Back in the Saddle

Well, vacation is over, and here we are again - back in good ol' Fort Worth. To all of the wonderful family members and friends who we were lucky enough to spend some time with, thank you. It is truly because of such as you that our homecoming was so memorable and, unfortunately, far too short. However, life and all of its trappings called, and I was pulled inextricably from my 'utopian' island home. Travel affords one the valuable opportunity to take stock of the place(s) we were raised.
I often need to explain my decision to attend college in Wisconsin. Certainly, Beloit is a great school with a top-notch staff of weird, crazy, liberal and brilliant professors. And the 'liberality' of Beloit and its curriculum drew me to the cold, wooded north. Still, there we other schools, warmer colleges where I could have made my academic bead for the next four years. I chose Beloit because of how different and distinctly foreign from Hawaii that it truly felt. At first, this was a mistake. Thirty degrees below zero froze the sense of adventure straight out of me.
So, what does my quirky, self-destructive (I could have died from frostbite!!) choice of schools have to do with Texas. First, I never loved Hawaii like my first Christmas vacation back home. The weather, the food, the culture. I missed so much of life on the islands that I felt dizzy with anticipation upon arrival. The same was true these last few weeks. And here's the kicker, despite the predictions of mai tais, bikinis and sun tans at Lanikai that friends, coworkers, and even I myself made for this past vacation....I only went to the beach ONCE. It rained almost everyday. Furthermore, I was swamped with appointments, parties, lunches, dinners, rounds of golf, and every other non-beach and non-"Hawaii" (well, besides the golf) things to do, that I never had a typical vacation. But who could have asked for a better one.
Therefore, I return to the idea I visited at the beginning of this rambling post. It was the people who made my homecoming great. All of these sand and sun-free outings involved those whom I hold dear. So, Merry Christmas readers. May you all receive the irreplaceable, infinite, and impossibly valuable gift of someone to share your life with this Holiday Season.
See you next time!

Homecoming

Whew! Boy is it great to be home.  The slightly balmy, humid air; the green, gently rising Ko'olau's as you drive home from HNL (Waianae for those of you on the west side); and, most importantly, the food! My sole motivation for working out the last few days has been to justify the gross amount of local cuisine I intend on ingesting every, single day I'm home. While most visitors to our island home may ask: "What should I see? Where should I go? Which beach should I swim at?". Those of us who must now call Hawaii a homecoming look forward to two things (especially when the weather does not allow for a decent day at the beach): time with family and friends, and FOOD!
Mom and Dad asked where I wanted to eat after we threw my duffel bag in the truck, I quickly answered, "Big City!". Loco Moco w/fried rice quickly reminded me of all the pleasant times that my stomach and I had missed while living in Texas. I picked up a tasty bowl of spicy ahi poke and rice while shopping at Ala Moana the next day and proceeded to gorge myself on kalua pork quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and edamame at Ryan's that night. Sunday dinner with aunt and uncle meant Chinese dinner at Golden Eagle: honey glazed shrimp w/walnuts, cake noodle, shoyu steamed fish, hot and sour soup, sweet and sour eggplant, spicy fried chicken wings, and rice. Monday was Eric's (Meg's brother) beef stew, so ono! And Tuesday was a visit to the gastrointestinal paradise that is Choi's Garden for some traditional Korean cuisine.
Hawaii certainly has more to offer than a superb selection of local and asian inspired food. However, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing I miss more than my family and friends is the local fare.