Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

That was my place of residence in the Marriott Hotel for 9 whole days! I wish I was still basking in the warm Hawaiian sun--especially since I've been shoveling snow for days (not really, but it sure seems like it).

Ready for a ginormous post? Here goes...

Brian and I arrived in Oahu at about 5:00 p.m., picked up a rental car and drove to our Hotel, checked in, changed out of our fall apparel into summer wear and took a little stroll up the street in search of some dinner. We wanted to relax by the pool and have all-you-can-eat otter pops, but figured frozen, flavored water wouldn't stick to our bones.

Since Brian had to work each day, I was on my own to explore Waikiki Beach and Honolulu City on my own. I invested in a bus pass and toured the town every day.

Some of my stops included:

• the Beach, of course (many times)
• the International Market Place (where I scored some sweet deals)
  
• Honolulu Zoo
• Leonard's Bakery
• Chinatown
• Downtown Honolulu (historic)

My trip to the Zoo--they have a Savanna Exhibit where all the animals co-habitat all together like in Africa. I've never seen anything like it.

We were in Hawaii on Veteran's Day so Brian did not have to work that day so we went to the Swap Meet. Holy cow!! It is held at the Hawaii State stadium parking lot every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. It was huge and took us the better part of a day to get through it all. We found some good deals and great buys. One of my favorite finds were swimming suits (2 pieces like tankini & board shorts) for just $18! I was in heaven...deal after deal after deal. However, like I said, I scored some sweet deals on jewelry in the International Market place. I went there at least 6 times and every time I went I got lost in new found shops.

We visited the USS Arizona Memorial/Pearl Harbor early one morning. It's hard to describe the feeling felt there--it was almost reverent and sobering. Very little speaking went on at the Memorial in respect of all who were buried at Sea. I gained a better appreciation for our Servicemen/women. They really do sacrifice so much for our freedoms. There were so many lives lost in the attack at Pearl Harbor and it was good to learn more about what took place on that dreadful December 7th day. (This year, on December 7th, I understood what it meant when the newspapers and newscasts mentioned "Pearl Harbor Day". And it was pretty cool to be nearby Pearl Harbor on Veteran's Day.

One day I hiked a volcano crater called "Diamond Head". That was pretty neat. The hike was just over 1/2 mile and included 271 stairs through a narrow spiral staircase inside an unlit bunker. The view was panoramic of the island--beautiful! Brian hiked it early in the morning after I had gone home.

On Saturday, when Brian had the weekend off, we drove to the North Shore and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was the most expensive thing we did, but well worth it. We were thoroughly entertained and busted a few guts. After a Luau we enjoyed their evening production which was fabulous and a very cultural event.

Sunday we attended church in a historic tabernacle. It was a neat building with a reflection pool and a courtyard. After church we drove back over to the North Shore to see the Temple, which has been under construction for over a year and will near completion in about 5 months. Did you know that the Laie Hawaii Temple was the 5th one built? It is a beautiful edifice and the visitor's center was an educational place.

We went on a short Sunset Dinner Cruise in Monday evening which was nice and a lot of fun! The sound of the ocean and the views were phenomenal!

We ate a lot of fresh pineapple and I fell in love with the Brazilian pastry malasadas from Leonard's Bakery. I sat in the intense sun quite a bit and browned my skin. It's pretty cool to have a real tan in November. Sadly, my Hawaiian glow is fading. But that's okay because Christmas cheer is right around the corner!