Over the holidays I visited Hawaii with my family. Was my first trip back to the island and 4 years and our first family trip by plane in about 2 years. It was nice to get away from our current environment and go somewhere far but yet familiar. The first few days of our trip were uncharacteristically rainy. Talking with my in-laws who have lived on the island for more than 15 years they were quite surprised by the weather as well. But the good thing was that it forced us to be creative with our time. Rather than going to the beach — which was one of our primary goals — we spent time playing card games, eating and drinking, talking, and enjoying each other’s company. I’m grateful to my in-laws for their hospitality and warmth and their kindness (and patience) in watching our kids. They have unique names as our kids call them. Aki, my father in-law, likes to be called by his first name by his grandkids. Cha-chan, my mother-in-law, goes by a common grandmother name in her language. Perhaps its similar with Nana in English. They were wonderful with our kids from day one to the end and not surprisingly, our kids did not want to leave to go back home. Mahalo Aki and Cha-chan! See you again soon.