Day 2 - Nov. 13, 2008

We left Turtle Bay and O'ahu. We spent the day driving around the island and seeing various sights - like more shaved ice. We were even able to watch the Triple Crown Surf competition - it was pretty amazing.  

Then we headed to Kauai - where we spent our honeymoon. Awwwww. 

Back to the Hyatt  - such a beautiful hotel. Simply gorgeous. 

We were starving when we landed so we grabbed dinner at Roy's. Which was divine. Sushi and that souffle! It can't be shared. One of my favorite desserts ever. 

Day 1 - Part 2

After we put in a few hours of beach time, we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

It was so much fun and it made me sad that I didn't have some great cultural tradition. I basically can contribute big gulps to society. Maybe casseroles or microwave popcorn?  I digress, it was beautiful and the church does an amazing job ensuring these cultures are celebrated.  

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Here is our little canoe tour of the various islands.

This is Darren in the male Taihitian dance. It was so packed I could only get an upward shot of Darren. The dance resembled an elaborate chicken dance. 

Here we are before the lu'au began.

This is post lu'au - torrential downpour and Darren is over taking pictures. We are a tad wet here. 

I would say the only bad thing was when it started to rain after the lu'au. Actually the rain wasn't the problem. The problem was I was wearing a dress and had to run through the rain to get to the final performance. It was a LOT of rain - the deep puddle kind. So I was wet, tired, and really really cold.  Those fire dancers looked warm and I was a tad jealous that they got to handle fire. I knew I should have packed my Uggs. 

Day 1 - Nov. 12, 2008

Ahhh, we are back. From Hawaii where we just spent 5 very relaxing days. Lovely. I am going to post a little bit of what we did every day. WARNING - there will be a lot of pictures. 

Day 1 - we flew into O'ahu. I have never been to O'ahu before, so we starting things right by stopping at Costco first thing and picked up a few provisions and headed to the North Shore to stay here:

Turtle Bay - What a dump. Okay, just kidding. It was beautiful, we had a great view from our room. Our first day we spent the morning exploring. 

Me on a hammock with really really white skin - I had not been in the sun - YET. 

Darren in the beach cottage area- everything was so green! 

We were lucky to meet up with Clark and Kathleen - they were staying at the same hotel. 

And the famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice. Wonderful. Worth a flight. It's a bold statement, and I stand behind it. 

Day 1 was actually really long, so this will be done in 2 posts. 

Almost there

Here is Glenn Beck's take on marriage. Brilliant!

Going Viral

I am not sure if my blog gets enough visits to make a difference but this blog post is long overdue. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we were encouraged to use social media to educate others on Proposition 8. 

This is something that is near and dear to my heart and to my beliefs. Here are 6 reasons why voting yes on Prop 8 is so important for our generation:

1) Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage. The California Education Code already requiresthat health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890) Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage between any two adults is of the same worth, regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs. 2) Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries. 3) Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already had to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts because courts legalized same-sex marriage there.  4) Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits. 5) Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines. It already happened in Canada, a country that legalized gay marriage. A recent California court held that municipal employees may not say: "traditional marriage," or "family values" because, after the same-sex marriage case, it is "hate speech."  6) It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already lost (e.g., photographers cannot now refuse to photograph gay marriages; doctors cannot now refuse to perform artificial insemination of gays even given other willing doctors). Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money – that will be spent on such legal battles. The following reasons were blatantly copied from the website:  http://www.whatisprop8.com/ For me personally, I will feel as my right to have religious freedom will be affected if Prop 8 does not pass. I had forwarded emails to many people explaining what Prop 8 is, and have received hurtful and outrageous accusations that are filled with hate. Hate is not the issue here. Not in the least. I can LOVE people who are gay. That does not mean that I agree with their lifestyles. I don't. I don't believe in many things that are becoming more tolerant in our world (pornagraphy, drugs, alcohol) but that doesn't mean that I hate people who have a lifestyle that tolerates them. Quite the opposite. I truly believe that every person is a loved son and a daughter of our Heavenly Father. What has surprised me is that amount of angst that comes from the opposition. The opposition demands tolerance but is unwilling to show any towards our views.

Please take the time to review what voting on this Proposition means. You have a voice, you have the ability to choose. The following sites have a great deal of information regarding Prop 8: 

http://www.preservingmarriage.org

http://www.whatisprop8.com/

Please pass the link along and encourage your friends to vote! Every vote matters. 

One year???!!!!

We made it to one year. If you want to be more accurate, one year snuck up on us. Life still hasn't slowed down, but let's be honest - will it ever? Tonight our celebration will be simple. Take out from Pei Wei, Baskin Robbins ice cream (hand packed) and we are going to watch our new Mary Poppins DVD (my choice, not Darren's) and go to bed early. Lovely. 

PS - this what we looked like a year ago. Nothing has really changed except a slight weight gain :) Dang that ice cream!

Broken ribs are a pain (in every sense)...

Things got a little more complicated for Dad at the hospital today. The staff are still struggling to find a vein for Dad to get his antibiotics, so he may get a central line. His pneumonia has gotten worse, so his stay at the hospital will be extended. And last but not least, those darn broken ribs caused some more problems!

His doctors think that during a coughing spasm, one of his broken ribs tore a hole in his left lung (OUCH). They inserted a chest tube to help repair the damage, but this is a discouraging set-back. His pain level is back up and he is discouraged about this new complication. 

Please keep Dad in your prayers.  We want him home as soon as possible.