First off, thank you for the wonderful comments! I blog partly for myself, and to remember the things I’ve done and how I felt doing them, but also to share my experiences with others who may find my travels interesting. So any/all feedback is welcome with open arms!
I’m having a great time but miss my family horribly. I spent the last 6 months living in the same city as them and to be away from them now is very sad! I’m having a great time but sure wish they could be here with me <3 I haven't had much time to fiddle with the site, but I hope to make it more than simply a blog. In the near future (maybe next week!) I will add a photos page, links to other blogs I read, nifty things that catch my eye, etc. Dan and I both have family members without a Facebook account, hence the separated website. That said, what have I been up to this week? Well, my moving expedition is half complete! Currently blogging from my laptop on my balcony overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Palm trees and foofy drinks everywhere, and lots of people in the water on surf boards paddling about. It's overcast but delightfully toasty. I arrived at Portland airport around 5am Tuesday to check in for my flights- first to Honolulu, then to Maui. Had to pay $50 per suitcase since I had so much in them- one weighed 68 lbs and one was 82! My flight to Honolulu was uneventful, we landed, and Dan was waiting for me at the gate! We hugged and kissed and it was wonderful to be with him after our 2 months apart. We got some food and sat down and chatted until our flight to Maui, which was only 32 min. To make a long story short, this small, rickety plane couldn't accommodate our carry-on bags, and no one told us until we were boarding the flight. Had someone noticed earlier, they could have checked them for the flight, but in this case they had to be put on the next flight. This wasn't a huge issue for me, but Dan's a light packer and his carry-on was all his clothing for the trip! And so, after a teetering flight into Maui and renting a car, we checked into our hotel, and Dan went back to the airport to get our bags. We freshened up and met up with Brent and Kana's families at a luau down the road. We ended up being a party of 19, so that was fun. Kana is the only person in her family who speaks English, so it was a lot of smiling, nodding, and giving the thumbs up that first night. We enjoyed hula dancers and food before calling it a night. Dan and I were exhausted, especially Dan- having flown in from Tokyo he'd been awake for 2 days! Wednesday morning was bright and sunny, and Dan and I spent the whole day at the Westin pool where Brent and Kana were staying. They had an epic waterslide which we went down countless times, taking hot tub and food breaks. Around 3pm, Brent had to go get ready for the wedding, so Dan and I headed back to our room too. I did my hair while Dan napped, and then we walked down the beach back to the Westin where the ceremony would be. Words can not describe... how beautiful Kana looked, how fantastic Brent looked, how happy they were, how moving the ceremony was, how happy everyone was for them. It was a brief ceremony, on a grassy spot surrounded by torches and waterfalls at sunset, officiated by Brent's uncle and father. While family photos took place, Dan and I assisted Brent's mother Karen in setting up the table for dinner in a secluded area on the dining patio. As we were finishing there was deafening applause- Kana and Brent entered the restaurant with the photographers, and the restaurant patrons went crazy with applause and standing ovations! Dinner was fun as we got to hear stories of young Brent and Kana from their families- favorite and first memories. Dinner finished, and Dan and I made our way back to our hotel down the beach. I am hoping to blog more often in smaller chunks so that reading my blog isn't like reading a weekly novel. Also since I'm traveling this week, I have a lot to say! We fly out to Narita airport tomorrow afternoon from Honolulu, so by the time I get home to Tokyo it will already be Sunday evening for me. So until my next update in Tokyo, TGIF! <3
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