National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Reb

We did the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific the same day as the Arizona Memorial. It was quite a bit to take in, but I think its important for my kids, especially because they have a parent who is in the military, to understand the sacrifices that have been made for them. This memorial which is known as Punchbowl, sits up on top of a crater with a stunning view of downtown and Diamondhead.

We waited a few days after Memorial Day when it had some pretty big crowds, so we had a only a few others in the entire place.

It’s really interesting to walk along and see veteran’s from wars that were fought decades apart buried next to each other. You also sometimes find headstones for astronauts.

Or ones that break your heart.

Alongside the stairs is the Court of the Missing, walls engraved with the names of 28,788 of military members who have never come home. I had no idea.

THE SOLEMN PRIDE
THAT MUST BE YOURS
TO HAVE LAID
SO COSTLY A SACRIFICE
UPON THE ALTAR
OF FREEDOM

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Reb

I don’t know why it took me so long to visit this memorial, it is absolutely stunning and sobering to visit. I guess that is the good thing about guests is that they give you that kick in the pants … Continue reading →

Playing Catch Up

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Reb

Okay, I think my brain is officially functioning again!

My sister was here for two weeks and we stayed BUSY. We were all over the island and now I have a huge amount of photos I need to go through.

Also we are seriously gearing up for Homecoming around these parts. I feel like I have a ton of stuff I need to do and get done. I was mentioning this to Omar and he was like ‘it’s going to take you weeks to clean the house?’ Yes, dear. I turned into a hoarder while you were gone. I am just trying to declutter, organize and make everything look PERFECT!

Unfortunately I have a terrible habit of feeling super overwhelmed and then shutting down and not wanting to do ANYTHING. Its the worst and I hate it.

So I am going to try and upload the eleventy-million pictures I took when my sister was here and show you how awesome Hawaii is! (Hint: it’s SUPER awesome!)

Aloha Swap Meet

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Reb

Got some time to kill, head out and do a bit of shopping. Especially if you are looking for any type of tourist or tiki item, this is the place to go!

The Aloha Stadium has the swap meet three times a week and has dozens if not hundreds of different vendors… although MANY of them are selling the same exact mass produced in China crap.

However, there are some standouts in the crowd… I got a super nice plumeria branch for a great price, we found a great local baker who makes awesome cakes and breads, a local oil & vinegar company where I picked up some yummy dipping oil, and a cute Hawaii sticker for my car!

It did bring back memories of the gypsy markets in Spain. It’s a fun place for kids because you can give them a couple dollars and they can find little treasures for themselves…

I am still a little mad that Omar won’t let me get a tiki head for the house, he says they creep him out, I on the other hand, think they are pretty fun!

And if you need a sarong or a muumuu? This is for SURE the place to come!

Schools Out!

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Reb

And SOMEONE isn’t pleased about having to get his picture taken with his older sister…

You would have thought I would get bigger smiles on the last day of school than on the first day!

After dropping them off, Steph and I ran over to the airport lei stands to pick out some leis for the kiddos to wear.

Back to school in time to see Mckenna receive an award for her work with the library club.Then she got to wear her pretty leis… It was pretty hard to narrow it down but I love the ones we found for her!

After that we stopped by and hung out with Omar and his class for an end of the year party. I can’t believe all those babies I met at the beginning of the year are now going into first grade! We are going to be so sad to not have Mrs. M next year!

Please note the manly leis we got for Omar, and I even grabbed one for the teachers.

School’s out, time for a treat. Off to Menchie’s for some frozen yogurt. I love, love, love the fruit punch and lemonade sorbet. I think those are my new summer favorites!

Shangri La

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Reb

Okay. If you live here or are vacationing here you HAVE to visit Shangri La. Oh. My. Goodness. This place is insane!

A little backstory:

Shangri La was built by Doris Duke in the 1930s. (She was a crazy rich heiress) She gets married and on her honeymoon does an around the world trip. While on her honeymoon she falls in love with Islamic artwork and design. So she starts to collect some… On her way home they stop in Hawaii where she ends up staying for 4 months instead of a few weeks after falling in love with the island.

She ends up moving to Hawaii and building this BEAUTIFUL house near Diamondhead. She continues to collect Islamic art and has craftsmen working on the house for years. After her death she left the house in a trust and tours are conducted through the Honolulu Museum of Art.

While the kids were still in school (Shangri La is 8+ I think, but even then it’s not really kid friendly) Steph and I headed downtown to the museum to catch our shuttle. Of course we had to do a little poking around in the museum as well!

There was also a small section with some Islamic art and a video with a synopsis of Shangri La. See those 8 pointed star tiles with the cross tiles? Those make my heart flutter. This stuff was so insanely beautiful. Finally we hopped onto our shuttle to Shangri La which is only about 10 minutes away.

As you can see from the driveway, its a pretty private location. The house sits on 5 acres of Hawaiian perfection.

And the front door. Here is where it gets incredibly sad. You cannot take pictures inside the house. RIGHT?! Can you believe it! I know, I know, I get it but it was SO hard to keep my camera in my bag. And we had a lovely security guard escorting our tour group just to make sure!Oh and this part I just found hysterically amusing… So our guide is telling us about this front door and translating the Arabic inscribed on it (Something along the lines of ‘May Allah bless those who enter’ something like that) And one of the older ladies in our group was like, “Did she know what that meant?” Like it was so horrific to have this door say those things. I am pretty sure Doris Duke had quite the staff willing to translate for her, she didn’t practice Islam but I think she appreciated the beauty in the religion for sure.

*This is where all of my interior photos of the house would be*

And out back we are!

This is the living room window, that window is one entire piece that, at the push of a button, slides into the floor. I love it! And it is all original from the 1930s!