The Joy of Space...

I sit here at our little dining room table at 7:30 in the morning. I am sipping my coffee, contemplating our outrageous views and taking this precious quiet time to update the blog. Coming to a two-bedroom suite after spending a week in a tiny cabin (albeit one of the ship's nicer ones) has given us all new respect for how pleasant a bit of elbow room can be :) Our first day in Honolulu left much to be desired, however, as our last week exploring the other Hawaiian islands did not prepare us for what a bustling metropolis Honolulu would be. We knew it theoretically, of course. We saw the skyline from our cabin balcony as we sat in port both the day of our sailing and yesterday morning. However, seeing it from a distance is quite different from navigating our rental car through it. Dana got lost trying to take the car to a nearby (less expensive - this lot is $24.00 a day!) lot, while I waited in an endless line to check in to our room. Once we were pre-registered (our room wouldn't be ready until just after 4:00 despite their promise they would try to have it for us sooner), and found a closer and cheaper parking lot, we settled in for lunch at... get this... CJ's New York Deli. While it hardly felt very Hawaiian (no Poi on the menu), the food was good and we started to get into "resort mode."

Unfortunately, after lunch and just before we were heading to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (aloha, Clay!), the boys stopped off to check on our room and the girls went to the bathroom. I include this seemingly insignificant detail, for it is in that bathroom that I am certain I left my wallet. The wallet I did not discover was missing until we were getting out of the car at the movie theater. Many phone calls to lost and found, CJ's, security, the Hilton (the restaurant is on their huge property) later, we decided to return to the hotel to look again for ourselves. No luck. We spent the next couple of hours cancelling credit cards, filing a police report (as I'll need that report to get on the airplane without a driver's license) and generally cursing Honolulu (well, that was me) and me (also me) for being so careless. Luckily, that joyful space I mentioned enabled Daniel and Maddie to relax in our room, while Dana and I each manned a phone in separate bedrooms.

In the end, the wallet was not (yet?) recovered, but our day was. We enjoyed magnificent views from our two balconies and ultimately did head out to see the film Maddie has been so eager to see. In a fabulous stadium theater. Where they ask you to turn off your cell phone, then say "Mahalo." :) I told her she'd always remember the day she saw this particular Harry Potter film. I will now go back to catch up on our more authentically Hawaiian experiences in yesterday's entry. This week, we plan to visit the North Shore (childhood home to Jack Johnson and mecca to all surfers), the Polynesian Culture Center (which appears to be a sort of Polynesian Epcot, so we're all over it!), Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and some less populated beaches than the one that is right outside our hotel. Still, our own resort offers not only the "Paradise pool" but a cool little lagoon area where kids can rent kayaks and paddle boards. We have a strong Internet connection, so expect more frequent posts and photos. Finally, a big thank you to Clay for sending me a more appropriate banner for this year's edition of the "America the Beautiful" tour.