Hawaii - October 22, Pearl Harbor Historic Site

Although we didn't take any of the tours, it is still a very humbling walk, and one I hope to share again as a family. The bravery and sacrifice of thousands of sailors and countless more is simply amazing and such a blessing. I know Brianna and Carl are not quite able to comprehend what happened at Pearl Harbor, but I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.

I love the scale of this picture. This propeller is huge.

It was nice to be able to just walk around. It had changed quite a bit since we were there in 2006, so it seemed like we were seeing all new things. Unfortunately though, no purses or strollers or anything were allowed, so that got a little complicated in terms of having a 15 month old along. Thankfully Carl was already a good walker and enjoyed the freedom to move about. We traveled light, and since we didn't take any tours, our plan was to walk around for while and be back home for lunch. So snacks/diapers/etc. were able to be left in the car. (Against their recommendation of paying for a locker for your valuables.)

Here we are checking out the working periscope. Definitely an interesting perspective!

I can't say enough how blessed I feel to have been able to make this trip to Hawaii. It was amazing to be able to spend two weeks with my sister (and John, Danya and Baby Kat), but to also have these memories with Brianna and Carl with their grandparents is so special.  Brianna really wants to go on another airplane ride...!

The day we were there, a Pearl Harbor survivor and author was signing books. My mom caught this picture on her camera. It seemed she had a smudge on her lens; could be from little hands, I don't rightly know. But I do know, my dad was grateful to him for his service and his book. And thank you to all of the service men and women who daily serve our country.

It was good timing for us and getting back in the car to head home. It was getting warm and it seemed Brianna's poor cheeks had enough bright sunshine for the day. Naps and more fun playing were in store that afternoon. Man! I feel I could end everyday with that statement! One thing I was also grateful for was that my kids actually kept to their nap schedule. Transitioning 5 hours was hard enough, so I was happy they wanted to sleep. It kept us from having cranky kids, and out of the hot midday sun everyday. I'm certainly biased - my kids are wonderful!


Side Note: It was spirit week at Danya's school. Monday was Crazy Hair day! Love the look. Brianna thought she wanted crazy hair, but it was only a thought...