I recently returned from vacation after spending a remarkable week in Hawaii with my sister and her husband. We went to the “Big Island,” Oahu, but more specifically, we spent our time in Honolulu. We shopped (numerous times), played on the beach quite a few days, ate good food every day and did quite a bit of sightseeing.

As a kid I lived in Hawaii for three years when my dad was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base. How strange it was to return after so many years.

I don’t remember too much about it, but I lived there when I was just 3, 4 and 5 years old.

Honolulu sure made an impression on me this trip.

Enormous skyscrapers reminiscent of downtown Dallas/ Fort Worth or Houston dominate the skyline. The difference is that in Hawaii, they are surrounded by the bluest skies and numerous palm trees.

Banyon trees, resembling bearded old men, also dotted the area. Everything looks like park land, and it is all well-tended. They have a great parks system and the pride shows everywhere.

The scenery is so lush and green it is amazing to think of it as not just a tropical paradise, but as a thriving epicenter for Hawaii’s commerce.

So many things fascinate me about the Aloha State.

How many places in the world can you stand waist-deep in the beautiful blue-hued waters on a beach while watching planes taxi for take-off at an adjacent airport?

Where else can you shop with high-end retailers while wearing a bathing suit, cover-up and flipflops, and realize that is the norm ?

How many restaurants cater to clientele in Cadillacs as well as those who lean their surfboards against the wall?

Hawaii is an amazing mix of Old World traditions and unexpected flavors, a place where flowered shirts and muu-muus are as accepted as business suits.

While much of the traditional foods are not to my taste, restaurants there -- including chains such as McDonald’s -- cater to local clientele. While offering burgers and fries, they also have menu items such as fish and other native delicacies.

One of the most remarkable things to come out of Hawaii happened just over 45 years ago when my little brother, Steve, was born.

I was so infatuated with Steve that I didn’t want to go to school because I hated to be separated from him. My mother reminds me that I threw a chair at a kindergarten teacher because she wouldn’t let me go home to take care of my brother.

When my family returned to the mainland after my dad’s tour of duty, one remark from my mom after the birth of her fourth child stayed with me. She said: “Most people bring back pineapples and coconuts. I brought home a baby.”

This 5-year-old girl was thrilled with what Mom “brought back” from Hawaii.

And she still is.

Lisa Carnley is managing editor of the Lampasas Dispatch Record.