Aloha!

If you read the last post and are wondering, Annika's procedures all went well.  Hooray!  She is now napping in the Cardiac Care Unit, so I thought I'd take advantage of the chance to catch up a little on blogging.  I could skip back to October, but I think I'll keep going with Hawaii.  More fun, anyway!

Arriving in Honolulu, our family was greeted in the airport with beautiful flower leis.  What more could a girl wish for?

The Hawaiian "Spirit of Aloha" has been delightful to experience.  From the man driving the airport golf cart to the woman helping us choose our mochi, we have felt so warmly welcomed.  So much is wrapped up in the meaning of Aloha--hello, goodbye, warmth, hospitality, and love. Now that's worth a shaka!

Honolulu was vibrant on a Friday night. Hungry from our travels, we were able to find poké right by our hotel.  Annika's first question was, "Do you have octopus?"  Imagine her delight when she discovered that yes indeed, they did! Bucket list wish achieved with her very first meal!  The verdict?  She doesn't actually like it very much--too rubbery.  But I love the fact that she tried.

As for our room in the Sheraton Waikiki, it was faaaaancy.  With two adjoining rooms, Annika actually got her own bed.  (She often ends up in a sleeping bag on the hotel floor.  Now there's a wish come true!)

Waking up in the morning, we discovered how dreamy our rooms actually were.  Overlooking the ocean and Waikiki beach, it was hard to believe it was real.

Annika spent a good long while gazing out at the water.  All of the sudden she started to squeal with SO much excitement.  Sure enough, she'd spotted a sea turtle right in front of us, a little ways out from shore.  It had swum beneath the surface by the time we photographed it, but you can see its outline in the pic below.  If you go straight out from between the two logs, it's the circle in the lighter section of water.

Waikiki was all decked out for Christmas, including the sea turtles!  Still, it felt strange to reconcile palm trees and tropical weather with Christmas trees and carols.  I think I could get used to it.

 Much more to be said, but I think we're getting released from the hospital soon  (yay!) so I better focus.  Love to all!