I have been here twice, in 2001 and 2002. Hawaii is vitally important to me for various reasons, especially since I met my husband here. My husband was stationed at Hickam AFB, and I ran into him in a local beach bar. We happened to have grown up about an hour apart in Ohio and, from there, my love affair with both my husband and Hawaii has flourished. Hawaii remains one of my favorite places on earth, a lush paradise of sun, fragrant flowers and promoter of a more subdued pace in life. Hawaii retains so much of its own culture and personality (I would assume because of its geographic isolation from the contiguous 48) that it still seems like another country. The authentic local dishes are exotic (well, compared to Americana burger and fries, I guess), and Don Ho’s music is piped through the speakers at every mall, bar, restaurant, and grocery store. Plumeria trees line the streets and permeate the air with a fragrance Bath and Body Works has never adequately captured. Essentially, I think of Hawaii is a little slice of heaven, my own earthly paradise.