Video Time: Part II

Thinkin' about our first Advent/Christmas in Hawaii... Part I

Well, the past month has been absolutely full of wonderful events that have really helped us get used to the idea of being thousands of miles away from our family and friends this Christmas season.  First, we kicked off the Advent season by celebrating my "new" role as rector of All Saints', Kapa'a.  For those of you that don't know, a Rector's installation is crazy mix of old school tradition and a good ol' fashioned welcome to the neighborhood party.  One of this congregation's many talents is throwing a good party, and this day was no exception.  Linda, Cooper, and I got to eat some incredible food, get lots of love (and leis) from the parish, and really give thanks for our arrival in the midst of this fantastic community.  The congregation even surprised me by inviting a local man named Nathan Kalama (who has been designated a "living treasure" by the county of Kauai because of his knowledge of Hawaiian tradition)  to chant a beautiful 'oli at the beginning of the service.  The spirit of Aloha was overwhelmingly present... and I have to say that I was moved to shed a few tears of joy.  God was really blessing us through this fantastic day. 

Now here's the spooky part (or the God part from my point of view)...  because the Bishop has been super-busy over the past few months, I haven't really made this particular service a priority.  When I finally got around to talking to the Bishop's office about doing the service, the day they suggested was the sixth of December- which is the feast day for St. Nicholas.  Not only did we get to bring in some St. Nicholas fun for the service, but the Bishop used it as an opportunity to talk about the fun we'll have in our ministry together if we pay attention to the kid in all of us!  Does that sound like some Gospel Good News I can get on board with?  You better believe it!

So leading the rest of the congregation, Cooper, Linda, Aunty Chris, and Aunty Mary lit the first candle of the Advent wreath and we began a season of of waiting and anticipating- thankful for all the gifts that God has given us.  We have really missed our mainland friends and family, but we've definitely been supported by our 'ohana out here.

Mele Kalikimaka Y'all

Santa stopped by Kauai on his way home! Cooper is lovin' the paper,
the ribbons, and all the good stuff she got! Merry Christmas everybody!

Surf School-Black Friday Style!

So not only did we sleep in a little... we also managed to beat most of the crowd out to Hanalei Bay on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  A really nice North swell was moving in from Alaska, so by noon the beach was packed!!!  But that didn't stop us from hittin' the waves on boogie boards and the mac-daddy longboard that I ride.  While Cooper and I watched from shore, Linda took off with the Odles for some heavy-duty shreddin' North Shore Style.

Andrea even managed to get up a few times on Macho Grande (my 12 foot longboard) with some help from big daddy surf instructor (ha ha) Uncle Benny.

Randy and Andrea have a totally sweet new camera that takes awesome pictures, so here are few shots from the day.

Whew... where did November go?

I know... it's been way too long since I've paid any attention to the Blog-o-rama, but I've had some good excuses.  The past three weeks have been chock full of adventure and excitement around the ol' garden isle.  Not only have we gotten to have "Chattanooga homecoming" on Kauai, but we've gotten to visit (and play) with some really dear friends.  First, our friends Carla and Elaine arrived after a couple of weeks touring the islands.  These special friends live in Delaware now, but Elaine was the parish administrator at St. Paul's when I was starting out in Chattanooga, so it was really cool for me to show her around and talk-story about church stuff...  To top it all off, we spent some time checking out Waimea Canyon and exploring the West Side.  Carl and I ventured off the culinary beaten path and had some delicious Japanese food from Kintaro's, one of Kapa'a's finest establishments.  This visit was pretty awesome for lots of reasons, but mainly because Elaine jumped right in to loving on Cooper...  another wonderful "Aunty" for her to love.  We also got to show off a lot of our special tourist spots!

After Elaine and Carl left, we welcomed Gordon and Susan Street to Hale Ho' o Nelson (The Nelson House).  Gordon and Susan had just spent a week or so on Lana'i and Oahu, so it was really nice to welcome them to our little slice of paradise.  You may remember that the Streets allowed us to stay at their Mountain-Top retreat when we were in transit, so we were really glad to show them some Hawaiian hospitality.  

 

In addition to eating some great meals with Gordon and Susan, we also joined them on a "double date" to Smith's Tropical paradise for their big luau and show.  Linda and I haven't gotten to go to this particular island party yet, so we were really excited to check out the festivities.  We weren't disappointed...  the food was great, the show was cool, and the company was outstanding.  Check out Gordon and I sporting the shell leis and aloha wear- too fancy!

Well, if that wasn't enough action... Linda and the gang took off on a helicopter tour of our island home.  Blue Hawaiian helicopters took the Chattanooga bunch high over the NaPali coast and the many, many waterfalls that were springing up all over the mountains.  Linda, who gets sea-sick on a surfboard (that's not hyperbole), managed to make it through the flight with a smile and a shaka for the camera!  Even in the midst of motion-sickness, she still loved this incredible way to see Kauai.  Cooper and I hung out at home- mainly because we decided that it was best to split up the parental units when helicopters are involved, and also because Gordon and I are too much man power for one aircraft.  Never fear though, I have a gift certificate with my name on it just waiting for me to claim my time in the skies!
After Susan and Gordon left, we had a couple of days to get ready for Randy and Andrea Odle, more Chattanoogans!  (Andrea is one of Cooper's Godmothers).  Both the Streets and the Odles came in the middle of a torrential rain storm that moved back and forth over the island for the entire two weeks of their visits.  Cooper got to sport her rain gear for several days during the rainy weeks.  But before you go feeling sorry for any of our visitors, know this about Kauai weather...  it will get sunny soon.  

Andrea and Randy were here with us for the beautiful Thanksgiving service at All Saints', as well as the Thanksgiving luncheon that we served in our gym.  What a glorious day!  We served over 350 meals, and delivered 160 plates to the homebound in our community.  We watched football, ate turkey, and then went for a walk/run on the beach... what a Thanksgiving.  

Black Friday was spent on the North Shore, taking advantage of near-perfect waves in Hanalei Bay.  Everybody got the chance to surf or body-board and a great day was had by all!  I can't wait to get some of the photos from the Odles' brand new camera!  

Even with all this adventure, the best part for me was introducing our visitors to all of our friends at church.  Looking out in the congregation, it made me proud to see my Chattanooga peeps in the pews at All Saints'.  I'm grateful that our friends made it out here to see us, and I'm really grateful that they are our friends!!!  
This month flew by...  so it's important that Linda, Cooper, and I send our warmest Aloha to all our blog-o-rama readers!  We love you!