December at Victory Tabernacle

It has been a whirlwind month at church and I have very few pictures to show for it!  We kicked it off with our end of the year banquet on December 9th:

Our Sunday school department had their program on Sunday, December 10th and I didn't take a single picture.  We had our Toys for Tots service on Sunday, December 17th and I again didn't take any pictures.   Our music department had our recital that night.  Our youngest musician, at only two years old, was Zach Martinez.  He drummed along to "The Little Drummer Boy" and it was adorable!

 

Les and Jeremiah played a beautiful trumpet duet of "Down from His Glory:"

The flu has been making the rounds, so on Thursday I was asked to join the Youth Choir.  One of these days I'm going to be too old, but as long as I'm able I can't say no to singing!

We're winding down now, with only one service on Sunday, followed by "Family Week," a much needed time to rest and relax with our loved ones.

Still Here!

It's been over three weeks since my last post ~ we have been BUSY!!  We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving, came home and I decorated for Christmas, attended our end of the year banquet, enjoyed our Sunday School Christmas program, did a bunch of baking, went to Fresno for a visit with family, and participated in our music recital!  So not only have I been busy, I'm exhausted!! I plan to post about many of those events in the next few days.

Can you believe we are only two weeks away from 2024??

Hawaii Business

Last September we took a very brief trip to Hawaii to clear out of the condo we had leased.  You can read the full recap here.  We were finally able to go back last week.  Since we are fully vaccinated, we were able to get a wrist band at LAX that enabled us to get through the Honolulu airport very quickly.  We were dropped off at the Ilikai Marina, then dropped off our bags in the room and immediately headed to Cinnamon's.  It was still morning in Hawaii so we split their Guava Chiffon pancakes and they were as fantastic as we remembered.

It was then time to head over the Les' office to get our car.  We knew this was going to be an ordeal since the car hadn't been driven in over a year.  Naturally the battery was dead.  One of Les' co-workers had left a battery jumper in the office but it could not get the car started.  Several hours later another co-worker met us and attempted to jump the car with his car.  45 minutes later the battery was still dead.  Les bought a replacement battery on Monday afternoon after work and was finally able to bring the car to the condo.

Our auto business continued on Tuesday.  While Les was at work I took the car.  First stop - a car wash!  There were layers upon layers of dirt on our car.  I then went to Jiffy Lube for a long overdue safety inspection.  The car passed inspection but I couldn't get my safety sticker until I paid our registration, so it was off to the DMV.  The satellite city hall at the Ala Moana Center was nearly empty and I was able to pay for our 2020 and 2021 registration fees (ouch!)  This was something that had been stressful to me all these months away from Hawaii.  I knew our car wasn't being driven, but the fact that the registration hadn't been paid really bothered me.  After paying the registration, it was back to Jiffy Lube for the safety sticker. 

Tuesday night we were able to attend Bible Study at First Church Hawaii.  It was so wonderful to see Pastor and Sister McGriffin and the church family.  We hadn't been to church there since February 2020. 

The rest of the week was full of running, cycling, Les going to work, and me trying to sort through all the things we have accumulated in recent years.  Les brought home two mangoes from the tree of one of his co-workers and they were amazing.  His boss suggested putting them in vanilla ice cream and that was one of the best desserts ever!

I was able to run around Diamond Head on two mornings.  On Sunday morning I finally made it to my favorite mountain on Oahu - Tantalus!  It's a tough ten mile loop, but I was curious to see how I would do now that I've lost nearly 30 pounds.  I had my fifth best time and was only six minutes off my best time ever on the entire loop.  

 

While I was running Tantalus, Les was off riding his bike.  We then made our way back to Cinnamon's.  They had a new pancake option on the menu, pistachio, and they were fantastic!

We were back at church Sunday afternoon and are rejoicing at the many new faces.  There are no restrictions on the move of God's Spirit in the land.

 

We were up early on Monday morning.  Throughout the week we had been trying to thin out our belongings.  We were able to donate a couple of bags to Goodwill.  We also purchased another suitcase to bring some things home.  It took several hours, but we finally loaded our car back up.  We can now open the back doors without starting an avalanche!  We knew we had left things a bit crazy, and now we feel much more in control of our life on the island.

 

It was after 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning when we finally crawled in to bed, but it was a very productive week.  We hope to get back one more time before the end of the year.

Dismissed to Play Catch Up

I was dismissed from jury duty yesterday, now I'm trying to play catch up!  We landed at LAX at 11:00 p.m. Friday and got home shortly after midnight after being in Hawaii for three weeks.  We attended a graduation on Saturday night, which I'll be blogging about soon.  We had church Sunday morning and Sunday night, with a nap sandwiched between.  I drove one hour each way to jury duty Monday and Tuesday, which I'll be blogging about soon.

Can you guess what my house looks like?  Today is a much needed domestic recovery day!  Cleaning and piles of laundry await.  I'm going to skip doing a Woman of the Week this week, I really want to study Hannah next and she deserves more than I can give in the next couple of days.

How's your first week of May going?

Hawaiian Labor Day Weekend

We had a great long weekend while we were in Hawaii last month.  Saturday we went back to the Tropical Farms for some more macadamia nuts.  Then it was on to Kualoa Ranch...

Kualoa Ranch is a place rich with Hawaiian history.   Les and I took the Jungle Expedition.  Our guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable as we bumped our way through the beautiful ranch.

Ancient Hawaiians considered Kualoa one of the most sacred places on the island of Oʻahu. It was the residence of kings, a place of refuge and sanctuary – a puʻuhonua – and a training ground for royalty who were instructed at Kualoa in the arts of war, history and social traditions.

In 1850, King Kamehameha III sold approximately 622 acres of land in Kualoa to Dr. Gerritt P. Judd. Dr. Judd had previously been a missionary doctor who arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1828 and who served as personal advisor to King Kamehameha III.

The ranch is now approximately 4,000 acres and is still owned by the descendants of Dr. Judd.  It is a working cattle ranch and we saw a few of those cattle on our way back.

Saturday evening we watched the sunset from the Ala Wai Boat Harbor.  I never get tired of seeing the day end over the ocean.

We were up super early on Sunday so Les could participate in the Dick Evans Memorial Road Race.  This is a 112 mile cycling race - race, not ride.  There is a big difference!  At century rides there are multiple stops, usually including a lunch break.  Not this time!  At one point, Les said he didn't stop pedaling for 70 miles.  He said it was the hardest single day of riding he's ever done.

The race is in memory of Dick Evans, a cyclist who was killed while riding.  Les said they started with a moment of silence and he prayed for safety during that time.  I was doing the same many times through out the day.  This route is also the original route from the first Ironman competition and that's why the cycling portion is 112 miles.

After dropping Les off, I headed to the North Shore.  I volunteered to work at Feed Zone #2 in Kahuku.  I've never done anything like this before, but it was so much fun!  Every volunteer was either a cyclist who decided not to race or related to someone who was racing.

Our job was to hand out water bottles when the racers came through.  They would NOT be stopping.  They might slow down a little, but it was our job to get fresh water in their hands.  They were to toss their empty bottles just before getting to the feed zone.

We got word that there was a two man breakaway coming soon.  That breakaway got caught and before we knew it about 20-30 racers we headed towards us.  I was near the end of the line handing out bottles with Heed in them.  All the racers wanted Heed and it was a little scary handing them out and hoping we didn't drop one or cause someone to crash!

Les had a great time until about the last 20 miles when he experienced severe leg cramps.  He finished in 6 hours, 12 minutes and 31 seconds (18 mph.)  The winner finished in 5:02:08 - over 22 mph!  I had a lot of fun hanging out in the feed zone, I managed not to drop a single bottle or cause any crashes, and was able to meet Les at the finish line.  I didn't get a single action shot - we were too busy when the action was happening!

After a much needed nap, it was time for Fifth Sunday Celebration at New Life Pentecostal Church.  This is always a fun time of food and fellowship, followed by a service.  I was obviously very hungry and the food was so ONO!

For the first time, we didn't go back into the sanctuary for service.  We stayed on the lanai.  It was a pleasant evening and the Spirit of God was felt.  Pastor Mac had five of the young men each give a five minute sermon.  He told them to decide on one scripture passage to preach from so the thoughts would be cohesive.  For some of them this was their first time!  They all did an excellent job.  It was wonderful seeing our NLP Ohana.  There's a bit of a baby boom going on, five of the ladies are expecting!  Church growth!

Monday we had plans to go to the North Shore, but first decided to hike the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail.  The lighthouse was built in 1909.  The trail was steep and warm, but the views were worth it.

 

We didn't know anything about the locks, but evidently this is something that's done quite often in Europe.  They are called "love locks" and symbolize a couple's undying love for each other.

We stopped in Waimanalo for lunch.  We opted for Keneke's.  We were pleasantly surprised by the artwork on the walls.  You can read the history here.  This first picture was just the beginning, but I love the quote "What Single Event Had the Power to Split Time?"

There use to be Christian tracts on the tables that were often thrown away or blown away by the wind, now the walls are covered with verses!

Even the cups have verses.

Our plans for the North Shore just didn't work out.  Everyone else on Oahu was either there or headed that way and traffic was horrible!  We ended our visit at one of our favorite Hawaiian restaurants - Duke's, then it was time to pack.

It's been nonstop since we got home and I'll try to blog about that in the next day or two...

Coming Up for Air

I can't believe I haven't blogged since last Friday.  It's been a crazy week!  We met with a tax preparer this morning.  Living in paradise for a year had some mighty expensive implications.

We are also in revival with a special emphasis on reaching out to souls.  Our goal is to connect with others, not just invite them to church.  As a part of this we are having a drama in a couple of weeks and I have a new choir song to learn and teach!

I've got some posts brewing, but not the brain power or time to complete them.  I'll have a Friday Foodie tomorrow!

Aloha!

We are flying back to Oahu this morning.  We have been home for three weeks - our longest stay at home since January!  We've been busy, as usual!

The Not So Fun:

I got sick right after we got home.  I ending up losing my voice completely for two days, then had a lingering cough and runny nose for about 10 days.

Santa Ana winds blew through last weekend.  Our pool was a mess - we came home to one of our small patio tables at the bottom!  It didn't help that our neighbor decided to trim a tree while the winds were howling.  Guess where all the leaves ended up??

Les flew to Philadelphia on Monday for business.  On his way home on Wednesday, he had a connecting flight in Chicago.  He was suppose to get to Los Angeles around 11:30 p.m.  After numerous delays, then a plane change, he finally landed at 3:30 a.m.  It was about 5:00 Thursday morning when he climbed into bed.


The Fun:

Les and I spent a day on the beach bike path, pedaling 32 miles!  It was a gorgeous day and I didn't crash!

We went to Fresno last weekend.  It was our first visit in months and we packed a lot in!  Les rode the Grizzly Century on Saturday.  I got up and ran 6 miles, it was a cool 52 degrees - perfect running weather!  This was my first time on the Fresno-Clovis Rail Trail and I loved it!

I attended Ladies Day at Truth Tabernacle.  Bro. and Sis. Tim Lackey did an excellent job.  I also got to see lots of friends!

I then had dinner with Kim and her girls.  We followed up with dessert at her house, where we practiced our Halloween faces.  My nieces are pretty even when they're trying not to be.

It rained here on Wednesday.  We really, really need it!  We got a little rain in Simi Valley, but unfortunately a mudslide closed Interstate 5 and church was cancelled on Wednesday night.  I was sad to miss a Bible Study by Pastor White and missed telling everyone goodbye until next time!

While Les was in Pennsylvania, he sent me a text that said, "I'm in Hershey, PA!  Do you need chocolate?"  He knows me well! I always need chocolate...

I saw a road runner and a coyote in my backyard - just not together!  And watched deer walking on the hill behind our house. The fun outweighed the not so fun!

Recovery Time

My Garmin running watch died a while back so I replaced it.  My new watch is the Suunto Ambit2 and I really like it.  It has a few extra features that are pretty cool.  One is at the end of a run when I'm reviewing all my data.  It is called "Recovery Time."  It looks at what I just did and suggests how many hours it will take to recover from that effort.

I think the suggested recovery time is pretty accurate.  One day last week I ran a very hilly route.  My suggested recovery time was 32 hours.  I got up to run the next morning and was very sore.  Yesterday morning I ran 10 miles.  My suggested recovery time was 53 hours.  I decided today was a good day for a rest day!

We all need recovery time.  We live in a busy world.  It seems we never slow down.  Jesus told his disciples in Mark 6:31, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."  They weren't busy with soccer practice or shopping the latest sales, they had just returned from an evangelistic endeavor, having gone out in twos.  Their enthusiasm was high, but they still needed recovery time.

It is easy to fall into the "Martha Trap" - always doing, doing, doing.  There was nothing wrong with what she was doing, but Jesus told her "one thing is needful."  A huge clue that we are in need of some recovery time is when we start looking around and complaining about what others aren't doing. 

Your house may not be spotless everyday, someone else may need to teach that Sunday school class for a month, you might not blog for a week or two...  and you will probably feel guilty about it!  But know that you will be better after recovery time.  And there is no greater recovery time than when we sit at Jesus feet.

I Say This Every Month...

"Every time we come home, I am so busy!"

I know I say it every month, but it's so true.  There are just some things I can't do while we are gone.  Like go through a months worth of mail.  And work on new choir music (I really miss my keyboard while we are in Hawaii!)  Or visit face to face with wonderful friends.  And schedule shuttles for our next trip.  And schedule to have our mail held while we are gone again.  It seems endless, but I'm getting it done.  Laundry is going, I just emptied the dishwasher, and now I've got bills to pay and set up to be paid while we are gone again!

Church and choir tomorrow, then it's back in the air on Monday!

Oh!  I got a really cute new purse.  When I showed it to Les, he said, "When did you buy that?"  "I didn't - I won it on a blog giveaway!"  I almost never win anything, but I won this cute purse from Kristina J.  Isn't it darling?

Wordless Wednesday (And Why)

Taxes were on my to do list for this visit home. I never wait until April, I just like to get them behind me!

Hang On To Your Hats and Glasses!

One of the events Hannah and I came up with in our "Olympics" was "Float Bucking."  Jump on a float while it is being thrashed around by the other person and see how long you can stay on.  This was one of the funner events!  As Hannah was trying to stay on, I did my best impersonation of an amusement park ride operator.  "Hang on to your hats and glasses, folks, this ride's about to get crazy!"

Well, I just looked at the calendar and realized it's almost that time of the year called the holidays.  For me, I feel like they start in September ~ our annual Youth Alive seems to kick off a season that is busier than any other.  2012 is no exception:

September 6-7 - Youth Alive in Burbank
September 21 - Wedding of Craig Gwin and Danielle Long in Nashville
October 6 - Ladies Day in Fresno/Grizzly Century Ride in Northfork
October 20 - Mens Day in  Fresno/Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5K in Fresno
November 7-9 - West Coast Conference in Fresno
November 10 - Santa Barbara Marathon
November 11 - Pastoral Anniversary Service in Burbank
November 22 - Thanksgiving
December - I don't know the exact dates but we have the following events:
End of Year Banquet
Toys for Tots
Music Recital
December 25 - Christmas

Whew!  Hang onto your hats and glasses, folks!

What about you?  When is your busiest season?