"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." (Vivian Greene).
This quote perfectly summarizes our trip to Hawaii this month, and we sure did dance in the rain! We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to accompany Luke's marching band as they performed at the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. This trip had been planned for months, but until about 48 hours before departure, I wasn't sure that it was going to happen. The arrival of the Omicron COVID variant, Hawaii's strict travel restrictions, and uncertain state of the world all contributed to this adventure seeming like a far out possibility. So we bought travel insurance, obtained required pre-travel COVID tests for Leah, and hoped for the best. I packed our bags and was extremely proud that I limited our entire family to one checked suitcase (which weighed in exactly at the 50 lb. limit) and a carry-on backpack for each person. I was further validated when the ticketing agent at the airport baggage check counter marveled, "This suitcase is for all four of you... for a week?". Sometimes it's the little things that make Mama happy!
We left for the Raleigh-Durham airport at 2:00 a.m. on our departure day and met most of our 165 person group at the airport a little before 4:00 a.m. L&L tried to rest in the car, but were really too excited to sleep:
We had a quick, uneventful first leg of our journey to Washington, D.C., and then a 10-hour plane ride from Dulles to Honolulu. During the second flight, I assisted with a medical emergency onboard and was given free snacks for the remainder of the trip, which the kids thought was the best thing ever. We also flew over the Grand Canyon, which was really neat for L&L to see. The picture doesn't do it justice, but we had an incredible views for several minutes:
Once wheels were down in Honolulu, we were given leis of fresh flowers. It was a lengthy process to gather luggage, instruments, ride the shuttle bus, and check in to the hotel, and we walked to a pizza dinner before crashing after a very long travel day. The kids proudly declared that they had been awake for 24 hours, and we were grateful for a good sleep that night.
Morning came and we checked out Waikiki Beach, which was right across the street from our hotel. Little did we know that it was the last time we'd see the sun for several days!
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| View of our hotel from the beach. |
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| Toes in the Pacific (with Diamond Head in the background)! |
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| Surfboards lined up on Waikiki Beach. |
Our late morning activity was to hike up to the top of Diamond Head, which is named Le'ahi in Hawaiian. We saw things named "Le'ahi" all over the island, and Leah was thrilled to have her name on restaurants, street signs, stores, etc.
Diamond Head is an enormous volcanic tuff cone (crater) which was formed 300,000 years ago during an explosive eruption. In the 1800's, British sailors mistook calcite crystals near the site for diamonds, and the English name was given. Soon into our Diamond Head hike, the skies opened, and we were soaked to the bone:
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| Mudslides/streams of water along the path. |
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| At the top! |
The guide at the top told us that on a sunny day, we could see other islands and views for miles. We used our imaginations and giggled at our view:
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| Waterfalls caused by the rain. |
There were delicious fresh pineapple drinks at the end of the hike. I told my crew to smile and pretend that they were living their best tropical lives in this picture. Mark, who is always an optimist, said, "EVERYONE gets to hike Diamond Head in the sun. Our hike is much more memorable!". And he's right, as we've coined a new term, "Diamond Head Rain", as a result. It rained one day since we've been home, and was the same, fierce, sideways rain... Everyone in our family separately commented, "This is Diamond Head Rain!"
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(What you can't see in the picture is that Leah's lips were blue and her teeth were chattering. We think pineapple hot chocolate may have been more appropriate than our frozen concoctions!) |
We dried off at the hotel and attempted the pool between rain drops, but it really wasn't sunny or warm enough to swim that afternoon. Leah got in the hot tub and we read books and relaxed poolside:
That night, our group had a Luau planned, but after driving across the island and arriving, it was cancelled due to weather. We found out later that the entire Luau site flooded and is still unable to have events at their beachside location. We ended up getting take-out food and Luke ordered the best sushi we've ever tasted. He and I had several delicious Poke bowls during our time in Hawaii too, and I love sharing these culinary adventures with my foodie!
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| Luau-Ready! |
The next morning, we took a bus tour of the Eastern Shores of Oahu. One of our favorite stops was the Halona Blowhole, which was quite active during our visit:
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| Halona Point (Halona means "lookout"). |
The scenery was beautiful and we saw diverse landscapes and gorgeous beaches:
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| Mokolii ("small lizard") Island. |
The Pali Lookout is the site of the 1795 Battle of Nuuanu, when King Kamehameha I united Oahu under his rule. Many soldiers' lives were lost as they were forced off Pali's sheer cliffs. It was raining again by this point in our tour, so we snapped some quick pics and ran back to the bus:
One other funny note about the bus: The week before our trip, band students were asked to sign up for seats on the charter buses that we used to get around the island. Luke forgot to sign up our family and so we were assigned the last open seats on the bus, which were in the back next to the bathroom. Mark and I jokingly grumbled about this at dinner one night before our trip, and Leah exclaimed, "Wait, WHAT? There are POTTIES ON THE BUS?!" She was delighted about this discovery, and we realized that our kids had never been on a charter bus before. It reminded us of taking the kids on the Disney Cruise when Leah was 4 and Luke was 7, and their minds were blown when Poppy told them that there were bathrooms on the boat.
We spent the dreary afternoon shopping in the boutiques attached to our hotel. Luke was very excited to visit the ukulele store, and almost came home with another instrument added to his collection:
This is a view of our open-air hotel lobby. The wet floor signs seemed redundant after a while, and when sandbags were added on several floors, we knew that the rain was serious. By this time, we had received almost 10 inches of rain and the storm was officially named a Kona-lo, which is a type of cyclone that occurs in the Pacific cool season and brings torrential rains. It was called "unprecedented" and "a once in a century storm".
At one point in the trip, the following weather notices popped up on my phone all at once:
"Gale Warning, Wind Advisory, Areal Flood Advisory, Flash Flood Warning, Coastal Flood Watch".
So what did we do? We pivoted and had more indoor fun the next day. We posed in front of Hawaiian-themed signs and took the kids to a nearby Dave and Busters for an afternoon of arcade games:
Yes, it may have been raining INSIDE the arcade (there were several buckets on the floor collecting water in places where the warehouse type ceiling was leaking...), but the kids had the best afternoon playing games and we grabbed burgers and watched football in the attached restaurant afterward. The waitress apologized that she couldn't seat us along the row of picture windows because the rain was coming through the cracks and soaking those tables and booths, but honestly, we had a great time and had the restaurant all to ourselves!
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| That time we flew 7,000 miles to go to Dave and Busters. |
That night, we visited the candy/ice cream store attached to our hotel and treated the kids to whatever they wanted for dessert. They exclaimed that it was "the best day ever!", and made us proud with their ability to find joy in any situation. (I also told them that when people asked what their favorite part of Hawaii was, maybe not to blurt out Dave and Busters...)
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| Leah found the Hawaii Jelly Bean Store! |
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| Best. Day. Ever. |
The following day was December 7 (the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor), AKA "Concert Day". This was the entire reason we came to Hawaii, and our group was ready and looking forward to their special performance:
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| Receiving instructions from our band director in the hotel lobby. |
We learned that part of the roof of the original performance venue had collapsed due to the weather, so the commemoration ceremonies and music took place at a separate indoor facility:
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| Our Tuba Dude! |
The kids did a wonderful job and last time I checked, their performance (which was livestreamed) had 5,500 views. Luke was interviewed (over the phone) by a reporter from the Greensboro News and Record and the article was published in the newspaper that day. He was quoted as saying, "It's definitely an honor and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", and when asked what his favorite part about the trip was, he answered, "The food. I've never had seafood this fresh." Yep, that's our Bubbie!
We spent a fun afternoon at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) where we visited villages representing seven different island nations and learned about their culture. At the PCC, we watched live cultural performances and wandered through representations of Samoa, Figi, Tahiti, Tonga, and Aeotearoa before dining at a luau-inspired buffet dinner. We tried lots of island dishes and watched an incredible show which included over 100 Polynesian performers. Our favorite part was the fire dancers, and each of the island nations was featured in the show:
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| Luke's middle school band teacher was chosen as a volunteer for one of the performances. |
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| Located in the Hukilau marketplace at the PCC: Luke loved this place! |
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| Trying out a U-Bass at the Ukulele Experience |
The next day was our day at Pearl Harbor. I can't accurately put into words how moving and humbling it was to be at this historic site, and it was truly a remarkable opportunity to visit during the 80th anniversary commemoration events:
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| Shadows of our NWGHS band kids walking into memorial site. |
The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,117 sailors and marines who lost their lives aboard when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The site is only accessible by boat and we took a shuttle to the memorial, which lies on top of the sunken battleship. We saw the hulls of the Arizona (which are partially above water), along with the memorial wall of names of those who died.
Many survivors choose to rejoin their shipmates after death and have their remains entombed in the Arizona. We learned that the very last burial ceremony happened the day before we visited, as divers laid to rest the ashes of the final crew member who chose to spend eternity with his shipmates. (There are only two living survivors from the Arizona, and they have chosen alternative burial plans). There is an open air area where visitors can look down into the ship at this tomb below the water and a plaque which states: "It's kind of a large hole and we place the urn through and you can kind of feel it release... I tell the family, when I feel that pull, it's the ship accepting one of its own back." (NPS Dive Team Member).
The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is a sacred site indeed. It was an emotional and reverent experience, and we will forever be changed because of it. If you look out over the side of the memorial, you can see spots of oil that still rise from the shipwreck. 80 years later, these drops silently rise to the surface of the water from the depths below and are named the Tears of the Arizona. We prayed for and thanked the men who gave this ultimate sacrifice for our country on that day eight decades ago.
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| A tear of the Arizona rises beside the sunken hull. |
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| Anchor recovered from the USS Arizona. |
Side note: The band director told all of the kids that he expected them to show the BEST behavior that they have EVER shown in their LIFE as they visited the Arizona Memorial... (because sometimes teenagers need to be reminded of times where solemnity and decorum are required). And these band kids brought it. We were so impressed with the group's behavior throughout the trip, and at their level of maturity and respect. It made us proud to be a part of the NWGHS band family, and grateful to create these memories with them.
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| Walk of Remembrance. |
After touring the Arizona Memorial, we visited the Walk of Remembrance and I looked up and saw a rainbow. This seemed especially meaningful after our days of rain, and was a beautiful sign of promise and hope:
Our band laid a wreath at the Pearl Harbor Memorial on the Walk of Remembrance and it was an honor to be a part of this special place:
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| ( I love this shot with the rainbow in the background.) |
After lunch, we toured the U.S.S. Missouri, which was the site of the September 2, 1945 Surrender Ceremony that effectively ended WWII. On the teak decks of the battleship, the surrender documents were signed, and are still enclosed in a glass case for visitors to view:
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| Surrender Deck. |
Battleship Missouri was not only used in WWII, but also in the Korean and Gulf Wars, and while we were walking through the ship, we encountered two veterans who had served there decades ago. One of the men was almost 100 years old, and the other had just located the bunk where he slept during his time aboard. Seeing these two men made our visit to the Missouri that much more meaningful, and gave us such important context for humanizing this massive battleship.
We were moved seeing the place on the U.S.S. Missouri where it sustained a Kamikaze attack during WWII (a small dent in the side is still visible), and the photographs chronicling that day in 1944. The kids also enjoyed seeing the officers' quarters and the areas below deck where the military personnel ate, gathered, and slept.
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| NWGHS Band Group Picture at U.S.S. Missouri. |
After a full day at Pearl Harbor, it was time for milkshakes (because when on vacation...) and one last group dinner at a Japanese restaurant:
We had a full day and night of travel including a red-eye flight (the photo of Luke below sums up that experience), and made it home without incident to collapse into our own beds on Friday. The kids amazed us by adapting to the 5 hour time change in Hawaii without a hiccup. We anticipated some grumpy moods or necessary naps during our trip, but everyone was having too much fun to think about being sleepy. Now that we are home, Mark and I seem to have more lingering effects from jet lag this week than L&L, but maybe we are just tired because we are old ;)
Hawaii Hodge Podge:
Luke took some beautiful photos of flowers using his IPhone camera:
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| Yellow Hibiscus: state flower of Hawaii. |
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| Bird of Paradise flower. |
Food:
One of our favorite things was the breakfast buffet at our hotel each morning. Leah, who usually isn't an adventurous or big eater, returned to our table with at least 3 heaping plates full of food every day. She LOVED all of the tropical and exotic fruits, including dragon fruit, rambutan, mango, kiwi, and papaya. We don't even know the name of the fruit in the little brown shell at the bottom, but she tried it and liked it!
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| Rambutan at the Farmer's Market. |
COVID thoughts:
Hawaii has the strictest entry requirements of any state. The mandatory 10-day quarantine upon entering Hawaii is for all travelers, and may only be bypassed by uploading vaccination records into a state website, screening at the airport, and/or testing within 72 hours of travel. While in Hawaii, we had to show proof of vaccination (and ID) before we entered every store, restaurant, and public building. Unvaccinated people must show proof of a negative COVID test within 48 hours. Masks are worn at all times indoors and also outdoors at Pearl Harbor, as it is part of the National Parks system. These signs were places in numerous spots on the U.S.S. Missouri, and I thought they were cute and well done:
We were very impressed with Hawaii from a public health and policy perspective. The restrictions that they have in place allow the state to stay open to visitors and have resulted in the lowest COVID testing positivity rate in our nation. We felt safe there, and there was a sense of communal responsibility and cooperation that is not always present where we live. I'm documenting this because I think it's important to remember how travel was possible during this unique time. Our family remains committed to making decisions based on science and know that these choices impact the health of our family, friends, and community around us. We are grateful that Hawaii required masks and had clear rules in place that are effective and working to prevent illness, death, and strain to the healthcare system and economy.
On a lighter note, we hope this is the first of many worldwide adventures for Luke's tuba, and we plan to document its journeys with a photo in each location. We're naming the first installation: "Tuba in Paradise"!
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| Just a boy and his traveling tuba. |
This was a trip where almost nothing went as planned, and we were at the mercy of unforeseen weather circumstances, yet we still made wonderful family memories and had so many amazing adventures. Mark and I also had a front row seat to watch our kids practice adaptability and respond when a (literal) storm was put in their path. And every single time, they chose understanding and joy, and we all grew as human beings. As our band director said, "HOW you react CREATES your CHARACTER...". A great example of this is below:
One thing that L&L really wanted to do was to take surfing lessons on Waikiki Beach, and they looked forward to this more than anything else. We thought they'd be able to surf on our last afternoon since the weather had cleared up. Mark called to confirm and was told, "I'm sorry, sir, but surf lessons are cancelled today due to the brown water advisory... (wastewater and sewage runoff into the ocean from the storm)." Instead of being disappointed, the kids responded, "Ok- we will find something else fun to do!", and proceeded to have a wonderful time walking around and exploring.
There are such great life lessons in traveling, and it's one of the reasons that we prioritize travel so highly in our family. We've been blessed to have a great year of travel adventures, and were able to take a trip every month (ranging from big to small, near to far, fancy to roughing it (umm, remember that Mark handled our plumbing in the RV, and we promised to never speak of it again?)). Highlights include multiple ski trips, taking a ferry to Bald Head Island, pet-friendly golf carts to explore as a family of 5, a deep sea fishing charter, two family beach weeks, biking the Virginia Creeper Trail, hiking Chimney Rock, Smith Mountain Lake boat tubing, OBX weekend, Asheville fall leaf peeping at the Biltmore, and a luxurious weekend at the Greenbrier. We kicked off 2021 with a tropical RV Trip to Key West in January and ended with a crazy Christmas cyclone in Hawaii. What an awesome year!
Aloha, Hawaii, and Mele Kalimaka from our family to yours!
