Farewell Dad

The last two days have been spent saying our goodbyes to Dad with his funeral mass for family and friends yesterday and a private interment at the cemetery today. We have been well supported by everyone as we go through this difficult time of mourning. My brother James and I took turns delivering the following remembrance of Dad at the funeral mass:

Nicole
Our Dad was born and raised in the Sunset in San Francisco as the only child to Ralph and Cathryne Ellis. His entrepreneurial spirit kicked in during his high school years as he bought old cars, fixed them up and then sold them. This entrepreneurism continued during his life as he built an apartment building on the lot of his parents’ house after they passed, and started his own business out of our garage, Motion Enterprises, which sold welding products.

Dad and Mom were married in the early 1970s and moved from the City to live in Marin. Dad married into a large extended family, and I wonder what it was like for him to all of a sudden have all these new brothers and sisters-in-law (and later nieces and nephews) and the many cousins on both sides of my Mom’s family who referred to him as “The Big E.”

I was born in the mid-1970s and James came along four years later. Since Dad worked in San Rafael, he was the one who would pick us up from school or day care in his old orange Chevy pic-up truck, which we could hear coming up the street. Dad also cooked the family dinner most nights as we were growing up, since Mom worked in the City. Dad loved to cook and was always searching for new recipes to try out, with the ones that worked well marked “keep” and making repeat appearances on our plates. He loved a kitchen gadget, from barbecues to various kitchen utensils and tools that would make food preparation and cooking easier. The internet made finding these gadgets and devices quite easy, and as a result finding places to store them all in the house became a long-standing challenge.

James
Dad’s love of cars meant there was usually a project going on in the garage or on top of the driveway. I was fortunate enough to be able to work alongside my father in tricking out my vehicles. When I was a teenager we worked together on an El Camino and a Chevy S10 pick-up truck. Dad’s latest project was his 1934 Ford roadster, which he built from scratch. Unfortunately, due to his declining health he was unable to completely finish it, but don’t worry, I swore to him that I will get it done.

One thing I am going to miss is cruising with Dad to the Goodguys car shows in Pleasanton. It was so fun looking at all the cars and trucks with him. After the shows he would take me to In-N-Out Burger for a special treat, as that was his favorite burger place.

Dad and Mom both loved to watch sports on tv and we would often spend our Sundays watching the 49ers play football. They were also big fans of the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors. Dad was a huge supporter of my youth sports career as he attended my soccer games and helped coach my CYO basketball team. He was also in the stands each week to cheer me on in high school when I played football and basketball.

Nicole
Dad did like a drink or two. His favorite was red wine out of a box or the “red paint” as it would be referred to at family parties. When Dad was in hospital James messaged me to say that Dad wanted a bourbon and 7UP – I told him to give Dad the drink (although I don’t think the hospital staff would have let that occur). When we brought Dad’s urn back to the house last week we thought it was only fitting that it be placed on the bar.

We have learned many things from our Dad. He loved watching car races – from Formula 1 to Indy cars to drag racing. He taught us life skills such as how to swim, drive and take care of our cars, do home renovations, cook, and manage our money responsibly. Dad always encouraged us to pursue what we loved and were interested in, as his only concern was our happiness. He supported us every step of the way through our education and careers, and always said we could return home if we needed to. He got so much joy from his daughter-in-law Simi and grandchildren, Logan and Kylie, and the time he was able to spend with them.

Dad’s health had been in decline over the past decade, and I know that it frustrated him that he couldn’t do all the things he was used to doing. Mom did an amazing job looking after him and taking him to numerous doctors’ appointments, which I would get to hear about when I called from Australia to talk to them on the phone. Over the past couple of years Dad’s health had been pretty stable, so it was a surprise to us that he suddenly deteriorated so quickly. Dad appreciated the full life he had led and was ready to go. We are grateful that we were able to say our goodbyes and be with him at his bedside as he passed on. Dad, we love you and will miss you so much, but are happy that you are now at peace.

RIP Dad

My Dad's health has not been the best over the past decade after he had his first heart attack and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. There was a point a few years ago where he was entering hospital every couple months with fluid build up. But the doctors managed to get his medications working to a point where his body stabilised and he was doing much better than in the past - so much so that I figured I wouldn't travel to the States this year for Christmas.

Unfortunately two weeks ago Dad took a sudden turn for the worse. His AFib starting acting up again and Mom took him to hospital. They attempted to stabilise him but after a few days his blood pressure dropped and he ended up in ICU, where they did a cardioversion to try and restore normal heart rhythm. His heart was weak though and the rest of his organs were starting to fail. I can tell you that this is not the news you want to receive when you live half way around the world. It was a wait and see game for a couple of days of whether I should fly home as they tried kidney dialysis to see if that would help. However, after a few days of doing that Dad had had enough and decided to stop treatment.

On Wednesday I booked a flight to San Francisco and was on a plane six hours later. Dad had been moved into step-down care and was still alert but tired by the time I arrived. He felt he had had a good life and made the call that he was ready to pass on. We were all able to say our goodbyes and be with him as he was unhooked from the machines and moved into comfort care to ensure he wasn't in any pain. It took longer than he or us probably expected, but he finally took his last breath this morning with me, my Mom and brother at his side. I am grateful I was able to make it back home in time to say goodbye and spend these last couple days with him. I know he is in a better place now and I will miss him greatly.

Christmas 2018

Happy holidays from the USA! I arrived home on 16 December and have been busy finishing up Christmas shopping, catching up with family and friends, and baking up a storm for tonight’s annual Christmas dinner. This year it was a full house with my aunt and cousins, and my brother and his family (including in-laws).

We started with hors d’oeuvres of cheese and crackers, grapes, olives and Camembert cheese and cranberry sauce filo bites. My cousin Leilani and I also enjoyed a few cups of mulled cider, as is tradition.

Due to the number of people, dinner seating was split between the dining room and kitchen table. Leilani and I were on kid wrangling duties with Lei’s daughter and my niece and nephew. For dinner we had a buffet set up in the kitchen with pear and walnut salad, bread rolls, roast turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, scalloped potatoes, and tamales. It was all very yummy.

After opening presents (and there were a lot of them around the tree) we had dessert. I made mini gingerbread houses, sugar cookies, snowball cookies and apple pie. We also had Belgian mini cream puffs and my sister-in-law made peanut cookies with Hershey’s kisses. Everyone was very full and a lot of dessert was taken home for eating in the coming days. It’s always nice to be able to spend the holidays with family, especially with the younger ones.

Merry Christmas

It's been two years since I was last home for Christmas. Since my brother was working on Christmas Day he and the kids came over to my parents' house a couple days early on Saturday for lunch and to open presents. Logan, Kylie and I also baked some Christmas sugar cookies together. It was really nice to get to spend some quality time together.

Today we had our annual Christmas dinner with my Aunt Chris and cousins Lei, Mei and Fiorella. It was our usual menu, which allowed me to get some of the Thanksgiving meal I always miss out on. We began with different cheeses for hors d'oeuvres also had my favorite mulled apple cider. For dinner we ate my Mom's famous jello salad and then had turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes and green beans for the main meal.

After digesting and opening presents we had dessert, which is always my job to prepare (I did all my baking yesterday). We had a selection of pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, snowball cookies, and mini gingerbread houses, which came out really cute considering it was the first time I made them. We were very full by the end of the night, but everyone had a good time. I'm very happy I was able to spend the holidays with family this year.

Maui

For the past few days I have been enjoying the start of my four week vacation with a little stopover in Maui on my way to San Francisco. I arrived on Sunday, 3 December via three flights with brief stops in Sydney and Honolulu. The weather here has been slightly cooler than the heatwave I experienced in Melbourne over the past two weeks, but it has been warm and pleasant. I have been staying at the Aston Ka'anapali Shores in a junior suite with a kitchen (thanks to a free upgrade). The place is very close to where I stayed when I was last here in 2011. They have two great pool areas, hot tubs and assorted activities on the grounds each day, although there isn't really any beach access. However, I still had lovely views of a couple good sunsets along the water when the clouds weren't too thick.

The main reason for the stopover in Maui was to meet up with my brother James, sister-in-law Simi and her family, my nephew Logan and niece Kylie. It has been good to spend time with them and celebrate a couple family milestones. One was James and Simi renewing their wedding vows on Kapalua Beach to celebrate their ten year wedding anniversary this year. After the short ceremony we celebrated with champagne and appetizers at the outside seating area of Merriman's Maui.

We also celebrated Logan's birthday by going to the Maui Ocean Center, which has a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits. We happened to be there on the day that they do vet check-ups for the green sea turtles, so it was very exciting for Logan to watch as the staff cleaned, measured and weighed them. The place is a perfect spot for kids to explore, and was also a good activity for what turned out to be a very windy day.

Overall these past few days have been fairly chill, with a lot of time spent in the pool swimming with Logan and Kylie. Yesterday I had most of the day to myself as my brother went golfing, so I walked down to the public part of Ka'anapali Beach to sit and watch the waves and get a bit of sun. I had lunch at Duke's Beach House, where my awesome waitress comped me a Hula Pie, which is made of a chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted macadamia nuts and whipped cream. It was delicious (and filling).

This morning I bid farewell to everyone as they were on an earlier flight to Sacramento, and grabbed breakfast at the Beach Club before heading off to the airport for my flight to San Francisco. It's colder in the Bay Area, but not as bad as I was expecting for a nighttime arrival (and no fog!).

Mercedes and Damon's Wedding

One of the main reasons for my trip to the States was for my cousin Mercedes' wedding to Damon. We drove down to Cayucos on the California central coast yesterday and caught up with family members ahead of today's big day. The wedding took place at the Swallow Creek Ranch in Cayucos, with the ceremony up on a hill overlooking the coast. Thankfully we had a shuttle to get us to the site - otherwise I would have been trekking uphill on a dirt road in heels!

My niece and nephew were the flower girl and ring bearer, so it was great to see them head down the aisle ahead of Mercedes and my uncle Tom. The ceremony itself was lovely, with some personalised vows thrown in by the bride and groom. After the ceremony wind swept pictures were taken up on the hill before everyone headed down to the barn for the reception. We had a cocktail hour outside where you could choose between the bride and groom's signature drinks before heading inside to grab our table assignments from a card catalogue.

The barn was a beautiful rustic setting, with a buffet for dinner and dessert table filled with cookies and mini cupcakes. Speeches were made by both families as well as the maid of honor and best man before we all hit the dance floor. My nephew broke out some spectacular dance moves which I'm sure will make the video. We got our obligatory cousins photo (which has expanded with the new babies in the family) and I hit the photo booth with my brother and nephew before heading off the ranch for our hotel. It was another fun family wedding and great to be able to catch up with everyone in one place.

Expat Observations: The Tyranny Of Distance

Geoffrey Blainey's book The Tyranny Of Distance explored how Australia's distance and isolation has shaped its national identity. This island continent is a long way away from most other countries in the world. There is no quick trip home for me as a direct flight from Australia to the West Coast is 14 hours (plus a few more hours because there are no direct flights from Melbourne to San Francisco).

Today is Thanksgiving and it's on these holidays that I feel this tyranny of distance the most. Over these past 10 years abroad I have missed holidays, family and friends' birthdays, special events and family crises that I should have been there for. I have made it home for the past three Christmases, but will be staying in Australia this year. This is the life of the expat and the trade offs you have to make when you decide to live in another country.

Early Birthday Celebrations

As I will be back in Australia when my milestone 40th birthday occurs in February my parents decided to throw me an early birthday celebration with family and friends from the Bay Area. Mom made three poster boards filled with pictures from throughout my life and hung those on the wall in the dining area. It was great to see some of my aunts and uncles, cousins and godparents who I don't get to see regularly. We also got a bit of kid wrangling in between my niece and nephew and Lynne and Jeremy's two little ones.

Lunch was very nice between the hors d'oeuvres and the main meal of chicken tetrazzini and a mixed green salad. The chocolate cake from Victoria Bakery was rich and delicious, and accompanied by a glass of Mumm Napa sparkling wine. The funniest gift I received was from my aunt who managed to save my high school graduation senior cruise t-shirt that was given as a hand me down to my cousins in order to give it back to me all these years later. It was a lovely afternoon and best of all I've still got a month and a half until I actually turn 40!

Christmas Dinner 2014

One of the great things about being home for the holidays is that I get to attend the annual Christmas dinner that my parents hold each year. It sort of makes up for missing Thanksgiving. Since my brother was working today it was just us and my aunt and cousins this year. Leilani arrived early as she skipped going to my uncle's house and benefited from listening to her traffic app which told her not to go through San Francisco. Chris and Mei were not as fortunate and it took them over 3 1/2 hours to get through the City to our house due to total traffic gridlock. What a nightmare! By the time they arrived we had already indulged in the hors d'oeuvres, including baked brie, bacon wrapped pineapple bites, shrimp cocktail, and my favorite holiday beverage mulled cider.

After breaking open some sparkling wine for the weary travellers, we grabbed our plates for dinner. Mom had things set up buffet style this year and the menu was as follows:
- Jello salad
- Biscuits
- Roast turkey
- Sausage and herb stuffing
- Spinach gratin
- Goat cheese mashed potatoes
It was all very yummy even though the stuffing got a bit dry due to the longer than expected cooking time (gravy fixed the moisture issue). After eating and chatting in the dining room we went into the living room to open presents before hitting up the desserts. I spent all of Christmas Eve baking apple pie, a pistachio and rosewater cake, sugar cookies and snowball cookies. Thankfully they all turned out pretty good! Everyone was well and truly full of holiday cheer (and food) by the end of the night.

Holiday Hustle

It's good to be back in the Bay Area.  My flight over on Sunday was the usual long haul journey, although this time I had to deal with an older gentleman in front of me who made the worst loud hacking noises throughout the flight. I think I would have preferred a crying baby instead (and some ear plugs).  I killed time by watching Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel (every shot in that film is a winner) and season 4 of Portlandia.  Sleep was not really an option with Mr. Hacky.

I seem to have brought nice weather with me as the last couple days have been quite pleasant.  I had most of my Christmas shopping done before I arrived, but picked up the last few gifts on Monday.  Today I got to catch up with my oldest and dearest friend Lynne as we braved various shopping centers around Marin as she finished up her shopping.  We also took advantage of sales and I got myself a pair of pants at Banana Republic for $20 (originally $89)!  In addition, I have been eating a lot of sourdough bread and my Dad made a really yummy dungeness crab cioppino.  With all the food I will be eating in the coming days I think I better start doing some exercise.

Happy Holidays

Last night my parents hosted their annual Christmas dinner at the house.  My aunt and cousin Leilani came, as well as my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.  This is the first time James has made it to a Christmas dinner in years since he's usually working, so it was extra special.  We had a bit of an antipasto platter for hors d'oeuvres as well as my favorite drink- mulled cider.  It was good to catch up with Chris and Lei and celebrate my aunt's retirement.  When the kids arrived we had the fun task of wrangling Kylie away from the Christmas tree as she was going after the ornaments (my Mom was smart to put the soft ones at the bottom of the tree).  Logan was very silly and running around but settled once we all headed into the dining room for dinner.

This year my Mom made a Christmas version of her Jell-O salad with a layer of lime Jell-O and pineapple on the bottom, sour cream, then a top layer of raspberry Jell-O with raspberries.  For the main course we had biscuits, roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and a cranberry and apricot chutney.  It was all very delicious.  Lei brought us a red and white wine for dinner as well.  The kids were very well behaved as we ate our meal.  After finishing we headed back into the living room to open presents (I was impressed by Logan's patience in waiting so long) and then it was time for dessert.  I made pumpkin pie and snowball cookies and Mom made these lemon and cranberry pie bars.  We were well beyond full by this point but that's always part of the family gathering- good conversation and lots of food!  I'm glad I was able to be home this year to celebrate with everyone.

Christmas Dinner

It has been two years since I was last home for Christmas so I was really looking forward to the annual Christmas dinner at my parents' house.  Before dinner though there was a lot of cooking and cleaning to be done.  I baked up a storm on Christmas Eve, making sugar cookies, snowball cookies and pumpkin pie while Mom made tiramisu.  When my aunt Chrissie and cousins Leilani and Meinani arrived we had the cookies along with cheese, dip and crackers for hors d'oeuvres as well as my favorite holiday drink- mulled cider.  As is the case most years, my brother had to work so he was unable to join us.  Simi, her parents, Logan and Kylie were running late, so by the time they arrived and settled we were ready to sit down for dinner.

As requested Mom and Dad made some of my favorites for dinner.  We started off with vegetable soup, and then had turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, green beans and biscuits for dinner.  Lei brought one of the sparkling wines from our little wine country adventure- the Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi, which everyone enjoyed.  Logan was pretty well behaved throughout dinner, but the lure of presents under the tree became too hard to resist, so as we finished we headed out to the living room to open presents.  All my gifts were Aussie themed this year as I bought nearly everything before I left Melbourne.  We were also treated to a photo slide show of Chrissie and Lei's trip a few months ago to Sicily and Italy during dessert.  It was a lovely evening, and the kids were very well behaved. 

Today Mom, Dad and I headed up to James and Simi's for lunch.  It was good to finally see their new place, which they moved into a couple months ago.  We also got to give James his presents and finished up opening the rest of ours.  It was a bit sad to say goodbye to everyone as I have had such fun spending time with my niece and nephew on this trip.  Tomorrow afternoon I head back to the airport for the long flight to Australia.

Angela and Kevin's Wedding

Yesterday was my cousin Angela's wedding, which she thoughtfully scheduled during the time I had already planned to be in the Bay Area.  The ceremony took place at Saint Ignatius Church in San Francisco, which was decorated for Christmas and looked amazing.  Since this was a black tie event everyone was dressed very glamorously as they arrived at the church.  Thankfully the rain held off so we didn't get drenched.  It was a rather large wedding party that preceded the bride down the aisle, including Angela's sister Jennifer who was the matron of honor (and got married a little over a year ago).  Angela looked beautiful in her dress and they did a full mass for the wedding ceremony.  After mass they took group family photos on the alter before we all headed off for the reception.

The reception was at the San Francisco Design Center which they decorated in a winter wonderland theme.  We had the cocktail hour up on the second level before coming down to our tables for dinner.  All the cousins were sitting together near the back of one side of the room, while our parents were on another table closer to the dance floor.  When we discovered that there was a photo booth we went to do a few shots in there before dinner service started.  Once again we had a multi-course Italian feast that was both good and filling.  During speeches my uncle Tony pointed out the generational family connections between the bride and groom, which was interesting to hear.  After the father/daughter dance we all hit the dance floor.  They had the same band that was at Jennifer's wedding, so it became a real party atmosphere.  While the female cousins let the bridal bouquet fall to the floor around us, our cousin Alan somehow ended up with the garter during the toss.  The cake cutting went smoothly and each layer was a different flavor (I sampled the vanilla and chocolate pieces).  After some more dancing and another dash to the photo booth we decided to call it a day and head for home.  It was nice to see all my extended family again and I wish Angela and Kevin all the best in this next phase of their life together.

Back In The Homeland

Yesterday was my epic long day of travel across the Pacific.  I killed my time on the plane trying to sleep, listening to music, and watching a few movies- The Campaign as well as the documentaries I Am Eleven and Paul Kelly: Stories Of Me.  I arrived to a crisp but sunny San Francisco Bay Area and repeated December 7th all over again by catching up with my family and trying on my online purchases.

Today we had my nephew Logan's family celebration of his 3rd birthday that was earlier in the week.  He is so much more talkative than when I was last home, but still a whirlwind of activity.  I also got to meet my niece Kylie for the first time, but spent the majority of my time playing with Logan outside as he rode around on his little bike and scooter.  We had a very yummy lunch of my Dad's clam chowder and my favorite Bordenave's sourdough bread.  After opening presents we gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday" to Logan- his third celebration this week!

Seven Year Itch?

Today is the seven year anniversary of my arrival in Australia.  It's hard to believe I have been here for this long.  Over the years I haven't really felt homesick, but during the past few months I have been having thoughts that maybe it's time to move back to the States.  This could just have been a result of boredom, the big restructure at work and the very tempting opportunity of taking a voluntary departure package (although even if I had wanted one I likely wouldn't have received it because they are so oversubscribed).

I do really like my life in Melbourne, but the pull of family will always be a deciding factor at the end of the day.  This morning was the birth of my niece Kylie, which is another big milestone I have missed.  However, I will get to meet her in December when I am visiting, so that is something to look forward to.

Logan

One of the best things about being in the States these past three weeks has been getting to spend time with my nephew Logan.  He was only a few weeks old when I last saw him so it's been fun to play with him now that he's nearly 2 years old.  Logan is a sweet, calm, good-natured boy who loves cars and trucks and running around. And he hasn't been that shy around me, which could be in part because my parents show him photos of me when he's at the house.

My brother and I took him to the park one day and he immediately grabbed my hand and led me around to the different play structures.  James, Simi and Logan have also been over for dinner a couple of times and Logan loves to run around in the backyard and explore things.  Today my parents and I got to babysit him since James and Simi both had to work.  It's going to be sad to leave and fly back to Australia today, but mostly because I won't get to play and hang out with Logan until I'm next in the US.

Heading Back North

My Southern California road trip has come to an end.  This morning we all went to have breakfast at IHOP and then Lei dropped me off at the airport in Burbank before driving back to the Bay Area (she wasn't sure she would be able to stay the whole week which is why I bought a plane ticket).  I flew Southwest Airlines to Oakland and then took the Airporter bus back to Marin.  I have had a fantastic time over this past week.  Special thanks to Lei for being my travel companion and our Uncle Tom and Aunt Dulce for letting us stay with them (and also introducing us to the very yummy Porto's Bakery in Glendale).

Downtown Los Angeles Arts District

After getting out of the Warner Brothers parking lot Lei and I headed into downtown LA to meet up with our cousin Missy and her boyfriend for dinner at Wurstkuche on E 3rd Street.  The restaurant is located in the Arts District and I was very impressed by all the murals and stencils on the walls in the neighborhood.  It reminded me a lot of Melbourne.  For dinner we had gourmet sausages, Belgian fries and beer while sitting outside to enjoy the evening. The food tasted good and I got some sauerkraut on my bratwurst so I was happy.

Jennifer and Alex's Wedding

Today was my cousin Jennifer's wedding, which was the main reason for my trip to the States.  The ceremony took place at Saint Francis Solano church in Sonoma at noon (the mantra of the day was 9/10/11 at 12:00 pm).  The weather was warm but not too unbearably hot and it was nice to see relatives outside of church before mass started.  My nephew Logan was the ring bearer and he looked very cute in his white suit.  We were curious to see if he would make it down the aisle, and he did- but he was carried by the junior bridesmaid because he got scared at the last minute.  Jennifer looked beautiful in her dress and the ceremony went smoothly.  Once Alex and Jennifer were pronounced man and wife we all exited the church and did a big photo on the front steps of the church (with the photographers stopping traffic and standing in the middle of the street).

The reception took place at Jennifer's grandparents amazing property in Sonoma.  There was a bar in the middle of the grounds and appetizers being passed around when we arrived.  They had also set up a photobooth with props, which kept all of us cousins entertained for a while.  Once family photos were completed everyone headed into the impressive tent for our multiple course Italian meal.  The wedding party came in and the newly married couple had their first dance.  In between courses we had speeches from the maid of honor and best man.  My uncle Tony also led us all in singing "That's Amore" before getting his father/daughter dance.  We then all hit the dance floor as the live band played a wide range of songs from different eras (Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" was a highlight for Missy and I).  The wedding cake was a very yummy red velvet, and we continued to dance as the sun set across the vineyards.  As the evening came to a close everyone gathered on either side of the driveway with lit sparklers in their hands as the couple walked through to their car.  It was a wonderful day and so nice to be able to spend time with my extended family.  I wish Jennifer and Alex all the best as they embark on married life together.

Pearl Harbor and the Krishnas

This morning we drove out to Pearl Harbor to visit the USS Arizona Memorial.  First we walked around grounds of the museum and visitor center, which had exhibits, outdoor displays and reflection areas about the lead up to the war and bombing at Pearl Harbor. When it was our time for the tour we went into the theater to watch a film on the history of the Pearl Harbor attack before taking the boat ride out to the memorial.  The memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, which is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by Japanese Naval Forces.  The memorial is very well done and quite peaceful.

After coming back to shore we made a quick stop at the gift shop before heading back to Honolulu.  Mom and I dropped Dad off at the hotel and then went shopping for a couple hours at the Ala Moana Center.  Surprisingly I didn't find anything to buy, although I did take advantage of the free wi-fi at the Apple Store. 

For dinner we drove out to the Hare Krishna Temple to visit my aunt.  She gave us a tour of the grounds while others were at Sunday service and then we joined everyone for the vegetarian feast dinner.  It was nice to catch up with her and she gave us each beautiful leis that had been on the deities during the service (which smelled amazing).  Here's a video of the Ratha Yatra they did in Honolulu a few weeks ago.