All Saints' Dodgeball 2008: It's Fan-tastic!

This past Saturday was All Saints' third annual dodgeball tournament.  The tournament is a great community outreach project and has no real agenda except to bring the people of Kauai together in fun and fellowship.  It is absolutely one of the coolest events that I have been a part of since we've been here, and we've done some pretty cool stuff!  The day began with the keiki (kids) division, which was (as you can imagine) pretty darn cute.  I not only got to referee the kids' matches, but I also got to present the awards for best effort, team spirit, and best uniform- along with the traditional 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies.  The kids were serious, but you could tell they were all about the fun.  The "Buccaneers" had painted on goatees and jolly roger headbands, while the "Ghost Rider Geckos" had green hair and shredded gecko shirts.   Very nice.

In addition to dodgeball action, there was also a bounce house, face painting and tattoos (by the senior warden and Linda Nelson, no less) and a food booth full of "ono" grinds (delicious food).  We actually had someone hand-make pronto pups (corn dogs) and Portuguese bean soup.  I mean, where else in the world can you get a guava-strawberry soda and a spam musubi while watching 10 year olds throw balls at each other?

Later on in the afternoon, the Masters' division took the court and my team finally got to participate.  We called ourselves Galen's Gang because our friend Galen (who originally organized us into a team) was off in San Francisco having surgery to remove some pretty serious tongue cancer.  He's an awesome guy and he's recovering nicely, but we must have been riding the "win one for the Gipper" spirit, because we managed to come in third in a pretty tough coed division.  Pictured above is "Galen's Gang with Kasey and Reis, honorary members and children of the man himself).

The Men's division was super-serious and unfortunately one of the teams got a little too competitive on their way to the championship round.  The refs were hounded by them pretty much every time they played, so that made for some long matches whenever they were around.  But... the spirit of the tournament is definitely a lot of fun and 99.9% of the people there got it.  One team in the men's division- "Skadagas" had so much fun that whenever their matches ended, the kids lined up to talk to them.  They were our own celebrities for that day.  I loved seeing that positive energy from some young guys who just enjoyed playing a game for the sake of fun.  Really encouraging.  We gave them the "All Tournament Team" award because they just embody the spirit of what the day is all about. 

The picture below is me awarding trophies with Sybil Nishioka, one of the tournament co-chairs... and an absolutely great person to have in the parish.  I can't  tell you how awesome she is...  She and her team of volunteers made this day really special.  I loved it!

The guest cottage is open for business!

Last weekend, our friends Mike and Tami came to visit us and spend a few days exploring the Garden Isle.  They live on Oahu, so it was cool to have them relax and hang with us in our new place.  It was really nice to get a baby-sitter and enjoy the island as a couple, which we did on Saturday-more on that later.  Friday we beach-hopped  between Cooper's naps, snorkeling in the morning and bodyboarding in the afternoon.  The snorkeling was okay, but the surf on Friday was outstanding.  We took turns watching Cooper (who even managed a nap in her playpen under the shade on the beach) while the other three hit the waves.  We had a great time.  It was the first time that Linda and I have been able to go out into the surf together since we've been here and it was awesome!

That night we grilled steaks, ate some rice, and played games- It was  a blast.  Sunday we all went to church and then Mike, Tami, and I drove up to the North Shore for Duane's Ono Char (the local burger joint) and a spectacular view of Hanalei Bay, which I think is one of the coolest parts of the island.  All in all, it was a fantastic weekend with friends, and we are grateful that we got to spend the time with them.

Saturday afternoon, we all went Kayaking on  the Wailua River (one of the few navigable rivers in Hawaii) and hiking to a waterfall.  Special Mahalos to Aunty Mary for coming and sitting with Coop-coop while we played.  This is what baby-girl looked like after the morning beach trip...  flat wore out.

  

Our Babysitter for the day, Aunty Mary (aka Mary Margaret) is the Senior Warden at All Saints' and she is absolutely the best thing that has happened to us here.  We have really been blessed to claim her as part of our family, I can't wait for folks to meet her.  

The trip itself was really gorgeous and of course the hike was fantastic.  Our guide did the whole thing barefooted, which really impressed me.  We decided to go with a guide because it was our first time out, we don't own kayaks, and Linda got to know the owners through her moms' club.  Going with a guided tour was nice, but they absolutely couldn't have paired the four of us (Mike and Tami went too) with a more diverse group of tourists.  Two of the guys on the trip were "real estate developers" from Las Vegas, and three of the other adventurers were real-life playboy bunnies.  Seriously for real.  When I say they were bunnies, I mean they have actually posed naked in a magazine.  Our guide, upon discovering this, said "oh yeah, I thought you looked familiar" to one of the girls.  Which was pretty funny.  Needless to say, their idea of good clean fun and our idea of a day on the river were a little bit different.  I think we were just at different stations in life...  But like the man said, "different strokes for different folks."  And like the other man said... "what you talkin' bout Willis?"

Church Picnic- Kauai-Style!

Well, it's been almost two weeks since we celebrated the fourth of July, but I couldn't resist posting some pics of our fun picnic after church on the weekend of the 4th.  At the 9:30 service, we baptized three young 'uns, and then celebrated our freedom with some watermelon and hot dogs!  As you can see from Linda's picture, Hawaiian hot dogs (which are fire-engine red from some dye that has probably been banned since the seventies) and watermelon are extra-delicious on a hot summer day.  The picnic was spectacular because it was a great example of what this parish does very well-  hospitality.  Not only were there several generations of All Saints' folks in attendance, but there were also new folks like us mingling around with the "ol' timers."  It really did my heart some good to enjoy this day with our new friends and laugh and play on the church grounds.

Sybil Nishioka, who is a great organizer/cheerleader for the parish, put together some fun and silly games for the "kids" among us and we had a blast running around on the church lawn.  Pictured in with the family are Yatchi Wataya and David Murray (rocking the American Flag jersey- nice play) and Pam Sokei (giving us the good shaka as she prepares the island tea for the masses).  Just another day at All Saints!

Happy Birthday Mimi!!! (AKA Betty Sue, GiGi and one of the coolest Grandmas on the planet!)

Cooper says Happy Birthday Mimi!

Today is a very special day in our family because it is Linda's mom's birthday!  So... in honor of her extra-special day, I'm writing a little note about how important she is to us and how grateful we are that she is Cooper's Mimi (or Gigi...  we're still a little confused on what to call her). No matter what you call her, I think that Betty Sue is absolutely one of the most wonderful people in the whole wide world.  Not only did she give birth to three of the most beautiful girls on earth, but she did her best to raise three very independent :) and spirited women who are all very talented and gracious.

Of greatest importance to me... Betty Sue brought Linda into the world and gave her many of the irresistible  charms that only a "Stewart Girl" could  pull off with such grace.  Every now and then, I look at Linda's joie de vive, and know that it could only have been inherited by that wonderfully wacky mom of hers.

Now we all know that this year has been a difficult one for Betty Sue...  Billy Ed's death leaves a hole the size of Arkansas in our hearts and minds.  But through all of it, Betty Sue has shown us that a sense of humor, the occasional suspension of reality (both of which are talents that she has passed on), and more friends than you can shake a stick at will always soothe the deepest aches and pains- whether they are in your back or in your heart. 

Over and over again, I am amazed at how strong (and sometimes strong-willed) that Betty Sue can be.  I am blessed that she is family, but I am also thankful that she is who she is...  Cooper's grandma, entertaining friend, and loving mother to three special women.  Her life, and her connection to our lives makes this world a better (and certainly more interesting) place to be. Happy Birthday BS!  I'm glad you were born!

Cooper Meets Mrs. Sloggett (and her toys).

This is some video of Cooper being entertained by the oldest member of All Saints', Kapa'a.  In case you are wondering... she's 102 (we share September 17th as a birthday, although hers was a few years before mine- 1905 vs. 1974).  Yatchi Wataya is also with us... and she is equally as fantastic.  Both have been members of All Saints' for quite some time.  Both of these amazing women have lived on Kauai for most of their lives.  Talk about living history- Can you imagine what Hawaii was like in the twenties, thirties, and forties...  Unreal.  Both of them are in church every Sunday.

P.S.   Mrs. Sloggett just gave up golf- because she's getting too old for it (she says).