Graduation in Hawaii

It's that time of year here on Oahu and across the nation -- graduation time!  But in my opinion, you haven't really seen graduation until you've seen it in Hawai'i.  Leis, leis and more leis!  It is hard to recognize the graduate(s) you are trying to find to congratulate because from the side and the back they all look the same - a body in a gown with a tower of leis where their head used to be.

I'm sure all my readers would have guessed that leis and graduations go together in the islands, but for my non-Hawai'i readers, did you know that mylar balloons and inner tubes are also big at graduation time?  Are there any other places where inner tubes are routinely given to graduates or is it just here?

Our favorite babysitters graduated this weekend and we celebrated with them with mixed emotions.  (And with warm sunshine and a passing shower at the Waikiki Shell, and I'm not making that up.)  We are happy they've reached this milestone but they are heading to the Mainland for college and we will miss them, for so many reasons besides their awesome babysitting.  Congratulations and aloha J&J!


(Photo posted with their permission - don't want any of my friends to worry that their picture will unexpectedly appear on here.)

This post is linked to the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom.