Aloha blues

On the way to Hilo Hatties we caught a quick glimpse of Duke Kahanamoku's statue on Waikiki Beach.

Once at Hilo Hatties we enjoyed a free sample of pineapple punch. Of course, all the punch in Hawaii is... that's right - HAWAIIAN punch! We also saw the World's Largest Hawaiian shirt - a 400 XL!

After a couple hours of wandering through Hilo Hatties and buying some souvenirs, we boarded the trolley once again and stopped at the Ala Moana shopping mall, which we later found out is right in front of Hawaii's largest WalMart store. How did we miss that???

After our shopping and enjoying the beautiful sunset, we were treated to the Friday night fireworks that I remember so well from when John took me for my birthday two years ago. That time he and I snuggled on the picnic table. This time, my mom, step-sister, and I sat on the beach and enjoyed our tropical drinks during the 5 -10 minute show, while we missed our loved ones back on the mainland.

Our bus ride to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) provided more beautiful scenery of the north shore area.

As before, the PCC offered a lot of entertainment as we visited the 'villages' of Samoa, Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, and Tonga, as well as enjoying the afternoon canoe pageant.

Our evening buffet came with a pleasant surprise of M&Ms and gummy bears ON THE BUFFET LINE!! It took everything I had not to pick up the serving bowl and dump the contents into my pockets!

Sunday morning we attended church on Fort DeRussy and heard the message that God has a plan for us and that we are not here - anywhere - by accident. It's important to remember that whatever we face is part of God's plan and will bring Him glory.

Monday we were up at o'dark early to board the shuttle bus for our Pearl Harbor tour. Duke, our tour guide with Home of the Brave tours (http://www.pearlharborhq.com/) ensured that we had a good time while sharing his extensive knowledge about the area and the history of the United States' entry into WWII.

We traveled to Wheeler Air Base and the Schofield Barracks, where we got to see various aircraft, some of which have been used in filming recreations of December 7, 1941, such as 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' and 'From Here to Eternity'.

Also at the Schofield Army Barracks is the memorial statue 'United by Sacrifice', showing soldiers from WWII, Korea, Viet Nam reaching out to comfort a soldier from the Global War on Terror who is mourning the loss of a buddy.

On to Fort Shafter, where we stopped at Richardson Hall, Headquarters for U.S. Army Pacific. The picture below shows the big dipper and the north star. There are 12 stars separated into groups of 7, 4, and 1. The significance of that is 12-7-41 (a day that will live in infamy.)

We ended the tour at the Home of the Brave HQ, a historic museum where we were welcomed and felt right at home. I had fun with the hands on displays of a motorcycle and a machine gun.

Home of the Brave Beverage Company (http://www.hotbbc.com/) has introduced Pilot Pale Ale, a smooth tasting beer that was designed to honor the service men and women of our U.S. military. It's available on military bases in Hawaii, and soon to be bottled for wider distribution. Below, Duke & I pose with my first glass.

After our day with Duke and Home of the Brave tours, we attended the luau at our hotel. We were entertained throughout the evening while the pig was roasting, as well as during our meal.

The highlight of my night was getting my picture taken with 80s music star Glenn Medeiros, who sang 'Nothin's gonna change my love for you' my senior year of high school.

He is the host of the luau at the Hale Koa hotel where we stayed. He did an excellent job of honoring every part of our military - acknowledging veterans from past wars, those currently serving, families of our military, and remembering those who died in action. We ended the evening with everyone standing and singing Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the U.S.A.'

With our remaining time in Hawaii, we stayed on the beach and enjoyed hearing the ebb and flow of the waves on the rocky sand, and feeling the warmth of the sun peeking through the clouds.

Yesterday, I arrived back in Rockford, IL, to a crisp 45 degree day and wind bringing the temperature down even more. John met me at the airport with the heaviest winter coat I own and we met my aunt for lunch at the Beefaroo!!

I'm still on Hawaii time and I apologize if you woke up bright and early to be the first to read the blog. It's coming to you from the road this morning. John & I are driving the MINI to Iowa. We are going to see the Antique Archeologists in LeClaire, better known as 'American Pickers' from the History channel.