Mom & Dad Visit and Wonderful Friends

I have stayed very busy since my last post, and rightfully so. My parents left yesterday afternoon and made it back safely this morning. We had a delightful visit with several new spots on the island for me to see as well as share with them.

They got in on Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday we took it easy so they could rest up from the long flight. We hung around base and I took them to Kailua to show them a few of my favorite places. I had AWANA in the afternoon, while my Mom got a massage and Dad rested.

Thursday we went to Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona Memorial and the Navy Exchange. There is always a good deal of Hawaiian shopping to be done.

Friday we took a sailboat ride out off the Honolulu harbor and we were able to see Waikiki and Honolulu from the water side. It was interesting seeing the surfers from behind. We have some wonderful pictures of a beautiful double rainbow that morning as well as some great photos of Diamond Head. Unfortunately the water was rough that morning and we got a little seasick. I started with the worst of it, but by mid-trip everyone was feeling it. Thankfully it was only 4 hours. We did enjoy the beautiful scenery though. Friday night we went to the Mongolian Grill at the Officer's Club on base. We were hungry from the long day and our stomachs finally reached equilibrium from the rough waters. We got a wonderful picture in the lobby.

Saturday started with more shopping, but this time at the local flea market, the Swap Meet. It is always a fun place to stop by and take visitors because you can find great gifts to take home to friends and family.

In the afternoon we decided to go to Chinatown because they were celebrating the Chinese New Year. There was a big festival with lots of great photo-opportunities. The colors were wonderful, the food was good and the festivities were great. They had several dancing lion groups and we enjoyed watching the parade with bands, dancing lions, percussive groups, and even a special appearance of Dogg, the Bounty Hunter because it is now the Year of the Dog in the Chinese Calendar. I have never seen the TV show or even really heard about him before this past week, but let me tell you something, his wife and him are a force to be reckoned with. You can tell they do their job when you see them in person. Anyways, we had a wonderful afteroon appreciating Chinese culture.

Sunday we went to church and came home for a lunch. After lunch we started driving to the North Shore. We were hoping to see some big waves. We did indeed find some, due to the storm system we had moving over the island and of course, the time of year. There were plenty of surfers taking the risk of getting tossed and turned in the giant waves. It was such a nice sunny day we just laid on the beach for a while and decided to not hurry on to see other things that day. The sand was made of large granules so it didn't stick to your skin as badly as some other sands. I think it would have been Daniel's favorite sand, ever! (He is particular about getting all the sand off of himself before leaving, extremely particular... :->)

Monday was a little rainy and overcast so we did a little sightseeing in Pearl City and Honolulu with a good amount of shopping.

Tuesday we went to the Polynesian Culture Center. I had only been for a few hours with Lauren and Kris so I was happy to be going again. We stayed for the luau at the center that night and we were wowed by the good food, great entertainment and extreme downpour of rain we had for about 20 minutes. While we huddled under a tent with several other visitors, my Dad was a lifesaver when he left without saying anything and came back with three bright yellow ponchoes. It made our day much nicer being dry and warm. My Dad always was a thinker...
We saw plenty of dancing, heard plenty of native songs, and enjoyed really good kalua pig and other special Hawaiian foods. It was a great visit and I even got a picture with Te'o, the incredible fire knife dancer. He has the ash marks on him still in the picture. He had just finished his performance in the evening show when he came out to pose for pics. He is very funny and talented. Okay yeah, I did get rained on a bit while running for cover. I am not looking my best.

Wednesday we drove to Hanauma Bay to see how good the weather was for snorkeling. We were doubtful as we drove over and it was sprinkling rain. Here is a picture near the blowhole on Kalanianiole Highway. It was looking pretty rough. I didn't want Mom and Dad's first snorkeling experience to be a cold and miserable one. Once we got there though the clouds had cleared somewhat and we thought we'd give it a try. We were thankful we did. I love snorkeling and my parents seemed to enjoy it just as much. My Mom was a water-bug and Dad was enjoying taking pictures of the fish. We saw quite a few different species; still no turtles or octopi though. I guess I will just have to keep looking.

Overall we had a wonderful visit with plenty of downtime for just talking and catching up in person. Momma and I even knit a little together. Dad enjoyed reading a Cussler novel he'd not read and we just enjoyed each other's comapny.

My title has the "wonderful friends" bit in there because as I was driving home from the airport I had three lovely invitations from my friends to do things in the next week. They knew I needed to stay just as busy now that I don't have guests. I am so thankful for my friendships here on the island and I am blessed beyond belief with a wonderful family. Thank you for being such a blessing to me, dearest family and friends.

Much Love!