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Wordless Wednesday with love from Maui

I am back now, but my heart is still in the islands. One look at my brother-in-law’s wedding, and you’ll know why.

Have a great day!

Fridays are Full of Blessings

I can’t believe today is Friday!  I feel bad that I have not been able to check all my favorite blogs in the last week or so, but I’ve had a good reason.  I’ve been on vacation and am currently posting this from Maui.  I promise to catch up with ALL of you when I return…especially you, Terri.  I’ve been praying for you and your dad’s transplant surgery.

 

Blessings for this week?

*That we’ve all stayed healthy and protected on such a long and active trip.  My husband actually took a nasty fall, and may have cracked some ribs…but is doing alright.  We’re blessed it wasn’t any worse.

*I saw my brother in law marry the girl of his dreams yesterday on the beach.  I saw first hand of their sweet love and tender hearted spirit.  This was a huge blessing to be a part of that in such beautful surroundings.

*We had an awesome lunch afterwards at the four seasons hotel, with wedding cake.  And a mongo huge luau last night topped off the day.  It was a huge celebration in all of God’s glorious beauty, in the islands.  Blessings were abound all day yesterday.

*Today I found some sought after treats (mochi, manapua, lychi, and a few other island favorites) and looked for a while till I found them.  That is a small blessing but a significant one as I won’t be able to eat these things again for a looong time.

*A few of my in-law’s friends flew in for the wedding, that I’ve just fallen in love with.  They’re great people and now part of my family.  Opening up your heart to new family is always a plus!

*My son has just blossomed over here.  He’s become Mr. Independant wanting to shower by himself with no aid from me.  He’s been asking for privacy.  I’m praying he’ll continue this trend at home, so I can leave that all to him from now on.  That will be a huge accomplishment for him and me! 

*I’ve gone outside my comfort zone and done some things I wouldn’t normally do here.  Like a helicopter ride with my son.  I normally would be okay taking on that risk solo, but to expose my five year old is a whole different issue.  I prayed over it before committing to it and received peace, which led me to jump aboard.  It was a breath-taking experience until half way through when my 5 year old starting complaining of getting ‘tire swing sick’.  I’m proud of him for sticking it out though.

*Being on the beach at any given moment, with the island breeze at my face and the sun on my shoulders is my biggest blessing this week.  Hearing the ocean roll in and the waves crash down, blesses me knowing God has orchestrated this trip for us…financially and emotionally. 

*Sitting in my home church, on the island of Oahu last Sunday, is a huge blessing.  Sitting there in remembrance of the first time I gave my heart to the Lord, was amazing.  And the fact that my five year old was sitting in the same church, where I was 30 years ago was such a blessing.  I teared up and cried feeling the Holy Spirit working through the children’s choir, and the pastor, who delivered a killer sermon.  It was over walking in the Kingdom versus saying your a Christian.

*Today I went to my favorite surf shop, Local Motion and picked up some things just for me.  I never spend money just on me…today I did.  I know it’s selfish, but I indulged just a little bit.  That was a guilty pleasure and although not a blessings….still a plus for my week.  I got some cool Local Motion gear that I’ll enjoy for a looong time.

I hope you all are doing well this week…especially you Terri.  Love to you all.  I come back Saturday on an overnight trip.  Again, would you please pray for our travels and pray that we all stay healthy.   Thank you!

Aloha and Mahalo!!

A few pics for you

Island hopped on to Maui yesterday.  We hit the pool, that sits in the back yard, with it’s own water fall.  Apparently my brother in law rented this house from a millionare, and it’s the most amazing home I’ve ever been in.  It sits across from where Will Smith used to own a home. 

Today the guys went deep sea fishing and caught nothing but a teensy weensy baby barracuda.  I bet they wish they’d done what the ladies had for their activity…well us ladies, and my five year old son.  We took a helicopter tour of the island & saw about 25 waterfalls.  I thought it was the coolest…much better than fishing…any day!

Island view from our ride today.  It was a calm ride with no bumps…and all beauty.

Pool view from my room, in the guest house.  I can walk out my patio and jump in.  It’s lit up at night, and so inviting!

Back view into the main house.  It’s two story with three levels of patios.  The third on the roof, overlooking the beach.  Except Will Smith’s former home blocks it somewhat…see next pic…

His turquoise roof actually looks great against the almost sunset. 

 

 

 

 

 

 I’ll post more later! For now I’m heading to my dinner with my honey and my son. Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! I’ll keep you posted on any new events!

 

Mahalo for coming!

Blessings for Friday (maybe Saturday)

Okay I’m on Hawaiian time now, so it’s Friday for me but maybe Saturday for some fo you!

I have a great list of thankfuls to the Lord this week.  Blessings to me are not just things to be thankful for but thankful TO God.

First and foremost, a huge blessing in that my son did extremely well in our travels today.  Total of 11-12 hours of flight and layover time, and he was a doll.  He only got grouchy once.  I wish I could say the same thing for my husband!

Second blessing…we upgraded to a convertible car here for next to nothing, and will split a very cheap rental car once we go to Maui on Monday with our inlaws.  This will save us so much money.

Tonight, as we crash at my aunti and unlce’s home on Oahu, I over hear my aunti on the phone calling the whole crew to come over for potluck in celebration of my family’s visit back to the island.  I am blown away at how many people are coming over.  What a great blessing indeed!

Lastly, I got a check from my former employer which was very very unexpected.  So we were able to go on this trip with more peace without the burden we’d have had without it.

Thank you for all of you checking in each day.  If I’m not on here very much in the next 10 days.  Please know I am having a very overdue family vacation and I will post when and if I can.

In a few days…

I will be home…in a few days.
I will feel the island breeze…in a few days.
I will taste my favorite foods…in a few days.
I will see my favorite people from my past…in a few days.

My Aunti and Uncle, although not by blood, by heart are letting my stay with them for the weekend in Kaneohe. They’re throwing me a potluck dinner party for all of my family to come celebrate.

When first moving to Oahu, we were in awe of it’s beauty. We were in awe of it’s weather. We were in awe that we really lived there! I was 5 and life at that age is wonderous any where you live, let alone on a tropical island with mountains at every corner and beaches at every turn.

Living near the ocean is home to me, on so many different levels. Every fiber in my being is pulled to the lull of the waves. To walk the beach, looking for sea shells and chasing hermit crabs, was my ideal day as a child. To find Japanese glass balls floating to the shore, and learn of their origin, was a blessed gift. Digging my toes in the sand, feeling it’s damp heaviness surround my foot right before the sea would rush in and drain the sand away is a sweet memory. Doing cartwheels and leaving hand and footprints down the shore was my signature, leaving my stamp of love for the island I lived on.

I dream of those days most nights. To know I’ve chosen a life away from them is not ideal, but I know I always have a home to come home to in my family away from family, on the island of Oahu. We were the first Hoale family to don the door of the Nazarene Church in Kaneohe, and our O’hana opened their eyes wide and soon their hearts to us.

We learned their dialect, and their culture as if it were our own. I spoke pidgin before I learned proper English. In fact when I moved back stateside, the education board made me take a test before starting school, because they thought I wasn’t smart enough to be in the 4th grade. They assumed my broken dialect was a sign of my intelligence.

I still have that test. It showed my intellectual age being 23, when I was only 10. I blew their tests out of the water. Then they wanted to put me in accelerated classes….I said no thanks. I would do fine in the normal classes with normal kids.

Back on point…I grew to love, breathe, and sleep my island life. Knowing that I will be home in a few days means more to me than anyone could ever know. It will be a short 3 day trip to Oahu, before leaving for Maui for a family wedding. But those short 3 days will be amazing! I will visit the place I went to school, and some of my other favorite spots like here, here, and here.

Sunday, we’ll attend church where I did as a kid. I hope my son and husband can appreciate how unique and special this place is. Not only because of the love for Christ they have in their heart, but also because of where it sits. It’s at the base of a mountain with slat windows, which allow the island breeze to stream through from side to side. You get to see God’s great creation in all it’s beauty, smell the wonderful flowers on the breeze, and worship in His goodness.

Afterwards we’ll go to Pearl Harbor so that my family can visit the Arizona, where I can point out my other house we lived in at the east lock of Pearl Harbor. We lived 20 feet from the Naval Intelligence Building, and it was a house that was pre-WWII, with vegetation that should be in a jungle. I had a closet that overlooked the harbor, with an amazing view.

Needless to say it’s going to be hard to tear myself away from my family and home, but I’ll be going to other family (in-laws) waiting for us on Maui. We’re staying at a beach house a block from the ocean, with the rest of the family to see my brother in law and future sister in law get married. This will be near and dear to my heart as well, knowing we’re making new memories to last a life time not only for me–but my five year old, who will taking it all in with wonder…just as I did 30 years ago.

I wish I could scan some of the old pics of me at 5 to post here, but my scanner is broken. I’ll post some new ones I get from this weeks adventures. Stay tuned!!!

PS….here’s the house in Maui we’ll all stay at:

Just another Manic Day

Saturday was one of the busiest days I think I’ve had since I was in college, when I was rushing from a full day of classes to my part time job. Saturday’s schedule wasn’t just busy, but quite active. Lots of running with no sitting—practically all day.

Starting bright and early I drove out with my son and sister to a race track about an hour away to shoot a couple of kids at their motor cross races.
This was taken while it was raining, so it was a little overcast. For 5 hours I ran from place to place getting the right angles to shoot, for three different kids. Who needs the gym right? It was a mix of showers, with hot sun and humidity that felt about 110 degrees. By the time I was finished, I was muddy, sweaty and in desperate need of a shower.

My son was in awe of all these kids, and their bikes. It was so cute to watch him take it all in.

Afterwards we drove the hour back home, stopped briefly to get a present, and kept on moving 45 minutes in another direction for a birthday party. It was a full day of driving to say the least. The party was held at one of those outdoor race tracks, with indoor arcade games. I think we had our share of racing for the day too!

Since we got to the party a little late…like an hours worth, we missed the cake and presents, but still had time to jump in a race car on their little track.

My anxious five year old strapped in tight next to me, because he knew I’d take the turns tight. I drove like a bat out of ‘you know where’ for the second time that day. I love racing and it was fun to go as fast as I could, while still maintaining a safe drive. After all my son was with me. He was screaming, “Whoo Hoooo Mommy!” the whole time. I think I actually beat my husband’s record.

We spent an hour there… mostly indoors, playing the arcade games, to beat the heat. My son is an amazingly lucky little dude who always gets tickets streaming out of every game he plays. In one hour he racked up 170 tickets, which was enough to bring home 5 toys.

Then we drove home so that I could get ready for my future sister in law’s bachelorette party, which I was already behind the curve ball on. I’d been planning it for weeks and was not going to let myself stop even for a minute to rest. All I had time for was a quick shower, and makeup and hair. Was I ready to sit, eat, and have a relaxing evening or what?

We started out at The Mantle, on the patio, for appetizers. The only down side was the very very loud speakers, which was blaring folk music. From there we went to two other places for a night full of fun and dancing.

I invited my token platonic guy, Walter, who’s been a friend for close to 15 years, to keep an eye on all us ladies. I always have a standby guy at bachelorette parties, just incase it’s needed.

Plus that way we all have a platonic, never gonna think of anything more than friends, dance partner for the night. Walter was like a bouncer, baby-sitter, dancing dude all rolled into one. Who wouldn’t love that?

PLUS he’s about 7 foot tall, so no one would mess with him. Did I mention he’s usually the life of any party too? It was a great bonus. Not too long into the evening, my Cousin, Ross, also stopped by. So we had two male body guards…it was great!

I think Mindy, my future sis, had a great time and I am so happy to be welcoming her into the family! It was a huge blessing to have my own sister, my future sister in law, my mother in law, and some of our friends and extended family join us out. We had the best time. Some of us had too much fun! 🙂

My sister and I designed T-shirts for the night, which were a hit. I will post a picture of them later. They were very cute and we all got comments on them all night. Now that’s it’s Monday, I’m ready for the weekend. I leave for their wedding, in Maui, in 4 days!

Ahhhh! Now I have to get crazy busy packing and preparing for a fun filled trip! I’ll keep you updated while I’m there!

Faithful Fridays Week 2

So far my biggest blessing is how many of you are participating. Thank you for taking my challenge on!

This week has been one with ups and downs. If you read my wornoutwoman site than you know the anxiety I’ve held.

**Through prayer I came to a conclusion with leaves me with no income at the moment other than the leap of faith I’ve taken to start my own business. God is blessing me daily though in bringing me contacts for future photoshoots. All I can say is the fall will be very busy!

**Yesterday was a huge blessing. My first day, without a j-o-b, held some quality time with my mom and son. We ran errands and had lunch together…just the three of us. I NEVER get to do this without feeling like I’m on a time crunch due to my phone ringing for work. I had no interruptions yesterday and it was such a blessing for us all to have a laid back…peaceful day! (with the exception fo the below incident)

**My son had a meltdown in Target at the end of our afternoon, yesterday. I know it was because he was tired and had a long day, but man was it a doozy! He flipped out because I wouldn’t buy him any toys, and started screaming at me. He said some pretty hateful things which leaves no choice but to discipline right in the middle of the store.

You should have seen some of the hateful looks I got from nearby shoppers. The blessing in that? I grounded him from the Wii for one full week, and he got the concept. After a little smack on the hiney and a talk…he understood he couldn’t play Wii for 7 full days and stopped. I think that’s a pretty big concept to grasp for a 5 year old! So far he’s not even asking for the game. He’s only said, “How many more days left momma? Can you point to the day I can play on the calendar?”

**The second blessing in that is that we had a serious heart to heart after he was through with his time out. And I hope it’s one that will make him think twice about saying hurtful words in anger, as that’s not how we handle things in our home.

**My Lord kept me safe this past week during some visits to some very unsavory places. There wasn’t immediate danger, but the locations where I had to go were not what you would call safe at all. I thank God for His traveling mercies and His protection.

**My husband came home late and a little under pressure from a project he’s working on. The blessing is that it’s not an 1/8 of the stress he was under at his last place of work. What a huge relief knowing that his stress will never be unbearable. We’re blessed that he’s in the perfect place.

**I have an opportunity to take pictures of some cowboys and their horses during a Cutting training. A friend, who does this sport, invited me out so that I can shoot them all (with a camera). These men and women eat, sleep, and breathe this so to have their pictures taken will be money. Since I need that desperately…I’m thankful. My son and husband will get the opportunity to watch them in their glory…and I think they’ll have a great time as well.

**Having faith that God will bless my talents and strengths is a huge blessing. I’m in the midst of some real uncertainty in my life professionally speaking. I left a some what stable sales career, and walked out to nothing. Most would call that stupid. I’m being faithful. I’m going to look for something small to do, a part time job, on the side to give us some help…but I have FAITH that God will bless my efforts.

Blessings are everywhere if you just look for them! I look forward to reading about yours!!! Click here to join this contest!

Awesome Favorites

From time to time I list a few of my favorite things here. I haven’t done it in a while, and when Yvette at Fresh Wind Ministries awarded me with this lovely blog bling, I thought it was time to do it again.

Yvette is one that is very in tune with her path when it comes to God’s will for her. She’s a heartfelt writer, so it is an honor that she bestowed this upon me. Please take time to stop by her site.

To forward this on to a few of my favorites, although I have many. I could only choose a few. In no particular order…here goes:

* Joe, at Joeprah. An awesome blogger, who gives daily advice on everything from parenting to blogging tips. His humor keeps it fresh, and his creativeness will keep you coming back.

* Tara, atIf Mom says OK, is always a great bet. Each time I click to her site, I always find something of interest from family, to pets, to interesting tid bits about herself. Not to mention she and I have both have a chocolate lab, named Hershey! Gotta love a girl who loves her dogs and gives them cool names. It’s her blog-anniversary, so stop by and congratulate her.

* Total Transformation is another favorite place because he is just so darned like-able. He’s always striving for better health, physical and otherwise, and challenges his readers to do the same. I love reading his blog for that alone, but know he’s also blogging about his journey on the road to adoption. Not to mention his FAT Fat Tuesday Funny Acronym Tuesdays.

And a few of my own personal favorite things: Yay! I love this part!

My favorite tank, shown here, that I got in Laguna Beach. The straps are just a little too long for me, so I layer it with my other favorite white tank, and the look is so comfy and cool. Plus it has a dolphin on it, in my favorite color, purple! Yup, this is a must for my summer wardrobe along with my favorite jeans, from the Buckle.

Let me tell you that the BKE jeans, at the Buckle, are the bomb. For anyone like me who is thin, long legged, and small waisted…they fit like a dream. Most jeans bell out at the waist and never fit comfortably. These hug in the right places, with out suffocation. They also are low rise without showing butt crack or front crack.

They make me feel very sexy, while still giving me the option to class them up with any top of my choice. They’re the perfect dress me up or down item.

Another new favorite?? You all know I’m not a huge drinker. I’ve had my past where I did partake quite heavily, but when I returned to the Lord and His will for my life, heavy drinking wasn’t part of it.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with a margarita with dinner from time to time. I used to never be a wine fan, until I found this lablel: Tidal School Vineyards. I’ve not sampled all of their wines, as I’m again not a drinker. But one wine I recently sampled at a tasting, through a work event, stood out and I’m a fan

It’s their Rasperry White Zin and it’s slightly sweet without being too sweet. It’s smooth and goes down easy. It’s one that I could easily like too much, which is why I will limit myself to two glasses if I ever have an occasion to have a drink again.

My last favorite to list?

My favorite writer, Ted Dekker. He’s like James Patterson and Frank Peretti(two of my other favorites) rolled into one times 100!

He’s inventive and a extremely intelligent writer, while showing the world that Christian writers can have the most amazing talent out there. He takes stories from the Bible and modernizes them, while throwing his amazing imagination in with a twist.

His books go past the classic good versus evil, as translates them into the spiritual side of things … writing with a Christian heart. I first read Black, Red, and White, his trilogy and was immediately hooked. I just picked another, When Heaven Weeps, from our church’s library and am so engrossed in it. I highly recommend him to any and all that are looking for something to blow them away.

I hope you all have a great day and are working on your gratitude journals for tomorrow’s contest. Remember Faithful Friday’s contest will end up in presenting the winner with an autographed copy of my book, when it releases. I know some of you that said you were going to do this, haven’t linked to my site when you posted last week. Make sure you link to me, so I know you’re participating. Otherwise I may not see that you’re taking part in the contest. If you need help figuring out how to do that let me know.

See how Leblanc linked to me in his second paragraph? He posted the button, but also linked to me. This will be the only way I have track of you, so remember to do so. If you need a refresher on the contest rules, go here!

Wordless Wednesday