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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

First Full Day Back In Hawaii

Aloha Everyone,

In spite of my sleeping only half of my normal hours, I felt great waking up to see the beautiful Koolau Mountains from our Ala Moana Hotel 11th floor room.


George came by promptly at 10:00 am to give us a ride to Kaiser Honolulu Clinic where J.J. and I did our lab tests.


My next appointment was with the Opthamologist. My pupils were dilated with eye drops and images were taken. Any discomfort was well worth it when result was that my eyes are healthy and I've been able to maintained a steady wellness for the past 6 years. My next eye appointment will be in 2 years.

I walked to Auntie Pasto's, one of our long-time favorite Italian restaurants located just around the corner from Kaiser, to join George and J.J. for lunch.

George is a well-read, widely-traveled, compassionate, and extraordinarily intelligent man. Our topics of conversation as jumped around from travel, to family, to government, to geo-politics, to life.





We met Jeff for an early dinner. Since Jeff had about an hour before his volleyball coaching commitment, the three of us walked to Shirokiya to have our meal.


It's 6:20 pm, a clear night with current temperature reading at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. 


Aloha -- Cathi

Monday, January 4, 2016

Back In A Paradise

Aloha Everyone,

American Airlines offered $1,000 voucher each to 40 volunteer passengers from our flight. The explanation given was to lessen the load to mitigate the effect of strong headwinds. Thank goodness the 6 1/2 hours flight itself was smooth and uneventful. Usually, the Hawaii flights are about 5 hours.

We are thrilled to be back in paradise.





Aloha -- Cathi

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Preparing for Our Trip to Hawaii!

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I are spending the day preparing for our trip to Hawaii! The last time we were back in paradise was almost a year ago. We are looking forward to seeing our friends and spending time with our son Jeff.

We leave tomorrow! Our next blog entry will be sent from Oahu!

Aloha -- Cathi

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Tibetan Gong

Aloha Everyone,

Our son, Jeff, asked us to find him a Tibetan gong for his high school history class.

The Tibetan gong, also known as Singing bowls, are used for meditation and relaxation. The sound it creates is very soothing and spiritual. The vibration quality depends on the size, shape, material as well as the gong stick.

Here are photos of the gong which we will be carrying in our suitcase.





I would be most curious to hear the reaction of his students when they hear the gong for the first time.

Aloha -- Cathi

Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!

Aloha Everyone,

Wishing you a very happy, joyful and peaceful New Year!

Sunrise over Waikiki from Jeff


Sunrise over Mauna Kea (Big Island, HI) from Judy


White New Year morning in Antioch, IL from Pat


We hope that our paths will cross in 2016!

Aloha -- Cathi