Just another (four) day(s) in paradise

AloHA!
(tradition is you're supposed to say that back to me now).

So I went to Hawaii as I mentioned previously. My friend Maren and her sister Trina and I took advantage of our flight benefits in the form of a whirlwind trip to Oahu where my darling little sister lives with her adorable family.

Mare and I had a little drama getting there...at the last minute the nonstop flight we were planning to take only had one seat left. So I sent Maren on ahead since her sister was already en route, and the gate agent told me that I could jump on their flight to Maui that was about to leave, and then hop over to Oahu from there.

But the Maui flight kept having mechanical delays, which frankly, as a flight attendant, weren't instilling any extra confidence in that aircraft. We got on, we got off, waited, boarded again, had more problems, got off, etc. When they announced that the delay was going to be at least another four hours, I finally jumped ship and made my way to LAX on another airline, where I'd be able to hop on yet another airline's flight to Oahu. Have I mentioned that I am totally in love with my job?

The good news is that as a result of all this drama, I ended up in first class on the trip over the pond. Which has only happened twice in my life. And which YUM! Unfortunately I'd eaten right before getting on the plane, but you can't sit up front and NOT eat the food. I don't think that's even allowed! So the gluttony began on the way there, and really, it just never stopped.

Four perfect days flew quickly by. I hadn't seen my sister since the last time I went to Hawaii for Zeth's birth which was unforgettable. I've been blessed to be with them when both of their children (who are adopted) were given to them, and those experiences have been so sweet. But that was 16 months ago, and that newborn is now a walking, laughing charm machine.

There was something so completely relaxing and magical about this trip. Mare has been one of my dearest friends for the past 15 years, and though we've worked as flight attendants for the past 8 years, this was our first trip together. It was such fun to celebrate her birthday and be with her and our sisters for a few days. We had the requisite daily Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Haleiwa on the North Shore, Kua Aina burgers and sandwiches, Famous Kahuku Shrimp truck shrimps, Nutella Crepes, a beach party at Hukilau Beach, and far too many treats to ever justify (I'm making friends with the scale again finally).


We went to the beach every day and snorkeled in the glorious water where I spied on turtles and loads of my favorite fishes. The surf on the North Shore was crazy-impressive. I've never visited in the winter before, and I couldn't absorb enough of the power and beauty of the sea.


One of the most enchanting moments was eating lunch with this little guy.

I named him Squiggy, and he was positively charming. I'm totally anthropomorphizing him, but he was so friendly and delightful. For the entirety of our lunch, he scooted around the table enthralling me with his beauty and curious nature. I'm not a pet-having-kind-of-person, but I'd love to have kept him if it wouldn't have put him at risk of DEATH, just because he was so delightful to look at. Isn't he gorgeous!?

Almost as gorgeous as these two little buckeroos:


Zeth and Zana are just precious. I adore these little people. Zana gave up her bed for me to sleep in. Thanks darlin'!!!

And then there's my sister. She's one of the best things about my life. The whole trip was made perfect due to her warm hospitality. Love you Swimber!

(yes, she's actually my sister. I know...we don't look anything like each other)

Before we could blink, (but after we were completely relaxed and rejeuv'd), we had to leave this:

and return to this:


At least the sunset was pretty!


As perfect as those four days were, it's great to be home with my own sweet Cuties and Doc, and diving back into my life and various endeavors. But I'm thinking that a weekend in Hawaii in January might need to be an annual event.

♥