Thursday morning we woke up and headed down to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona Memorial. Other than the wedding this was the thing that Deke was most anxious to be able to see. 
We got there and had two hours to wait until our tour so we decided to check out the different museums. They had several different things to see including a tour of a battleship and a submarine tour which would have been really cool but Avery and Emma were to young to go. Everything was so green and the water was so beautiful. 
We walked through two different museums that took you step by step through that day. It was so quiet and reverent walking through and seeing all the different artifacts they had on display. 
Deke and the kids had a chance to use a machine that deciphered codes. Hunter especially found this very interesting.
The kids did so great through the museums and during the wait. We all helped entertain them. Emma would have let Aunt Kimbre hold her upside down all day long...she loved it.
Of course the rest of the waiting time we pretty much followed Em around who was of course chasing every bird and pigeon she could find. Arms outstretched, grinning and giggling hoping to catch one and pick it up. After a few go arounds people started making cute comments to her, "C'mon girl you almost got it that time" an older gentleman said to her. "She is so sweet, look how much she loves the birds" a couple of teenage girls commented. Much more adorable watching her than shadowing her I thought sweating, and panting from uncountable laps around the grounds. She would trail one and just about get it and then she would see another one and take off after it. She had a blast, I was ready to find air conditioning :) 
About the time I tagged Deke for reinforcements it was time to line up for our tour. They took us out on a ferry across the water to where the USS Arizona Memorial is. It was really neat to see the different ships in the harbor.
When we saw the memorial I felt such a sense of reverance and definitely emotion. It was so beautiful. Bright white sitting in the middle of the clear water. All I could think about was the people who lost their lives there and how sacred this place was. It seemed as if we shouldn't even talk or run the motor of the boat as not to disturb the quiet. 
As we walked onto the memorial we started looking over the edge down into the water. Large portions of the ship were very visible in the water and my heart felt heavy. I felt the loss for those families and the sadness of suffering in the way these soldiers had.
I couldn't believe as I looked into the water way out to a white buoy floating to mark the tip of the ship how large it really was. The kids quietly asked Deke and I questions as we did our best to give them answers. What a special time to teach our children about history,gratitude and our freedoms.
As we looked up through the top of the memorial the American flag flew bright against the sky and my heart swelled. Gratitude for my freedoms, a love of the country I live in and a renewed desire to do my part to stand up and honor this country and our freedoms. Deke was very quiet the entire time and I could tell it was emotional for him. He has always been one of the most patriotic people I know with a deep love for his country. It was no surprise to me when he was called to the Washington D.C. mission and had he not had a broken back as well as many other broken bones I know he would have jumped at the opportunity to serve in the military. The sight of all the names of the men who lost their lives was overwhelming. The words on the plaque touching. The carvings on the sides of the list representing the Tree of Life we later found out.
We headed back on the ferry with a whole new understanding and appreciation for what had happened there that day.
We headed home and rested for awhile and then headed to the Laie Temple for Brenn's endowments. It was such a special night for Deke and I but especially for me to share with Brenn. This time I reflected on my sister. I reflected on her life as a little girl and all the things I remembered about us growing up together. I thought about my love for her then and enjoyed the knowledge of the love I have for her now. I am so happy for her, she is such a special person. Just naturally a good person without even trying, she is just good. I've always said, there isn't anyone that can't like Brenn. It is true she is so easy to love. Being in the temple with her getting to hug her and watch her accept these eternal blessing was wonderful. I love her so much. I could hardly wait for Saturday to come.
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