Last year, I had a whirlwind of a trip to Hawai’i. As in “Get on the plane at mid-day Wednesday, arrive late afternoon in Honolulu, time with friends, Pearl Harbor, wedding prep, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, Kim’s wedding, Alyssa-blessing, back on the plane on Sunday and home Monday morning” type of trip.
And, honestly, it felt like it went by as fast as that sentence. It was over far too soon. I missed O’ahu. I missed my friend Kim and her family. I missed the peace and contentment I experienced on the island.
The Minister of Fabulousness and I had discussed going back to Hawai’I together. I think it was wishful thinking, mostly. We would joke and talk about it periodically, and we would even look at airfare. Then, this week, it got serious.
We started finding good deals on airfare. Really good deals. Add in some Southwest Rapid Rewards…and they were GREAT deals. So, we booked. Impulsively. Not counting the security fee Southwest is charging me…my entire airfare is setting me back $319.00 roundtrip. You read that right. ROUND TRIP FROM DALLAS TO HONOLULU.
“Um…where are we going to stay?” she asked. Kim and her hubby came through again. We are staying in beachside cabanas at the military base. Nice, clean, comfortable (with A/C!) accommodations that are very inexpensive. And we landed a deal on a rental car that practically made me weep with joy. Last year, I had a mid-size car for 5 days and it set me back about $400.00. This year? We have a Jeep for NINE days and it will set us back about $330.00. Come on. We HAD to have a Jeep. Two really cute girls cannot be stuck in a subcompact and be expected to enjoy the long drives and cute men. (I kid, Doc. I love you. I have eyes only for you. I will miss you terribly and mope around the entire time because you are not with me. Reassuring enough? Good.)
My friends – if you have ever wanted to go to Hawaii…this is the time to do it. I added up my airfare/lodging/rental car costs from last year for five days and four nights. It totaled $801.00. I took my share of this year’s costs for NINE days and EIGHT nights…and it comes in at $796.00. I am so excited that I could die! But, I won’t…because that would totally ruin my vacation plans. And, The Minister of Fabulousness might object to having to pay for my share of expenses or otherwise cart my body around the island.
So, there is folks. We’re going to hike Diamondhead. We’re going to go up the OTHER side of the island and reach the same uppermost point that one can reach via the Stairway to Heaven (which is closed to climbers), we are going to sleep, sun, relax and quite possibly forget the real world for a while.