My son’s graduated from UH Manoa! We had to prepare for this momentous (to us) occasion. We made sure to make reservations well in advance for the car and hotel. The car we reserved had to be a larger size one since we had two children we were assisting with their move out from the dorms at UH Manoa. We ordered lei a month ahead. We picked up 30 pounds of lychee from a friend to bring to Oahu for family. We got tickets for Tower of Power who happened to be in concert at Blue Note. We made reservations for a post-graduation dinner celebration.

We flew to Oahu on Thursday afternoon to being the process of moving the children out of their dorms. The Hawaiian Airlines 1:11 p.m. flight was delayed until 1:38. But didn’t actually leave the ground until 2 pm. But wow, in retrospect, that was nothing. Good thing we didn’t plan to fly up on the next day because Friday was a crazy day of delayed and canceled flights for Hawaiian Airlines. We may not have been able to do all the things we planned which included getting two children moved out of the dorms and picking up the lei. As soon as we picked up the car, we headed straight to UH Manoa to pick things up from both kids as well as picked up one child. I guess the other child wanted to enjoy his last night as a UH Manoa dorm resident. We brought a bunch of luggage to the Waikiki Prince where we were staying including an ottoman, surfboard, bedding, and a full-length mirror. The bell desk at the Prince Waikiki was so accommodating and stored these additional items so my daughter’s friend could pick them up and take them to her house. We will bring home the surfboard on our next trip to Oahu. For dinner that night, my daughter requested to eat at Red Lobster. She and my husband are very much chain restaurant fans. I have no idea what to eat at Red Lobster. Am I supposed to order lobster? But how can one turn down unlimited shrimp? I’m not good at buffets and in all-you-can-eat-type situations. I feel like I want to get the best value for my dollar and end up not eating salads or other “fillers.” And I get way too full. I was overwhelmed and so I ended up ordering a Caesar salad and picking off my husband and daughter’s plates. After dinner, my husband and I headed to Charthouse for live music and an enjoyable nightcap. It is so conveniently located next to the Prince Waikiki.

On Friday morning, before all the move-out errands, I went for a walk in the morning among the yachts and along Waikiki Beach. We did the final pack-up move-out things at the dorms and then headed to lunch at Sorabol where before we got our food, we bought some fish food and enjoyed feeding the beautiful koi. I enjoyed the Dolsot bibimbap with crispy rice. After lunch, we picked up the lei ordered from Hawaiian Lei Company. I recommend ordering your lei in advance–it was a quick, easy, and accurate process. In the afternoon, we prepared to meet a Hilo pal at Island Vintage Wine Bar for cocktails before the Tower of Power show but his 1:11 p.m. Hawaiian Air flight was delayed by 7 hours and he never made it in time for the concert. Despite missing our pal, my husband and I enjoyed the Tower of Power concert at the Blue Note and ordered wine and a charcuterie platter and most of all, the music. After the concert, we greeted guitarist Jerry Cortez who we took photos with a year ago at the last concert and he agreed to record a special video for our friend who missed the concert. We met up with our pal after the concert at Island Vintage Wine Cave where we enjoyed more wine and more yummy bites. We shut down the bar and then walked back to our hotels. On our walk back to the hotel, my friend from Hilo was driving by and saw me walking back! Such a small world.

On Saturday morning, I went for a walk that took me to visit my father who is living near the Ala Moana Shopping Center. After a chat, I headed back to get ready for my son’s graduation. We left the hotel a little before noon to pick up my BIL and SIL and got bento lunches from Donki. We went to campus early to get photos of Steven with his cap and gown on campus and have lunch before getting my son to his check-in. It was a good thing we headed to the parking structure early! There was a long line of cars heading in and getting parking despite being so early. The structure was full at some point so we were really lucky to get our parking and easily walk to the Stan Sheriff Arena for the ceremony. After the ceremony finished a bit after 6 pm, we found Steven in the lei-giving location, and after hugs, photos, and lei, we left for dinner. The graduate selected a family favorite—Izakaya Nonbei.

On Mother’s Day Sunday, I enjoyed the last Oahu walk for the weekend and then packed up our 8 bags. Mother’s Day lunch was dim sum from Nice Day Chinese Seafood Restaurant where we found many others who were celebrating Mother’s Day. This was a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend celebrating my son’s graduation and spending time with family. Living Hilo Style in Honolulu.