Trip(s) of a Lifetime
by Delaney Hanna
We all have one or two trips in our lifetime that’ll be unforgettable. Those are the memories you’ll always keep within your mind and heart for the rest of your life. You’re only going to live that exact moment once. Cherish it forever.
It was the year 1999, the same year as my husband and I’s 40th wedding anniversary. We wanted it to be really special, so we took a trip to Hawaii. It took two years for us to have the money to go, but it was so worth it. It was a ten, almost eleven hour flight to the main island of Hawaii. Although it wasn’t exactly like the pictures we’d seen in books, it was still a beautiful sight. From the green palm trees swaying in the salty breeze, to the bright sun rays bouncing off the sky blue ocean water. It was magical.
Our first stop was the Arizona War Memorial. There was a film for everyone to watch that had actual footage from the war at Pearl Harbor. It was very well narrated. We had to take a boat out to the white, rectangular building. It looked like it was floating on the water. Underneath it was a magnificent sight. The dark outline of the sunken war ship was visible all around. I was standing right on top of where history had been made. Thinking about all the marines who went down with the ship filled me with a sense of sadness and a bit of awe.
We were able to tour four islands in total. There was the main one, Hawaii. The other three were Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. One of the best parts of our trip was taking a helicopter ride around Kilauea, one of the five volcanoes that Hawaii has to offer. We got flown up to the tippy top. Although the volcano itself was fairly quiet, there was wave after wave of steam coming off of the red, hot, bubbling lava inside. All of a sudden, we nosedived down. The helicopter was following the trail of lava to the ocean. Everyone else had their breath taken away, but I was still snapping away on my camera.
This was one of those unforgettable moments in life that I’ll always carry with me. Even if that one person is gone, the memories will always stay as if it all happened yesterday. It’s important to cherish these moments spent with the people you love, because it really is a once in a lifetime thing.