Of course things could not go without a slight hiccup....it would not be a Regina saga if it did not have a few bumps. But I am in Hawaii on Waikiki Beach and once I have my first cocktail I will be in a good place.
It all started this morning when the alarm went off at 3am. I really wanted to snooze it, but did not want to take the chance I would be late for my GoShuttle pick up. Instead I got up, got ready and even had time to chant. I had a realization while doing so that if I had had the guy who I got out of the car with yesterday call my phone, I probably could have gone as planned....mine was on loud ring so I am sure the others in the car would have heard it. See..if only...Anyway, I was the second to the last of 8 passengers and other than the fact that the driver grimaced and moaned as he lifted my bag, all was great. I had gotten to the airport, checked in, and made it to the gate without an issue.
I feel compelled to mention that as I was getting dropped off at the departure level I heard the woman getting off at the same airlines ask if it was possible to stay on and return to the city since her daughter forgot her wallet. I did not say anything but I was very sympathetic to their plight.
So I am on the plane flying to LAX and got to see a very good movie that I had not heard much about. "The Life of Timothy Green". I cried several times and was inspired by the family dynamics...a touch up of smeared mascara and I was ready for the next leg of the trip.....
I had no idea that there was so much water with nothing between LA and Hawaii....water that looks like dinosaur skin from on high and not a whale or dolphin jumping. Lots of boring time looking out the window. Over 5 hours flying over the ocean and nowhere to land in an emergency. Good news is I had a book that kept me interested one chapter at a time. I'd read, try and sleep, look out the window, read another chapter, look out the window, read some more. The book is titled "Flourish - A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being". I do plan on doing some of the exercises while I am sitting by the pool....and while I thought I was done with self help type books, this is about understanding the concepts and practices in positive psychology. I am supportive of the authors focus on teaching well-being principles and tools in schools. While reading I am thinking of the things my kids and other young parents can do to raise the next generation of positive people.
So after 5 plus hours I get my first glimpse of Hawaii. The first view was a volcano peaking out of the clouds. Next was an island that did not appear to have much life on it from my viewing point and finally I see the island of Oahu. Mountains, tall buildings, cargo ships, and some weird white things that were there and then not there on the water. At first I thought they were seagulls but then I think they looked like they were jellyfish or stingrays....I may ask around.
So now the flair.....I get my suitcase, get on the shuttle after giving the guy my name and was told that I would be the first one dropped off. Not sure what happened, but I ended up being the last one and...go figure.....I was dropped of at the wrong hotel. I did the double check to make sure I had my wallet, my sunglasses, my phone, my plane pillow, etc. but did not look at my reservation. I was dropped off at the wrong Hilton. When I gave the desk clerk my name and she could not find it,I was worried that Expedia cancelled the entire reservation vs the one night. That would be the way this trip has been going, but when I pulled out my reservation it showed it was the wrong hotel. The 'girl' (relative to me) was very sweet and called the bellhop to get a cab. He is so helpful, takes my arm as I limp down the ramp and leads me to a white stretch limo. At first I resist thinking I don't need such a large car for just me...and then when he assures me the cost is about the same I go for it and arrive at the correct Hilton in style.
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