Camping at Kualoa - now I know it's really summer!

"Chinaman's Hat" off of Kualoa Beach Park in Kaneohe Bay

Our summer hit full swing this weekend as we're out at Kualoa Beach Park for camp.  Spending time with biological family and our faith family is what summer is all about.

Whatever you're doing this weekend, I pray you'll find a bit of rest and relaxation.  God's creation is all around and speaks of His glory.  Get outside, find a shady spot and enjoy His presence!

 

 The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
  The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
  All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will praise you.

Psalm 145:8-10 (NLT)

Tuesday...I'm back!

Aloha everyone!  You may have thought I fell off the end of the earth...  But no, I'm just trying to adjust to this new "schedule-free" summer.  Our family has been having a great time together.  I'll share some of our recent doings.

To end our school year, we went camping at Kualoa Beach Park.  It was a great long weekend with our church family.  Camping on the beach is so fun.  The kids have so much to keep them busy.  At this particular camp site, there is an island off-shore that was just close enough to kayak to.  Rebecca also made it out there on her surf board.  We swam and collected shells.  Andrew went crab hunting after dark.  And of course, Mark had to build his famous campfire.  S'mores all around.  Great fun.

Koolau Mountains on one side...

Kaneohe Bay on the other.

Empty beach was perfect for morning quiet time.  God's creation takes my breath away!

"Chinaman's Hat" where the kids played most of the day.  When Mark and I were in high school, we climbed to the top...I haven't been up there since.

Relaxing under the common tent.

Andrew and his catch of sand crabs...they were released back to their homes shortly after this was taken.





On Father's Day, we made another trip up to Waimea Bay.  It seems to be our go-to beach for barbecues.  Can you blame us?  

(Not our boat...  Maybe some day we can bring Pakele Nui up the coast.)

More burritos on the beach.   Our crowd keeps growing.  This time we were joined by friends Jess, BJ, Makana, Victoria, and Jake.  The word's out!  But the more the merrier.  I love having the kids' friends along.  And feeding the crowd is fun, too.  Mark and I are getting quite a system. 

I'm still looking for work.  I thought I had a position, but it fell through.  It's really stretching my patience.  I'm not sure what the Lord wants me to learn from this.  I keep returning to my theme for this year, Faithful.  God is a faithful God.  And I will continue to be faithful in trusting Him to see us through. 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the time off of school.  These days are passing quickly.  Reading is a treat and my tan is finally getting the attention it needs.  ;)  Already I'm feeling the itch to get my curriculum planning started for next year.  Only 7 weeks until we start again.  Every year I promise not to put it off.  Perhaps you will keep me accountable to that goal...

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate you!

Family Photos Friday

We finally had the camera along on the last two family outings.  I'll share some pictures with you.

We headed to the north shore again last Sunday. 

This handsome fellow was strolling around the road-side shops. 

In the 40 years that I have lived on this island, I had never stopped by this cute shop. 

Curiosity got the better of us, and we went in. 

 There were antique collections of every kind cramming the counters. 

There was everything from bottles to beads, Coke novelties to license plates,

glass fishing floats to tourist trinkets.

Even this guy....

In your hometown, there is always something new to discover. 

Now I know where to go if I need a glass ball or an Obama surfer...

We finally arrived at Waimea Bay at about 4:30 in the afternoon.  Most folks were packing up.  We were just arriving for dinner and a dip.  Clouds were rolling in, but we didn't mind.

Steph calls this a red-neck moment. 

The rain tried to scare us away, but we stuck it out and had a great time.

 

Don't let the frown fool you, I had a great time.  I think I was realizing at that moment, that I have become my mother-in-law.  She has always been the one to cook on the beach.  But she never brought the usual hot dogs/hamburgers type food.  Always the unusual - great tasting stuff.  Here I am, in all my glory, grilling beef and chicken, re-fried beans, and serving them on homemade tortillas.  Kinda weird....

in a good way.

Steph, her majesty...with her fajita in one hand, and marshmallow stick in the other...

Rebecca, enjoying hot food on a cool day!

Andrew is our official marshmallow roaster.

Benefits of sticking around, even with the rain.

We stopped on the way home to watch the sun disappear into the ocean. 

The end of another relaxing Lord's Day.

This morning, we got up early to beat the crowd and headed out to the sandbar on Kaneohe Bay.  The weather was perfect!

Mark and Rebecca on Pakele Nui and Steph, Andrew and new friend, BJ in the water.

Andrew getting ready to take a swing on the halyard.

My turn.  

 That snorkel (far left corner) got left behind today....oops!

Mark, taking us back...

Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.  Summer is officialy here!  I, for one, and ready for a new season!

Isaiah 42:1-12

The Servant of the Lord

 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him

and he will bring justice to the nations.

 He will not shout or cry out,

or raise his voice in the streets.

 A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

 he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice on earth.

In his law the islands will put their hope."

 This is what God the LORD says—

he who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,

who gives breath to its people,

and life to those who walk on it:

 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

 to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

 "I am the LORD; that is my name!

I will not give my glory to another

or my praise to idols.

 See, the former things have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce them to you."

Song of Praise to the Lord

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise from the ends of the earth,

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

you islands, and all who live in them.

 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.

Let them give glory to the LORD

and proclaim his praise in the islands.

The Tsunami is coming...

Woke up this morning to the emergency siren...6:00 a.m.  Not good news.  The earthquake off of the Chilean coast has generated a tsunami wave that will hit Hawaii around 11:00 a.m. 

North Shore, January 2010

My family and I are not in any danger, but prayers do go up for those folks in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.  They may be in for some serious water.

So far, our only affect has been that we've had to cancel Rebecca's birthday celebration.  We were planning on taking a pack of girls out on the boat to the sandbar.  Obviously, we have to postpone.  It was to be the second of three birthday parties in our family this weekend.

The first was for Steph who is now 18 year old.  We took a bunch of her friends to the sandbar last night and had a great evening with pizza, a bonfire and the game buck-buck.  If you don't know buck-buck, check out this link:



On Sunday, we've scheduled Andrew's party.  We plan to take his friends bowling in the evening.  So, unless there is some other unforeseen natural disaster, that should go on as planned.

Psalm 65

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

1 What mighty praise, O God,

belongs to you in Zion.

We will fulfill our vows to you,

2 for you answer our prayers.

All of us must come to you.

3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,

you forgive them all.

4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,

those who live in your holy courts.

What festivities await us

inside your holy Temple.

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,

O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth,

even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power

and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans

with their pounding waves

and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth

stand in awe of your wonders.

From where the sun rises to where it sets,

you inspire shouts of joy.

It's a busy time, but so much to be thankful for.  I can't wait to post my additions to the 1000 gifts list on Monday.  'Til then...   I'm just enjoying the view (from high ground)!

Sunday Sail: Live in the moment.

Learning to live in the moment.  That's today's lesson.  The kids are growing up right before my eyes, and it makes me not want to blink.  Have you every tried not to blink? 

I'm really trying to snap more pictures these days, too.  When the kids were little, I thought I'd never forget their sweet expressions, the funny things they said...  Now, I can hardly remember without the pictures.  Why didn't I write things down?  Oh yeah, my hands were full of dirty diapers, stuffed animals, duplos, and play-dough...

Well, today was a great day with the family and some friends.  I love being around my kids.  They are fun.  And of course, my hubby is my BFF!  I cherish these times.  I want to savor them and not rush through them.  

I know I'm sounding very mushing and sentimental....but I just found out that there are boys out there (you know who you are) that really, really like my daughters.   My babies!  Boys like my babies!  I wasn't prepared for this day...

Anyway...back to today.  Here are some pictures of our day.  You parents of little ones....go squeeze them right now! 

Because while you are blinking, they go from this...

To this....

Someday, it will just be the two of us and we'll wonder where these days have gone.  I'll have to learn to live in that moment when it comes...

It was a gift...

There are many treasures in my life.  Most of them were gifts.  I'm not talking about the gift of friends or family, though I know they are truly gifts from God.  I'm talking literal gifts.  For instance our dog, Blue, was a gift from a breeder who took my daughter, Steph, under her wing.  At the time, we couldn't have dogs or cats in our rented house.  (We had about every other species of animal at one time or another, but no dogs or cats...)  Steph was able to live vicariously by learning to show and groom these beautiful Shetland Sheepdogs.  (My favorite breed, BTW.)  The breeder kept insisting that Steph should have one of the pups from her dog's next litter.  As providence would have it, the landlord relented, and Blue was ours.

Blue is the first dog I've ever lived with.  I always thought I was a cat person, until we got Blue.  After Steph, I'm his next favorite person.  I'm okay with that.   With the schedule of a typical 17 year old, Steph is gone more and more, so I become #1 a bit more often.  Blue can always be counted on to shadow me around the house.  He thinks it's great fun to go out to the carport to move the laundry.  He's sits with wrapped attention when I'm cooking dinner - or anything in the kitchen.  When I go out to water the plants, he's sure that I really want to throw the tennis ball for him.  I'm amazed at how he hangs on my every word.  He understands me most of the time, but when he's not sure, he'll cock his head ever so slightly to the right...trying to figure me out.  That, my friend is a gift!

A gift is more than just being given an item that someone doesn't want anymore.  That's a hand-me-down.  Yes, I'm very grateful for those, too.  But I'm talking about gifts that are given because the giver wants to bless you with something above and beyond your expectations.  Pakele Nui is such a gift.  Yes, she is 30 years old and could use some TLC, but she's a gift that was above and beyond any of our expectations. 

Pakele Nui is our sailboat.  Her name means "Great Escape" and that's just what we feel like whenever we get to take her out.  Yesterday, we took a much needed escape to our favorite spot, the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay.  There had been a Tsunami warning earlier in the day that was later cancelled, so no one was out but us.  I guess we were the only ones brave enough - crazy enough - to go for it.  So we packed up for an over-night excursion.

There is nothing like being out on the water.  There was no wind and the bay looked like glass as we eased out to the bar.  You can just feel the stress of the week melt away in the fresh, sea air.   The sand bar was emerging from the water as the tide came to its lowest.  By about 7:00, instead of being surrounded by water, we were anchored at a beach that stretched about 1/4 mile.  Such beauty.  I'll never get tired of it.

The sun was just setting as we arrived.

See the stress melting....

Andrew paddled out to set the crab net.....no luck this time, but sure is fun to try.

Sunrise

After some breakfast and snorkeling....we head back home.  After all, it's Thursday, and Mark has to work.

Today was made possible because of a gift.  I am forever grateful and really am ... enjoying the view.  *;)