Down Under...

Since I began writing my post a few days ago you'll find the Hawaii post down under this....mahalo! :-)

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Okay, so after I spent time on writing my first installment about my trip, Blogger is acting up and won't let me post those pictures. SO, "just keep swimming" (or, rather, just keep waiting), and hopefully something will be up soon!

Aloha!

So, I am now getting over here to give you a small glimpse of my trip to Hawaii! It would take me forever to write about my trip with all the details, but I will highlight things we experienced, trying to do it in stages (so that I won't be overwhelmed!). And, seeing as how I took more pictures than I've ever taken in my LIFE...I'm going to be a little picky; it would just take too much time to post even half (yes, there are over 1000 pictures!!) of the shots I took. So, hopefully this will open up a tourist's view of the exotic Big Island of Hawaii.

But first, I would like to give you a little background as to how all this happened. I never, ever guessed that I would be flying over the Pacific Ocean, tasting fresh coconut, or walking on lava rock one year ago from today! Believe it or not, the planning of this trip occurred 4 days before our plane took off!! (Slightly crazy, yes.) While my friend Stephanie and I were talking at a friend's bonfire she mentioned the idea of going on a trip...and going to Hawaii. (Lacey's thoughts, "Wow, of course, but could this be possible? I hope so!") So, after I got home I disussed it with my parents......and it seemed like a possibility. The next morning we were online looking at ticket prices and dates. The result? A flight booked for the Big Island of Hawaii! (Wild!) An interesting sidenote here. Earlier this year I really wanted to see the ocean -- more than usual. I talked to my family about going, but we just never got around to it. After the summer & fall months passed I didn't really consider it as an option. However, in a little over 24 hours of broaching the subject my wish was starting to become a reality! And Hawaii of all places for it to come true!!

Really, the only reason Hawaii was a thought for us was because some of Steph's relatives are living over there for a short time due to her uncle's work. It was an unsual opportunity. The R's lovingly opened up their home and welcomed us to stay with them while we were there.

As the day rolled around for our the beginning of our trip, we found ourselves anticipating our big adventure. Personally, I've never traveled overseas in my life. (Thankfully, it really didn't bother me when were flying.) We had a couple layovers, one in Denver and one in Honolulu before we made our final destination. We flew in a huge airplane, met some new people, and remained in the air for 7 hours over the ocean.

Excitedly, the next place where our feet touched solid ground was in the Honolulu airport!! It was awesome! The weather was great, the birds were singing and we were welcomed with palm trees, flowers and mountains when we walked outside. We waited a little bit for our shuttle to take us to the other part of the airport where we would seperately catch our island hoppers. We both killed a little time in our different terminals and waited for the last leg of the journey. Soon, we boarded the plane that offered us Macademia nuts. (I'm not necessarily a big fan of Macademia's, but since it's kinda a big part of Hawaii, I thought I would throw it in there!) By this time, it was past 8:00 in Hawaii, and as I flew over Hilo, I got to watch night clouds that were illuminated by the moonlight float by while listening to some beaufitul music playing on my MP3. (Yes, I can be a romantic.)

Finally, after over 10 hours of traveling we were greeted with lei's from the R family!! After they picked us up from the airport (and gave us some supper), we headed over to Coconut Island where Steph & I had our first encounter with the Pacific Ocean!!!!!!! It was a beautiful night! The temperature, the mist hanging in the air over Mauna Kea with little sparkles of light here and there from the locals' homes was a pretty sight.
Soon after we arrived at the R's home, Rochelle (Steph's aunt), gave us a little warning: black centipedes. I guess since everything grows at least 5 times bigger over there it would make sense for the wild life to grow that big too, huh? Rochelle told us about these aggressive 'little' bugs that can cause serious damage if they bite you; so, as a precaution, she told us not to keep our clothes on the floor and to always check under our covers when we went to bed. (EEEK!!) Fortunately we never encountered one of these little guys, and the only other roomy we had join us one morning was a lizard. ;-)

So, I guess that's part 1 of my trip! I didn't really plan on writing that much, but once I started I guess I didn't stop! Hope you enjoyed this installment about our first encounters during our trip.

Two excited travelers on the plane to Honolulu

Aerial view of Hawaiian clouds ;-)
HONOLULU!!!!

Yep, pretty quiet

Our leis

Rochelle - our hostess!

2011: A New Year

New Year

Streams in the Desert

"The land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" (Deut. 11:11-12).

Today dear friends, we stand upon the verge of the unknown. There lies before us the new year and we are going forth to possess it. Who can tell what we shall find? What new experiences, what changes shall come, what new needs shall arise? But here is the cheering, comforting, gladdening message from our Heavenly Father, "The Lord thy God careth for it." "His eyes are upon it away to the ending of the year."

All our supply is to come from the Lord. Here are springs that shall never dry; here are fountains and streams that shall never be cut off. Here, anxious one, is the gracious pledge of the Heavenly Father. If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, "the streams whereof make glad the city of God."

The land is a land of hills and valleys. It is not all smooth nor all down hill. If life were all one dead level the dull sameness would oppress us; we want the hills and the valleys. The hills collect the rain for a hundred fruitful valleys. Ah, so it is with us! It is the hill difficulty that drives us to the throne of grace and brings down the shower of blessing; the hills, the bleak hills of life that we wonder at and perhaps grumble at, bring down the showers. How many have perished in the wilderness, buried under its golden sands, who would have lived and thriven in the hill-country; how many would have been killed by the frost, blighted with winds, swept desolate of tree and fruit but for the hill-stern, hard, rugged, so steep to climb. God's hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!

We cannot tell what loss and sorrow and trial are doing. Trust only. The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today. It shall be a good, a blessed new year!

He leads us on by paths we did not know;

Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,

Though oft we faint and falter on the way,

Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;

Yet when the clouds are gone,

We know He leads us on.

He leads us on through all the unquiet years;

Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,

He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze

Of losses, sorrows, and o'erclouded days;

We know His will is done;

And still He leads us on.

--N.L. Zinzendorf

Guess

Can you guess where I went? You have two days to guess. For those who get it right, I'll highlight your name in big, bold letters on my blog! (I know, not the gift you were wanting...) Also, I have to say that this honor excludes those who already know! (Sorry guys, but we have to be fair!) ;-)

We Need A Little Christmas Right This Very Minute!

Yes, yes, yes...WAAAAYY over due on a post!! But, trust me, I have much to post about. First, my unexpected trip to someplace you'd never expect, and then about my new job!! But, you'll just have to wait until I can compile everything in the proper way. So, hopefully by the weekend my first post in the series will be up.

In case you haven't noticed, Christmas time is here. Amazingly enough, I haven't changed my background in a couple of months. So, not only will this place get new posts, it's also going to get a major makeover now that the Christmas season is upon us. As Linus would say, "all it needs is a little love". ;-)

Stay tuned!

Highlights From My Trip

I started thinking about all of the experiences I've had during this trip to Indiana and decided that I would share some of them with you in this post. (Wow, long sentence!)

First, Dad & I began our journey on the 28th of September. At one of our stops Dad got a bag of pork rinds, (I've still refused to try those things!), while I ate some of my sugar-free chocolates. When we pulled over for some petro Dad got out his laptop for me so that I could watch a movie on. SO, while the two of us traveled down the Interstate we enjoyed "Our Mutual Friend". (Yes, we LOVE long movies!) Kinda interesting doing it that way, but hey -- it works! (And it was fun...although, I'm sure many of the truckers could see the screen quite nicely, too.)

The next evening, Dad & I spent some time with my great aunt, Mabel. She lives in a retirement community and invited us to have dinner with her down in the restaurant. Afterwards, she took us up to her apartment and gave us a tour. It was there that I learned a few interesting things, (as well as being reminded, again!). First, at one corner of her bedroom a bookcase stood with an American flag folded up and encased in a wooden box. My great uncle Maurice was a World War 2 vet, and was stationed in Italy for three years. He would have fit in well over there since he had lots of black hair. :-) Also, above their wedding picture (which I captured on my phone), was a certificate acknowledging their marriage of over 60 years! Unfortunately, Maurice passed away before they were able to celebrate 64 years of marriage.

The day came for my grandma's surgery which was being performed in Indianapolis. The three of us made our way up there, followed by my uncle, grandma's pastor & some friends.

Over the weekend my Dad & I went to see an IU football game. For those of you who follow them...they were playing Michigan. (I hear it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a Hoosier!) ;-) The game was a sell-out! I guess they haven't beat Michigan in like 27 years -- so it would have been history made if they would've won! :-)

Sunday night Grandma got to come home but, unfortunately, didn't feel good that entire week. Her body was just slow to wake up from the surgery. So, Dad & I decided to stay for a bit longer. On Thursday of last week, Dad went ahead and drove home, and I stayed there; we had discussed the possibility of this at the beginning so it wasn't a surprise to me. Anyways, I won't go into all of the details, but we did end up re-admitting Grandma back into the hospital to help with some of her issues. She was in there for a couple days but got to go back home on Wednesday.

I found a $1 dollar bill in the garage elevator at the hospital! I never find that much money anywhere! Reminds me of the time when my oldest brother found a $100 bill while attending a seminar...yeah, lucky. ;-)

A week ago this past Friday, I only got about an hour and half's worth of sleep before I had to get up and get ready for my journey home. For some reason, I just couldn't fall asleep that night! I was planning on getting up at 4 o' clock that morning, but actually awoke around 3:30...meaning I fell asleep about 2....sad, sad, sad. ;-)

I think those are some of the most interesting highlights of my trip! Like I said, no pictures (sadly), but definitely moments worth writing about. Hope you enjoyed my trip! :-)

Letter to Home

Hey Everyone!

I've been a little neglectful lately with my blog over the last month or so. Sometimes it's hard to figure out something to post, but I thought I would take a stab at it today, although it may just be a small one.

Over the last week & a half I've been making Indiana my 'home'. My grandma was undergoing surgery so my dad & I decided to make a trip out here to be with her during that time. Her surgery did go well and everything, however her recovery has been a slow process. Grandma's body is just not "waking up" very fast. Today it seems as though she's feeling better, so that's good. So, I'm still here and helping out when I can. My time has been productive, though! I took a few books with me, plus my music theory and have been able to knock out the rest of my book and even spend some time studying. Plus, she has a keyboard that I'm able to play. Yay! The weather is beautiful here, today, and the fall foliage has been quite pretty. (Fall time in Indiana is beautiful!) Grandma & I had to go to the hospital yesterday morning, and the drive through the trees was quite enjoyable!

I don't know what else to write at this point, so I'll just leave it at that!

(And no, I won't have any pictures to post of this trip...didn't bring a camera!) :-(

Family Time

Here are some recent snapshots that Abby from AbbyNoellePhotography took of my brother, Griff, sister-in-law, Bek, and niece, Chloe. It's interesting to look at pictures of Chloe last year and compare her pictures to more recent shots -- she's growing up! But, we're all lovin' it! It's fun to hear her "words", and she's toddling around everywhere.

Awwww!

Incredible Thought

"God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people,

Nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory.

He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are

inextricably bound together."

~Jerry Bridges~

Trusting God

This, That, and the Other

So I’ve delayed long enough, time for some one-on-one chatting!

Since I alluded to some busyness, I’ll try to do my best at relaying personal happenings. :-)

As you already know, Abby graduated in May. In general, I think May marks the season of many graduations, and this year was no exception! I don’t believe we’ve known more people graduating than this year…at least 10. (You’re probably thinking that’s quite small…for us…it just isn’t!) So, that filled some of our days.

Also in May, my grandma M. came for an extended visit. She was able to see where we live, visit with her great-granddaughter, spend time with us, and also be here for Abby’s graduation. Not only that, but at the end of May, Ab & I attended our church’s young adult retreat at a local State Park. We enjoyed camping, eating around the campfire, coming together for 4 different sessions (the topic for the retreat was “The Names of Christ”), volleyball, and….the Tri-Fecta challenge. Having never heard of it before either, I’ll explain.

There are three phases to this challenge. Since we were already divided into multiple teams for the weekend, each team had to complete a certain phase. The first phase was: build your own raft -- only using the materials given, or off the land, which included 6 trash bags, 50+ balloons, and…duct tape. Mhm, yes, duct tape. So, our teams had a half an hour to work on their raft. We were blowing, taping, and collaborating about the third part of the challenge.
Second phase: race your raft against another team. (Yes, it had to be float-worthy!!) One of the leaders went out several yards from the shore and buoyed a beach ball in the lake. The rules of the race: two people from your team must be on the raft (this I wasn’t so sure about since I was one of the two on the boat…I was afraid embarrassment would call my name!); one of the team members had to take a Gnome from our YAC leader’s hand, which already had a sponge inside it, and we had to safely take it across the lake and back -- trying not to let it fall into the water or get wet, otherwise there would be a points deduction.
Well, the race began! After having the privilege of watching a couple of the teams race, team Emmanuel geared up for the challenge. I went ahead and sat on the front part of the raft, while my friend, Allison, retrieved our Gnome and got into position as the other paddler. With two pieces of wood trim, we paddled our way across the lake -- with hopes of not sinking! Happily, we made it to the buoy and back with no mad underwater accidents. Sadly, we lost that round to the other team.
After we all enjoyed watching & rooting the other teams on, everyone headed back to the campsite for the third part of the challenge: a skit. The rules of the game were that you had to be on marooned on an island, and use two prize words. I won’t take the time to explain everyone’s skit, but they were definitely enjoyable! Afterwards, everyone voted for their favorite skit.

The winning skit!

A fun weekend was had by all!

June came bustling all over and we still kept busy with things. One of which was the annual home school conference we attend. Although we do make it to the local exhibit, we also enjoy taking a jot over to St. Louis for their conference. The speakers are great! We enjoyed listening to Ken Ham, Kevin Swanson, and Paul Jehle; also in attendance were Marshall Foster & Woody Robertson. It was good to see our friends over there as well! That’s usually the only time we get to see them.

Also, we experienced a sad moment in June. My grandpa (whom we lovingly called "Poppy", my mom's dad) passed away at the age of 81. His health had slowly gotten worse over the previous 8 months, so it wasn't a complete shock. It's never easy, though. We miss him!

Over the 4th of July we had a family of friends over to celebrate. We shot off fireworks, ate a lot of food, played Round Robin at the ping-pong table, enjoyed homemade banana ice cream, and to top it all off…played in the downpour! Yep, our 4th was a rain-soaking event during the night hours. But, did that stop us? No! Me and a friend actually had a Roman candle war, and the others lit their fireworks as well! Not only that, but all of us young people decided to be a little crazy and…run out into the rain and get drenched! Needless to say we were totally soaked!! But, I’m glad we did it, good memories.

Now for the biggest news. We've moved! We tried hard to find a home in the country, but nothing was coming through for us on that end. However, the home we did find is located in a quiet, older neighborhood with lots of trees, and privacy. We officially moved in about three weeks ago, with the big help of some good friends. We are so grateful to those who were able to come pick up furniture (piano and all), boxes and all of our ‘treasures’ -- we couldn’t have done it without you!

Ab & I also had the privilege of helping out with our church’s VBS this year -- a first for both of us. I was in charge of the 5th graders -- it was so good to meet them! I must confess that I was starting to freak out the night before the first day, but everything turned out okay.

Last week both my sisters attended Jr. Camp. Ab helped and Molly was a camper. They both really enjoyed it! That's the first time either one of them had been away for that period of time. Thursday evening the camp hosted a Family Night for all the families of the campers, counselors, and staffers. It was awesome to hear the team's cheers back and forth!! Ohh...I loved it! We also got to watch the skit that they perform every year -- it was great! By the end of the week, we had two, blue face painted girls who were very tired. But, they loved it!

Shwew! I hope that doesn’t wear you out! That’s the trouble with dragging your feet, everyone else gets the dust!

I’m sure many of you are busy this summer, too! Drop me a note sometime to let me know what you’ve been doing…

Happy Summer!

All the Way

All the way my Savior leads me,

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread,

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter

And my soul athirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see;

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Oh, the fullness of His love!

Perfect rest to me is promised

In my Father’s house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal,

Wings its flight to realms of day

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the way;

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the way.

~Fanny Crosby

Summer goin' by too fast?

Busy?

Hmmmm....I think! Yes, life has been VERY busy around here! Okay, maybe not so busy as the lady above...but trust me, life has been full.

I'll try to post more sometime and give you the latest and greatest, but for now I just thought I'd pop over to say a few words.

My, my, my....

So, I should probably get another post in here before the month's over...one just doesn't seem to cut it in the blogging world! However, you can tell I've changed my background (so out-of-the-norm for me, right?!). I think Blogger made a great move when they decided to offer more background designs, as well as the freedom to personalize it more. Although the scene I've chosen doesn't exactly scream "cute"...it does say summer!

I know I've promised you pictures of past events, so I'm going to give you a small glimpse into the evening of Abby's high school graduation. She had the special opportunity to give one of the two senior addresses. Ab did a great job and didn't even really say, "um". She praises the Lord for all He did and how He helped her with the speech.

The Graduate with her proud parents

Little Chloe girl and Aunt Ab

Delivering the speech

So, how has your summer been? This upcoming month is going to be crazy!! So, in the meantime while you wait for my next post, would you mind sharing what some of your most favorite things are about summer??

More to come!

Boy, do I have a bunch of pictures to post! From Abby's graduation to recent shots of Chloe...just keep your eyes peeled!

Of rice and cell phones...

Yep...you girls got it right -- my phone got wet! We had been playing ultimate frisbee in the rain one evening and my phone was affected by it. (It was even in a plastic bag!!)

I had never heard of this miracle cure for cell phones beore, but can say that it works! So, the next time your phone falls in the ocean, lake or sink...take the battery out and put both the phone and battery in a bunch of dry rice. You'll save money! :-)

???

Can anyone guess why in the world I have my cell in a cup of dry rice???

A Blast From the Past

For some reason today I decided to scoot my “treasure chest” out from my closet and scour through my old mementos. (Umm, I have to interject something here, though…I’ve come to realize that some of them could hardly be labeled as “momentous”!)

Amid my humble cache...

~ A Teddy Town bear couple figurine -- broken and patiently awaiting a good fix with glue
~ One of those flyer pins my dad gave to me from one of his flights (no he's not a pilot, he just went on a trip!)
~ A bunch of letters, old invitations, and graduation cards
~ A Precious Moment figurine
~ A before and after picture from the Orthodontist…those teeth were not a pretty sight!

Still, there were a few items that I thought I would highlight and share with you all.

Throughout my life, my parents encouraged me to keep a journal. I was faithful with it until about five or so years ago and then moved away from it almost altogether. (I try to pick up where I left off…but it is rather tiring to catch up on 6 months of news!) While skimming through them, I was intrigued by the things that I chose to write about: friends I happened to talk to at church that day, birthday presents I got and what store I was going to visit. Wow. At least no one can accuse me of not journaling!!

The second thing I thought I would share with you involves two flower bouquets from past birthdays. For my Sweet 16th birthday, my parents bought me a bouquet of light colored sweetheart roses. I’ve considered placing them somewhere in my room for decorational purposes. We’ll see! The other bouquet I pulled out of my treasure trove was from my 18th birthday. (I actually have a blurry but informative picture.) For that birthday my family took me to Bravo’s Italian Cucina (beautiful place by the way), and my brother gave me two tickets to see Andre Rieu in concert.

Then...

Now

Last but not least, I have something for all my former (and present) American Girl buffs out there! I don’t know what you were like when you were 10, but for me and one of my other friends -- we LOVED American Girls stuff! I looked through their magazines, cut & pasted the dolls in the magazine onto colored paper, played with my actual dolls (Samantha, Kirsten, and Addy), and succeeded in pulling out Kirsten’s braids and tangling her hair into a complete frizzy mess!! So, what do I have to offer my fellow AG fans? PAPER DOLLS!! Yes, a very old set of Samantha paper dolls & clothes!! I had completely forgotten about them until I found my folder today!

Hope you enjoyed some of my paraphernalia! :-)