Meet Me Here Monday: Hello Honolulu

Yep, after much agony, asking advice from friends,  and debate {within myself} I decided to make the short but sweet trek to Honolulu to see my sweetie! :) Actually, there wasn't going to be ANYTHING short about the trip...but my time there was definitely going to be short. But in the end, I knew I would regret it if I didn't go. And let's be honest, last minute trips like this are about to come to a screeching halt once this baby comes. So, I decided to pull the trigger, pack my bags, and book the tickets!

I was 23 Weeks Pregnant at that point, memorizing John 17:15, under the title of "That Davis would be protected from the evil one in each area of his life - spiritually, emotionally, and physically."

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one"......

...So I was cleared to travel but there were still a couple of things that made me really nervous about the trip. One being the swelling that would probably happen because of all of the sitting I'd be doing, and I also didn't want to experience jet lag too bad since I would be going back to work the day I got back. But, amazingly enough, the Lord worked out both of those fears/worries in the most amazing and unpredictable ways.

Provision #1: Samantha {our amazing doctor} wrote me a prescription for some support hose {which are incredibly attractive, and in her words look like ice skater tights...and could possibly be flame retardant. ha.} which would help with the swelling and the prevention of the o-so-lovely varicose veins.
Provision #2: My dad offered to come down on Friday night to stay the night and then take me to the airport on Saturday Morning. This was a huge blessing because my dad is the master of getting places early...so it was my guarantee ticket to getting to the airport on time! He also took Burt back to NWA with him for the week so that I didn't have to arrange for someone to take care of him here! Double Blessing!
 Everything went super smooth Saturday morning. I {of course} got to the LR airport on time, made it on my flight to Atlanta with no problems, was able to lay down and sleep the entire way to Atlanta because there were maybe 25 people on this huge airplane, and then make it to my gate in Atlanta with plenty of time to go to the bathroom and grab a sandwich in preparation for my 10 hour flight to HI. However....once I got to the ticket counter at our gate, I was informed that I "didn't have a seat on this flight"! WHAT?! And then the flight attendant proceeded to ask me, "Would it be ok if you took the same flight tomorrow to HI?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

And within seconds of the question being asked, the most "amazing" thing happened....I realized I was experiencing my first true encounter with the "crazy pregnancy hormones".
With tears literally streaming down my face {like they are every time I watch Steal Magnolias} I said, "NO!! I HAVE TO GET THERE TODAY!!" When she finally looked up from her computer, her eyes got really big and said, "Oh no, are you crying?" ha.
I apologized and explained that I was pregnant and just really needed to see my husband, and her response was classic. She said, "Does he know you are pregnant?!" haha. I pointed to my stomach and said "Of Course he KNOWS!!" {....which caused more tears to start flowing,,,,}
Needless to say, her and another lady started typing really fast and then rushed me down to another ticket counter, where the re-routed me to LA, and then LA to Hawaii....AND bumped me up to First Class for the long flight to HI....AND gave me a travel voucher!!
It was a blessing in disguise because I would land only a few hours later than expected, and being able to stretch out in First Class was a huge deal in the "ankle swelling department". 

I arrived at 6pm Hawaii Time on Saturday evening, and Del immediately whisked me away to a dinner at the Program Director's house. We had a great time, and it was really fun meeting the people that Del would be working with during his stay there. We stayed until 2am Arkansas Time {which is only 9pm Hawaii Time}, so needless to say I completely passed out once we got back to the hotel!

I woke up bright and early....like 4am...on Sunday morning {thank you time change}. So we went on a walk along the beach and then went and had breakfast at the hotel.

Then we packed up the car and headed to The North Shore, which is on the other side of the island. It was a beautiful drive because you literally drove along the beach the entire time. We stopped and had lunch at a little local stand that was set up on the porch of a Bob Marley Rastafarian Shop {which should have been our first clue to NOT eat there}. But we gave it a shot because we thought, how could they really mess up a hamburger and chicken sandwich? Umm...let me tell you how. While we were waiting, there were little chickens walking around our card table that was set up by the street...and once I bit into my sandwich, I realized that I was probably eating one of those little chicken's brother's. I have never appreciated a chicken breast sandwich more in my entire life, because at this point I wasn't sure which parts of the chicken were wedged in between those two pieces of bread. Yuck.

After finishing our meal {actually....after Del finished both of our meals} we went to a little supermarket and picked up some fruit and Reese's Cups to wash the taste out of our mouths...then headed to the beach!

It was such a fun beach because there were tons of families there and also a rock for people to jump off of. I, of course, opted out of the "bluff jumping"....but Del jumped on board and wowed the crowd with his backflip skills! ha.

It was beautiful, but unfortunately for me, Del had gotten sunburned really bad a couple of days before I arrived {like to the point where he had blisters covering his back} so by this point, he had officially turned into the "sunscreen nazi" and there would be no hope of me coming back with any sort of brown tint on my skin. :)

Once we got back from the North Shore, we went and had dinner at Roy's. Seriously, I think it was the best meal I've ever eaten.

Sorry, I know these pictures are a little blurry....

...but everything became very clear when we got the check. ha! Just kidding! It was an amazing meal with amazing conversation with my man. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

On Monday, the residents and attending physician let Del go at 9am, so we were able to spend that entire day together as well! It was such a treat because we don't even get to spend two full days together in LR! We ate lunch at Duke's and then walked around and swam the rest of the day. The whole trip was wonderful and relaxing.

Then on Tuesday Morning, Del and I said our good-byes because he had to go to work....so I packed my bags and headed to the airport early that afternoon, just to make sure I had a seat on the long flight home. And sure enough...I had a seat! Whew! And actually, when I got on the plane it was a completely full flight except for 2-3 seats....and ONE OF THEM WAS NEXT TO ME!! So I was able to lay down and sleep the entire overnight flight home. That alone was a true blessing from the Lord. I couldn't have been anymore appreciative.

So, I'm 24 weeks now...and counting down the days until my hubby gets home. 11 days at this point....so we are in the home stretch!!

This week we memorized Psalm 97:10, and prayed that "Davis would have a hatred for sin":
"O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints, He delivers them from the hand of the wicked".

Davis is the size of an eggplant this week, and is kicking around like crazy...especially in the mornings!
I can't wait to see this little guy in person, and to observe the little personality the Lord has already given him. We love him so much already!

I hope your week is off to a great start!!