Realizations of Hawaii

Wow! It's been over a month since I posted. I guess that is because it has been a month jam packed with activity, the best of which was the old Iverson family vacation to Hawaii. What a trip. I won't say that it was without drama but then, what Iverson family vacation would be complete without it.
I could fill this post with stories of the beautiful beaches, sun, snorkling etc and I will post some pictures of all that but in keeping with the "Empty Nester Survival" theme, I want to explain how it felt to have 8 days with my boys.

They are both great men.

In a way, that realization makes me sad. But mostly, it makes me so happy and proud. Sad because I had to realize they truly are men. They are not children, they are not even young adults. They are men who, thanks to their Dad and me, are ready for life, whatever it has to offer. They are dealing with young love lost and possibly true love found. They are dealing with "Oh my God, what do I do now" kinds of moments in every day of their lives. And I realized that whatever we did, we prepared them to deal with these moments.

I was so proud when they met Dad's highschool friend who had to acknowledge that these were exceptional, smart, witty, interesting sons we had. So, empty nest or not, I have to consider this a job well done. I love my boys!

So, other than the mere fact that I had 8 days with my boys, what was the highlight of Hawaii? Well, I can think of many but three stand out.

First, we were fortunate to have the island knowledge of a high school friend of Hal's who lives in Hilo. She took us to a beach, the name of which I can't recall and even if I could, I couldn't pronounce it. It was a state park. She is a surfer so she carried her surfboard in a bag and we hiked to the beach. That's okay until you realize that the hike was a very steep hike down and seemed even steeper up. It was so beautiful and the fact that I was 40 pounds less than I was before it was not even that hard for me to come back up. Yes, I was breathing hard but I wasn't crying or pissed off but I was really able to enjoy the beauty that I would never have seen if I had not been in better shape.








The second highlight would have to be Hilo. We went to Hilo and experienced the Hippie Farmer's Market and then were fortunate enough to be shown the best Thai food on the island. It was incredibly fresh, organic and delicious. Our plan was to head out to see the volcano that evening and either stay in a hotel or head back to our condo. Fortunately, our sons had different plans and fortunately, after much debating, we were open to them. We stayed in Hilo, ate sushi rolled by Hal's friend, did Saki bombs and then headed out to the a very unusual Karioki bar. Even though I did not get to sing Karioki becaue the machine broke or something, it was an evening to remember and we ended up in the VW van sleeping overnight. I felt young again actually and it was a pretty good feeling.

The third highlight had to be a secluded beach we found. We had to walk over lava rock "ah ha" for about a half hour, (after trying to drive in our rented 4WD Chevy Blazer down a path that we finally had to give up on). We arrived at a beach on which there was one couple, way far away and no one else. The snorkling was exceptional and it was the beach I always pictured in my mind as perfect.

All in all, this was a vacation to remember for many reasons. I am so glad to have been able to share it with my boys.