A Week in Paradise

Tanner and I had a week in Paradise!

His Make a Wish trip to Hawaii was all he could have dreamed of… 

When we arrived they shuttled us over to Avis Car Rental and the girl told us that we were supposed to have a full sized vehicle but that they were all out.  I told her that I drove a Honda Fit so a small car was just fine with me!  Tanner piped up and said “How about one of those Mustangs I saw on the parking lot”?   They said “Sure! How about a convertible”?   So… we ended up with a red Mustang convertible!  My dream car!!  LOL! 

Tanner told me he asked for it because I’ve always teased the boys that when they were grown and I was on my own I was going to have a Mustang Convertible (with car seats in the back for my grandkids)!  On our free day, we put the top down and toured one beautiful beach after another on the North Shore.  It was heaven!!

Our hotel was right on the beach with an ocean front view and I started and ended each day on our balcony taking in the breathtaking sight of the beach below!

We had a helicopter tour of the island where we got to see volcanoes, waterfalls, pineapple plantations, Pearl Harbor, and Gilligan’s Island (LOL)! 

We took a submarine ride and saw lots of fish, man-made reefs, a sunken ship, and a downed airplane.

We went out on a catamaran and Tanner made friends that he socialized with throughout our time in Hawaii.  He’s a much more social soul than his mom and, as I knew he would, he made friends right away and they took him and exposed him to parts of downtown Honolulu that he wouldn’t have ever found on his own!

On our last night in Hawaii, we attended a luau in Paradise Cove and they made sure Tanner felt special the whole night!  They surrounded him with beautiful girls (in coconut bathing suits) and took a picture (which they gave Tanner complimentary) and had reserved seating for him right up front and center of the stage. 

We met a young girl and her mom who were on vacation from Canada and she bonded with Tanner right away and they spent the majority of the night talking with each other.  It was a perfect way to spend our last night in Honolulu!!

I’ve been asked more than once, since we returned, what my favorite part of the trip was and I have to say simply spending time on the beach...  lying on a beach blanket occasionally reading a book - but mostly just watching the beauty of the waves breaking against the shore…  It was, truly, paradise!

I can’t say enough about the Make a Wish Foundation!  They give these children (and their families) a once in a lifetime experience and memories that will last forever!!

A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime…