However, through the magic of the internet and Facebook we've been able to keep in touch and stay connected. Tracie even contacted me via Facebook when she needed help finding a place to stay. She booked their air seats because it was a convenient time for them to visit, not realizing that with RIMPAC, the hotels were all full. Luckily things worked out and they were able to get the beachfront room they wanted.
We picked them up on Sunday morning and went to Likelike Drive Inn for breakfast. We wanted to expose them to a "local" place. Next up was Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Even though I've lived here my whole life, I've never been there and looked forward to going.
Unfortunately it was so crowded. We got there around 9:30 am but the tickets we were able to get were for 12:45. So Tracie, Jim and Joey went off to see the U.S.S. Missouri while Darrell and I walked through the Walk of Remembrance and the displays. The people-watching was interesting too...people from all over the world visited the memorial.
There was so much that I never knew about what happened on December 7, 1941 and what followed. I wondered how I would be affected by being there...when I saw the movie "Pearl Harbor" I started crying during the attack scene and sobbed even after the movie when I thought about it again. I rarely cry in movies so this was so unusual. And while watching the Veteran's Day Parade on Kauai once when Ryan was little, I started crying when the 442nd vets went by. I sometimes wondered if I lived during WWII in a past life, since I was so affected by it.
We took them to lunch at The Alley at Aiea Bowl, another local food place, then dropped them back at their hotel. Wish we could have spent more time together, but hopefully there will be more visits in the future, either them coming here again or us going to San Francisco.
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