Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘family life’ Category

Random Thoughts

Posted in family life, fibromyalgia, random thoughts, sweet smell of summer on July 31, 2014| 1 Comment »

-I have one sick kiddo on the bed.  Even when they move out of their teens they still seem to like the care mom can give them.  I’m eating it up as much as I can because I know that one day I won’t be the one he calls out to when he feels this way.  I have to trust that she will do much better than I.  That’s the way it should be.  Until then, it’s a little ginger ale and crackers and a long snooze.  Hopefully we’ll be able to move him to his own bed so we can grab a wink or two of sleep.

-I got a great hair cut today.  I had her whack it off.  It’s now a short bob.  Niki did a great job.  It took me a while to find someone on the island to take care of this mop of mine.  I go through phases where I try to cut and color my own hair either because I am feeling hormonal and need to change it asap or I may not want to spend the money.  I’ve learned that hormonal rushes are a terrible time to choose a new hair cut.  The Mr. appreciates that I’ve learned that fact.

-I miss having a show to work on.  Les Mis was a lot of fun.  The music was a challenge.  Theater ohana is the next best thing to a real one.  I had the opportunity to audition for a very grown up show at a theater in town, but made the decision to take a pass.  I couldn’t reconcile the grown up themes of this particular show with being a worship leader.  Keeping my eyes out for another production.

IMG_3234

Mardi Savage took this shot of The Old Ladies during our run of Les Mis.  She is a very talented photographer.  Check out her site.  BTW, I’m the one in the gray wig.

-We only have a few weeks until The Youngest starts her online classes.  Before then some special friends are moving to another base on the other side of the Mainland, the Mr. takes another trip to the hometown for our church’s latest album premiere, and the Oldest starts classes heading towards his EMT certification at a local community college.  In between it all we hit the beach and paddle as much as possible.  Well, that last one is my hope.  I don’t think I’ve shared it with the fam.

-Trying to rid my body of all gluten, soy and corn.  I have to stick to it or I just feel yuck all the time.  The corn and soy are new ones to avoid.  I’ve been trying to find triggers to me feeling achy and tired.  It seems those are all part of the pain problem.  We’ll see how I feel over the next month.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Returning Home 2014

Posted in adventure, family, family life, Hawaii, sweet smell of summer on July 29, 2014| 2 Comments »

We just finished a month long trip back to the hometown.  It was delightful.  We had a lot of family time, took in a few plays at the Shakespeare Festival which is like Disneyland for theater nerds, and enjoyed the sites and smells of a very familiar setting.  In some ways it was difficult to come back to our new home.

People think that it’s crazy to think that we wouldn’t want to rush back to our island paradise.  The setting is gorgeous, we have a wonderful safe place to live, and we have some very special friends that have become our island ohana.  I think that it comes down to the fact that our hometown family is not here.  That support system that we’ve have come to rely on for decades is not easily accessible.  As our family grows older so does our realization that time is fleeting and is something that we cannot get back.  Modern technology makes it a little easier, but real Facetime is the best.

So how is our reentry going?  Pretty good. The first morning back started off with a long walk on the beach and ended with a great shrimp stirfry.  Both are great advantages of living in the middle of the ocean.  We are taking it one day at a time, and thanking God for every blessing of being here.

We are heading into the warmest time of the year.  Last year the youngest said, “The heat.  I can’t get away from the heat!”  The Mr. has put a lovely plan in place to help keep us cooler.  That is definitely making our reentry much easier.

Time to drop the youngest off with friends, and for another trip to the library to prep for my drama classes that start next week.

Read Full Post »

Journal In A Jar: What about your family makes you happy?

Posted in family, family life, gifts, Journal In A Jar, ministry life on August 5, 2013| 1 Comment »

Journal In A Jar

Today’s paper strip question:  “What about your family makes you happy?  Share a moment where they made you happy.”

I struggle with the word “happy” because it is such a fleeting emotion.  I much prefer the word “joy” because it is something that grows deep roots, and is felt even in the most dire of circumstances.  Here is the new question.  I ask those of you reading to ponder it.

“What about your family brings you joy?  Share an example.”

I know without a doubt that I have an unusual family situation.  I have been married to the same man for 20 years.  We homeschool our kiddos.  We enjoy spending time together.  Our parents get along, and have never had a difficult time accepting each other as family.  We’ve enjoyed many holidays together.  I know that if I never have more than this that I will die completely satisfied.

One of the biggest sources of joy for me lies in the Yayas kitchens; both my momma and mom-in-law’s.  It’s truly is the hub of the house.  During those first years of homeschooling, the cousins and sis-in-laws gathered once a week around Yaya’s kitchen island.  We would cook or do a project.  The kiddos would end up in the playroom for down time and watch a video while the “grown-ups” ate lunch or sipped on tea.  Those were precious times.  When my brother moved to town to pastor a church he and my sis-in-law joined us in Yaya’s kitchen for Thanksgivings or Easter or for an evening together.  My nieces grew to know my sis-in-law and know that she cares for them.  My mom and Dad are called Aunty and Uncle by them.  These moments fill me with joy to overflowing, and I will cherish them forever.

 

Read Full Post »

Life On An Island

Posted in family life, Hawaii, homeschool, ministry life on June 13, 2013| 1 Comment »

Anyone who has spent time here will probably tell you a couple of things. “The Islands are beautiful.”  “Hawaiians are so welcoming.”  “Everything is so expensive.”  “The traffic is horrible.”

We knew all of these things before we moved here.  Our entire family came for a month a year and a half ago.  It was such a blessing.  Even though we lived on the edge of Waikiki we still had a taste of living local, and what it really would take to live here full-time.

My first trip for family grocery shopping left me tears.  I was only 3/4 of the way through the list and I had gone through what typically would have been a month’s food/incidentals budget.  I stood next to Jeff and had to fight off the tears.  How would we make it for the next month?  As always, God provided.  God continues to provide.

We’ve learned how to stretch things, that Costco is really an economical place to shop, and that what before would have been freezer meals are lunch for the next two days.  We don’t eat out very often, but we didn’t do that much before we moved.  (Oh wait, unless it was at the D.Q.  All those from home know which one I’m talking about.)  Simple first world problems, right?

We have also learned that, for now, we will have to drive to where ever we want to go.  That’s just how it’s going to be.  We have beach chairs, the beach bag, towels, and mats packed in the back of the car.  We always bring water bottles and snacks too.  It’s what homeschoolers do wherever they live, so that they are ready for an adventure in the school of the outdoors.  We just know that our gas budget is also doubled since we moved.  The cost of a yearly registration for one car is almost triple what we paid for a two-year registration.  We could ride the bus everywhere, but for this phase of life we are choosing to keep the cars.

It’s all part of life here on the islands.  We moved with our eyes wide open.  It gives us an ever grateful heart for the little things.  It forces an even deeper dependency on God.

Read Full Post »