip. Even the pre-trip doctor visit to rule out whooping cough for Allison couldn't bring us down! Sunday morning we packed our selves and our babies into the car and headed to Mom and Dad's where we loaded all of us into her Tahoe and set off for the airport. Our flight left at 8:50am so we were up at 3:30am. You know what time that is in Hawaii? 12:30am. Yup.
First let me say this. I knew ahead of time that it would be difficult to live gluten free on this trip. I did pretty good while IN Hawaii but on the flight? 8+ hours between the flight and boarding and waiting and I was a HUNGRY mama. I hadn't packed myself anything 'safe' to eat. (Thanks, Claire, for making me some GF muffins to bring - they were all I had all day!)
Back to the action though:
We arrived in Hawaii and it was beautiful weather. Sun was shining, the breeze was warm and my perpetual goosebumps were gone. (I am ALWAYS cold...I could be in three pairs of pants, long sleeves, and a sweatshirt with hood on, sitting on the porch in the sun and I'm still cold and my fingers still go numb) I was in heaven. I guess I forgot about the part where you have to drive through the slums to get to the touristy areas. Joel and I both felt a twinge of guilt and sadness as we passed dilapidated neighborhood after neighborhood on our way to our 4 star hotel.
Our hotel was amazing. It sat right on the beach (it's own private beach area which was nice and not-busy) with a few restaurants to choose from on-site at a decent price. I had stressed about the room but we were blessed there too - a nice view of the ocean and the pool and a little bit of the city too. We even arrived in our room to find a congratulations card (I told them we were celebrating a slew of awesomeness like a Joel's birthday, my birthday, and a belated honeymoon) with a bottle of sparkling wine. The wine was a waste for them since we don't drink but the thought was nice!
The first night we crashed pretty early. We did do dinner at Shorebird's restaurant (on site) where you grill your own meats. It was pretty fun. And the organic steak came from cows that were grass fed - YUM! Afterwards, Joel and I walked about 2 miles each way to the local mall where we bought a cable that would let us watch Netflix at the hotel through Joel's phone (AWESOME!).
The next day we went down for breakfast and then headed towards the nearest Safeway for a cheaper food option for our stay. Safeway was a long ways away. It said 2 miles one way - but it was probably closer to 3 miles. And when you are walking...in the heat...in the slums...it made it even longer. But we arrived and bought some staples (it was still a painful total to look at) then headed back towards the hotel. It was a good 3 hour journey in it's entirety. And Joel and I still loved each other. Kudos for us!
We attempted to get in the ocean when we got back but the wind had picked up and I was literally a shaking ball of goosebumps in the water. Joel gave up and said we could head inside. I did go down to the pool though while Joel napped to get some sun...the buildings blocked the wind so I was able to roast in peace.
Tuesday brought some disagreement between Joel and I. He REALLY wanted to go surfing but also REALLY wanted me to go with him. I was NOT looking forward to it. Secretly I hoped he would get tired of asking and go on his own - but he's a persistent man sometimes. So told him I would do it if he would agree to going out with someone who could teach us. He was apprehensive but obliged. So we signed up, got our suits on, and headed out into the waters. And oh boy if I didn't have a BLAST! It was exhausting and my arms hurt like they never have before...but I did it - and Joel did it - and I think we did pretty darn good! After surfing we were both wasted so we went up to the room and played some Banangrams while listening to music. As much as that doesn't sound like something you should do in Hawaii - it was what we both really needed. Just time for peace and quiet and relaxing. I think Joel did go down to the pool with me that day and we worked out our lounge chairs so I was in the sun and he was in the shade and we could still hold hands. It was perfect - until I became a crispy critter and burned my legs - OUCH!
Wednesday, and our last day of the trip, we dedicated to seeing Pearl Harbor and the Memorial of the USS Arizona. I had expected the trip to be pretty emotional - but I had no idea what an impact it could make on me. I really feel like I had NO idea what the real story was behind the attack on Pearl Harbor. Joel was equally as touched. If you haven't been to the memorial - I highly recommend it. It was the main reason we chose to stay in Honolulu for this trip...totally worth it.
I learned a few things on this trip that I wasn't expecting:
- No matter how overwhelming daily life is with my girls, it is nothing compared to the overwhelming feeling of 'something's missing' when I was away from them for four days. Vacations mean nothing when you leave behind something so precious as your children.
- Even given lesson #1, 4 days of uninterrupted conversation, snuggling, laughing, and resting with my hubby were AMAZING!
- It is possible to have two separate panic attacks over the course of a 40 minute shuttle ride. Hawaii may be relaxing but I am not - and I will find anything to freak out over...freak!
- I could make white rice every day of my life and still not make it as good as those darn Hawaiians.
- I do NOT like flying. I must have asked Joel at least 30 times (no joke) if the plane looked like it was pointing down towards the earth. Panic attacks 3, 4, and 5 occurred on the flight home.
- Even after seven and half years of being together, I still know there will never be enough time for me to fully show my love for my husband, there's just too much of it.
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