Where Did 2010 Go?

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the year.  I can't believe that I fully intended to post pictures on my blog from Hawaii every day we were there, but somehow only found time to post four times.  Out of 13 days.  Pretty lame!  Here's a beautiful Hawaiian sunset picture to cheer me (and you) up:

It's amazing to me how fast time seems to fly as I get older.  Maybe it's just that technology makes everything happen so quick that it just seems like time is flying faster to me?  I suppose it's a possibility.  

Here is a list of some of the goals I'd like to accomplish in 2011:

• Memorize two scriptures per month with the Siesta's on Beth Moore's blog.  
• Spend more time reading the Bible.
• Be a better representative of Christ.    
• Learn to play the keyboard or piano.
• Find a cure for my tone deafness.
• Finally, get my home office organized and become paperless!
• Learn how to use a Mac operating system.
• Buy a Mac computer.
• Be successful enough in the joint-venture my husband and I have started to allow him to retire from working in our shop!  

These, are not, by the way, resolutions!  I haven't done resolutions in more years than I can remember because they always seemed to be forgotten by week 2 of the new year!

In actuality, I'm not sure how many of the above goals are realistic for me to achieve, but I know that with God, all things are possible!  As a matter of fact, I think I will get an early jump on my scripture memorization and make Matthew 19:26 the first verse!  

That reminds me, I plan on doing a spiral notebook with my memory verses like Beth Moore suggests, but with a twist.  I am going to print my verses out (in a large font) that I will stick under my iPhone cover so I can read my verse every time I use my phone!  

See?

Then when it's time for a new verse, I will simply paste the newly memorized (printed) one in my memory book next to the one I have handwritten!  (I'll post a picture of that later, when I have actually done it!)

By the way, did anybody feel like Beth Moore was talking directly to them when she made her encouragement post regarding people who feel like they are incapable of memorizing scripture?  I sure did.  It will be interesting to see the evidence of God's faithfulness in my life this year as we embark on this endeavor, that's for sure.  To say that I have struggled in this area is an understatement.  I can usually remember most of the words of any given verse, but couldn't tell you where in the Bible to find it!  (Not very good for somebody who gives Bibles away!)  

In fact, it was precisely that post by Beth that gave me the just the nudge I needed to commit to doing this!  Wow.  Thank you, Beth Moore!

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT?

The more I think about my recent experience with TSA in the Honolulu Airport, the more I become convinced that anyone wishing to travel in this country has been deemed guilty until proven innocent by the TSA and our lawmakers. 

I can't conceive of the reason for the violation of my person by the TSA agents who selected me for the x-ray machine, (which I politely declined), who tried to intimidate me into doing the scanner, and who ulitmately delivered the most personal assault I have ever experienced in my 37 years of life.  It was an assault on my integrity, largely insulting, hugely intimidating and has left me quite traumatized.  

I think most certainly there is an abuse of power and position going on.  How did American citizens lose the ability to move around the country freely without being subject to invasive body searches by authorities? 

Can't we find a better way to handle air safety without humiliating every American, espcially children, the handicapped and the elderly?  I'm sure air security could be handled in a way that would cost less and in a more secure way (and with less bodily invasion) than what we are currently doing.  

I think that it is time to seriously consider firing all incumbents in D.C..  Will we stop this madness?  Can we stop this madness?  What do you think?  What have your TSA experiences been like?  How do you feel about this subject?  Please leave a comment if you have any ideas or stories to share.  Thanks!

Some Lessons I Learned On My Vacation To Hawaii........

1.) It is better not to lose your Driver's License between your departure airport and your arrival airport. (Oops.)

2.) Car rental companies do not rent cars to people without their Driver's License.  (Ok, I knew that lesson already, but I had a refresher course in Honolulu!)

3.) It's a huge relief when you find your lost Driver's License when you get to the hotel and desperately go through every inch of your luggage.  Yay!

Giant Cockroach - seriously.  It was at least 3 inches long, not including the antennae.  And they fly. Yuck.


4.)  Cockroaches prefer chocolate chip cookies to banana bread. 

5.)  Cockroaches eat holes in paper towels that have chocolate chip cookies on them.

6.)  It's easier to wait until it's dark outside to postively determine if your car is infested with cockroaches.
 

 How do I know this?

 I know this because our first rental car on the Big Island was apparently infested with a smaller variety of cockroach than the giant one pictured above (which, incidentally, was photographed at the exclusive Mauna Kea Beach Hotel).  I mean, really, really infested.  Thankfully, the car rental company happily exchanged the car for us when my husband went back.  (Thank you Honey!) 
 I digress...

8.) I do not care for the new TSA pat-down procedure, which I am now *unfortunately* intimately familiar with.   Even if I wanted to describe on my blog exactly how intrusive this procedure was, I couldn't do it because it is too vulgar.  The part that was most disturbing to me?  That I was forced to be separated from my husband against my will.  I could see him, but he was at least 20 or 30 feet away from me, separated by officials and equipment.  We were on our way home, for crying out loud.  Is this even my country anymore?  May God have mercy on us all.


9.)  I am blessed to have the best husband in the world! (Thank You, Lord Jesus)


10.)I had a good time on vacation, but there truly is no place like home.  

(i-phone pic from my truck)

....Even if it is only 1 degree outside!

Home of The Glorious Gecko, Indeed

We are blessed to have stayed at the Hale Kei Ka'ala

(Home of the Glorious Gecko).

Isn't this home beautiful?  The owners really have thought of everything here. 

 The local residents have been keeping us entertained!

We are thankful for an awesome vacation so far!

But, we will miss this when we leave!!!!

Aloha,

SO THANKFUL.....

1 Corinthians 12-13

12 Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Thank you, God, for giving me my wonderful, amazing, loving, forgiving, incredible husband.  Thank you Jesus Christ for providing for our needs, and continuing to bless us beyond anything we can imagine. 

  There is none like you Lord.  We know that we fall short of Your glory and we could never do anything in our flesh to be worthy of You, but as our friend, Frank Hobbs, always says,

 "You never were worthy." 

Thank you, Jesus for sacrificing your life to redeem our eternal souls.  Thank you that it is as simple as confessing with our tongues that You are our Lord and Savior.

Today is our 5 year wedding anniversary.  I have never been more blessed in my life. 

Today, we are both especially thankful to be in this place in our lives where God has placed us.  It may not be a perfect or easy life, but as we know from our experiences of living in this world, it's far better to be in this life with Him than without Him.

Honey, I want you to know how special you are to me.  Thank you for all of the little things you do.  And the big things, too!!!  And for always helping me when I need it (which seems like always)!!   I love you with my whole heart and I always will. 
Happy Anniversary!

Love,

Getting Used to Life in the Islands....

It's....

pretty......

 rough.....

 here. 

New Pictures Posted on My Photography Page

I posted some new pics to my photography page (on the top right hand side of my blog under the "home" link).  Check them out!  Hopefully, I will have some awesome Hawaii photos to share soon, too!  My memory card reader does not appear to be working right now, so I believe it may be a conspiracy to make me focus on my vacation and not on blogging!

Aloha!

I'm Sure You Have Probably Seen This....

If you're a mom (or not!) and you haven't heard Anita Renfroe's summary of everything a mom says in 24 hours set to the tune of the William Tell Overture, you have to watch this video!  It is hilarious!

I just love that!  She nailed right on the head!  It always make me laugh!  Aloha

NO! NO! NO! THIS IS JUST WRONG!!!!

Today is November-the-8th.  The 8th of November.  11-08-2010.  The 8th of NOVEMBER!! 

This is what was in my grocery store tonight:

iPhone picture!

Are you kidding me?  Marketing Christmas already?  Please don't get me wrong, I love celebrating our Savior's birth.  But this?  This is too sudden for me.  What do you think? 

Snow, Snow Go Away....

I think know I'm in denial that winter is here.  I (still) am not ready.  And I realize that my elementary anti-snow chant won't work....but I know what will:

Hawaii for 2 weeks!  Yay.  It's getting closer. 

We will gladly trade this

for this  

And we will, very soon!

On a more serious note, my dear husband had to have oral surgery today.  He went in for a tooth-ache and the dentist ended up pulling a wisdom tooth that had four roots, in addition, the roots were wrapped around the jaw bone.  Yuck and ouch.  He is doing good right now and I praise Jesus Christ.  We would appreciate your prayers for a fast recovery and healing.  Thank you!    

Aloha, 

VIVA LAS VEGAS! And an assortment of other happenings!

Gotta whole lot of money that's ready to....uhh...oh wait, that's Elvis, not me! 

Las Vegas was awesome.  We had a fabulous, fruitful, informative, fun and blessed trip!  Thank you, Jesus!  We couldn't have asked for more. 

We joined our friends, Jim, and his wife, Yvonne.  We stayed at the prestigious JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Summerlin*, which is where our convention was also held.  The JW Marriott is a premier first class resort that surpassed all of our expectations. 

A big thank you to the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa Marketing & PR Coordinator, Therese, for providing me with those great photos!
THANK YOU THERESE!

We were so busy that I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would have liked.  We didn't even leave the resort, except to go to the nearby Target store! 

*An interesting side note:  Summerlin is a master-planned community that was designed by The Howard Hughes Corporation in the 1990's.  Howard's mother's name was Jean Amelia Summerlin.  It is a very lovely area and we very much enjoyed being there and away from The Strip. 

Now down to the important stuff.  Do you love nice hotel rooms as much as I do?  Well, welcome to the room tour! 

I snapped a few pictures when we first arrived in our elegantly appointed room:

Why, yes, that is a walk-in closet next to my husband. 

 Don't all hotels have walk-in closets?
  The only thing missing was a doorbell!

This was the view from our room:

Much better than The Strip!

The bathroom was so incredible that I wanted to take it back to Alaska with me!  I'm pretty sure that the jacuzzi tub by itself is bigger than my whole bathroom at home :-).  

No, I didn't get a picture of the whole bathroom.  My husband and the bellman were waiting in the entrance for me to finish taking pictures, so I hurriedly snapped what I could! 

This JW Marriott Resort is magnificent and I can not rave enough about it.  Maybe next time we'll stay in the high-roller suite!  Ha!

After we unpacked and got cleaned up, we were off to the first event; a meet and greet dinner.  We were so very blessed to meet these lovely ladies:

Patti and Margaret.  All four of us fell in love with Patti and Margaret!   They are our people! (That's what my husband and I call people who are a lot like us in beliefs, morals, spirit etc.) Thank you again, Jesus!  We love you Patti and Margaret and we love you Jesus!!!

My husband and Dr. Imani talking at dinner.  We're so grateful to have met her team! 

Jim, me and my husband.

Jim, Yvonne and John.


The next day was the start of the seminar.

I love these pictures of our husbands working hard and having a good time:

Yvonne is such an amazing person and she has such a good heart.  I'm privileged to call her my friend.

Our new friend from Indiana, Dave:

And our last day:

Remember this:   

"Change your water...change your life." 

I predict that everyone will know what this means in a few years.  I will share with you more about it here on my blog in the coming months. 

Also, I'm very excited to announce that my husband and I have decided to attend the company's training seminar next May at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, California!  Yay!  I heart JW Marriott Resorts!

And, finally, since it is currently raining outside and it was supposed to snow in town last night and snow is in the forecast.....

I thought I would show you this

and this....

and this....

to remind you that we will be leaving for Hawaii very soon!  I can't wait to share. 

It didn't snow last night, but it did come down the mountains quite a way.  I took this picture this morning: 

Yesterday there was barely any snow on the mountain tops.  Now it is more than half way down.  Yikes!  85 degrees average temperature is sounding good right about now! 



P.S. If you get a pop up on your screen that says Microsoft Thinkpoint virus removal, do not click on it!  It looks legit, but it is a virus and it infected my computer last weekend!  It took a couple of hours to remove, so be careful!