So, I am sitting here at 9:41am on Wednesday writing this post. My family is still all asleep and I have spent the past 3 hours editing a 3 minute video, which will be shared a little later in this post.
You might be wondering about the title of this post. We have experienced a lot in the past two days, all of it awesome.
On Monday we headed back into the ocean with our good friends at Reef Pirates. Elise was about to take us on an epic journey of discovery and Captain Dan was going to ensure everyone had a great time. Ryan, Elizabeth, and I were going back underwater while Melissa, Gillian, and Audrey snorkeled the surface. We each had 4 tanks prepared and the boat headed out of port. I could look into my dive log and tell you each site where we went underwater but it doesn't really matter. They were all amazing. We saw lots and lots of turtles, tropical fish, eels, corals, and invertebrates. We were also treated to a slipper lobster and a spotted eagle ray! I can tell you that after 3 hours underwater we were all exhausted. I don't think we could have had a better experience. Thank you to The Reef Pirates for taking us out and to Shane and the crew at Neptune Dive and Ski in Nashville for preparing Ryan and me for this adventure.
The background music is not my favorite. I will most like update it when I get back. I love Aulani but the wifi blows. On a positive note, I did get my quad in the air from the boat!
That was the ups, now for the downs (not really downs, just a little emotional).
Yesterday we headed over to Pearl Harbor. The visitor's area includes the submarine, the USS Bowfin, submarine museum, two additional museums, and the memorial over the USS Arizona. I wasn't really prepared for the emotions I would feel while visiting the memorial. Looking over the Arizona and hearing the history of what happened was a very moving experience. Not only were the 1100+ sailors who perished that day entombed in the ship but 42 additional sailors, who have since passed away, have returned to their brothers and their home on the Arizona. There are still five living survivors of the attack and they are the last who have the right to be buried in this historic place.
After Arizona, we headed over to the USS Missouri to see where the war with Japan ended. It is very cool to be able to see the beginning and the end all in one place. We stood right by where the table was placed where the documents were signed recognizing Japan's unconditional surrender. To hear the personal stories of World War II, and to try and imagine how history unfolded right where we were, is somewhat daunting.
The last stop on our tour was the Pacific Aviation Museum. The next hour was filled with one of the most lively tours of our entire trip. Our tour guide, Tanaka, took us through the story of Pearl Harbor through the first time the US bombed Japan in 1942. This was later portrayed in a movie called '30 Seconds Over Tokyo'. Melissa was inspired to purchase the DVD movie to be viewed later.
Our tour also briefly stopped by some historic sites in Honolulu, including the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (in a crater), Iolani Palace, the capital building, and the Honolulu Supreme Court building which would look familiar to you if you watch the tv show Hawaii Five-0. After all of this activity we headed back to our home base for a relaxing dinner and family movie night. We made it through the movie, but 3 of the children (expect Gillian) and I dozed on and off. We might need to schedule a 2nd screening after we return home.