Thursday, April 15, 2010

All in a days work...


I always thought that if I ever move back to the mainland there would have to be some serious mentality changes from the way island life is...


Take my day for example...


4:45 am- Woke up, showered, and got dressed in khaki pants, socks, boots, and a red sweater... it was cold (65 degrees F!!!)

5:50 am- Left for airport (yes only 10 minutes from my house!)


6:00 am- checked in for flight... despite the long line ( 4 people in front of me) the Island Air agent (who I knew) just took my id and brought me my boarding pass since I had no luggage.

Talked story with several friends who work TSA security and had a few minutes to read several chapters in Deuteronomy

6:45 am- boarded flight to Oahu with 30 other people... a third of whom I knew!

7:30 am- arrive in Oahu... talk story with some Molokai friends while waiting for our shuttles

8:00 am - NAEYC accreditation meeting begins

12 - 1pm- Pasta buffett for lunch provided with the meeting... (yes it is silly to find food this exciting but a good lunch is always a motivating factor when headed off island)

1 -4pm- The rest of the meeting.... very beneficial and what I needed to rekindle the fire for me to continue working on portfolios for the accreditation process.

4:15pm- Back to the airport where I meet up with the Aunty of one of my preschoolers to transport a forgotten camera and developed picts back to a scrapbooking mom. (Sorry Jeremy- No time for Micky D's today)! Check in and run into one of the kids I had in Good News clubs ten years ago (he is now an island air agent).

4:30pm- Pull out my laptop and work on a few class write ups before the plane arrives and the line starts to board. While waiting I catch up with Aunty Tess who assisted me when I bought the house.

5:25pm- Walk out onto the tarmac in the afternoon Hawaiian sun and board the plane. Sit in the first row and talk story with Uncle Dino for the 20 minute flight back to MKK. Just enough time to catch up on world events and how all of creation is crying out for Jesus to come back.

6:10pm- Arrive in Molokai and I am home in my warm comfy pj's by 6:30pm out watering my plants.


Where as most people just hop in their cars to get to meetings... the adventure of flying every other month to a meeting (and paying almost $200 for the flight... $184 for today's journey) is something that will be missed if God ever moves me back to the continental USA!


DISCLAIMER: This email is not.... I repeat... IS NOT... stating that I am moving. Molokai is my home for such a time as this and I am blessed to live here. This blog is simply reminding myself of all the blessings there are in a simple days work!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Before and working on....

I was reminded recently that life is a journey... the goal is to glorify God and never stop learning. As I look back over the past several years, I think how blessed I am for amazing friends and family that love me and encourage me to do what is right.

One thing that has always been a struggle for me is food. Three years ago I realized that it had become my god of choice... I turned to it when I was sad, upset, and angry... used it to celebrate... when I was tired and needed a pick me up... you get the picture. Anyway at that same time as you can well imagine, my body had ballooned into something that I wasn't happy about. Clothes were no longer fun to put on... shopping was horrendous. So a slow metamorphosis began to take place....

You see those commercials that say in 30 days you can go from this... to this... and the 2nd picture doesn't even resemble the person in the first. That was not my goal. Diets don't work! This has been a slow process but through a lot of prayer and hard work this has become a lifestyle change.

So before I go any further.... this is my "before" pict... definitely not one of my heaviest picts but what we will use as a reference point....

New Zealand 2006
After three years of eating better and exercising more, I have lost around 60 pounds and feel freer to do the things that God has called me to do. This second picture is my "working on" picture as the dr tells me I still have 20 - 30 more pounds to go. It is a slow and steady process but as the Tortoise learned in the story the Tortoise and the Hare.... Slow and steady wins the race!
My 30th birthday- 2009

I feel silly posting this for the "world" to see and couldn't bring myself to post actual numbers but some fb friends have been encouraged by my story and have kept me motivated to lose the rest. So I prayerfully write this with the intent to encourage you in whatever your struggle is... that with God all things are possible. Put Him first and he will lead, guide and direct your path.

"Obedience is the very best thing"

Ever have a spiritual temper tantrum????

You know what I mean... when God is calling you to do something and you don't want to??? or.... God is closing a door (see previous post) and you keep wanting to open the door and walk through it to escape?

Why am I so stubborn not to listen to my heavenly Father? I almost feel like kicking myself! How many times in a day do I tell my preschoolers "obey the first time, every time, with a happy heart"? I can almost see my heavenly Father shaking His head saying... "My child listen to me... obey the first time, every time, with a happy heart."

I know what God is telling me but yet I want to argue.... "You must not really mean THAT." but that small still voice is saying - trust me.... obey me.... you know what is right!

ARGH!!!! At the moment, I would be lying if I said I was ready to obey... it would be closer to the truth if I said I want to spend some time crying and pouting about it. But just as with all temper tantrums... they just delay the inevitable.... OBEDIENCE.