1.  Hawaiian Time is a real thing.

2.  Our favorite breakfast place opened at 6:30am. When we approached one day and it looked closed I commented it might be running on Hawaiian Time that morning – T-man scolded me for being offensive. Explaining a culturally relaxed approach to the clock turned out to be more difficult than I expected.

3.  One of the kids commented that the sun set earlier there. Imagine their surprise when I explained that Hawaii doesn’t observe Daylight Savings Time. Optional DST? What??

4.  They advise you to get to the Kona airport three hours before your flight. That seemed a bit extreme considering it only has five gates. But it turns out you need three hours for this teeny tiny airport because a) there’s only one x-ray machine for checked luggage, b) there’s only one guy checking ID/boarding passes for everyone flying off the island, c) there’s only one security line for carryon bags/people scans, d) there’s a second carryon screening for fruits/vegetables (complete with sign that reads “yes you have to do this again”), and e) there’s a 47.5% chance your flight will change gates at least once.

5.  It took 18 hours of airport time to get back to North Carolina. Eighteen hours. Then a two hour drive to our house. It is super hard to hold onto ocean zen through 20 hours of travel. I did my best.

6.  It turns out I’m “yes, I get sore from travel” years old.

7.  Airport food has gone from holy hell, that’s expensive to holy hell, is there anything I can eat in this place?

8.  Can you believe my kids gave me crap for “forcing” them to get food at Au Bon Pain? Then didn’t even say they were wrong for said crap after they tasted their delicious pastries?? (And I’m claiming Mother Of The Year status for watching them eat those gluten-filled delights.)

9. T-man and I win the award for recovery sleep. He was out cold until 11:00am, and BrightSide pulled me out of bed at 11:30. Sure, that might sound hideously late, but in my defense it’s only 5:30 in the morning Hawaii time. Give a girl a break.

10.  Now we’ve got two sweet doggies back home again, sleeping like the dead. I don’t know exactly what goes on at the kennel – lots of playtime shenanigans, I’d imagine – but there’s nothing like Gracie and Phoebe snuggles after a week out of town. Bless.