Before I describe my wonderful Thanksgiving experience out here in Hawai’I, I first want to wish each of you reading this a fabulous Black Friday, and I hope that all of you were able to enjoy the time this weekend with family and friends.
My Thanksgiving consisted of a 10 mile Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving buffet at Ko’Olina with a dozens of friends and family, and, fittingly enough, beach time with cocktails at the beautiful lagoons.
On Tuesday my parents bravely ventured out to visit me in Hawaii, and the time spent has been nothing short of spectacular. After a decent night’s sleep Tuesday night, we set about experiencing HI in typical tourist fashion; Number one on our agenda was Pearl Harbor. I do not need to justify why we went to Pearl Harbor, but there are several aspects of it that I want to touch upon. First, the rich history and trying to transport oneself back into that time period is impossible. The only American’s that I believe can relate to this tragedy would be those in the buildings or even standing outside of the World Trade Centers on 9/11. This is not downplaying the hard fighting soldiers in Afghanistan and the Middle East, but the point is that, in terms of sheer pandemonium and ‘dastardly attacks’, these two are incomparable.
The other considerations that need to be addressed are: size, power, respect, and resilience. Standing atop the Battleship Missouri (yep, THE exact spot where the Second World War II ended), you can’t help but wonder what type of power it would take to bring this type of ship down. The ship spans roughly 3 football fields, and although I like to think that I can throw a football over those mountains in the distance, it would be difficult to even toss a ball the width of the ship. As we left the Missouri to test the Arizona memorial, a different feeling consumed me. When I was about to board the little boat shuttle over to the actual memorial, I felt as though I were going to yet another site seeing opportunity. It wasn’t until the boat guide refocused my thoughts to the memorial itself, the Arizona Memorial is a tomb, a final resting place for over 1,000 individuals who lost their lives on that morning. That power, that simple message, reshifted my focus, and regained my perspective. As oil still bubbles out of the ship, we were given a clear day to see the massive ship. Sure the battleship is small scale relative to today’s aircraft carriers, but in the 1940’s it was a massive expansion of steal and ingenuity. Over 1,000 individuals-many prayers and thanks to the family of those individuals.
After the memorial, we drove back to the watermark for a couple of hours of fun in the sun. The biggest news (other than the spectacular visit to Pearl Harbor) is that I introduced my parents to an amazing person, Miss Kristina. Talk about nerve wracking!! Sure my parents had heard about this lovely lady in passing, but to put a face and a personality to my feeble descriptions is an entirely different experience. To say they were blown away is an understatement; the meeting went smoothly and I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce such a special individual to my parents (a bit much? Nah, not quite).
Kraig, stop stalling, what is the Turkey Trot? Well gang, my co-worker Maggie (an incredible person who ran 2 marathons within a month!!) put a gun to my head and forced me to sign up for the Turkey Trot a 10.4 mile run in the Diamond Head area on Thanksgiving morning. What can you do when life and death is on the line? Before the run, the most I have ever run was 6 miles, so who on earth knew what was going to happen. Well, a challenge is a challenge. Let’s do it.
Without going into detail, the run was exhilarating! I am addicted. We finished the run in roughly in an hour and a half and the entire experience was such a thrill. Hundreds and hundreds of people participated, individuals donated their time to passing out water at certain mile markers, and people cheered along the way. Where do we go from here? Sure 10 miles is something, but I decided to take the giant leap and in 2 weeks I will be running a marathon. Haha. If you can run 10 miles, you can run 26.2, right? If you have room for me in your prayers, please wish that I do not break anything during this spontaneous adventure. Hip, hup, 26.2. Let’s do it.
After the run, the group of us, Kristina, myself, my parents, and Maggie, drove out to Ko Olina for a Thanksgiving potluck next to the pool. For visual reference, the pool area has a small cascading waterfall, weather temperature beamed a sunny 75, and the wind blew in from the East (not sure about this, but it fits in) at a vicious 15-20mph. From Minnesotans, Target employees, to my coworkers, family, young and old, this was such a nice experience and I am thankful for the Radtkes (Colleen and Jon) for hosting. These two are remarkable, caring people who seem to focus all of their efforts on others.
That’s all I have for now, more to come shortly. But all in all, I must say, Thanksgiving on O’ahu, not a bad idea!
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