Six Week Check In

 

It's really a good thing I don't get paid for my blogging.  I'd be broke right now!  My last post was about the fires here in California.  We were not personally affected and I'm very thankful for that.  January ended with a trip to Hawaii so Les could do in-person performance reviews.  It's always good to be back!

 

We were home less than 24 hours when Les was headed back to the airport.  He had a work meeting in Miami.  Three days later he flew from Miami to Tennessee and I flew from Burbank to Tennessee to join him.  This will be a more common theme for us.  As Les' dad ages we want to spend more time with him.  He is doing really well, but at 92 we know that time is precious.

 

We spent 12 days there and it was SO cold!  I under-packed and had to resort to lots of layers!  I did manage to get out and run one morning, but more days than not it was raining.

 

We got a light dusting of snow one of the Sunday mornings. 

 

It is good to be back home where I am able to thaw out.  Unfortunately, I brought a cold home with me.  I'm finally feeling better and now we're looking at the first of March in just a few days!

The End of an Era

Les and I spent last week in Hawaii.  This time we cleared out everything we had on the island due to major changes with Les' employer.  In January the company was acquired, so Les has a new employer.  It has been great for him so far - he's busier than ever, but really enjoying his work.  

 

 

One of the policies the new company implemented was they would no longer pay for parking at the Hawaii office for employees that aren't in the office at least three days a week.  That meant we needed to get our car out.

Prior to COVID, we spent about 25-30% of our time in Hawaii.  That obviously dropped off during 2020 and 2021.  We thought it would pick up again, but we only made one trip to the island in 2022 and only one trip in 2023.  During each of those trips, we have thinned down the things we had over there, but we still had a lot!

The thought of trying to sell our car via Craigslist was not at all appealing.  We decided we would donate it to charity.  I spent the first couple days of our trip calling various organizations with little success.  The numbers were national call centers and they couldn't get a pickup scheduled in just a few days time.  I finally had success with Wheels for Wishes (part of the Make a Wish Foundation.)  But at Bible study on Tuesday night, as Les was giving Pastor McGriffin an update on our situation, he told us of a young man who had recently started coming to church and was in need of a car.  We were happy to give it to him instead and set up a time for Thursday evening.

 

I took some things to Goodwill while I still had the car, but by the end of the week we were down to what would fit in our suitcases.  One bag was about 38 pounds, but the other squeaked under the 50 pound limit at 49.7!

One of the pairs of shoes that I hadn't planned to bring home were sandals I had been wearing to church for more than a decade.  When I put them on Tuesday night, they felt "off."  Sitting in Bible study, I noticed the reason...

It wasn't all work while we were there - I enjoyed some great running and Les was able to get in a few bike rides.  We enjoyed some amazing food and especially enjoyed Bible study on Tuesday night.  We will be back from time to time, but not for the long trips like in the past or as frequently.  Hawaii will always have a part of our hearts.

Hawaii Weekending

Our first full week in Hawaii was busy, busy, busy.  Les was at work while I was dealing with car stuff.  We hadn't been to Hawaii in 11 months, so first thing was getting the car washed so we could see out the windows.  I then had to get a safety inspection and oil change.  From there I headed to the satellite city hall to pay our car registration, then it was back to Jiffy Lube to get our safety inspection sticker!  Hawaii is pretty easy going about this stuff, but I don't want to drive around in a car that isn't legal.

Of course we were up early every morning while we were there.  Les joined me for a few runs and also rode his bike while I was running solo.  By the time Saturday rolled around we were ready for some R&R.  Les rode his bike to the north shore.   After my run, I drove our car there to meet him. 

We headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant on the island - Cholo's.  They never disappoint.  We then spent several hours relaxing at our favorite beach park - Kaiaka Bay Beach Park.  This park is usually just local families with kids and extremely mellow.  There were several giant sea turtles in the water very close to the beach and I enjoyed watching them while Les took a nap! We were there for over two hours, just relaxing and enjoying a pleasant breeze.

 

We then headed in to Haleiwa and Matsumoto's Shave Ice.   We both ordered SMALL shave ices that aren't actually small!

 

I got watermelon, lilikoi (passion fruit) and sour apple over vanilla ice cream.  Les got banana cream, coconut cream and blue pineapple with azuki beans over vanilla ice cream.  SO yummy!!

 

On Sunday morning we took our time getting out and about.  When we finally did, we headed to my favorite mountain - Tantalus.  I have been running and Les has been riding this loop for a decade.  This time we packed our trail shoes and explored some of the trails.  It was quite an adventure but so beautiful!  For the most part we were in the shade.  A little over 8 miles with lots of climbing over rocks and roots.

Although I didn't take any pictures, the real highlight was being at church on Sunday afternoon!  We have missed our First Church ohana and were happy to give and receive lots of hugs.  And of course hearing Pastor McGriffin preach is always a treat.

Wordless Wednesday

We were in Hawaii for almost two weeks, I'll share more details tomorrow, but here are some of the pictures I took:

 

 

Update from Lahaina

As you probably know, the news out of Lahaina continues to be grim.  The death count is nearing 100 and the need is great.  

At church tonight we prayed for those affected by the fires.  At least seven families in the church in Lahaina lost their homes and there is one confirmed fatality.  Pastor McGriffin shared a link to a fundraising page that will go directly to our brothers and sisters on Maui.  If you can give at all, any amount will be a blessing.  The link is: HERE.

All is not lost.  In the middle of the destruction, the United Pentecostal Church of Lahaina is still standing!!  God is a miracle working God!

Hawaii Fires Update

You may be aware that there are wild fires burning in Hawaii.  These fires are on the islands of Maui and Hawaii (also known as The Big Island.)  Les and I are currently on the island of Oahu, we are safe and feeling none of the affects.  

Sadly, more than 50 people have died this week due to the fires.  The historic town of Lahaina has been destroyed.  People are homeless and tourists are stranded.

We have loved this state for many years and are heartbroken at the devastation.  Please pray for everyone affected by this tragedy.

The Peace of God

I'm continuing my look back at the changes that occurred in our life ten years ago this month...

 

I don't have much to add to this post.  I'll just call it my Paul Harvey post, "and now you know the rest of the story..."

 

My post yesterday was really the end of a chapter.  Today, I'll tell you about the chapters we have lived since September.  In September we had our annual Youth Alive services.  That Friday night the choir sang "Cover Me" by Mark Condon:

Peace of God, cover me
Cover me, cover me
Peace of God, cover me
Through the storm, cover me.

Only in You I am safe
Only in You I'm secure
Only in You I find peace
So cover me, cover me 

Cover me when I am hurting
Cover me when I'm not strong
Cover me when I am going through the storm
Cover me when it all seems hopeless
Cover me when my faith is gone
Let the peace that passes all I understand

As I stood on the platform singing, I thought of friends who were hurting.  I sang for them.  But sometime in that song I felt like I was singing for me.  I didn't know it that night, but my life was getting ready to be stormy and I would need peace like never before.  I haven't blogged about every part of the storm we went through, but here it is...

Peace of God, cover me

Cover me, cover me

On the following Saturday, September 15th, Dad was hospitalized in Fresno, then transferred to San Francisco.  This started a very long journey that we are still on today.  Dad spent 7 1/2 weeks in San Francisco (hospitals and rehab center) before returning to Fresno.  He was back in San Francisco in December for surgery and is now back in Fresno.  (I'll just add here that my Dad passed away on March 5, 2013.  We were home from our second trip to Hawaii and I was able to spend several days with him.  I still miss him very much!)

Peace of God, cover me

Through the storm, cover me.

On the weekend of October 7-8, Les and I traveled to Fresno.  That Saturday Kim and I drove to San Francisco to visit Dad.  On Sunday morning, Les and I went to church in Truth Tabernacle.  We drove home that afternoon with plenty of time to make it to church that evening.  When we got home, we discovered that our house had been broken into.  Nothing was taken, the police said they were looking for cash and jewelry.  But it was a horrible feeling!

Only in You I am safe

Only in You I'm secure

Only in You I find peace

On October 22nd, Les was laid off his job.  In today's economy, we knew it might be a while before he found something else.  That ended up being three months.  But during that time, everyone of our needs were met.  We paid our bills, we had food on the table.  We were covered.

Cover me when I am hurting

Cover me when I'm not strong

Cover me when I am going through the storm

The same week that Les was laid off, Dad had his worst week in San Francisco.  For several days we were very concerned that his body was just shutting down.  His chemicals were completely out of balance.  The doctors were concerned about his heart.  After a few days back in the hospital, he started doing better and returned to the rehab center.

Cover me when it all seems hopeless

Here we are four months later and the peace of God has covered us through the storm.  There were days that I felt I was barely hanging on, but the peace would come.  Days when I worried, until I prayed and found peace again.  It's been a journey, but one that I never walked by myself.

Cover me when my faith is gone

Let the peace that passes all I understand

 Peace of God, cover me

Cover me, cover me

Peace of God, cover me

Through the storm, cover me.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:7

Somewhat Wordless Wednesday ~ "Moving to Hawaii" Edition

Les was blessed with a wonderful boss when he started his new job.  I cannot say enough about how kind Karen has been to us.  I know using "Karen" as slang for a middle aged white woman has become popular in recent years (see Wikipedia) but that does not describe Les' boss one bit.  She is one of the kindest, most considerate people I have ever met.  She has been good to Les, but she has also been very good to me.  

 

If you'd like to read the entire post, you can go HERE.  But here are some of the highlights of our arrival on January 18, 2013:

Here are all our suitcases!  Les brought one of his bikes and we packed for 3 weeks.  Our plan is to leave everything but our carry-ons here.  Our two large suitcases just squeaked in at the weight limit - one was 50.5 pounds and the other was 50.2 pounds!

Five and a half hours later, Les' boss met us at the airport to take us to our hotel.  She gave us beautiful leis and made us feel so welcome.

 I believe they call that the "Aloha spirit"

Our bed at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach.  Just steps from Waikiki Beach.

Beautiful leis that started our adventure off just right!