For our 10th Anniversary, Madeline and I decided to go to Hawaii. It was our first real vacation since our honeymoon cruise, our first big trip alone, and our first trip to the 50th state.

 

Because it was our first time there, we had to see Pearl Harbor, since I was born on December 7. We didn't spend but a few days in Oahu, then the remainder on Maui. My work travel paid off on this trip, as the airfare, hotels, and car rentals were all free because of frequent flier miles. We stayed a night in Hana on points, so that was really nice.

Waikiki and Oahu

2/21/96—3/3/96

The Arizona sunk so fast during the attacks on Pearl Harbor, 1177 men lost their lives on it. Many are still entombed in at as the wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. It was established as a memorial to all those who died during the Pearl Harbor attack. The Memorial was amazing. You could see the ship and the trickle of oil coming to the surface even after 55 years.

Further around the island, we found Hanauma Bay, which is famous for it's snorkeling. Hanauma is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone and located along the southeast coast. Hana means 'bay' and uma means 'curve,' rendering "Curved Bay." Though some call it "Hanauma Bay," this is rhetoric.

The moped ride was probably riskier than we should have taken with two small children at home, since we were riding on the sides of highways where trucks were passing us at 60 mph.

 

Our hotel was in Waikiki, which is one of the most famous cities in the state.

On Saturday, we toured Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor, or Pu'uloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a U.S. Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, brought the U.S. into World War II.

 

Seeing as how my mother told me I was the second disaster that occurred on December 7th, we figured we'd see what all the fuss was about.

I was flying United back then and was a 1K member, so we got a great seat in an exit row. Only 8-1/2 hours later, we flew over Diamond Head before landing in the Honolulu airport on a Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, we took a little trolley tour around Waikiki and checked out the aquarium, enjoying the view of the beach (right).

On Friday, we rented mopeds and went to Diamond Head, where we walked up to the top of the crater in the wind and saw a great view of Waikiki. Further north, we made it to Hanauma Bay.

After our Pearl Harbor tour, we came back and enjoyed the beach scene after a stop at Foster Botanical Garden