Running on....

I feel like the term "run on" is my life-theme sometimes.  Run-on sentences, activities strung together one after the other with little pause in between, etc.  It's been nice to experience a big fat comma in my life while in Hawaii.... but I feel like we are taking that inhaled breath that you take just before you say something.  Because we are sort of starting to prepare ourselves for our return to TN.  I'm surprised at how sad I feel at the thought of what we'll leave.  I love my life at home, I'm sure it will return to "normal", running on and on and on the minute we hit the ground, but there will be things that I will probably spend a second each day missing for the rest of my life.  I'll miss being two blocks from the beach, there's no question about that.  I'll miss a million other things too.  Brian told me last night that I needed to be sure to walk out on the pool deck every night for the next couple of months because I still marvel at the site of moon shadows cast by a palm tree.

Yesterday, while I was running, I hit this song on my playlist and I just love the words to it and thought I would share them with you too.  This is from Third Day, it's called, This is Who I Am:

I'm the son (daughter) of a good man

I'm the child of an angel

I'm the brother of a wild one (I always think of my own brother at that line.)

And I'm looking for direction

I'm the lover of a beauty (strong man)

I'm the father (mother) of blessings

I'm the singer of a lovesong

But is that all I'm good for?

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So take me and make me something so much more

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So change me and make me someone better than before

I'm a saint and sinner

I'm a lover and a fighter

I'm a true believer

With great desire (that word desire!  my desire to please Him is so strong, but my actions are not always in line with my desire.  I think that's why this song resonates with me... He won't leave me as He found me.)

I'm a preacher of grace

Profit of love, teacher of truth

I've fallen down so many times

But here I stand, in front of You

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So take me and make me something so much more

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So change me and make me someone better than before

So take me as I am 

But please don't leave me that way

Cause I know You can

Make me better than I am today!

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So take me and make me something so much more

This is who I am, oh this is who I am

So change me and make me someone better than before

Hope you enjoyed it.  I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day, and I hope you find the strength to "run on" today! :) 

Hebrews 12:1

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  

Rest....

Is it just me, or does anyone else go along for great periods of time, heaping things onto their plates and then being surprised to wake up one day and feel no energy or zest for the tasks you've heaped onto yourself?  I think "excitement" of moving and "adventure" of a new place have caught up to me and many things have piled on to my plate to bring me to a point where I am forced to just sit in solitude and contemplation with God (yet again.... seems I am constantly learning this lesson OVER and OVER.)  You see, the decision to move here seemed pretty quick and straight-forward.  Always up for an adventure, I hopped on the band wagon without all that much thought to what would lie beyond the initial excitement of a new culture, etc.  In theory I knew we would all depend on one another more, all learn alot from new cultural experiences, all expand our boundaries and our comfort zones, and that growing pains are always just that... pains!  So intellectually I embraced these things because I knew that on the other side of this adventure, we would all be different and right about the time I came here, different seemed to be a good option for many reasons.

Now, I am in the thick of the season.  Not missing home as much as I once did because I've gotten over the restlessness of not filling my days with the "busy-ness" of life in TN.  But in some ways, more scared than ever.  You see, our stints here come in 90 day commitments.  While this seemed a small enough bite (or is it bight?) to digest back in September, the uncertainty has started to wear on me.  I miss my friends!  Right now we are only signed here through April.  But we were originally only signed through January.  It could be April that we return home. If so, that means only 13 weeks left here and that seems like not much time to spend doing all the things we have come to love about life in Hawaii.  But then again, there's a distinct possibility we will be extended through the end of June.  If that is the case, then I don't feel the urge to start cramming things into life.  And of course, there's always that looming thought, "What if they want us beyond June?"  That bridge is just too far out there to contemplate, but I think if we do reach that point, I need bigger time chunks of commitment.  It's very difficult to live life in three month segments.  On the one hand, if I know I'm here longer, then I begin to put down roots and nourish new friendships and seek out community and establish different lifestyle, etc. etc.  If we are leaving, then I start to disentangle myself from the few commitments I have already made.  I'm sort of caught in this place where I have a foot in both worlds.

So, I've spent alot of time just seeking God's face on this one.  I felt like Jacob several times where I THOUGHT that I was just in the dirt wrestling with the angel trying to not let him go until he gave me the answers.  But... as is typical for me, I was sort of missing the point altogether.  Listen to what Oswald Chambers had to say in today's devotional from My Utmost for His Highest.    "Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected?....Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer."  Duh!  I've been looking hard for the answers, not for God Himself!  How MANY times must I learn this lesson, Oh Lord, before you bash my feeble brain in with the message?  Always the answer, Lord, always the answer, and never satisfied just to find You!  Mr. Chambers goes on to say, "If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him." (emphasis mine) So, I did not have enough of this by the time I finished with My Utmost... I need more.  Then Jesus Calling for today reads:  "Come to Me for rest and refreshment.  The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary.  Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion.  Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life."  And I realize that I'm not really weary of the things I have been walking through, I'm actually loving the permission God has given me here to live ONE DAY AT A TIME.  I realize that the uncertainty of having no defined timeline has allowed me to free myself from long-term commitments to committees and responsibilities I would have at  home.  I've squandered much of this freedom, but just because I'm a slow learner doesn't mean I can't learn! :)  Thanks, God, for not letting go of ME (not the other way around) and sticking with me until I GOT the blessing, not until you RELEASED it.  As with so many relationships in my life (and probably those in everyone else's life too) my perspective is always clouded by my viewpoint (looking out from in) rather than trying to see that not all paths are necessarily visible to me, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.  Jesus Calling finished up with this and I absolutely loved it, "This sounds like an easy assignment, but it is not.  Your desire to live in My Presence goes against the grain of "the world, the flesh, and the devil."  Much of your weariness results from your constant battle against these opponents. However, you are on the path of My choosing, so do not give up!"  Thank You, God, that sometimes when I am stubborn and dense, you are still willing to smack me in the head with the message, right there in black and white.  Thanks for coming out for me today and not letting me sit here in the darkness.  


‘If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the 


wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, 


and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the 


darkness, and your shadows become like noon’ 


(Isaiah 58:9-10)

Things I love...

I'm not going to bother listing all the obvious things... of course I love my family!  No self-respecting Southern girl would leave Jesus off the list.  Let's just consider those all common denominators and givens. But here is a list of things that might or might not be unique to me....

1.  I love to go barefoot.  Thank you Autumn Petersen and TOMS shoes for creating a national day where I can do it for a cause.  There are people in my hometown who still look surprised when they see me in shoes (that's how much I was barefoot as a child and teen.)

2.  I love flip-flops!  There are times when you can't be barefoot, and for those occasions, I love flip-flops.  (That might be one of my favorite things about Hawaii, I have not had on a closed toed shoe in 6 months except to run.)

3.  I LOVE my coffee in the morning.  Love might not be a strong enough word for my relationship with my morning brew.  I'm completely dependent.

4.  I love to read!  I have three books going right now and it is so great.
     a)  Cane River - by Lalita Tademy.  I am reading this book with an AMAZING bunch of women of very diverse backgrounds and we are discussing it via facebook because we are located across the globe,  many states on that mainland, Kenya, Finland, and beyond....  and it's just exactly what I needed right now... virtual COMMUNITY!  :)  If you like a book to challenge and push you, this is a good one.

     b)The New Eve,



     c) So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore  Wow, if you have a daughter, I encourage you to read this book.  I mean, every woman needs to hear what's in this book, really, but I think for women with daughters, we pass on so many things from our past unknowingly and it becomes a heritage as women to walk through the world with this bag of insecurities.  Anyway, I have wrestled with this book and I'm still only halfway through.  It's painful at many points.  Not because of what she says but because of what you have to face.  But I don't want to carry that bag around anymore so I'm unloading it a chapter at a time... whew!    (and now you know why I'm not blogging much... I'm too busy reading! :)

5.  I love girlfriends.  There's no substitute for good girlfriends.  Really, a good husband is a great thing to have and so important in my life.  But there is really nothing in the world that nourishes my soul the way my relationships with friends do.  Women can just love one another in a different way than we can love members of the opposite sex.  Some of my dearest friends are women I've met through adoptions, some of them I've never laid eyes on face to face.  But the girls who will drop by with a glass of wine at just the right time, the one friend who loves coffee as much as me and we call one another if we're making an impromptu run to Starbucks... that's the type of thing women do for you that is just not conceivable to live without, don't you think?

6.  I love drive thrus.  I will just tell you now that I am spoiled rotten.  I don't want to get out of the car for anything if I don't have to.  I like to buckle my brats angels into their little seats and drive through every errand imaginable without having to drag their sweet little cherub faces out of the car.  They don't have drive thrus in HI.  Seriously!  Not at the pharmacy... not the dry cleaners.... not Starbucks... only one I've found is McDonalds, and even then they aren't very convenient to get into.

7.  Coke!  If I can't have coffee, then give me a Coke.  Give me a Coke product.  Give me anything caffeinated and dark (but PLEASE do NOT make it a Pepsi. As I said to Amy regarding said Super Bowl commercial, "No self respecting Southerner would have a Pepsi.")  My dad thinks I'm crazy, but if I go to a restaurant that has Pepsi products, I'll just drink water.  And after that commercial tonight on the Super Bowl, I'll not be drinking any Pepsi products for life.  Really?  I might have to make a "hate" list if I see this too many more times.  (but that wouldn't be very Valentine'ish of me, would it?)



8.  My husband... because he bought me a ticket to go home next weekend.  I know I'm going to be heckled for saying this, but I really can't wait to put on a scarf and my favorite boots.  I've been wearing the same shorts for six months and I will enjoy some cold weather for a few days. (It's easier to enjoy it when you know you're coming back to 78 and sunny in about six days... )  I cannot wait to get home.  I have been so touched that all my friends have asked to spend time with me and I just can't wait to hug them all around the neck.

9.  Shave Ice... I'm really going to miss that when I get to TN.  I might have to buy a Shave Ice machine! :)

10.  Dogs!  Love me some dogs.  Love most everything about them, but particularly the way they love me back.  I can't really imagine life without one for long.  When you smell and no one else likes you very much and you haven't brushed your teeth or your hair, when you've burned the dinner and yelled at the kids and lost your temper one too many times, your dog will still curl up with you and give you a big fat kiss... especially if you are lucky enough to own a Golden Retriever!  :)  Can't wait to get home and spend some time with Scout (Sonja's dog), Rocky (Sandra's dog), and every one of Shawn's ten or twelve dogs.  :)

Open letter to the departures gate at HNL International Airport

Dear Departures Gate:

I want you to know that I did not set out to develop this aversion to you.  I believe that I began visiting you with an open mind.  However, over the past several weeks, I have learned that you are not an entity to be taken lightly.  I have brought you the most beloved people in my life and time and again you have swallowed them whole, none of whom I have seen again, I might add.  I have complained multiple times about this issue, but still I have no resolution.  Just today, for example, it happened again.  I brought you my own Daddy and he too disappeared through your corridors.  I have yet to know what's become of him.

Furthermore, I might note that your brother, the arrivals gate, does a fantastic job.  I have never once had an issue with him.  He has delivered exactly what was promised, on time, every single month.  I am confused how two entities working so closely together, even looking so similar to one another, can have such paradoxical ethics.  You might try taking a lesson or two from him, if you hope to improve your reputation.

I want to go on record as having stated that I am filing a formal complaint against you.  I've had it with your heartless attitude and careless disregard for my feelings.  Consider yourself duly warned!

Sincerely,

Sasha!

Why is it so hard?

Why is being a follower sometimes so hard, and at the same time, so beautiful?  I KNOW God has brought us here to Hawaii for a reason, a season, and a blessing.  But, whenever someone visits, it's SO hard to see them go.

My brother, sister-in-law, and sweet, yummy, precious little niece came to visit us last week.  They left the frozen tundra of TN for the balmy weather of Hawaii, and I couldn't stop staring at my little niece.  You wouldn't have either... she's a doll baby.  That's Tennessee-speak for precious! :)

See what I mean?

Look at those EYES!  I know the photo is over-exposed, but I think it might be my favorite of the week because of her EYES!

My brother is just so awesome.  I've told you all so many times how amazing he is, how proud I am of him, and how much I love him, but really, every time I spend time with him, I'm reminded of how much better he is than me in so many ways and how much I want to grow up to be more like him.  Most of all I respect him.  He's fun and funny and energetic.  My kids love him to pieces and he never seems to lose patience or energy for their shenanigans.  We're still laughing at some of his stories.

My sister-in-law is so easy to get along with too.  She's just one of those people you can have around you all the time and she never starts to wear on you or you never feel like it's any work to love her.  I wish I could be more like that. Believe me, I'm sure there are alot of people that are glad to see me go at the end of a visit.  But they are so purposeful, thoughtful, amazing... I'm blessed.  BUT.... it's SO HARD to see them go.  They were just such a real reminder, yet again, of how amazing my life and relationships are at home.  So I came home from the airport yesterday and had myself a little pitty party by the pool.

But I woke up this morning and remembered that I am here for a season and a reason.  I tend to romanticize home when I get homesick and I know if I were there, the busy-ness of life would overcome me and I wouldn't have time to appreciate all the things I long for.  Plus I wouldn't get to lick my wounds by the pool, I'd be licking them by the heat vents.  :)  And I'm learning to sit in my restlessness and let God mold me through it rather than trying to soothe it myself with some activity or "project."  I'm also learning with a new clarity just how BAD I am at resting!

And besides, it really feels a bit ridiculous and selfish to long for ANYTHING when I have this in my back yard....

We heard the surf report yesterday that there would be 25-40 (that's FORTY) foot faces on the North Shore, so after church, we loaded up two cars and went to see for ourselves.

You really can't tell from the photos, they don't do it justice, but I've never seen anything this big in my life.

They were as tall as our house....

I don't have good shots of the surfers because they were like little dots on the wave, you can barely see them.

There were crowds of people, but most of them were behind us because the beach was roped off due to dangerous conditions.  We weren't allowed to get close to the shoreline.  In fact, the lifeguards were patrolling on their 4 wheelers keeping everyone behind a certain point.  That girl in the photo above was about to get yelled at over the loud-speaker!  

Our family is thriving here.  I love so many things about the island.  And I am not going to lose sight of what I love here and the fact that this is a very short period of time, in the grand scheme of things.  I'm not going to allow myself to dwell on what I'm missing.  I do long for the companionship and familiarity of home, but you know what, home is still there. My friends still love me and they are still there.  They will still be there when I get back too.  And we won't have lost our love for one another or our companionship and familiarity.  I KNOW that God is working in my family while I am here.  I KNOW that God is moving in my husband as I see him growing and changing through his job and the church we are attending here. I see him becoming a more thoughtful follower. It's amazing to me that God can do this for someone in a place like Hawaii, where it seems we are practically the only Christians in the neighborhood.  My brother told me that Hawaii is actually the most un-churched state in the US.  Seems odd that God would bring us somewhere like this to speak to us in a way, but then again, it seems hard to ignore Him with all His work around us all the time.  He is in every single element of this island from the lovely people to the amazing scenery, awe-inspiring ocean, majestic mountains, and warm air.  

And don't get me wrong, it's not like we aren't having fun.  In fact, the friends we have made here are fun, we've laughed so much, eaten TOO much, and just plain old relaxed ALOT.  We've done more as a family than we ever did in TN.  We spend our weekends together, doing activities together, not just attending one persons sporting event or activity, but all participating together.  I don't want to allow one day of this experience to be robbed from me.  I want to treat it like the blessing it is and the growth opportunity that I think God intended it to be.  And I just want to appreciate it!  

I am sure this post has been boring for you, if you are even still reading.  But I mostly wrote it so that I can be reminded, when I start to think I need to go home, that there are so many reasons that being here is a good thing and that God's got this.  He holds the experience in His hands for all of us.  Me, you, all our friends at home; He can and will make something more amazing than we can dream IF I can step out of myself and just get out of my own way.  

Anyway, my dad will be here tomorrow, so there's no time for lamenting too long.  I have lots of stuff planned to do with him, including a trip to the big island, Maui, and Pearl Harbor.  I really can't wait to see my Daddy.

Friends, Isolation, and a Time-Out

I really have felt lately that I am starting to "get" why God brought us here to Hawaii.  When we first arrived, I was so restless.  I couldn't enjoy the slower pace because all I could think of was what I was missing, what I "should" or would be doing if I was back home.  I missed fostering the dogs!  I missed my family and the occasional visits!  I missed my friends!  I MISSED my dog! I missed my sweet neighbor most of all.  I was just biding my time until God would let us go home.  In fact, I even asked Him a few times just to hurry up and get the point across to me, let me have the lesson so I could leave and return to my full and busy life.  

But God wasn't sending me a plane ticket in the mail and He wasn't in any great hurry to reveal His motives to me either.  As usual, His timing, not mine.... dangit!  So I sat, friends and family came and went, more friends and family booked tickets, and each time someone left I wished I was going with them and worried how long it would be before I saw them again.  But now, I'm starting to be okay with the waiting. I'm "settling down" as I would say to my kids and not so anxious or impatient for God to "let me go" home again.  I'm starting to understand that He has me here, in this time-out, for a reason.  And the slowed pace may very well actually BE the reason.  I am finding that it's much easier to find time to spend with God on my own here.  I first started out frantically trying to find a Bible study because I knew I needed someone to keep me honest about the time I spent with God.  But now, I'm finding that I'm doing okay for now, just seeking Him each day on my own.  Meandering around through the Bible is okay for now.  I have never been one who could really sit down and read the Bible without a "purpose", a lesson plan, or a search for specific Scripture in relation to a circumstance.  Now, I'm finding that it's okay for me to just wander through God's Word, sometimes recalling familiar stories and verses I have heard 1,000 times, other times, finding new stories or new details to stories that I hadn't given notice before.  (Maybe it's because they sound totally different now that I'm not reading them in the King James.  As far as I know, the only Bible I owned was King James until I was 25.)  

Today, Meg had a play date with a friend from school.  My two favorite little girls from her class were including her in a play-date and I was so happy that she was finally getting some friends to play with.  When I got to the home, it was so inviting, the little girl's mother had made blueberry muffins and coffee, the smell was wonderful, the home was so inviting and cozy.  And the two other moms and I sat around the kitchen table talking for two hours to the sound of our girls giggling and singing.  It was a little slice of heaven.  Finally, I had some "comforts" of being in a familiar setting.  We chatted and talked and they were asking about our transition, and the word, "isolated", came out of my mouth regarding our move.  And that's the first time I think I had put a name to what I felt.  I wasn't so much lonely, though there were moments, I wasn't so much homesick, though I certainly have been at times, I was just restless and something else.... and today I realized what it was.  I have felt isolated. I've felt so disconnected from friends.  I have no real opportunities to go home.  I mean, besides the fact that it costs around $1000 to get home, I could stomach that if I really needed to; but it's a very difficult trip.  It's a long way to go for a few days, and I can't see leaving the kids longer than that.  So I've just gotten no peace at all about planning a trip back.  And I think it's been the right decision.  God is slowly but surely revealing to me that the peace of being still is exactly what He wanted for me right now. 

I tend to think that when God corners me and demands my attention, He is trying to move me in a new direction, tell me something He wants from me, or generally rock my world.  But this time, I don't really know if that's what it's about.  I don't think God always has to have my attention to tell me to GO somewhere, maybe what He's trying to tell me is that He just wants my attention, without motive or ultimatum, He just wants me to listen... it's never been my strong suit (just ask my husband and friends) but I'm really trying to learn.  

But I'm still getting pierced! :) 

The shortest lived piercing in history.....

Meg got her ears pierced today.  I have nothing to prove that this happened except a $30 pair of white gold CZ earrings.  It was totally spur of the moment (I know that surprises every single one of you) as we were at the mall, we saw another little girl sitting in the chair at Claire's getting her ears done and we just said "go for it."  She was so brave.  She didn't even wince when they stuck the earring in.  The only comment she made was, "Woo, that hurt!"  Then she told Brian, "Just a little pinch."  But later in the afternoon, the wound started to ache, as any wound is want to do (even the self-inflicted ones.)  And she decided that the cost of beauty was just too high.  How could I force her to live out the pain of her decision.  I saw a painful reflection of some of my own decisions in this little small example my daughter was showing me.  So I helped her remove the earrings.  I gave her some ibuprofen and I kissed her ears and told her if she changed her mind later, we'd go again.  And you know what, it was worth the $35 just to see how proud she was of herself.  She called every little friend she has and both her grandmothers to tell them how big she was and it was worth every dime.  She even Skyped with my mom and got to show off her short-lived bling.  But in the end, the earrings came out, the holes are already closed up, and I am wearing the earrings myself.

But I sort of developed this fascination with piercing from watching how wonderful my daughter felt from her new-found beauty.  I'm thinking there will be another piercing in my future, but I'm not going to tell you where I am putting it until after it's done (mostly because I know my mother is terrified even as she is reading this and I will get a call or e-mail in the next five minutes with her opinion about whether or not I should do this.)  In the end, Ondrea would probably never get another piercing.  But you know what, Ondrea would not have let her four year old daughter get her ears pierced either.  But guess what... Sasha WOULD!  And Sasha is thinking that by Monday or Tuesday, you can look for a photo of my new bling.  We'll see... maybe I'll change my mind when the high of my daughter's right of passage wears off.  You'll just have to come back and see! :)

Where did it go?

Has anyone seen the month of December?  Cause last time I looked at the calendar it was December 17th.  And today the kids went back to school and it's all over.  How in the heck did that happen?

I do have proof that I lived some fun moments for the past three weeks... but... but.... where did it go????

Our dear friends arrived from TN on 12/17.  Meg was SO happy to finally have one of her friends here that we didn't actually see her until after they left.  :)

They were really happy to see the sunshine since they left snow and freezing temps to get here.  

Meg was over the moon!

North Shore hat purchases.... 

North Shore chill fest.... 

Heading out for a night of karaoke.  Hil-air-e-ous!

The kids gaping at Bob (the tree)

Of course there was surfing....  (that is NOT me, by the way.  It's my friend from TN... she's a natural!)

and more surfing....

stunt surfing....  (that's Jack!)

and double surfing....  did I mention that our friends are actually the parents of one of Jack's best friends too!  

It did rain a few days while they were here...  but we didn't let it stop the fun.

Is this the cutest hat you've ever seen?  Or maybe it's just the face that makes the hat cute.  Yes, I think that's what it is! 

The caves at Here to Eternity Beach

Our prom picture.  I think the them was "Almost Heaven"  haha

By the end of the week, we were all exhausted, a few pounds heavier, and sad to see them go! 

We saw the Hawaiian version of Santa

The Who's down in Who-ville came out on Christmas morning. 

The goodies were out of control after Santa left his stash.

Four days after our friends left, Lani came for a stay.... 

She's sweet and gorgeous and I can't wait for her to go so I don't have to walk her.  :(

Then we had a New Year's Eve party... and things got a little out of hand.

Yes, those are actually pop-its on the floor... we (the adults) had a bit of a war with the kids Pop-its.

Guess who wasn't laughing when she had to clean it up! :(

See, I really did have fun and we did ALOT, but I swear it only lasted about 3 days! 

Look Kristine.... it's really a chicken!

See!  

It's actually a chicken... crossing the road... at the Maui airport.  When you see this, you know that you are in the country! :)

I surprised Brian with a trip to Maui for his 40th birthday.  I picked him up from work on Friday afternoon with his bag packed.  He thought maybe we were staying at a hotel for the night, but when I told him we were leaving the island he got really excited.  He was happy to be going to Maui, an island he hadn't been to yet.  

Then when he saw the car I rented for us, he was really stoked.  

I love this photo of us.  I love that you can see Lanai (another island) in the background.

I LOVE this.  This is a pineapple stand on the side of the road.  There were alot of them.  And they all had these little jars that said "Money Jar" (red arrow) with no one anywhere around to make sure you are honest.  I love the honor system.  Restores my faith in people.

We drove on this road.... notice that only one car can actually fit on this road... and there are actually 617 curves and 56 one lane bridge.  (that's from the brochure, I'm not making it up.)

Yikes, I can't see what's around that corner... or over that hill... aaaaggggghhhhhh!

That's the Road to Hana.  Alot of people opt out when they see the road conditions.  But it's definitely WORTH the drive for the views!

1 of 56....

White knuckles....

I think there should definitely be a hammock right there, what do you think?

Sunset... warm and breezy where we were sitting, but you can see the rain on the horizon.  It was a great last night to a wonderful sweet weekend.

Now for other things going on around here:

Here is the tree I told you about last week.  This is "Bob" as seen over Jack's bedroom (from my bedroom door.)

This is "Bob" from my front yard.

Getting closer....

This is Bob, standing in my neighbors yard, across the street from Bob.

This is Amy giving you a little perspective on just how tiny she looks standing next to Bob.

Jack had his Christmas chorale performance this week at school.  Please note that everyone is in shorts and barefoot.  This is MY kind of Christmas performance.  Being barefoot makes just about everything better, don't you think?

We made Gingerbread cookies... fun memory!

This is a bit backward in terms of timeline, but this was taken on Brian's actual birthday.  We went deep sea fishing.  Here we are starting out the day, so hopeful about a huge catch and some whale sightings.

Lines are set and we are ready to reel.

Brian caught the first "catch" of the day... a barracuda.  :)

There was ONE more catch the entire day.  There are many stories from the day, and maybe soon I'll figure out how to post the video of the incredibly rough seas we experienced. I thought it was 8 foot, but was informed that while I was asleep, it was determined that it was actually 10-12 foot seas.  People, that is twice as tall as me to twice as tall as Brian.  I don't know much about rough water, but I know that was a wild ride.  

At the end of the day we caught one Mahi Mahi and one barracuda.  Brian sort of blames it on me because I brought a bottle of Banana Boat sunscreen with me (which he eventually threw overboard.)  See, Hawaiian seamen believe that bananas are bad luck.  So, even though I don't believe whatsoever in superstition, I will say it seems unusual that we had so little activity that day.  Maybe the ocean was just too rough for the fish too????  Yep, I'm choosing to believe it was the water, not the sunscreen.  haha

I will say that when we landed on Oahu this afternoon, I really felt like I was home.  It was an odd feeling.  It's the first time I've left the island since we arrived, so it was a very odd sensation.  I thought of my friend Kim in Hong Kong.  I remember a post she did about coming back to Hong Kong after a visit elsewhere.  It was a definitely multi-faceted sensation.  Maybe I'll share more when I've had time to chew on those feelings for a while.