Same But Different- Hawaii Day 1

We have been planning this trip for over two years.  I grew up in Hawaii. The last time Stan and I went, I was pregnant with Ethan. I thought that since the kids were now adults, I had better take them before they were on their own.

Of course things didn't start out as planned.  I had to break my leg/knee that required surgery three weeks before our big trip. I had the blessing of my surgeon to go and I was determined to make the best of it.  We woke up very early on Wednesday morning and headed to the airport, with my scooter in tow.  I was still not allowed to put any weight on my right leg for another month.

Check in at the airport was interesting. Secretly, I was hoping for an upgrade so I could elevate my leg, but no such luck. Because of my crutches and scooter , we were not allowed to check in prior, so we had to stand in a slow line. My leg already starting to swell.  We finally made it up.to TSA and were excited to be able to get straight in through the handicapped line.  Well, everyone but me.  I had to wait for a female agent to pat me down since I couldn't stand .  I think I waited 15 minutes, leg swelling, for one to arrive while the rest of the family had gone through.  By the time we were done, my foot had swollen so much that I couldn't get my shoe on.

Once we got past TSA, we headed to the gate which of course was the last one. We waited for the plane and were one of the first to board. I had purchased "extra comfort seats" prior to the accident and I'm so glad.  I had room to stretch and move my foot and leg.  I couldn't elevate it, but I could move it. The flight was smooth and uneventful.  We landed a little early making it about a 6.5 hour flight. We landed and had to wait about 25 minutes on the runway for the plane at our assigned gate to move.  As I looked out the window, I had a view of Diamond Head. It felt like home. I actually cried at the sight of it.

First sights of O'ahu

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I looked out the window and saw this sight. Brought tears to my eyes.

Home

Everyone was excited to get off the plane.  I think Ethan has been the most excited. Not to mention my ADHD boy was just cooped up for seven hours. We got our bags, our car and headed to our house.

We took the scenic route home.  As I looked around the city, it definitely has grown , but it was still the same. I was able to navigate home. On the way, we drove along the coast and stopped a couple of times. We drove past my old house and found our rental.

On the way home. 

One of the homes I grew up in. My bedroom window was on the left side second floor. 

another home I lived in. 

We are renting an air bnb near where I used to live. It's a cute three bedroom home so everyone has their own space. We unpacked and then headed out for a bite to eat.

We went to Zippys. It's a chain based on Hawaii and famous for its chili. Stan and I ordered the chicken and chili plate lunch. It was so good.  Nikki had chicken katsu and Ethan tried Saimin.  It was all so good I think  everyone cleaned their plates.  We got a dozen malasadas for later that evening. The waiter said they were fresh and warm and encouraged us to have one before we left. It was an excellent meal.    Zippys is at a shopping center where we would sometimes hang out, which brought back many memories. Most of the stores are different than were there 30+ years ago, but it still looked the same.

Ethan loved his lunch and was taking a photo of the Malasadas.

We went to get groceries after lunch. And then headed back to the house. My poor foot and leg were huge and I was glad to get some rest and ice and elevate them.  It was so good to be home.