On Monday morning we had a shuttle come and pick us up at 6am to take us to Pearl Harbor. It was so early and since this was at the end of our trip I was exhausted but it was worth every minute of it. We were going to go do this on our own but we found a Pearl Harbor tour so we decided to book that and not have to worry about finding our own transportation there. The tour entailed a trip to the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri battleship and the Punchbowl Crater which is a military cemetery.
You hear that you need to be at Pearl Harbor early in the morning or you will have to wait hours to get in and I understand why. We were the second bus to arrive and it wasn't long after us getting there that bus after bus was arriving and the line wrapped around the block. Evidently it is like this everyday there. So if you ever go to Pearl Harbor....go early...very early. When you go in you are put into a group number and then you wait for your number to be called. Luckily we were in group one so we didn't have long to wait. They usher you into a room where they have you watch a short film about Pearl Harbor with the events leading up to the attack. They showed actual footage of the attack. After the film they put you on a boat driven by the navy that takes you to the memorial. Since I've been back people have asked me my thoughts on the memorial. I actually have no words to describe the moments when you are on the memorial. It's a very quiet and reverent place. There is no talking except for an occasional whisper. It was very surreal to be there. The whole place becomes more real to you and you began to understand a glimmer what those men and women had to endure that day. I can't describe the feeling I felt when I stood at the edge of the memorial and looked in the water and saw the Arizona sitting there...being a tomb for over 1000 men. I can't tell you what I felt as I saw and smelled the oil rising to the top of the water from the ship. It's impossible to explain the feelings and the lump in your throat and the tightness in your chest when you see all the names etched in the wall of the men who are still entombed in the Arizona. It's a moment I'm so glad I got to experience and one that I will never forget. I have a new found appreciation for the men and women in uniform and what they have sacrificed and our still sacrificing for our freedom. It was a humbling experience. Here are a few photos:
The two men in the above picture are two of the last remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack. I can't imagine the images that these two men saw on the horrible day. If you ever get a chance to make it to Hawaii and you go to Oahu, I urge everyone to fit Pearl Harbor into your plans. You won't regret at all! It's a fantastic experience.
After we finished our time at the Arizona Memorial we made our way onto the military base to tour the USS Missouri. Let me tell you that ship was HUGE!! It's as long as 3 football fields and was at least 20 stories high. It was huge and I felt so small being on there. We toured all through that thing. We climbed ladders, we stepped over guns. It was awesome. This particular ship was active during Operation Desert Storm back in the 90's. It was also the ship where they signed the Peace Treaty with Japan to end WW II. It was a cool thing to see. I know that I could never live on a ship like that. It was very claustrophobic. We were able to spend a good amount of time there just exploring this piece of history. After we toured the ship we made our way to the Punchbowl Crater. This was interesting but we never got off the bus. We just drove through the cemetery. It was a pretty place.
We were dropped off at our hotel around 1pm and so we decided to spend the rest of the day at our hotel pool and hot tub. We wanted to work on our tans a little bit and just spend the rest of our time relaxing and that is exactly what we did. It was nice. The next evening we were flying back home. So the next morning we packed our luggage took them down to the holding room and spent most Tuesday at the pool. We were pretty tired of sand and salt water so we decided to stay at our pool. It was very relaxing and it felt good to not have to be anywhere or do anything. Our plane took off at 5pm so at 3:30 we headed to the airport. We flew all night from Hawaii to Minneapolis, MN and then took a flight from there to Atlanta and then from there headed to Nashville. I had never been so happy to see Nashville in all my life. I was so exhausted after the long plane rides and endless connections.
It was though one of the best times in my life. We were able to do so much in a relatively small amount of time. I believe that I was able to see the entire island and do things that I normally wouldn't do here. I'm so glad that I had the chance to go and I would go back in a heartbeat. I still can't believe that I was there. It still feels like a dream. The next time I want to make sure that my family is there with me. I would like to share that experience with them.
That's all for today. Tomorrow I will pick back up with my everyday ins and outs of my life. You really haven't missed much this past month really. It's all been catch up from me being gone. Things at work have finally slowed down and I'm back on my regular routine. Today I'm using my Crock Pot for the first time. Can you believe it? I bought one of those frozen Crock Pot meals. So I've been making Chicken and Dumplings. I'm excited to try it. I'll let you know how it goes. Tonight I have Bible Study at church but I'll spend the whole time in choir practice. We are trying to get ready for our Christmas program in December. We are doing the same one as last year so we are just really going over with a fine tooth comb this year and working out the kinks. It should be good...I hope. :) Have a good night!
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