Aloha from Maui

Aloha!!!
It's been a lovely couple of days here in Maui. We arrived without any problems, actually the airport was fast, the car rental was fast and picking up Carol and Craig later was fast also.
We got our shopping done and then off to the condo. We decided to give Aloha Mixed Plate a try again and found the traditional food to be very good. Then off to get more groceries at Safeway. Nice to have a Safeway here in paradise.
Sunday church was nice, crowded and pretty darn cool. They didn't even have the fans on and the air conditioner didn't seem to be up very high. The weather has been very pleasant. The temperatures have been hovering in the high 70's.
Today we reached 87 degrees, but it was not humid and felt very pleasant. We snorkeled in Honoloa Bay where I came within 3 feet of a turtle. It was fantastic !!! He was so cute and seemed so comfortable with us being right near him. One bad thing though, he had only 3 flippers. It appeared that something bite one off awhile back. It didn't seem to effect him at all. He hung around with us for quite awhile and then swam down into where it was much deeper. We were in about 40 feet of water when we came across him. The coral over on that side of the bay holds many fish and beautiful, colorful coral.
We then decided we wanted to just do some swimming over in Weilea, so after a stop at Maui Taco for lunch we went over by the Grand Weilea to swim. You can walk right into the ocean without any breakers and the bottom is flat and sandy without any rocks or worries about stepping on anything. It's like having a huge swimming pool with a sandy bottom.
After our swim we cleaned up and went to Cool Cats for dinner and then a walk through Lahaina. Snorkeling, swimming, and walking really makes for tired bodies.
We'll post more in a couple of days. Tomorrow we're going for a drive and have lunch at the Pineapple Plantation. They have a mean Macadamia Nut pie !!!

Aloha from the Big Island

Aloha,
First of all let me tell you that if you want lots of details about our experiences here you need to go to Carol's blog. She gives much more information.
We are having a wonderful time. The Big Island is just what is says it is..BIG!!! We took a drive all the way (well just about) around it on Wednesday. Let me tell, the island is as different as night and day from the east side to the west side. The lava flows are, well, just plain ugly. However, when you get on the other side (east near Hilo) it starts to look very different. There are many resorts down near the water on the west side, however, these are definitely "out of our league".
We've been snorkeling twice and found it to be a delightful experience. The variety of fish is incredible. There is nothing like getting up close and personal with a puffer fish. We saw a snowflake eel today and followed it for awhile. It was only about 18-20" long, so we didn't feel threatened at all. The cove where we've snorkeled is shallow and has lots of coral and many, many fish. We've seen turtles, however, the ones I saw were only on the shore eating the green aglae. I guess this is a delicacy for them. Looked kinda green and slimy to me.
Anyway, you get the idea. I'm really suprised that we've taken to this sport to well. Dad (Stan) is doing good. Today he stayed in the water for almost as long as Carol and I. He stays closer to shore even though you could be out about a hundred yards and still stand up. They ask that you don't do that because you are standing on the coral...a living creature. Makes for an interesting swimming experience.
We've been trying not to eat too much. We've found some nice places to eat based on a couple of recommendations. But we've also enjoyed picnicing and eating in. The pineapple and other fruits are my favorite. We've also been able to keep up our exercise routines. You'd think swimming and lots of walking would be enough, but it's really nice to get up early (6:30 AM) and go for a walk. The weather is so pleasant then. We've had some rain, but not enough to ruin any plans. It actually keeps the temperature down a bit. Today was our warmest day down at the beach. Did some swimming only at a beach closer to the condo. We met some nice people from Canada. Sad for them... they go home tomorrow and back to jobs.
Tomorrow (Sat.) we head for Maui. We'll be glad to get to our favorite island. We'll miss the cove here for snorkeling. I know I have never seen anything like it over on Maui. Here's hoping for some good snorkeling over there. We'll post some more the beginning of next week. We haven't had time to post some pictures. Maybe next week we can get some to you.
Hope you are all well. Please know that we do miss you all very much and really, really wish you were here to enjoy this with us.

Aloha

A New Kind of Freedom

This last Sunday I was released from my calling as Relief Society President. I have mixed feelings about this latest development in my life. I have been asked by countless people if I feel that the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. Well...no, not really. I know that I am no longer entitled to inspiration when it comes to the sisters. However, I still care about all that happens to them, good or bad. Also...I've gotten to know so many of them better than I ever would have had I not been the President for 2+ years. Don't get me wrong...there were times when I felt that I couldn't do it one more day, I couldn't listen to one more problem I knew I couldn't fix, or I had to let a sister vent when she knew she couldn't do anything to help someone. But along with those times came great moments of joy, opportunities to serve, chances to get inspiration and pass that on to others, and to watch the glorious acts of charity that were betstowed on those in need.

I went through a husband dying (motorcycle accident), child with a brain tumor (mother gave birth during this 4 month ordeal), three sisters who developed three different kinds of cancer, and at the end, a elderly sister given the news that chemo will not prolong her life. However, on the other side of this came many moments of joy and a realization that our Father in Heaven loves us all the same. He gives some of us trials we don't think that we can bear, but we can learn from this that if bad things didn't happen we would never know what the good times can be like. In one of my favorite movies, a character asks her husband how God could let bad things happen to good people. His response is that God doesn't stop bad things from happening to us, but that the proof of his love is that he will be there when it does. I love this thought. He will be there for us. I know this for a fact cause he's been there for me so many times.

Another thing I've learned through this journey is that I can do some things I never thought I would be capable of doing. I've grown in a way that is difficult for me to describe. There is a part of me that was not there before this calling. The Lord definitely has helped me to grow.

During my tenure as RS President I know that some of you felt I was not giving you as much attention as I could. For this I am deeply sorry. I hope that you will forgive me for any perceived lack of interest or involvement in your lives. Believe me...it was not my intention and now that that part of my life has come to a conclusion, I hope you will give me the opportunity to be more a part of your lives.

Anyway...that's a short synopsis of my current life and my feelings about being released.

Stay tuned for a little news on our trip to Hawaii. Aloha love to you all and we miss you very much!!!

Time Out for Women

What a wonderful blessing it was to go this last weekend to Southern California with Heidi, Christy and Carol. We had so much fun!!! It made me feel like a teenager again hanging out with my girlfriends. Disneyland was, well... DISNEYLAND!!! I mean, how can it NOT be the best fun for four women together for the day. We thoroughly enjoyed Space Mountain. I had not been on this ride (my favorite) since it was remodeled and reopened some 2 1/2 years ago. It is the best, craziest, most exhilirating ride out there as far as I'm concerned. The pictures taken by their cameras told the tale very well. We laughed and laughed at ourselves. All the rides were fun, especially because we did them all together. The only exception was the Matarhorn. That one is too hard on my back so Heidi and I took a short "sit down". After all that fun we headed for San Diego. The ride was nice with lots of pleasant conversation and laughter. Time Out for Women was totally awesome. What a spiritual feeding that was for me. There were many mothers and daughters there together. They had us all stand up and I swear it was well over half of the audience. That was a beautiful thing to behold. The speakers and music were so great. I'm still floating on a spiritual high.
Last, but by no means least, we had an opportunity to go to the San Diego Temple. What a beautiful and holy place. If you've seen it from the freeway you have a tiny glimpse as to its beauty. Believe me...the inside is so much more beautiful. What a blessing it was to be able to go there.
I send my love and thank you to Heidi and Christy for planning this lovely weekend. Can't wait to do it again.