Tress and I arrived home just a bit after 1am on Sunday morning. We had left the hotel, a block or so from the very lovely Waikiki beach, 9.30 that (Friday) morning. All in, the numerous exchanges and transfers, the 10 or so hour flight from Honolulu to Sydney, the transit in Sydney, the 1 plus hour Syd/Melb flight and then more transfer before the drive home from Tulla, had taken close to 20 hours. So when we got home we simply changed into our jammies, and hit the sack.
As I was waiting in the boarding area in Sydney trying to stay awake, I suddenly remembered why I had preferred local holidays recently. A destination like Hawaii sounds terrific but we jumped through so many hoops to get there and back. It is all so tiring and I often preferred to holiday without so many hoops to jump through.
Hawaii was lovely. We spent most of our time in Waikiki – swimming, walking on the beach, eating and shopping. There were a couple of days we trekked outside Waikiki – once towards the west to Pearl Harbor, and once to the east and north, to places such Sunset Beach and the Waimea Valley. It was very nice just wondering around in shorts, thongs or boat shoes, and spending time barefoot on the beach and swimming in warm waters.
For Tress’ special celebration, we had a lovely dinner at Morimoto’s in The Modern hotel in downtown Honolulu, next to the cove/marina. Morimoto made his name as an Iron Chef USA, and the food in his restaurant was very good. I think Tress enjoyed it and it was memorable for us both.
I guess the hoops – especially to make Tress’ special celebrations memorable – were well worth the efforts.
After sleeping in on Sunday morning and going through cups of coffee, we picked up the little black jedi from Doncaster. It was lovely to see him again, as well as the Tong family who helped look after him. We then got to Bunnings to pick up some DIY stuff to fix some things around the house, got some groceries and then went home to fix the house and try to make it feel like we’re home again.
Uncle Marloney and A Hooi dropped by late in the arvo and we had a quick chat, and poked around Uncle Marloney’s new set of wheels.
This morning from the moment I got into the office, it was work, work and work. It is only now, a bit before 5pm, I decided to put this entry up. The rest of the week will be even busier and my memory isn’t as reliable as it used to be, so I thought I’d write this down before I forget even more details.
I also started the NT this morning. I had finished reading the whole bible again just before we left for our holiday (having started maybe September last year), and I thought I’d read through the NT again. As I was walking on the beach on the day before we left, thinking what a lovely place it was to be in, I said to myself that if I wasn’t seeking the Lord’s direction as to where and how to serve, I would give serious thoughts to settling down to a lifestyle of warm beaches and carefree days. But life is or should be about serving others, just as Jesus did. It has to be about how to make His Kingdom come on earth and for His Will to be done here on earth just as it is in Heaven. I wanted to read again, how Jesus made a difference. I want to be like him and make a difference by serving others. I don’t know how or what that would look like. It could mean I simply need to keep working and make the most of what is in front of me. Maybe if I am faithful in this, He would let me serve Him in some other ways.
The rest of the year would likely be hard yakka but it is what I have wanted and what keeps me sane. Work and a settled rhythm of life can be as peaceful and warm and refreshing as those lovely coconut tree lined beaches of Waikiki.
Ante 