Six is for…

Six Pack Plus! A half a dozen! And so we were, the six of us, Kenny, Kilo (aka Stu D), Sue (aka Sue D), Joey, Debra Jean, and Robin (sometimes called Robina).   Here in Vegas for the annual lu’au of the Hawaiian Club at UNLV where our nephew Jake is performing a variety of dances from Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, and Tahiti.  As is typical with friends who are too familiar with each other, there is a lot going on  in the wings, and a lot of assumptions made. Jake’s performance was the reason all of us decided to make the journey.  As we started with 4,  it grew to 5 when Debra Jean, who is working at Grand Canyon, said she would happily drive down to meet us.   At the last minute, Robin, after a brief waving walk-by at the boardwalk of the Halekulani in Honolulu with Sue, decided she would take an early-bird low fare, last minute dash from Oakland to Vegas and join the rest of us to make the Six.

Six went to the lu’au,    It was great.  Just like you had gone to a halau fundraiser.  It seemed like we were at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village back home.  Everyone, well nearly everyone, was from Hawaii or had family in Hawaii. Vegas is truly the “9th island”.

5 of us went to see Elton John the eve before Jake’s event. One of the original six, had a work glitch and was going to be delayed and was now arriving on Saturday morning.  We added a shoe-in 6th, Levon for Elton John. who gratefully became chauffer, valet, and tour guide.

Post lu’au activity followed the day after with a pool party, potluck hosted by Robin at the Vegas vacation rental we booked at.  Our hostess, whose organization skills propelled the afternoon event over the top with a great selection of food and a hip mix of young and old would explain why Robin hosts all of our pot luck events. The afternoon went smoothly and as the day came to an end, Robin dashed off to the airport in the company of Sue and Debra Jean as she had to be at work on Monday morning.

Down to 5.

As the weekend comes to an end, on Monday morning it is Debra Jean, who works this day and has a 5-hour drive to get to work on time.  Sleep deprived and emotionally saturated with love and joy, we bid her aloha as she leaves shortly after breakfast.

Down to 4.

We have only a few hours left of this whirlwind weekend yet we managed to dash to the California where Sue’s parents and her brother are staying for some last minute Black Jack and Poker, another meal, and hugs and kisses all around.

We whisk ourselves to return the car at the Rental Car Center and it is here that we are shuffled and sorted out by the Terminal our airline carrier is in.  Joey pulls the odd shuttle and we bid him aloha “the Kalaekilohana way”

Then there were 3

Off the shuttle and in the terminal, we headed through security with Sue and spent a few moments at our Alaska Airlines gate before she made the break for her own Hawaiian flight.

Alas, we two

The party was over, we were happy, and the memories secure. Welcome aboard and adios to Las Vegas. Warp speed Captain.