📍 Honolulu (Oahu), Laie (Oahu), Hilo (Big Island), Kona (Big Island), Lahaina (Maui), Haleakalā (Maui), Nawiliwili (Kauai)

🗓️ June 2002

It was the summer after 9/11. People weren’t flying like they had been before the attacks. Somehow my parents found out about a deal to Hawaii and decided to bite. I remember being so scared to get on a plane. My mom kept saying if something happens, then we’ll all go out together. The we being me, my mom, dad and brother. That gave me little solace, but off we went. We flew to Oahu and spent several days there exploring Honolulu then the north shore before boarding a cruise ship that took us around to the other islands. We visited ports on The Big Island, Maui and Kauai. We also took a side quest to Kiribati. On the island of Maui, we had leis that we disassembled and tossed into the ocean as a farewell and the hope of returning again…