This Christmas had a different feeling all around, without the normal traditions, surroundings and usual family gatherings, but it was a memorable one because we got to really focus on why we celebrate Christmas. We did not give gifts to each other, but decided to do a little shopping and wrapping for a family on Oahu. It was a memorable evening for us to try to find the house and keep a low profile for delivery, but when it was accomplished, the spirit of giving was prevelant and it felt right.
Christmas was on a Sunday this year, so on Christmas morning, after using another condo to shower in since our water heater broke, we found a church meeting to go to. The service was wonderful and musical and meaningful.
Spencer discovered that the belt he brought to wear with his church clothes broke, so he used the duct tape that DJ brought for emergencies to fashion a belt buckle. Because a duct tape belt buckle must be much better than wearing no belt at all?
We spent the day playing games and enjoying each other. After a Christmas ham dinner with cheesy potatoes and the best fruit salad we've ever had, made of fresh Hawaiian fruits, we took a walk along Turtle Bay beach. What a beautiful Christmas sunset we were given!
It turns out that the busiest day of the whole year for Hawaiian tourist sites is December 26. We went to the Dole Plantation with a thousand of other humans on vacation. We went through the pineapple maze and waited for a very long time for the pineapple express, which takes you through the plantation where you can see and learn about how pineapple grows. Unfortunately for us, on the busy post-Christmas day, the pineapples had just been harvested. Oh well!
But even if the pineapples are harvested and there are more people than you care to be with on every side, a problem in Hawaii is still a good problem to have!
Since we did not intend for the Dole Plantation to take as long as it did, our plans for snorkeling at Hanauma Bay were disrupted. Again, we thought, a problem in Hawaii is still a good problem to have, so we determined to drive to the Southern tip of Oahu and hike to the Makapu Lighthouse. Only we took a wrong turn and went the scenic route, well, the other scenic route and were able to pass through these mountains. A happy and beautiful mistake!
The Makapu lighthouse trail was windy, but beautiful. We kept a look out for whales, but with the wind, had a hard time distinguishing between white caps and possible whales. Though Mark and I did see a few discernible spouts in the distance.
I sure enjoy Mark's photography skills.
To add to our day of "misfortunes" the Makapu light house was covered up!
But we were treated to yet another beautiful sunset.
After a day of happy misadventures, we all wanted to find some good sushi. Well, most of us wanted good sushi and one wanted a good bento box. We found a delicious restaurant in Waikiki. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore. When we walked out of the restaurant, there were police brigades on the street along with a number of black SUVs and what looked to be a sniper on the sidewalk. When we walked past the sniper looking guy, I asked what was going on and he said, "just having dinner." Huh? Then we remembered that President Obama was in town to meet with the Japanese Prime Minister to honor the victims of the bombing at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. One of his favorite restaurants happened to be across the street from where we ate. Seeing a camera crew, and a few people waiting, we decided to wait and get a glimpse of the President, because how often does that happen? After waiting for 1 1/2 hours, we got just that, a glimpse, which was exciting! Poor James waited and waited and as the crowd grew, right when the President and the First Lady exited the building, people moved in front of him and he couldn't see anything. It was interesting to watch the protective teams do their job, including searching us and others in the crowd.
So a day of misadventures, turned into a day of unexpected, beautiful and fun adventures!
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