Baby Sitting and the Napali Coast.

Today we went to the Waiohai to spend the day on the beach and in the pool with the kids. It is the perfect place for vacationing. The resort is so beautiful and the beach and pool are perfect for swimming and within just a few yards of each other. The kids played and played back and forth and never got tired of it. Jon and Ryan went out paddle boarding. It was the funniest thing to watch. Jon says it is harder than it looks to keep your balance. Uh-huh Jon really?

Lynn, Suze, Wally and I took care of the children all afternoon while Jon, Mandy, Ryan, Whitney,Matthew, Lindsay, Dan and Chelsea went on the Napali Coast cruise. The kids took naps, played games and watched movies with us. Only one time did Owen slip away from me and pour a bottle of shampoo all over his head and all over the carpet. What a job cleaning that up was! What makes kids think of things like that anyway? The cruise was a great success and they saw about 50 turtles on the beach at Kalalau and the whales were putting on a show out by Niihau. I was jealous when I heard that. I need to take a whale watch before we go home. When everyone got home we had barbecued hamburgers and were a little sad because we knew tomorrow morning everyone would be leaving. What a fast week this has been.

Happy 43rd Anniversary Wally!

We all went kayaking up the Wailua River today. All except Suze and the 3 youngest grand kids that is. Wally and I had taken a river boat cruise up to the Fern Grotto before but didn't know about this adventure. I was so excited. We had been canoeing in Canada and we did just fine there. Kayaking is so totally different! Poor Wally, I drove him nuts. Every time I would paddle I would turn the kayak to the right. Couldn't go straight for the life of me. He was ready to throw me overboard! Imagine that. He kept saying just let me do all the work. Keep your paddle out of the water. Our guide, a cute young girl, stayed behind the group to make sure we all made it and of course, Wally and I were always last and way behind everyone else. Ouch.
It was a 2 1/2 mile paddle up river to the trail to Secret Falls and then a 1.2 mile hike in to the (not so secret ) falls. So round trip it was a 7.4 mile adventure. Half way up the hike to the falls there were 2 rope swings out over the river. Everyone had a blast swinging out and dropping in. Mandy caught her finger in the rope though and really did a number on it. By the end of the day it was swollen and bruised and she could hardly move it.

Here is our beautiful anniversary picture! Not too bad for 43 years is it? I'm so glad we got to go kayaking and hiking up to the falls. We had no idea it was up there and it was a wonderful way to spend the day. Really it was!!

Tuesday and District Meeting.

We told the elders last week we probably wouldn't be at meeting today because our family was going to be here and we were going to spend time with them. They were a little shocked but managed to get hold of themselves. We shocked them even more by being at our meeting anyway. All the boys were going to go scubaing today and the ladies and kids were going up to Hanalei to see the lighthouse and the beach at the other end of the island. We had been there and we had 2 other afternoon appointments so we decided to stay and do our missionary work. We were going to go back to Poipu for the evening but everyone was tired so we ended up staying here in Kekaha and we will see them tomorrow. We are going Kayaking up the Wailua River. That will be interesting. I am excited, Wally not so much. I wonder why?

Waimea Canyon.

Here Jon and the girls are looking out over the Kalalau Valley. It is so beautiful and a very ancient, spiritual place. We took this short hike because the girls wanted to hike and not just look. The sky was so blue and it was so clear you could see forever. Can you see how the ocean meets the sky? Isn't it amazing?

We took a trip up the Waimea Canyon today. The weather was perfect. It was good trip to take today be cause there are 3 or 4 look outs on the way up and it wasn't too long in between each one for the little ones. At each stop they could get out and run around and laugh and play. On the way up Emma kept saying I want to hike. Where are the hikes? Let's not just look. On the 3rd stop this guy was dressed in native costume and you could have you picture taken with him for a "tip." We gave him $5 and took a few. He had a headdress he wanted Owen to wear but he wouldn't have anything to do with that! When he saw the mask he kept saying "pumpkin man." LOL. Here is the standard family picture. What a great way to spend our P-day! Come on over and we will have a picture taken with you at this same spot. This is the Little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Merry Christmas 2011.

We had a wonderful Christmas Day today. The Kershaws came down to Kekaha for Sacrament Meeting. 17 people including 7 little ones here by 9:00 a.m. was a miracle in itself! What a wonderful meeting. Scripture and readings mixed with musical numbers in between. Bishop Akita called and asked if anyone in our family could play "Away In a Manger." I asked Mandy if anyone of them could play. She was the only one who could. She said she would play if she could practice a little. She used a Primary Song Book and played beautifully. It was great to have one of ours participate. She was very nervous but everything went well. It was fun to have our friends here meet some of our family. We hope the ward members get to meet others as time goes on. Merry Christmas to everyone at home from Wally and Me! We love you and miss you but will see you sooner than we all think. Time flies doesn't it?

Congratulations Evan and Reenie!

Evan and Reenie got married in a small ceremony today at 3:30 out by the old Banyan tree. It was a beautiful wedding and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. At 5:30 they held a reception for family and friends at the Kekaha Center. It was a noisy and joyous occasion. Of course, it was filled with fun, music and food. The most surprising part of the evening was, after the toasts to the happy couple, when Evan bore his testimony of the gospel and his faith in Jesus Christ to all his guests. I can't tell you all how inspiring Evan is to everyone. We are so blessed to be a part of his journey to baptism.

They Finally All Arrived!

When all the Kershaw's got to the airport this morning at 6:00 a.m. to start their Christmas trip to Kauai half of them got bumped off the airline. It seems they over booked by nine passengers. Poor Lynn and Suze were so upset because the airline originally wanted to split up families and have children on the plane without their parents. Anyway, it all worked out and kids and parents came together and got here at about 1:20 p.m. That was 1/2 an hour ahead of schedule. Yea, for a good tail wind. It was so good to see everyone. My how the little ones have grown. Lynn and Suze, Ryan and Whitney got in about 10:30 p.m. They were so exhausted. They had to waste 9 hours in L. A. before getting on their flight. Three mini vans and 13 big suitcases later we all headed down so they could check into the Waiohai and get settled. Tomorrow will be a good day for resting by the pool and down at the beach right outside their condo door.

Jana and the Christmas Ornaments.

This is our cute little Christmas Tree. Bud B. came knocking at the door the other day and presented us with this tree and all the decorations. He was so sweet about it. He went to the store and bought the tree, lights, balls, ornaments, tinsel and the star for the top. Everything! He even thought to buy a yard of fabric to use as a skirt around the bottom. He said he hoped it was alright and matched because his wife was working when he went shopping and he just did the best he could. Oh, my goodness people are being so wonderful to us. We are overwhelmed by their friendship and kindness.

Jana sent us ornaments from each of the families with their most current pictures on them. She wrote in the note that came with them that "this way we could all be together this Christmas." What a wonderful thing to do for us! We just love all the pictures of everyone.

They brought tears to my eyes. Oh, we just long to hug everyone and be with them again. All the kids seem to have grown up so much since we have been gone. "I'm 7 Grandma," Jack told me when I called to tell Jana they arrived. We are so thankful Families Can Be Together Forever!

Oh, For Wonderful Friends at Home!

We have been so blessed this Christmas with many, many beautiful Christmas cards and messages from friends and ward members at home. Every card had such a sweet message and a little note about things going on in the writer's family. It has made us appreciate our home ward and the fine members there so much. We are getting a little homesick now! We have been away from home about 13 months. Last year everything here was so new we didn't think too much about it because we were getting settled, learning what we should be doing and meeting new people and all of those kinds of things. Now we are kamaina and we have time to think about home and family. We are so excited that Jon, Mandy and Children will be here the 23rd. What a great Christmas present.

The M&M Christmas Story.

You all know that m&m's are my favorite food of all time except for potatoes that is. Anyway, we decided to give our friends and ward members some m&m's with the Christmas Story for their Christmas Treat. I was so excited when I found almond, mint, dark and milk chocolate, pretzel, peanut, plain and peanut butter varieties in the store. I typed up the poem in red and green and used my scissors (oh for my scrap room and supplies from home) to cut and then glue it on some green paper. A little curly ribbon and they looked pretty spiffy. Wally even got into the spirit and we had to go back to the store for more of everything! The cashier at Big Save is from Kekaha and she was really surprised with all our purchases. It was a good reason to talk to her a little more than usual and kind of broke the ice. "You must really like this candy!" and then we were off on a good conversation. We are really getting to be well know here for one thing or another. We sure hope another senior couple will take our place here because finally after a year we are feeling like a real part of the community.

New Companionships.

Starting left to right are Elder Obray new D.L. UT, Elder Taylor new Z.L. from Joseph, AZ, Sister Taputea from French Polynesia, Elder Moore UT, just out 4 days. They are very nice and fun to talk to and ready to work! They are all so glad to come to Kauai because they have heard how great it is here. This island is a place missionaries hope to be transferred to! We had a get to know you game today after we had our training. It was called I Have Never. It was fun. Wally and I always lose first because we can't run as fast as the young ones. We tell a little about our family, our ward at home, what jobs we had before we retired and what we like to do for fun. I also took cookies as a treat and they all love them so much. It makes us feel needed! Wally is loving all this French speaking. He can't golf but he can speak French. He is in French heaven!

What a wonderful 4 days this has been and quite the missionary effort too! We have seen lots of people, members, non-members and less active members come together to work, enjoy each others company, bear testimony and eat together. It was such a wonderful experience Bishop had the whole ward meet the last hour today and bear testimonies of things that had happened.
There were 2 families here on vacation who came from Poipu to be in a "Hawaiian" ward and were they surprised, they got a luau after church as part of the deal! We ate with them and shared the goodness of our little town here on Kauai.

Our truck was so long I had to take pictures of it in pieces. This is the front. Sis. Y came out especially to be a historian for the event. We have been trying to meet her and this was a great way to do it. We hope it is a real ice breaker. Every bit of the truck was covered in lights. We walked all through Waimea Town and handed out Joy To The World pass along cards. We gave out about 450 cards and could have used twice as many. If everyone who got one sends for a video the church is going to run out.....

The back end of the float had the beach with surfers and boards. Keahi is a deacon in the ward. He looked down just as I took the picture. He is a nice kid. His dad is from Niihau so he goes there every summer to stay with family. Lucky boy. He attends a Niihau school here in Kekaha and speaks Hawaiian. You know I think we will miss this fun event when that time comes around next year!

Huli, Huli Peeg at 4:00 a.m. Really?

It is about 6:00 a.m. and we are getting the pigs ready for the huli-huli machine. Wally is helping Chico tie the pig's feet so they won't drag or pull the pig's weight down.

Enoka is pushing the spit rod through the pig and then the cooks will stuff it with Hawaiian salt, and lemon grass and then they will sew it closed and put skewers down through the pig and through the rod and wire the pig to the rods. All of the wiring helps hold the pig to the spit as it turns and cooks so the pig won't pull away from the spit and fall off into the fire.

Here is the pig being made ready for all the preparations to cook it. The fires were started around 4:00 a.m. so the woods could get hot and burn down to coals. Then the work started on the pigs and we finally put them on the fire about 6:00 a.m. The pigs weigh about 260 lbs each and will take all day to cook. I think they are planning to start taking them off the fires about 5:00 this afternoon. Shane will be here all day keeping watch over the coals and keeping the heat at the right temperature making sure their is enough to cook the meat but not burn it. There is really a science to all of this. We are learning so many things here. Did I mention that huli means turn?

Here he is our huli-huli pig. He has been cooking most of the day now. Jerry is going to cut a piece off to give us a taste while it is hot right from the fire. I am going to eat some pork rind too. Only if it is crispy though. Auntie Ulu is going to take the pigs feet home. She loves pigs feet and these especially because they are fresh and cooked right here. She told me pigs feet are mostly gelatin and it is so good. I told her that's ok. She can have mine! We will eat after the light parade tonight. The Kapuna's (wise ones) who don't want to stay out late will have their dinner early so they don't have to miss out on the luau. The rest of the parade goers will come back and eat around 8:00 or so. I imagine the festivities will go on into the night.

2nd Night of Float Preparation.

Day 2 of the float decorating was busy. The thing that has been exciting is all the help we are getting from people we don't see too often. We have handed out lots of invitations to come and help us get ready for the parade and luau on Saturday night. Many non-members and less actives are coming to join in the fun. It is so exciting. Wally and I are happy to let people know we are just regular people and we just want to get to know everyone.

The next 2 pictures are out of order but anyway, we had to put sand down first and then rocks and live palm trees to make it look like an island. We (Wally and I) thought that we would have to go down to the beach to get the sand and bring it back by the buckets full. Not so! Jerry took his "big shovel" and dug down 2 inches in the lot next to my house, it was straight sand. He just scooped it up and brought it over and dumped it on the truck. Wow! We are living on just plain sand. I hope Kauai doesn't sink. LOL

Another late night but we sure had a good time. Oh, and by the way both nights we have had pupu's. That's appetizers to you. And you guessed it, it was more like a pot luck dinner.

1st Night of Float Preparation.

We worked hard as a ward tonight to begin putting our float together for the Waimea Light Parade. It was a long flat bed truck that we had to make look like an island with palm trees, sand, surfers and their boards. Santa also was coming to visit and bring presents in his canoe.

Don't you just love Santa's outrigger canoe. It was really nice. We will put some cloth and lights around it to make it look like the ocean. Brother Louis donated his truck and his workers to help build the frame for the float and all of them spent many man hours to make it look just right. We will eventually have everything covered in lights. There will be a sound system and a piano and ukuleles, guitars and singers in grass skirts. Fun..

Tama taught us how to weave palm fronds so we could use them as a skirt for the trailer. It was an interesting thing to learn. It took me a minute but I figured it out. It is almost like some artwork I taught my 6th graders. It is dirty work but lots of fun. A bunch of us worked for quite to get enough fronds woven so we could cover all around the truck bed. We all laughed and had a good time. Poor Tama he could do it in half the time we could but he was a good sport and let us go at it.

More Pictures From the Hawaiian Village.

A totem from around the 1700's. Even Hawaiians had these types of carvings

This is a food table in the "Men's eating house." Men did the cooking and they ate first. In ancient times it was the women's job to take care of the children.

This is a message center. These rocks make certain sounds when they are pounded with other rocks and send messages across the valley and up to the lookout where they can be sent on.

This is an imu or underground oven. It is used to cook meats. Coals are heated up then covered with banana leaves and then the meat is wrapped in ti leaves and covered with more banana leaves and then dirt is placed on top of that. The meat cooks slowly all day and is very moist and just falls apart when it is uncovered.

These are the weapons I talked about in my Monday post. The kahuna (the best in his field) or medicine man is trained in lots of things. He learns the art of making medicine from natural things, plants, bark, certain red dirt etc. Part of his training includes self defence. He learns to carve these weapons and use them. When the warriors had to fight they were ferocious warriors, but only to protect their families and lands.

A 4:00 A.M. Trip to the Airport!

We got up at 4:00 this morning to take Sister Kamada to the airport. She had to be there by 5:30 and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to get her luggage in the car and get going. We are Sister Parkin's companions until her new one arrives. Last time we picked up the sisters for transfers they had slept in and it was lucky for them we got there early and woke them up. Sister Kamada was ready so everything went well, much to Dad's relief. After we made sure she got to the right gate we went for some breakfast at McDonald's and then went to sit by the beach and watch the sun come up. We had a 3 hour wait for the elders and sister to come in at 8:40. They all arrived on time and were really cute. They come from Arizona, Utah, and Tahiti. Elder Turina came last time from Tahiti and Wall loves speaking French with him. Now we have his cousin, a sister who also speaks French. He was so surprised! He didn't know she was coming. Wall is in heaven, 2 French speakers, who could as for more? Hmmm, maybe someone who could play golf!

Car and Missionary Pad Inspections.

We inspected the missionary apartments and cars today. It was a happy and sad at the same time. All four of the zones companionship's will change. Elders Smith and Cart are going home. Sister Kamada is going back to the Visitor Center and Elder Cox is being transferred. After we finished with the elders we met up with the Cox's and had lunch and a walk along the beach path at Kapa'a. It was such a beautiful walk we didn't realize how far we had gone. We had an appointment at 4:00 and luckily we made it home on time. The Cox's are going home to Utah
for 6 weeks. They will be leaving tomorrow. We will miss them. We have to say we are a little envious as they will be spending Christmas with all of their children and grandchildren.

Field Trip With the 4th Grade.

Did you ever think you would hear of Dad and me going on another school field trip? Well, we did just that today. We went to a Hawaiian Village in Wailua. We have often wondered what it was like on Kauai when just the native people were here. When Denise (we read with her class) asked us if we wanted to go we jumped at the chance.

Here we are being given instructions on how to behave. Uh-huh! They are good kids really they are. Anyway, we had a great time and learned a lot. We had a tour guide and that was great too because she told us lots of things we wouldn't have learned otherwise. This site was favored by the King of Kauai and he stayed here a lot. It has been restored and kept up really well. It has been here since the 1700's.

This is the warriors hale. Here they would plan their strategy and there were some great examples of weapons. I loved how the walls and roofs were preserved inside and out. We learned so much. We know the Hawaiian people are a loving and trusting people but they were also quite fierce warriors. Their weapons included several kinds of spears, long and short, hand clubs with shark teeth of the tiger and great white that would rip the tender fleshy parts of your body, a sling shot looking tool used to poke opponents eyes out and a rope for strangulation. The weapons were made from Koa wood, some varieties that have become scarce and are know only to Kauai. They were very beautiful. It's sad to know what they were used for. What a great trip, so glad we went.

Nell is home!

Nell is home from her mission! She served in Minnesota and is glad to be home in the good weather for the holidays. She gave her homecoming talk on Sunday and it was a wonderful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary lessons for all of us and our visitors too!
I visit teach with her mom Ui and her dad is the 1st coun. in the bishopric. Their family has become good friends of ours. She is here until the 1st of the year when she will return to BYU to work on research for a professor and start her masters. Homecomings are so exciting. I can remember how I felt when my boys were coming home. One of our sister missionaries heard from her mom on Monday and she has already started her count down. She goes home transfer after next. Time is flying. Several people have asked us to extend! Imagine that.

Aloha'oe Evaron Haumea, Sr.

Bishop called yesterday morning and asked Dad if he would give the opening prayer at Evaron's funeral this morning. It was held on the beach and it was really beautiful weather today and the whales were spouting in the background. Evaron nor his family has been active for quite a few years but wanted the church to do the funeral. That makes 4 since we have been here. The second that they have wanted us to say the prayers. There was beautiful Hawaiian music, ukulele and guitar, anyone could give remembrances if they wanted to and the bishop gave the spiritual talk. It was nice to meet the family. They were very gracious and thankful for the kind words. They also invited us to the lunch that we had on the beach right after the service. Dad and I have decided we want our funerals on the beach. Ok? Don't shake your heads - it's not morbid.

Missionary Movie Night.

We had a Missionary Movie Night in Lihue tonight. All the missionaries try to bring investigators and have ward members do the same. We showed "Joseph, Prophet of the Restoration." It is the new version. The church as redone the original and it tells a little more history and from the point of view of his mother Lucy Mack Smith. It is a beautiful movie. The sisters couldn't take their investigator Keenan because they aren't aloud to take people in their car. They called us and asked us to take him. He is 20 years old. What a sweet young man. He had been to college in the US but has come home to work. He met the sisters through his neighbor and has just loved everything he has been taught. He really enjoyed the movie and we had a wonderful discussion all the way home. We found out his mother passed away when he was 16 and the Plan of Salvation really has touched his heart knowing that we will see our loved ones again and there is hope that we can all be together for eternity. Oh, how we love this gospel!

A Day of Visiting.

We had a fun day today. It was a full day of visiting. We visited members we had been looking for for awhile. Some of them knew we were here but were afraid to have us come. Dad and I are so scary! When they finally met us in other situations during the week they were then willing to have us come to their houses for a visit. When it was over they all told other people it wasn't too bad. "They liked us, we were nice." Imagine that. They even want us to visit again. On the 1st Wed. of the month Dad also goes visiting in the evening with the bishopric. He really enjoys it and this month there were lots of visits and he was able to hand out reminders of our Ward Christmas Luau and Christmas Party. We sure hope we have a big turn out because it will be a great missionary tool building a float, participating in the Waimea Light Parade, then coming back to the church for the luau.

Last District Meeting Before Transfers.

It's that time again! 6 weeks sure goes by quickly. What a great group. We had a really fun District Meeting today. We played Jeopardy. My team lost 3,550 points to their 4,900. Can you guess how many men it takes to make a quorum of High Priests? Some how I think it was rigged. Wally and I took them to lunch today at the Pizza Hut all you can eat buffet. They ate and ate and we had a good visit with all of them. I remember the days of watching my boys eat like that. I won't make any predictions this time. Just say that we have really enjoyed this group.

A Walk on the Beach.

As we walked along the beach today we met a man with 6 fishing poles in the water. We talked about fishing for a little while and then about the vanishing sands. He said they are down at Polehali and Ni'ihau but they would be back. I don't think it will be anytime soon because every time we go walking more sand is gone and the beach is smaller. The trees to the left now have their roots exposed because the water washes up there at high tide. While we were walking we saw a huge flock of Iwa (black ocean birds) diving at break neck speed into the ocean. It was so much fun to watch. We found out that fishermen love these flocks of birds because they show where the ahi and ono are because the little fish they are eating are also food for the bigger fish.

Aloha'oe Minnie Keolanau Takahashi Nakaanhiki

Auntie Minnie's funeral was yesterday. She was 94 and the matriarch of her family. She had lived in a care facility for the last few years and was loved by everyone who associated with her. Wally and I had the privilege of helping with the set up and the funeral luncheon.

The funeral was so wonderful. The music absolutely beautiful. Joseph Ah Quin her son-in-law sang "Consider the Lilies" and "I Walk With God." (for those of you who remember the original Johnny Lingo movie he said "Mahana you ugly".) Her grandsons sang a musical selection and Michael Ah Quin another grandson also sang. The voices of these men are unbelievable! Michael ate with us and told us he lives in Lehi. We had a good visit. He comes from a family of 5 sons and 1 sister. He has 7 daughters. He is the volley ball coach at Lehi High. When "Moot" another son gave a talk on the Plan of Salvation he asked Dad and I to stand up for everyone to see. He was looking for elders and was surprised to have a "missionary couple" instead. He asked everyone to "step up" take lessons from the missionaries, hear our message and those who need to become active again. How our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to come back to him. He is willing to do everything to help us reach that goal. More and more I see how much He loves us and lets us know if we will just listen and pay attention.

We have toads!

Here is our toad!! Yes, we have toads, BIG toads in our yard. When we go out to the base we always carry a flashlight if we are walking on the grass at night so we don't step on a frog. We see BIG frogs smashed flat as pancakes in the road when we walk in the morning. I have always wanted to see a BIG one alive. No such luck. Last night though, when we came home after dark and pulled up in our drive way the lights were shining on what I thought was a BIG stick in the yard. Now that the lot next to us has been plowed up for the ward garden everything blows in our yard. I got out of the car and walked over to it to toss it back over the fence and look at who turned around to stare at me. Yikes, he is huge! I went out to put some laundry in and there he was again. I guess he likes it here. Yea, for new experiences everyday!

Missionary Blessings.

Things have been a little slow since Thanksgiving. We have had district meetings and have done some member support but missionary lessons have had to cancel or reschedule for a later date. I was feeling a little blue. I prayed about it and Heavenly Father heard my prayer. Through 3 different circumstances and in ordinary places we were able to run into 3 sisters we were either trying to meet or find. My testimony to you is that Heavenly Father hears our prayers and knows the desires of our hearts. He Loves us and lets us know everyday if we will just "be still, listen, pay attention and act on our impressions."

Waimea Town Christmas Lighting.

Tonight was the official Tree Lighting Ceremony in Waimea. It was at the Hofgaard Park. I didn't know the park had a name. I always just thought it was the park with the statue of Capt. Cook in it. Anyway, they had an official lighting of the park Christmas Tree and all the store around the park. Every store around the park turned its lights on when they called out its name until we were surrounded by lights. It was fun! We had Hawaiian stew and ice cream while we were waiting for the Mayor to come from Lihue to turn the switch. We saw several ward members and met some of their family we hadn't met before. We met Evan's finance and his 2 boys. We have met his daughter before. She recognized us immediately when she saw us and waved.

There was a Ni'ihau singing group that sang some Christmas Carols. Andrew told us earlier his Aunties were going to sing with them. Finally, we are beginning to have a little Christmas spirit. It is so hard when it is 80 degrees, the sky is blue and the trade winds are blowing. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. That's just the way it is here. The most beautiful climate in all the world.