Okonomiyaki and Dolly, Too!

It's been a rather crazy day!

We needed to get to Tripler Army Hospital for Art's blood pressure check up. And here's the crazy part. I decided I could give the hand rails another coat of paint. I barely got finished and it was time to leave so I grabbed my back pack and flew out the door where Art and my mom were waiting in the car. It wasn't until we were on our way that I discovered I'd forgotten my cellphone. Never try to call me on my cell because I always forget it on the charger!

After the hospital appointment we were supposed to meet my nephew, Barry's wife, Miho at their apartment in Honolulu after which we would head out to Ala Moana Shopping Center to pick up some special okonomiyaki to have lunch with my mom's sister. This was a special okonomiyaki lunch being served at Shirokiya (Japanese store) during a Hiroshima Festival. We'd had this egg crepe filled with sliced cabbage, pork, etc. in Hiroshima and was looking forward to trying it again.

When we got to Miho's apartment, she wasn't there. We realized there might have been some miscommunication but there was nothing we could do because I didn't have my cellphone. We decided to head out to Ala Moana, pick up the okonomiyaki and find a pay phone (Do they have them still?) to try calling Miho.

We parked the car at Ala Moana Shopping Center which is one of the largest open-air malls in the U.S. There are more than 240 stores, 70 restaurants and 4 levels! We parked our car and walked into the mall, down an escalator and there stood Miho! You could have knocked us over with a feather. She wasn't anywhere near where we were planning to go, but was just standing there thinking she'd stop at a coffee shop to wait for us. She'd wanted to save us a trip to her place by walking (the long distance) to the shopping center herself. She thought she could wait for our call and then tell us where she was. I still can't believe we actually bumped into her at that time, on that level. Did I tell you this is a HUGE, VERY HUGE shopping center? Craaazy!

We bought our special lunch and went to my aunt's house. By luck, my cousin, Arnold had just returned from one of his flights. He's a Captain with Hawaiian Airlines (rated #1 recently). Here's a photo of Arnold with...guess who? It was taken in 1990 or so. He says the cabin crew were all making a fuss over her and he went back to welcome her and say he was one of her fans. She insisted he sit on her lap for a photo and would not take, (I'll bet it was a weak) "no," for an answer. He says Dolly really is as nice as everyone says. Well, Arnold's a sweetie, too! Isn't this just the coolest thing?