Still Technically on Vacation

I'm in the Honolulu Airport and not quite ready to face the reality that I'm headed home from vacation. I have an hour before my flight boards, and I'm about to go into the restroom to slather myself with aloe vera from head to toe, but I first wanted to get a few thoughts down about my awesome time here.

I've had an amazing week in Hawaii. What a cool treat to go on vacation with a friend. I generally travel alone, so I had mixed feelings about how it would be to be connected at the hip with someone, but it couldn't have been more enjoyable. We've had more fun than should be allowed. Our routine went something like this: wake up, stumble next door for breakfast, drive over to Kailua Beach, lay out/swim/laugh our heads off/watch the turtles, grab something awesome, like Teddy's Bigger Burgers, for dinner, and then drive up to the North Shore with the top down on the rental car to watch the stars, smell the plumeria, and enjoy Haleiwa Town. We finished up several nights by hanging out at the closed hotel pool on lounge chairs to just enjoy the warm night breeze. Sprinkle in a few drinks and dinners on the beach (yay Duke's!), a fun night out at Hula's, lots of walking and some fun shopping in Waikiki. It's just been a dream.

All of that, plus I was able to hit up my beloved CoCo Ichibanyas, straight from Japan, and grab some of my favorite Japanese treats, too. All in all, a really wonderful getaway. And I have lots of pics for later. So now I start the long trek home. Fingers crossed for good, safe, quick flights. Aloha!