Back To Reality

Doesn't the song go "Back to Life, Back to Reality"? That's what it feels like. We went from a week without many cares back to the reality that there is work to be done and a child to be cared for. We had a great week and much enjoyed our time together. However, it is nice to come home and of course we love the hugs from Nicholas. By the way, he didn't seem to miss us...at all. He even ran the other way when we got home, but has since warmed up to us again.

The week before we left felt like it would never end but at the same time like it was flying by too fast. The Sunday before we left I attended a Prayer and Blessing Shower for a friend of mine. She is pregnant with a baby who is terminally ill and won't live more than a few hours after birth. We wanted to celebrate baby Gabriel's life and Carrie's pregnancy, while being respectful of the fact that his life will end much too soon. Please keep Carrie and Gabriel in your prayers as I think he will be coming soon.

I was also working on 2 projects at church. The first, which I volunteered for, was to coordinate our Thanksgiving basket project. The hardest part was finding the 5 families to serve. From there we collected the food, then sorted and delivered it. The families were thankful for the meals and it is always a humbling experience to see the appreciation for a simple meal. We are serving them again at Christmas time with a meal and presents. The second project I didn't exactly volunteer for, but it is part of my job as Congregational Coordinator for Thrivent. We put on a dinner for our chapter board at our church. It wasn't a big deal, but with other stuff going on that week it was just another thing.

Tuesday morning started out happy when I got a call saying my friend Amber had her 2nd baby boy. But, not too long after that my dad called to tell me that my Grandmother had passed away in the night. We knew she wasn't doing well, but I didn't see how I could squeeze in a trip to Spokane before Hawaii. So, I thought I would go visit right after we came back, but unfortunately God had another plan in mind. So, we all missed the private burial but we all thought about her a lot that day.

We enjoyed Hawaii (minus the humidity) and seeing the sights around town. We visited the Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Diamond Head, Manoa Falls, Waikiki, Hanuma Bay and more. We enjoyed eating in China town, and at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company and Senor Frogs (among other local places). I'll have all of my pictures posted on-line later in the week. I am waiting until I get some pictures from my Mom so they will all be in order. I don't think I will post many on here, so watch for the e-mail from Kodak Gallery.