The Same Umbrella: Hawaii (Part 1): Surprise Vacation!

A few weeks ago we enjoyed a last-minute Hawaiian getaway when Jennifer successfully caught a "Space A" flight to Oahu and joined John while he was attending a contracting training course all week at Joint Base Hickam/Pearl Harbor. Fortunately his class let out between 2pm-4pm each afternoon, which left plenty of time for catching up with old friends and embracing paradise :-).

For those who are not familiar with Navy lingo, people affiliated with the military (active duty, dependents, retirees, etc.) can fly on military flights for free if there is Space Available - hence the term "Space A". Essentially it's standby for military flights. Flying for free is certainly a huge perk, but the trade-off is that nothing is guaranteed and it requires incredible patience and flexibility. No flights from our area in Japan seemed to be heading to Hawaii around the time of John's training until one popped up on short notice heading from our local base in Atsugi to Kaneohe Bay. We arrived at the Atsugi terminal early on the day of John's commercial flight and he was kind enough to sit with Jennifer in the terminal for hours as she attempted this process for the first time (he had never done this before either!). Just before he had to go, we got word that Jennifer had been selected for a seat on the flight (based on a complex system of hierarchy, when you sign up, etc.). Success!

Oddly enough, Jennifer ended up arriving in Hawaii before John and had to rely on the kindness of "strangers" to bridge the gap. John's high school friend Lisa and her husband Jaime live in Hawaii and were kind enough to pick her up at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Base terminal after a late night landing and host her for the evening. They are truly a lovely couple who embodies hospitality! When John arrived in the morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Cinnamon's in Kailua and caught up in person (rather than on Facebook) about everything that had transpired since high school graduation. After making plans to meet up later in the week, John and Jennifer continued on their way to get settled into the hotel on Waikiki Beach and meet up with another friend .

Cinnamon's! A Kailua favorite!

John and Jennifer in disbelief that 1) we're in Hawaii and 2) our upgraded room view!

This next rendezvous felt like an island party experience straight out of the movies. John's friend Raye was participating in the Red Bull Party Wave - a sponsored competition where teams had to create a vessel on which at least 4 people could ride a wave simultaneously. The event was complete with tons of people on the beach, announcers, product tents and, of course, free Red Bull. Raye's team finished third and we were fortunate that the timing of the event allowed us to watch her compete. Later that evening we strolled down Waikiki Beach, grabbed a bite to eat and concluded day one of our Hawaiian "vacation" that we didn't even know would be happening for both of us until 30 minutes before Jennifer's plane left Japan. Our unexpected trip was certainly off to a great start!