Travelling Adventures

What a long day. You know it is not going to be good when you arrive at the airport and your flight status shows a delay of 2 hours and that is only tentative. Apparently there was some problem with the plane while still on the mainland and the plane hadn't left two hours before my scheduled flight. When I got to the kiosk it said see the agent. I see her then get really worried. She complains about no available flights and disappears for at least 10 minutes. She comes back and says my two options are: 1) Fly out at 9:30 to Salt Lake City and then on to Cincinatti and then to Raleigh arriving 8 hours later than scheduled, or 2) Leave Honolulu at 3:42 the next morning arriving in Raleigh 10 hours later than scheduled. I chose option one as I had already checked out of my hotel and had turned in the car. Delta also waived the fee for the extra bag and gave me some money for dinner. Needless to say, it was a long day.

It was a great week seeing and talking to many old friends. It was odd going back to Hawaii as a visitor. I haven't done that since 1995 and my Midshipman cruises. I did get to play golf and acquire the obligatory sunburn due to my own stupidity as I am losing my hair and need a hat now. I got all the necessary things done while out there and now am one step closer to the goal of ordination in two years. Time to get some sleep.

Sunny Day

The VOG finally lifted for a day out here in Hawaii yesterday which was vital as I played golf with an old XO. This was the first day I have been out here that the VOG was gone. This is essentially smog due to the volcano on the Big Island that is 100 miles away. The normal trade winds shift from the East and we get light winds from the South that blows in all the smoke from the volcano. This makes the islands very hazy, humid and hot similar to a summer day in the South. As it was bright and sunny finally, of course I didn't put on enough sunscreen so I will suffer for a few days, but any day golfing is really worth it right?

All my meetings are done here and I just have to pick up some uniforms, pack and fly out this afternoon. It was a great trip that accomplished a lot but also allowed for some serious relaxation for the first time since August.

What a Difference a Year Makes

I landed in Hawaii yesterday afternoon to meet some ordination requirements at my home church here in Honolulu and noticed many differences in the last 14 months. I walked down into Waikiki and hardly recognized the area as almost every store has been torn down or remodeled. I couldn't believe the amount of construction in that short period of time. It seems that the culmination of a vow to clean up the tourist areas is almost complete. Additionally, I noticed a really encouraging trend in the larger number of street performers in Waikiki. They all seemed to not really harass the pedestrians as with other big city performers. I really enjoy these performers as they add life to the city and add some interesting diversions as you walk.

Another change was noticeable at my home church. Late last year most of the young adults left to plant another church near downtown. This was distinctly noticeable last night at the young adult gathering at my home church, there were only 15 people there as opposed to the 200 or so that met weekly before the church plant. Their leaving was not a wholly bad thing, just some thing noticeable as I only recognized three people from the previous group. I am curious to see what the makeup looks like at the worship services on Sunday.

All this has me thinking, what has changed in me over the last year(besides gaining weight). I am not even sure if I would notice the changes as I am constantly and slowly undergoing the changes. Really, most change is subtle and slow such that it can only be observed from a distance. Looking at the results of the changes in Waikiki from that distance and seeing what a bunch of little changes can do, imagine what could be done in our own lives and the community over time through small and meaningful changes. Just a thought.