I have missed seeing a couple of my colleagues who are now retired and enjoying life. Other than occasional texts and phone calls, we haven’t spent time together in years. Except for the one time I was flying from HNL-LAX on my way to PHL and ended up flying on the same flight as Kay. That was a nice coincidence. We finally set a date for a catch up session.

Before flying to Honolulu, I got up early and got my walk done before I flew on Hawaiian Airlines on a Sunday morning. Travel was smooth. My Hawaiian Air flight was on time and even arrived 10 minutes early. I met Cheryl at baggage claim and we headed to Budget to pick up our car. There was no line and we quickly got our car. One hiccup was that Budget gave us a car with no gas! The FILL GAS light was on. Aaron dropped us off at the Kalihi HMart for snacks and coffee for her son while my husband got some gas. We got to the Waikiki Prince Hotel and met up with Kay for our 11:45 a.m. lunch reservation at 100 Sails where we had a wonderful time catching up while indulging on prime rib, poke, sashimi, and more! I was happy to share some Big Island omiyage of Hilo Lunch Shop warabi salad, KTA sakuraboshi and Atebara’s taro chips and furikake mac nuts.

Coincidentally, I was staying at the Waikiki Prince so I didn’t have to go very far for my kanak attack after lunch. In the afternoon. Aaron and I walked to the Blue Note at the Outrigger Waikiki where we enjoyed a jazz performance by Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin at Blue Note Hawaii. I loved the performance. I’m Dave Grusin’s newest fan. His rendition of Love is a Lonely Hunter made me tear up with its beauty. Wine, a charcuterie plate, and jazz made for a wonderful date night. We walked back to the hotel, ate some instant noodles and got to bed so I’d wake up in time for my early flight back to Hilo.

Woke up before my alarm the next morning, got ready and got to the airport before the sun was up. It was a short trip but one I really needed. Time with friends I haven’t seen in years and time with my husband was so appreciated. I’ve been so busy with life and work that I haven’t even had a chance to focus on blogging. I’m hoping this quick getaway will get me back on track. Living Hilo Style on Oahu.