HAWAII!! What can we say?? It was FANTASTIC!!
We left via the Make-a-Wish sponsored limo—awesome ride—and were whisked off to the Dayton Airport Hotel where we stayed over night for our early morning flight. The flight went well although it was long…and we arrived in Honolulu mid-afternoon. We were met by a personal greeter who presented us with a welcome and fresh lovely smelling leis. After the baggage claim, rental car, directions, and creative stacking of the luggage by Dad—we arrived and checked in at the hotel in Waikiki. We had a lovely view of the ocean—oh my goodness, we have never seen water this blue! What a beautiful place.
We had a great time in Oahu—we toured Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl Cemetery, Iolani Palace, Pali Lookout, North Shores, Polynesian Cultural Center and luau there, and more. We discovered a new love of snorkeling and saw so many beautiful fish. The highlights were Holly and Emily's discovery of a sea turtle and Jana was excited to see a blow fish and a humuhumunukunukuapa’a (the Hawaii state fish).
Jana’s wish to swim with the dolphins was at Sea Life Park. All three girls got a kiss, returned a kiss, cradled, rode with, and got pushed through the water by the dolphins. Their swim was about an hour and they loved it. The dolphins were so gentle and lovable and Jana decided she would like one for a pet—ha!
After a week in Oahu, Make-a-Wish allowed us to take a side trip to Maui on our own. After keeping very busy in Oahu, the days at Maui were very relaxing and laid back. Just when we thought Hawaii couldn’t get any more beautiful—we saw Maui. Simply magnificent. The greenery, flowers, and the sky and water were incredibly stunning.
Our condo in Maui was literally within yards of the ocean when the tide was in. We kept the windows open constantly and slept to the sound of the surf. We toured Lahaina and saw the huge banyan tree there and shopped. We found some great snorkel sites on Maui too.
On the final day, our family went ziplining in the Haleakala Crater. What a thrill that was. Before we knew it, we were strapped in, hanging from a wire way above the trees, and flying through the air between stations. During the last zip, we went 50 mph. It was exhilarating (read…terrifying!). What a sense of accomplishment for all of us.
Sadly, we said goodbye to Hawaii and started on our 24 hour journey to return home. With the 6-hour time change and resulting jet lag, flying over night, and many hours in the air and in the airport—we all crawled in the limo to sleep on the way home. We arrived home mid-afternoon on Sunday and we are still unpacking, resting up, and doing laundry.
We were so blessed to have our family together for such a great, great trip. Our memories will be for a life time and what better place to celebrate life. Thank you, Make-a-Wish. We have pared our photos down to a manageable number and they can be viewed on the link below. When you get there—click on the photo album and then click on “Play” on the top right corner. Check out the captions below the photos for more information.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=373harpj.6f78sa07&x=0&y=-9un6w5&localeid=en_US
TODAY—we traveled to Toledo for Jana’s 3-month check up. It is hard to believe it has been 3-months since we last were at the hospital. Jana’s blood work was fine—her white count is still not “normal” but nothing to worry about. With Jana rolling her eyes, the oncologist reassured me again that everything is fine and the fatigue is to be expected. Jana had a CAT scan and a PET scan as well. I will call the oncologist tomorrow to be sure, but every indication is that all is well once again. After the September scans (18 months remission), Jana will return every 6 months for another year and then just annually after that. We have been incredibly blessed to be so confident that Jana is and will continue to be cancer-free.
Also this evening, we got together with Abbie’s family, Colleen’s family, Wade’s family, and Nate’s family. It was great to see them all outside of the hospital walls! We were supposed to get together at the Toledo Botanical Gardens, but since there was rain in the forecast, we got together at the Morgan’s house instead. It did clear up enough for us to eat our picnic dinner outside. Then we made it home in the pouring rain and nasty lightning with Emily texting us saying the tornado sirens were going off at home. That got us a little panicked, but we made it and all was well.
This weekend, we will travel to Alum Creek State Park for the Triathlon. Jana will be the team hero for the Team in Training participants. Jana and I will be speaking at their pasta dinner the night before the race and will be at the start and finish line on Sunday to cheer them on and congratulate them upon their finish. These athletes raise so much money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and we are grateful for their talents.
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!
