Hawaii-the pit stop-still July 3

After the dreariest Alaska summer in our personal history, we sighed a big sigh of relief when we felt that warm tropical air in the open breezeways at the airport.  The kids were beginning to show some signs of fatigue, but Matt and I somehow managed to find our second wind.  It seems as if this island is a breeding ground for some of the friendliest people in the planet.   Recognizing that probably 95% of the people they deal with at work they will never see again, we were amazed at how genuinely helpful and friendly everyone was.  The kids passed out on the way to the hotel, which really was 1 block from the beach with a view of Diamond Head and the beach-(unbelievable --a hotel that lives up to it's add).   We let the kids sleep in the car awhile, then shuffled off to the hotel room, where we changed to out suits and headed to the beach.  Classic tourists, we walked right up to the surf, and the kids headed in.  Bryson was immediately knocked down by an incoming surfer while Jordan was sucked out in the undercurrent.  Both were retrieved unharmed, and Jordan went straight back for more.  Bryson was a little leery after this intro to the water, but he soon found his way in calmer waters.  Both of them received hang tens, cheers, and laughs from the surfer crowd watching our show.   After an afternoon in the sand and sun,  we went to sleep with the sounds of the night life around us, unwilling to close our windows to that welcome warm air.