Hawaii Travel Journal

Wednesday, February 1 – Travel day, ate at Sunny’s by the pool and Biba’s. Read Tom Sawyer. To bed 8:15. Finished Tom Sawyer

Thursday, February 2 – I was up at 4:00 am, long time with You, orientation breakfast in Banyan Tree Room, Pearl Harbor,  went up Pali Hwy to Kapena Falls, had a nice chat with a local boy, watched them jump off of cliff, got eaten by mosquitoes, went up Tantalas/Round Top Drive for beautiful views of the city, mountains and shore, and went to Pu’u Ualaka’s State Wayside Park for a tremendous overlook! Oh my! Then we went to Manoa Falls after dead ending at EAST Manoa Drive and finding just Moana Drive, luau from 5 – 8:15 pm and fast asleep soon after. Read Othello.

Friday, February 3 – Breakfast ? Took a car ride to the North Shore, stopped at Wimea Valley (nothing much to see and the falls would have cost $30 for the three of us to see), Turtle Bay Resort at Ola’s for the best Veggie Orzo meal with Shrimp, snorkeling in Turtle Bay, shower, Dinner at Koko’s Café with Dot and Mom (Indonesian Chicken Salad), took pictures of fireworks (or tried to). Read Julius Caesar.

Saturday, February 4 – Breakfast buffet with Dot and Mom, morning trip to Leeward O’ahu and Hanauma Bay for snorkeling, got chai tea latte, showered,  sat out at adult pool, and read King Lear. Watched whales from lanai, and had Prime Rib buffet with Dot and Mom. Went for walk along beach from Hale Koa to the Royal Hawaiian and Kalakaua Road back to our hotel. Finished King Lear.

Sunday, February 5 – Breakfast at the Royal Hawaiian, walk through grounds and back to Hotel. Rested and watched the Super Bowl and ate nachos and Hagen Daaz. Then we watched The Voice, and Downton Abbey as I read a book about Hawaii and The Awakening by Kate Chopin and ate seafood salad from the little café.

Monday, February 6 – Am going surfing somewhere. I pray I am in safe hands. Maybe go boogie boarding after that at Ala Moana Park or the Kapahulu Groin. Would love a sunset walk along the beach front too.

Tuesday, February 7 – Early morning walk up Diamond Head. Sunbath by the pool the rest of the day.

Wednesday, February  8 – Pack, check out and fly home.

Now on to John 13 –

This is the beginning of His Upper Room Discourse. So, I have poured over this for years. I may “get it” absorbed into my life someday. I still have character that needs so much honing, but the good news is that I really have seen growth.

Jesus knew that His time had finally come after saying so many times, “My time has not yet come.” “God’s trains are always on time and never miss their connections.”

13:2 – Satan put it in the heart of Judas Iscariot. Satan is a dirty guy. I put on my full armor today that I may resist the evil one. Lord, protect me in the surf today from all sharks and dangers. I am a little scared.

13:3 – The Father had put everything in to the Son’s hands and He was faithful and capable of doing His work. Lord, I trust that You know what You are doing today. I am nervous. I almost wish I hadn’t signed up to go surfing. I would much rather sit by the pool and read a book, but I would like to continue to build upon what I learned in Mexico.

13:4-17– Jesus was a servant and did it to be an example to us.

Lord, I want to be a servant today to George’s mom and aunt.  But how? After we go surfing, maybe we can take them on a ride to the Ala Moana Beach Park while we boogie board. I am already going to be in the water in the morning, why not in the nighttime too?

Wednesday, February 8

Surfing was great. I stood up after the third try and stood up most of the time from then on. I switched to a private lesson on George’s insistence, and we talked about God the whole time. The guy was not a believer, but he was a seeker. So, it was fun to talk to him, and I will pray for him from now on. After surfing,  we came back, and George went and got Subway sandwiches in the rain. We went to the pool for a bit and Geo’s mom and Aunt Dot joined us until it began to rain. So, we put them underneath the covering in the hotel and went to the PEX for snacks and went back to the room to relax. Then we walked to Thai food and walked back along the Hilton Lagoon and beach to our hotel.

Review of Tuesday, February 7 

We got up very early and hiked up Diamond Head. It was very beautiful in the morning. Then we ate the other half of our Subway sands at the picnic area at the bottom. We drove home and got lattes. Then, we walked along the Waikiki walk. With the hike, we walked almost 4 miles.  After that, we came back and showered and went to the Barefoot Bar. We ate lunch. Then George went swimming, and I read Romeo and Juliet. I finished it just as the rain came down again, but I just covered myself with a towel. Then, it got very sunny and hot. I sunbathed until George got back from his walk to scope out dinner options. We came in just in time because there was a downpour of rain which lasted on and off until dinner. So, we all decided to just order something for the room. George went down and got our boarding passes and dinner, and we watched and read in the room. I finished Romeo and Juliet and the book about Hawaii that got very blah, blah, blah at the end with all the talk about “People” who were really mythical creatures.  So, I skimmed that part but still read the book.

Now, I am onto the rest of John 13 and packing to go home.  (You know how I love to pack)

13:18  - I know whom I have chosen. What exactly does that all mean? I think He is talking about the disciples He has chosen to be His apostles.

13:19 – I am He (Who I say I am – the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messaih). 

13:20 – He who receives and welcomes and takes into his heart any messenger of Mine receives Me. Or does this for Me does it for the Father.

13:27 – Satan entered into and took possession of Judas. “Make quick work” of what you plan to do. Now that Jesus’ time had come. It needed to be done quickly. Things progressed so slowly. Now they were moving at lightning speed!

13:31 – NOW is the Son of Man glorified (Now He has achieved His glory, His honor, His exaltation!) And God has been glorified through and in Him.

Wow! Lots of glorify in this whole passage! God will also glorify Him in Himself, and He will glorify Himself at once and not delay. When His time had come, it was done at once and without delay.

Lord, in some way that is encouraging. Because when it is YOUR time for the Cousins in Corvallis, it will happen swiftly.

Well, I am going to get packed, eat breakfast, and hopefully, go for a walk along Waikiki one last time. It has been a phenomenal trip, and I am very thankful and grateful for George’s mom’s generosity in bringing us here as a gift! 

Aloha!

Books Read:

1. Tom Sawyer

This book was totally delightful and easy to read. Mark Twain is a comedic genius. There is no question in my mind. I listened to/read (did both) on the plane and laughed out loud several times. I WISH that I had read this before I read Huck Finn. Huck Finn is considered the “classic” of the two, but it is really a sequel to Tom Sawyer. So, it would have made Huck Finn easier to read, IMHO. I have some quotes I will share soon. Loved this book in every way, and the narrator for this particular audiobook was superb. It was Pat Bottino (check that).

2. Othello

Iago is EVIL. Possibly the most evil character of all of literature. I saw this performed on stage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, but this is the first time I have ever read the play. It was good to have the visual picture of the blond haired Iago on the black background of the stage with the big, burly, black Othello contrasted on the white part of the state. Iago, much like the serpent of Genesis 3, whispering deceit into Othello’s ear was amazing with the lighting and such. Reading it gave me a whole new appreciation for this amazing Shakespearean tragedy.  The dramatic reading  that I listened to had a host of actors.

3. Julius Caesar

Richard Dreyfus as Mark Anthony! I loved it. Shakespeare took much of this play from Plutarch’s Lives. Since I read this a few years back, it was fun to get a dramatic rendition of it (although not historically accurate). Brutus is a somewhat sympathetic character in this one, and I am not so sure he was in real life. I loved this in every way.

4. King Lear

Crazy King Lear. I knew this story least of all because I have never seen it performed on stage. It was excellent, although this dramatized version cut some lines out, but I follow along on my Kindle and read what was lacking in this version. Loony Lear. Courageous Cordelia. This story has such a good moral to it, but I won’t spoil it by giving it away. The end of the play makes it very clear what that moral is!!

5. The Awakening

I had no idea what to expect from this book. I am sure the feminists love it, but I wanted to puke. What a selfish brat of a woman who “finds” herself when she has two small children to take care of. You make your bed, lady, you lie in it. Life is not all about personal happiness! UGH! The writing was beautiful, but the message STUNK! I think it is in the classics genre because this woman was writing way ahead of her time in the evolution of the women’s liberation movement. YES, men can be jerks sometimes. YES, sometimes we marry so young that we often don’t know what we are getting ourselves into,  but PLEASE!

I see many women who are “awakening” to who they really are, and they find they maybe married the “wrong” man for their “self-actualization,” and most don’t see the need to fight for their marriages, but Madame R saying “think of the children” is very true. Oh, don’t get me started.

6. Romeo and Juliet

It really is a beautiful play. It even has some silly and funny parts to it before it goes so tragic.

7. Hawaii: From Origins to the End of the Monarchy by Brien Kalai Foerster

I guess it is true to its cover that it goes to the end of the monarchy, but I wanted to know more about what happened after the monarchy. It was interesting to read about the ancient peoples, but it got really bogged down at the end with all the myths about Maui and the long names. It is the only book of its kind out there though.

I really think it is stinky that the US just TOOK this lovely group of islands away from their monarchy!  I guess Hawaii is glad to be part of the US though.

8. On the plane: Billy Budd or The Pursuit of God