Sunrise to Sunset

I woke up at 5:20 a.m. to catch the shuttle to Diamond Head outside my hotel at 5:50 a.m. There was no other way to fit it in and it is best to see Diamond Head early. Everyone told me how hot the hike would be if I waited until later. I wanted to tell them that I live in the desert, but instead, I took their advice. It was a good recommendation as the views of the early morning touching Waikiki were remarkable. When my tour returned to the hotel at 8:30 a.m. I ran back to my room, showered, got dressed, and made it the conference for the breakfast that ended it 9:00.



Diamond Head is the mountain you see in the distance. I learned that if formed in 3 days to 3 weeks. That makes me think that those scriptures where mountains rise over night are true. You can see which way the wind was blowing when it was formed.



Early morning from Diamond Head



Looking over Waikiki



The Hilton Hawaiian Village from Diamond Head

My conference presentation was called "The Effects of An Inclusive Education Course on Secondary General Education Pre-Service Teachers' Philosophy of Educating Students with Disabilities." I know it is a mouthful, but it meant I gave a survey my class to see how they felt about teaching kids with disabilities in inclusive settings. It was interesting research that I am planning on continuing to pursue and I was excited to talk to people about. I presented a poster, which meant I just stood by my poster for a couple of hours and answered questions about my research. Its my favorite method of presenting at conferences because you meet a lot of people who talk to you about the things they are doing.



As soon as the conference ended I hurried back to my room and changed into a dress and ran out to catch the 1:50 afternoon bus to Laie. The drive to Laie is long and this was no express bus. The bus was filled with workers who live in Honalulu and were returning home. I chatted with a lady from the Philippians as I watched out the window as the waves rolled up the beach. When I arrived at the Laie temple, I took in the beautiful grounds quickly as I hurried inside. I knew they were starting their next temple session at 5:00 and I didn't know if they would start another if I was late. I made it inside just in time and had a wonderful time in the temple with the people who live in that area.

After the temple, I sat outside for a waiting for my bus ride back to Waikiki. I knew that tomorrow evening I would be getting on an airplane and heading back to the mainland. I felt like I had been in Hawaii a long time, long enough I guess, but I did not long for home the way I have on other trips. I could have stayed a bit longer and enjoyed a few more delicious days of sunshine and ocean breeze and star fruit and color and friendly people.



Laie Hawaii Temple



Laie Temple at night




Contemplating life at the bus stop. I took this picture with my camera timer :)


After a crazy bus ride in which I thought I was going to stay in Hawaii forever, but not as a living person, I made it back home and sat on my balcony eating a Lunchable from the gift shop for dinner and listened to that Hawaiian music coming from downstairs one last time.