Hawaii – Waikiki – Week 1 ......... Dec 20-27th 2009

The festive season was very special this year as it incorporated Blake’s 30^th birthday and she came up with the wonderful idea of meeting in Hawaii, half way between the US, Australia, & NZ (we have to think of tri-nations these days) and what a wonderful idea it was – meeting up in a different part of the world is very exciting!

Josh and cousin Shelda jumped on board very quickly making us a party of 6 ready to celebrate our family reunion. It’sand been quite a few years since we’ve all been together for Christmas. A most memorable time was had by all, particularly seeing a very pregnant Blake (30 weeks) and she looked fantastic.

Of course Jonno also looked great as the expectant father of our grandson. They are going to make such wonderful parents.

Our hotel was on the esplanade and gave us a fantastic view over Waikiki Beach on Oahu Island. We had adjoining suites, each with two bedrooms and a kitchen – just ideal for our family group. Most impressive were our balconies where we enjoyed breakfast each morning watching the rolling surf, surfers and early morning swimmers – the most refreshing way to start a day. The end of the day was also amazing with stunning sunsets – the perfect way to end a day.

Our first celebration came on day 2 – John’s birthday and we started the day with a very refreshing walk along Waikiki beach followed by breakfast on the balcony. There is something very special about celebrating a birthday with your family and especially in place like Hawaii so it will be one he’ll remember for a very long time. Doesn't he look fantastic!

The next few days were filled with shopping, sightseeing, shopping, eating, shopping…… Shelda discovered an array of Obama memorabilia and bought as much as would fit in her suitcase! It was very fitting that the Obama family were also holidaying on the island and we kept a keen eye out for them however the closest we came was driving past the highschool he used to attend and the sighting of Airforce One as it flew out of Honolulu. We girls spent quite a few hours at the massive Aloha Stadium market amassing bags filled with Hawaiian goodies while the boys went on their own shopping trip to Ala Moana shopping centre to finish their Christmas shopping (would love to have been a fly on the wall!!) We also visited the International Market on several occasions as it was very close to our hotel and left some of our well earned cash with the locals. John and Jonno escaped one day and walked to the top of Diamond Head and caught some magnificent views on camera to share with the rest of us……

John & I were participating in a marathon at the end of first week back in Houston so had to fit two 10 miles training walks into our holiday schedule. Our first walk was on the morning of Christmas Eve and we walked along the coast, past the surfing beaches, the marinas filled with yachts and through a lush green park where we saw the most beautiful red-crested cardinals – just stunning. We also watched a race between 4 Hawaiian Outrigger paddle canoes – very fast and very colourful.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve evening together – this is me with an icepack on my knee – somehow I fell over as we were walking to dinner – anything for some attention!!

Christmas Day started with breakfast in our hotel suite – well, gift giving happened before breakfast! It was such fun, particularly unwrapping the ‘creative’ gifts the boys had purchased on their earlier shopping trip together – not to mention the ecstatic look on Shelda’s face when she unwrapped a tube of vegemite (well done Josh)!!

Blake & Jonno gave us all a wonderful gift – Xmas dinner on board the Ali’i Kai where we were entertained with Polynesian dancers and drummers followed by dancing and magnificent sunset views. It was a very ‘tourist’ event however it certainly was memorable and we will never forget that we arrived on coach no. 5…….. (you had to have been there!)

Well another Christmas draws to a close and when most people look forward to resting the next day and reflecting on what a great time they had – we had another huge occasion to celebrate – Blake’s 30^th birthday.

From a very early age Blake and her friend Rachael celebrated their birthdays for a whole week and during this time they always referred to themselves as “The Princess” and “she who must be obeyed”! Well we decided that turning 30 deserved a promotion and now that she is also about to become a ‘mum’ it was a definite – a new title was bestowed upon her – Queen Blake!! We had a ‘royal’ breakfast organized in our suite and on her arrival she was presented with a crown, a sceptre and a sash – who could ask for more! The Queen was then directed to her ‘throne’ where she was to sit and receive gifts……. We all had ‘royal’ bibs to wear – I was the Queen Mother of course, John was King, Jonno was Duke, Josh was Prince and Shelda became Duchess von Rathmann. We all wore fabulous inflatable crowns and enjoyed a morning ‘fit for a queen’! The room was decorated with balloons and posters and royal trinkets and we all wore crown jewels – such a fun morning.

That afternoon we managed to fit in a little shopping – surprise, surprise! We exchanged a gift at Macy’s and Blake left the store wearing the most beautiful gold and silver bracelet – a treasured memory of our Hawaiian holiday I’m sure from Jonno to her. We even popped into Tiffany’s and looked at diamond rings!

For the Royal Dinner that evening we headed to a beautiful restaurant on the beach where we listened to a band and watched Shelda make some wonderful moves on the dance floor. Blake was particularly happy with her icecream birthday cake which was devoured overlooking an incredible sunset – certainly finishing the day in style.

The following morning saw week one complete and we packed up all our belongings and piled into the rental car and were off to experience a week on the fabulous North Shore – away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki……….taking with us memories of wonderful Christmas and birthday celebrations.