Aloha.......and mahalo!!!

We are back from our two week excursion to the Hawaiian Islands! We had a most wonderful time...I am glad to report that two middle aged (not going to use the term old) midwesterners traversed the tropics and returned back home without a snag. From the stories I am hearing, it doesn't sound like everyone we left behind here in Iowa had such a nice time since we left. Now, while in Hawaii you hear alot about folklore, gods of the volcanoes, sacrafices..that sort of thing. Maybe, just maybe when Kurtis and I left, the "Midwest Gods" became angered and bestowed all of the rain, ice and snow upon the lands in protest of our leaving....and now since we are back things seem nice and sunny .. well, almost "happy" for our return.....but then again maybe it falls under the category of just "shit happens!" Whatever the case we couldn't of asked for a better time, and I have lots and lots and lots and lots of pictures to show off...I think a total of 780 or so. Kurtis didn't allow me to take all of my photo equipment claiming it would be too heavy and bulky, which I think he was right, so all the pictures were taken with a little Sony digital..I don't think it did too bad of a job actually. So, here are the first of some of photos, I will try to keep them in order of the trip....until next time....MOM


Day 1: Sunday Feb 18, 2006: Arrived at Cedar Rapids airport (CID International) via our taxi driver Marsha. Departed at 8 a.m. for Minneapolis Minn. then on to Honolulu on the Island of Oahu. The flight was 8.5 hours from Minneapolis but was very pleasant...other than a couple of obnoxious passengers which is a given on any flight. We were greeted at the airport by the travel agency in charge of transfering us to our hotel. I was so impressed when we got off and there was a hansome gentleman with a nice big card with our names on it....gee, just like in the movies. He welcomed us to the Island and yep, you guessed it, put a Lei around each of our necks.....again, just like in the movies. We stayed on the beach at Wikiki. We have a nice supper next door at Planet Hollywoods and headed back to our room...we were more than a bit tired..and tomorrow was scheduled for a early morning to Pearl Harbor.