Monthly Archives: June 2011
Aloha Haviland Family!
I would like to wish a warm Aloha to the Haviland family! I enjoyed my time with them this morning taking family photos on their last day on the island before heading to Pennsylvania for their next adventure. It was wonderful to see them all together again and so very happy! I wish them blessings as they enter the next stage of military life!
Polynesian Cultural Center
Today was the first time we made it up to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and I have to say I’m disappointed we didn’t make it up there sooner! We had a wonderful time exploring the villages and participating in the many events. The staff was very friendly and great with the boys. The highlight of the day for the boys was getting to try to climb a palm tree. Neither made it very far, but they gave it a good try! Any place that lets them climb and play with sticks, spears, and drums is a good place to them!
USS Missouri
As we gear up to leave paradise in a few weeks, we are trying to catch up on many of the “touristy” things we haven’t yet done. Believe it or not, even when you live in paradise, daily life has a way of taking over! Today’s “staycation” adventure took us to the USS Missouri for the first time. We visited friends here in 2006, and I was very disappointed that we weren’t able to go aboard because I was pregnant (wasn’t quite up for climbing up and down stairs in the heat!). Today was a beautiful day for the trip. Although it was rather warm, there was plenty of wind to keep us cooled off. The boys were beyond excited to get to go on a real battleship.
There isn’t anything quite at beautiful to me as Old Glory flying high. As a military spouse and a military brat, the flag has always stood for something special. I never tire of seeing photos of her.
This was taken from the gangplank boarding the ship. What an amazing view of history. Here you have both where WWII began for the United States and where it ended. Every time I see the Arizona memorial, I can’t help but imagine what it must have been like on that December day.
After we toured the Missouri, we drove through a historical housing area to get this shot of the boys with the Arizona Memorial behind them. While it would have been nice to have taken them to the memorial, I don’t think they are quite ready. It’s such a place of quiet respect that I would be concerned their numerous questions would be a distraction for others or for us. Having been there once, I can’t quite put in to words the respect I felt standing on board the monument. The boys both know just enough about what happened there to be very curious, yet any explanation doesn’t really quell their questions just yet. So, for now, we have this memory of them with the monument. Fittingly, they have on their USS Arizona t-shirts and their USS Missouri dog tags.
I love this one because you can see just how much they love one another. One thing I know for sure, those boys adore one another, and it makes my heart smile to capture these moments between them.
This is known as the Marine gun on board the Missouri. Our guide shared with us that the Marines had their own special gun on board.
Take a moment to read the plaque. It’s amazing to think of the history that occurred on board this ship.
Diamond Head Hike
Today we hiked Diamond Head for the first time, and the views were simply stunning. While we have seen Diamond Head many times from Waikiki and Honolulu, we enjoyed being able to see an alternative view of Honolulu itself. The boys were troopers going up and saved all their complaining until we were on the way down. I joke that one of the boys is like Tigger and the other like Eeyore. The picture of them with their daddy (fittingly known as Piglet) should make it clear exactly who is who. After our hike, we went to the Rainbow Drive in restaurant for some traditional Hawaiian plate lunch. As we near our time on island, we can successfully cross these two “to do’s” off our list!
