October 1: New Book. Must Read!

As JD drove away from the hotel, we blew each other kisses and waved at each other until he was no longer in sight. Since this is a daily routine of ours, it threw me off a bit when the security guard looked at me and smiled as I crossed the sidewalk.

“I bet he really appreciates you blowing him kisses like that on his way to work. That probably made his day,” said the tall, jolly security guard. To emphasize my shock at his adoring comment, I must acknowledge that he resembled "the tough guy" from the Zaxby's commercial like you wouldn't believe...

Every couple has the sweet, quirky thing they do. We tell each other "I love you" non-stop and we always make it a point to "kiss each other with a thooouuusand kisses" daily.

I’ve always thought that Hawaii was a state for lovers. Even at the shark adventure yesterday, the cameraman said he had never seen a couple kiss underwater with their snorkels on... with the sharks watching. That baffled me. Haven't any newlyweds ever tried this... or were they too smart to do something crazy like swim with sharks on their honeymoon?

With postcards in hand, I walked to the Post Office in one of the towers to send our “Aloha’s” to our family and to send a postcard back to ourselves. I spent most of the day pool hopping (sun bathing at one pool then switching to another). During lunch, I started reading Same Different As Me. Yeah. I had to stop reading because I started crying.

So I walked to the Tapa Pool and started reading again, tears straining down my face.

Fortunately, I was wearing my sunglasses.

I just couldn’t bare it any longer. I walked up to our room with fear that someone had thought I was truly upset.

On the contrary, God was breaking me down through the written words of Texans I don’t even know.

I sat in a chair on our balcony and literally

wept

as I turned the pages. Every once and a while I would get up to change Kleenexes and to try to regain composure, although I consistently broke down again as I started reading.

Close to finishing the book, JD called and said he was on his way back home. He picked up some dinner for me at Outback. Later he told me how flustered he was about the traffic, as this particular Outback only had take-out… not curbside takeout. You would've thought JD was a celebrity, the way everyone was honking their horns at him in frustration.

I had to put down the book because there is no better distraction than having my sweet husband home (in the hotel). Took note that I must finish it tomorrow. 

September 26: Exposure to the Filipino Culture

JD and I ate breakfast together at CJ’s again. Those macadamia nut / coconut pancakes are basically the only local food that we’ve enjoyed on Oahu.

While traveling, JD and I have both picked up reading for enjoyment. I finished the book “I Don’t Know How She Does It” while on this trip. The book laid out a vivid perspective on the working mom vs. the stay-at-home mom. Though it was eye-opening, it tended to be quite depressing at parts. This is not a book I would recommend; however, I have not seen the movie. Have you seen it? What would you rate it?

MM, JD’s cousin, and I hung out today. Our plans were to hike Diamond Head but those plans faltered a bit because of car trouble. Luckily for us, we were in close walking distance to the mall. I bought some nicely designed travel journals and a sweet driftwood birdhouse, which we gave to my parents for Christmas. It was unbearably hard to part with, but I know they will love it just as much as I did.

MM’s uncle picked us up at the mall and fixed the truck. MM then took me to Max’s, my first Filipino restaurant. It was a little different than I expected. She ordered a squid on a platter and I ordered the only food I was familiar with (thanks to Mrs. Josie cooking it for us on the holidays)… pancit. Despite my lack of interest in the food, MM and I had a blast! She was great and the spontaneity of the evening was delightful and intriguing. I’m thankful for the chance of meeting family on Mrs. Josie’s side. [If you're wondering "where JD came from" (as some people put it), his mother is full Filipino and his dad is caucasian. I can hardly wait to see what our babies will look like one day.]

Today served as a late morning and a late night for JD at work. With our travel schedule, we’ve learned that “home” can even be a hotel room. This has become one of my favorite quotes and images I’ve seen on PinterestHome is where your husband is.