Living Each Moment

It's amazing how quickly two weeks can flow by without causing even a ripple. But, I'll be coming back from Hawaii in two and a half short days. Seen and done so much here, met all kinds of people (again, the smallness of this world has been proven), and shot a ton of pictures (I only need a few more to break the 2,000 mark) - this vacation has been a full one. I'm not quite sure what I'd say was my favorite moment was (I'll reserve that decision till we're actually back - possibly the sub ride, or maybe just shooting the sunsets), but there have been a lot of good times here. Some strange ones also. For instance, running a gauntlet of hookers while pushing my mom in a wheel chair - totally surreal. Meeting someone here who is a friend of a friend back at school was a strange coincidence (but cool, and fortuitous also, because of...well, long story). As usual, something strange happened with mom (the hotel lost her oxygen tank) - but it turned out well because they've treated us like royalty and we've gotten to stay in amazing suites for less than the rate of a little room - like, more than 500 dollars less than the room usually runs. They staff here is great, the locals are wonderfully friendly (one woman had us follow her to a great spot to watch a sunset after we talked with her in a local bakery), and the weather, though a bit muggy, has been nice. The food - well, I'm going to be doing some extra work when I get back to lose the pounds I've enjoyed putting on. Buffets can be evil things - they look so good, but you pay for them later. It seems half of the meals around here are buffet style, and with really good food - I like the long rice chicken, and the standard Hawaiian pasta/potato salad with every meal, and the heavy Japanese influence in the cuisine, and...I could go on for a couple of paragraphs.
Couple more things to see and do before we leave Monday - going to visit a botanical garden tomorrow, possibly the Dole plantation, then to Germaine's luau in the evening. Sport fishing is still an option, or possibly just driving around the island again - and Queen Emma's palace probably. So many things I'd still like to do - another time though. Going home is like ending this blog - it's just something I have to do.