Final Day in Hawaii

We packed most of our stuff last night so we would have time to actually go down to the beach an watch the sunrise. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy day... so we couldn't see a darn thing. Just our luck!! Oh well, watching the clouds rise from the ocean surface was really cool.

Mahalo means Thank You!!

Anytime Hawaii :)

We flew from Kauai to Oahu and had 6 hours until our flight left for Phoenix. So we took full advantage of those 6 hours and went to see this Island. We wanted to go to get around, but didn't know the best way. The city bus was our first thought. It's the cheapest, it goes directly to Pearl Harbor (which was our chosen destination) but city buses don't allow luggage and we each had a suitcase. Our next thought was a taxi, but it was about $40 round trip PLUS once we get to Pearl Harbor we would have to check our bags for a fee because they don't allow ANY bag/purse inside the site (they even questioned my camera case/bag). So then we called a rental car place (so we could leave our luggage in the trunk) but that was like $100 for one day... So, to make a long story longer... we were sitting here debating how to do this and the lady behind the "Go-Airlines" desk over heard us talking. She said, "I'm working all day long, right here behind this desk and I would be happy to store your stuff up for you while you go enjoy yourselves on your last day here in Hawaii". Well, can't argue with that. She walked us to a to a little storage unit she had a key to, locked up our stuff, and said "I'll be here when you get back". We trusted her... A LOT, but she seemed pretty trust worthy. So, we grabbed our camera bag, our wallets, hopped on a city bus ($2.50/person), and headed to Pearl Harbor.

We are so glad we were able to go. It was such a neat experience. I learned so much... either that, or I had forgotten a LOT of facts and incidents that I was taught years ago.

The attack at Pearl Harbor is what brought the US into WWII.
This is the anchor of the USS Arizona. The ship hit the worst during the attack at Pearl Harbor.

The attack happened early Sunday morning (December 7, 1941). Many of the men were still asleep on board. Pearl Harbor is the headquarters and naval base for the US fleet. The attack completely crippled the US having little damage done to Japan.

Of the eight battleships that were bombed, all but the Arizona and Oklahoma were eventually repaired and returned to service. Here is where the Arizona stood the day of the attack and where it still sits at the bottom of the ocean.

Here is the ship. Same place it was when it went down 69 years ago. We saw tonz of those yellow fish when we snorkeled.

There were 2,403 people killed, 68 of those were civilians. 1,178 were wounded. And many of the survivors requested to be buried in the ocean along with their ship men who died many years before.

The thing I found most interesting was that the men at the watch station reported that static on their monitor showed "a large fleet of planes coming towards them". The captain ordered to dismiss their concern because a large amount of US aircraft carriers were expected to arrive from CA, coming back from a practice run. They just assumed that it was them... just minutes later, they knew it indeed was not.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy," in reference to the attack.

We left Pearl Harbor with greater gratitude, appreciation, and respect for our country and the people who fought for this great nation. If you don't know much about Pearl Harbor, you should check it out.

We still had several hours until our flight left. So... we hopped back on the bus and gave ourselves a little tour of Honolulu. When the stop said "Waikiki" We jumped off and headed for a little walk along this famous beach. We had a wonderful time. John got his one last shaved Hawaiian ice. He was a happy man.

We can't wait to get back to out Jackers and Jonah Bug.

We had a great time! John's friend told us that "no matter how high your expectations are when you go to Hawaii, they will ALWAYS be exceeded". And they were... WAY beyond what we could ever dream of. Hawaii was amazing!! We can't wait to someday bring our kids back.

POST HAWAII
In case you were worried, ALL of our luggage was there, sage and untouched. Thank goodness because the boys loved their "prizes" we brought home for them. Shirts and a ukulele (Who knew we should have gotten two? I should have known. We just thought Jonah wouldn't really know what to do with it... WRONG!! He totally wants his own. I guess the stuffed sea turtles we brought home for him, named Crush and Squirt from Nemo, didn't quite excite him the same way!!)

Jonah thought he was so cool!! Good thing Jack is so good at sharing.

We're so happy to be home to our boys. Thank you everyone and most of all Ashlyn for spending your "in between semesters" time to take care of our boys.