Even if I only made it up three-quarters of the way... Like I'm supposed to be able to walk up 99 steps in rapid succession! Yeah. right.
After catching my breath and making sure everyone was aware of the schedule... Teenagers tend to forget what you've said the moment you say it... We all went surfing!!
And (un)fortunately, there are no photos of me actually surfing. Awww... I know, you were desperate to see me fall on my ass! But alas, I was unable to take pictures and surf at the same time. But I did exhaust myself after about forty-five minutes. I'm proud that I lasted even that long! It's a full body workout maximum! My arms hurt from paddling, my stomach hurt from balancing, and my ass hurt from... well... you know.
I felt like vomiting for a good ten minutes after coming back to the beach. I drank some water, sat down, caught my breath and thank GOD I started feeling better. Not sure what I would have done had I actually vomited. Ewww.
The afternoon went by quickly after that. We had pizza in Fort DeRussy Park and watched the sunset. Which was nice, except I was a bit frustrated. Apparently, people were losing their key cards faster than they were spending money on cheap shell necklaces. From that point on, I don't think the kids liked me as much as they could have. Then again... I was a chaperone. How much are they allowed to like me anyway, right?
The sunset was quickly followed by some photo op time spent on the beach. There were some really cute shots actually. Once it got dark, we waited around for the Hilton's fireworks, which were very cool. And then, the chaperones headed home, while the kids did... whatever they did. Bed checks and sleep.
Wait. Bathroom problem. Toilet overflow and no plunger on the hotel premises. Get four girls another room at 1am. Sleep.
Wake up at 6am for Pearl Harbor! Well, the exclamation point is for Pearl Harbor, not the 6am part. Breakfast and making sure all the kids are on the bus and away we went. I guess they don't take reservations, so we had to get there before 8am to beat the crowds. Ugh.
But the kids were awesome! No foul language, silence at the memorial (pretty much), demure photo ops at the memorial and the museum, even a few who were chatting to the military vets selling their tell-all books. Sigh. Thank you for little miracles!
After Pearl Harbor, the bus dropped Linda and I off at Aloha Stadium, where the weekly flea market is held. I bought a sweatshirt, two tank tops, a onesie (for Jen's baby), a long-sleeved shirt, a dress/wrap, and a necklace for $60. Not bad for two hours of shopping. And that was pretty much all the shopping I was ever going to do that week!
The afternoon was beautiful, so I spent some time in the pool and at the beach. Lovely. I think I even got in a little nap. Giggle. Dinner was... really cool because one of the student's turned 16! So, we had a cake and celebrated with him!
Of course, he and his posse wanted to stay out later, but... that wasn't gonna fly. At all. Can you see the trend of the kids liking us less and less?
But then, during bed checks, one of the girls (not in the toilet room) was feeling very sick. Sicker than when she came to Hawai'i and we had to go to the ER. I'm up until... 2:30am. Yeah. Loving the chaperone thing. She turned out to be fine and got the medication she needed. Sleep.