It was truly incredible.

Tonight was another one of those nights that all I can say is...I wish you could have been there. It was incredible.

The sunset was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Definitely one of the top ten sunsets of my life...thus far of course.

I was working, and I had been so absorbed in the routine of busing tables, serving food...that I only realized as I walked out of the kitchen around sunset that the entire dining room was gone. I glanced outside and was blown away. The sky was lit up in neon pink, orange and purple explosions of cloud and streaks of bright colors. It sprawled like glowing fingers across the sky and sparkled the ocean with hot pink and magenta tones. I, of course, ran outside with all my Japanese tourists and stood grinning from ear to ear, camera phone ready of course. It continued to change color, we were all awe struck. Even the kitchen staff had their phones out, taking pictures. I took some and I'd upload it, but I don't know how to send from my phone to the computer...tech savvy huh? But seriously it was so wonderful.

As the ship turned around all of Waikiki was lit up in a glittering glow of high rises and hotels, it looked like thousands of stars fell from the sky and landed on the sand. The glass on the hotels was reflecting the hot pink of the sky and the mountains behind the city were silhouetted against the fading light. It's moments like these when I'm glad I work on a ship.

I really wish you could have been here with me today. All of you. To see this. To see this sunset. To see this day. To see this island. To see the people I work with, the smiles I see, the different tourists running in the sand and learning to surf. The families I meet who have saved up for years to come to Hawaii, the locals who open their hearts and homes to me. The military families that I see come through the ship as final farewell before some of their loved ones head to Iraq. The families I see that celebrate a safe return home. I'd love you to see the crazy kitchen guys I work with, all with their grinning gold teeth and their funny ways of dancing. I wish you could see the excitement when you pop open a glass of champage for a honeymoon couple from Japan. I wish I could show you the rolling lava rocks of Spitting Caves. I want you to see the steep steps up Koko Head. I wish you could see the whales jumping next to the ship, the dolphins chasing our wake. I wish I could show you the turtles that roll in the surf up to your boards and look at your like you're in their way. I wish I could show you all the waterfalls and the over-hiked trails to get to them, the blowholes that only spout SUPER high when the waves are picking up. I wish you could see the waves, the small ones, the big ones, the inbetweens ones. I wish you could see the never ending expanse of ocean in front of me. I want to show you the city, the crowds, the towers of downtown, strips of shopping malls in Waikiki. I want you to see the green mountains, the brown mountains, the lush rainforests, the not-so-lush rainforests. If you close your eyes can you see the white sand beaches?

I wish you could have been there. It was truly incredible.



A hui hou.

Bree :)