On to Oahu

(Katherine) It was a sad morning, as we had to say goodbye to Natalie and Kien – the week went by way too fast! Once they left for the airport, we walked around Kona for a while, which didn't take long because the town is very small. We learned that many of the establishments have gone out of business because they simply can't survive with the lack of tourists. We definitely took note of how empty the town looked. We ordered a great make-your-own sushi meal at a tiny take-away restaurant which is called You Make the Roll and ate our meals right by the ocean.


We finally made our way to the airport, where we experienced a slight delay in our flight due to the most random issue. Apparently, among the people disembarking from our plane were two juvenile delinquents who were in handcuffs and being escorted off the plane by guards. One of the boys decided that as soon as his feet hit the ground, it would be a brilliant idea to take off running down the tarmac. It caused quite a scene, as he had airport security chasing after him both on foot and little vehicles. It was actually pretty funny, and the other delinquent was laughing along with everyone in the outdoor terminal. I assume they caught him, because we were eventually allowed to board the aircraft.

We flew to Oahu to start phase 2 of the Hawaii trip – a chance for us to finally be alone (not that we don't love Kien and Natalie!) and also attend my friend Michelle's wedding that weekend. We were also SUPER fortunate that Robert's former boss at Tivo, Joanne, gave us an incredibly generous wedding gift – she let us stay in her condo complex for a week free to charge. What more could two homeless & unemployed newlyweds hope for? Little did we know just how NICE of a condo we were getting – a 3 bedroom with a huge lanai overlooking the complex, located in the resort community of Ko'Olina. It also included modern conveniences like a washer & dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, huge shower, air conditioning and a garage – all things which are virtually unheard of in most San Francisco apartments. I've literally never had that entire combination of amenities the entire 13 years I lived in SF!

We ran across the street to sneak onto the Paradise Cove property to watch the sunset – ironically, this was the venue where I took Robert for his birthday celebration 2 years ago for a luau. We then headed back to the condo where we cooked dinner and pretended that we were living in our own “grown up” home – definitely a place to aspire to own someday!