Island fever.

Every couple of years, a few of my former companions from my mission get together.  Traditionally, we've met in the hometown of one of us so we don't ALL have to travel.  One year it was Boston, another Washington D.C.  We've done Education Week at BYU and this year it was Hawaii.  (Boise still hasn't made the list...hmmm).  This is only the second time I've been able to make it, but it reminded me how blessed I am to have served in a mission where I made so many lifelong friends (and this group represents only a few of them).  As missionaries we were in the trenches together, and it's kind of a transcendent experience to reunite, reminisce, and swap stories.  Our stages of life are different, our experiences varied.  One of us is still single and travels the world, some got married and had kids later in life, a few have struggled with infertility, two have adopted children (one from a foreign country), and so on.  But we are all united by the singular experience of a mission in Taiwan and the burning testimony of Jesus Christ that carries us through today.  I LOVE this group of women - and all those with whom I served.  They are precious to me.

So what do you do in Hawaii with five women, one of whom has a nursing baby and two of whom are pregnant?  Eat.  Eat a lot.  The food was magnificent - I'm pretty sure I had fish for every meal - possibly exceeding my mercury allotment for pregnancy.  Totally worth it.  We relaxed on the beach, went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, snorkeled, talked into the wee hours of the morning, and ate.  Did I mention that already?  In fact, I think we planned all of our other activities around our dining options.

I made these guys march to Waikiki so I could dip my feet in the sand where I got my first sunburn as a child.  We spent the rest of our time on the North Shore.  MUCH more my flavor.

Two preggos at Waikiki.

The whole gang.

No trip to Oahu is complete without a visit to Pearl Harbor.  I took a solitary tour after dropping everyone else off at the airport.  Very humbling experience.