How It Continued...

In this post I'd also like to share some of the things I love most about Oahu, Hawaii besides Pearl Harbor. Something about me is I don't eat pork, just not too fond of the taste. But when I'm in Hawaii, I'll eat plates and plates of bacon from Eggs 'N Things.

If you're ever in HawaiI I urge you to stop by for some breakfast. Try the amazing bacon, crepes, thickest pancakes you'll ever see, freshest fruit, and the absolute BEST passionfruit juice ever.

Waikiki beach is famous, and right on it is Duke's. Duke's Waikiki is my favorite restaurant on the island. Between the wonderful food and amazing view, you can't go wrong. Now you have to visit the Dole Pineapple Plantation on your trip as well.

The pineapple ice cream is unbeatable and they have food as well that is delicious. There is even a maze in the shape of a pineapple! Not to mention the gift shop. I recommend getting the pineapple lotion and the pineapple chocolate! For those of you who love hiking there are many beautiful hiking trails on the island. The most popular is Diamond Head Crater. I have done it multiple times and it is a must.

In late December of 2017 and January of 2018, my family and I went on another trip to Oahu, Hawaii. After originally visiting in 2016, I fell in love with the island, the culture, and of course learning about Pearl Harbor. I spent hours in my free time watching videos, reading books and articles, and memorizing facts about Pearl Harbor. I was so excited when my parents planned this second trip to Oahu and demanded we go back to Pearl Harbor. This time just my Dad and I went. Except this time we did the Mighty Mo tour and the USS Bowfin. (Click to find out more about each one!)

Next is one of my favorite stories to tell. My Dad told me I could go into the Pearl Harbor gift shop and pick three things. One was a book about the USS Arizona, another was a picture of a survivor's battle station on the USS Arizona, and the last was a picture of a random USS Arizona survivor. In all my research I had never seen this man before, and the picture didn't have his name on it. The first picture was Lauren Bruner's battle station with his signature. Lauren's best friend, Gunnersmate 3rd Class, William E Mann perished on the USS Arizona the day of December 7th, 1941. And his niece, Teri Mann spoke at the USS Arizona Dedication Ceremony I held last March at Azle High School. As for the photo of the random survivor, well he ended up being THE Donald G Stratton. For those of you who do not yet know, Donald Stratton was the first survivor I met. He was and still is my hero. All these men and women are. The more I share on here, the more you all will see how everything is connected. In a gift shop full of things that caught my eye, how crazy is it that I pick out a picture with no name and that man ends up being the first and few Pearl Harbor survivors I meet? You can call that a lot of things, but I call it fate. I was meant to meet Donald, his son, his granddaughter, and all the other amazing people I've met throughout this lifelong journey. And it's crazy to think it all happened because a little 11 year old girl had a passion for learning about something no other kids, let alone girls her age do. I am still only scratching the surface of what has been the last 7 years. And I will continue in 2 week when my next post comes out. This next one will be a long one as it is the story of how I first met Donald Stratton.

Thank you for reading my story. Guten Abend (Goodnight)!