What is better than Jon getting to travel to Hawaii for business, the opportunity to take me with him. Day 1 of our operation Hawaii trip was to hop on a plane July 24 at 0500 hundred, way too early for me, for 7 days of paradise. Second item of business after landing was to pick up the rental car and find our way to the Marriott Waikikii Beach resort were we would soon learn that because Jon was in the charge of the conference being held at the hotel, that our room had been upgraded to a junior suite. The first few pictures on the blog, I took standing on our balcony overlooking Waikikii beach. It was so beautiful. We settled in and headed down to the beach just as the sun was setting. It was so beautiful watching the sun set at the edge of the ocean.
This is me on day 2 of operation Hawaii. I was patiently waiting for Jon to finish up with a meeting so we could travel up to the North Shore. I think it is obvious that I was not waiting very patiently.
The meeting was finally over and we were on our way to the see the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Hawaii temple. The drive to the North Shore was spectacular, with the beautiful tall mountain cliffs on one side and the blue ocean on the other. Jon was starting to get a little famished, OK who are we kidding so was I, so we stopped at this little hole in the wall place along the way for a plate lunch. It was delicious and once our tummy's were full we were back in the car and on our way.
We finally made it to the Hawaii Temple and it was breathtaking. The pictures do not do it justice. It had these amazing majestic mountains behind it and the grounds were beautiful . Jon and I first went to the visitors center. We were inside for just a few short minutes when it started to down pour outside. We watched a short movie about the history of the temple while we waited for the storm to stop. What faith the saints had because they did not doubt as they began to build the temple in an area without water and was considered useless land. They were promised that the land would be prosperous and now the the North Shore is one of the most beautiful places on the island. Once the storm ended we walked up to the front doors of the temple and around the grounds. What peace we found there.
Operation day 2 was not over with visiting the temple it was then off to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We visited several different islands and enjoyed shows and dances along the way. The island of Samoa was our favorite because we watched a guy create fire using just sticks. The fire starting was not what made it our favorite though, it was the guys humor. He had us laughing from beginning to end.
I could not walk past this sign without taking a picture. Of course Jon found it just as funny.
Jon did not heed the warning of the sign and decided that touching the coconuts was just something he was going to do. Once we were done handling the coconuts it was off to the luau. We watched as they lifted the pig up out of ground where it had been roasting for the entire day. At the dinner they offered several dishes native to Hawaii. I decided to try them all. Most of it was delicious except for the purple pasty stuff which I can no longer remember the name of. After the luau we headed to the big theater for an amazing show. The show was about 2 hours long and featured dances from each of the islands. The fire dance was on the top of my list of favorites. What a way to end such a great day.
Operation Day 3, Jon headed out to work a half day and Maj Camille Smith and I headed to Honolulu to visit the Iolani Palace. We decided to try the local transportation to get there. What an interesting experience that was. We caught the bus right at the hotel and after riding for about 15 minutes the bus driver pulled over, turned the bus off, and got off. Camille and I sat there for a about 10 minutes and still no bus driver. We looked around, none of the locals were getting off so we sat there for another 5 minutes or so and the driver got back on, started the bus and we were off. I guess he just needed a potty break. Camille and I got a good laugh out of it. At the next stop on older man got on and sat next to us. He then proceeded to tell us his whole life story about all the countries he has traveled to etc. The bus continued to on to Honolulu and gathered more passengers along the way. There was a little oriental lady that got on packing a bag of herbs. Not sure what kind they were, but to my pregnant nose it was not pleasant. Finally the old guy leaned over and told us we were at our stop. We got off the bus and there in front of us was the Iolani Palace. They Palace was very plain on the outside but remarkably beautiful on the inside. It had this gorgeous staircase with an amazing craved railing and hand rails. I love visits historical sites to learn about the culture and history. Camille and I then caught the bus back to Waikiki. Jon and Camille's husband were just finishing up and so we headed out for dinner and then Jon and I spent the rest of the evening at the beach.
Operation Hawaii day 4. I spent most of the morning sleeping in and then several of us wives headed to a large swap meet they hold at the football stadium. Camille and I found some great gifts for the kids. It is always fun to banter and get things for a steal. Jon was released early afternoon and we were off to Hanauma Bay with several other couples for some snorkeling. The bay was beautiful and the water was perfect. I had never been snorkeling before and to be perfectly honest I am terrified of the water. I have been terrified of water since I was a little girl. However I can now thank my mom for making me take years and years of swimming lessons because I love snorkeling. It took me a little while to get the hang of it but once I did we were off. Jon knew my fears and was amazingly supportive staying close by my side and at times holding my hand as we swam along. Wow, is the only word that comes to mind to describe the day. After getting back to the hotel it was a quick shower and back out the door to meet everyone for dinner and an evening of laughing. I think my husband provided most of the entertainment, it is never a dull moment with Jon.
What day are we on now, oh yes day 5. I spent the morning hanging out at the pool. It was so relaxing to lay there and just read and not once did I hear the word "Mommy". The guys finished about lunch time and we headed down to the beach. We were enjoying the water and Jon was trying to climb up on a break when a wave caught him and pulled him off, in the process it also pulled his wedding ring off. When he came up to me to tell me about his ring, he looked devastated. Jon was determined to find it though. He went back out and kept diving down to look for it but the water was to murky. He went to one of the local shops and purchased some goggles and headed back out to look for it. He then decided to sit on top of the break for a sec and another wave came over him and then his goggles were also gone. I have been wanting to get him a new ring for awhile now because his was so worn but he wouldn't let me. I think he always held on to his old one because of the engraving I put on the inside when we were married. It read "buddies for eternity". We didn't have long after that to pause and feel bad about his ring because we were headed out on a fishing trip. We gathered our things and headed back to the hotel to get dressed. It wasn't long before I realized that I might have spent a little to much time in the sun because I was burnt. The fishing company picked us up at the hotel and off we went for what they promised was a big boy BBQ and great fishing.
Oh yeah I almost forgot. We had this great Korean tourist on the boat with us and he was completely wasted. He decided to join Camille and I along the side of the railing. He wormed his way right in between us and ever so nicely placed his hands just above our butts. We both moved and gave our husbands that, "you better do something look" which they both did not get. Camille and I both moved away from him and at that moment he decided to climb the railing and hang over. I think if Camille's husband had not stopped him he would have fallen over. Carlyle sent him on his way towards the back of the boat and the next time we saw him he had a sober buddy trying to keep him in line.
Hidden somewhere in all that green is the waterfall we are headed to.
After hiking a ways we finally made it to the waterfall. I have to say I didn't do to bad being 6 months pregnant. Our guide was this cute college football player and he did a great job telling us all about the different plants.
Towards the end of the hike down our guide found some Tarzan vines for us to swing on. This is Jon swinging through the trees just like Tarzan.
Day 7 was our final day in Hawaii so Jon and I headed out to see Pearl Harbor. Jon spent 4 years in the Navy and three of those years he was stationed in Japan on an aircraft carrier. Even though Jon is in the Army now, he is and always will be a sailor at heart. I think a reverence filled us both as we watched a short video and boarded the boat to see the USS Arizona Memorial.
Once inside the memorial they had a large wall completely covered with names of those men that lost their lives that day. While scanning down the list, I found three with the last name Hamilton, which is my maiden name. I learned from the guide that there were several pairs of father and sons. I quickly wondered if that was the case with these three men. I am determined to find out about them and see if we are related. Inside the memorial was a small bench with several names on it. These were sailors that have died years later and were laid to rest with fellow sailors still entombed on the ship.
There is such a reverence at Pearl Harbor and you leave with such pride in our great Nation and those that fight so hard to protect it.
We left Pearl harbor and headed for the airport to catch our 9:00pm flight. It is not a typo we were really leaving Hawaii that late. After a long flight home we arrived in SLC about 7:30am and it was directly home to see our children whom we missed dearly. All four were waiting on the steps in the garage when we pulled up with big smiles and lots of kisses. This is one vacation Jon and I will remember for years and years to come.
What a fun trip, and a great opportunity!! You deserve to get away and have some time with Jon!
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