Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming

My kitchen has been filled with incredible food, and laughter, and work, and togetherness and family.

My living room smells like pine.

Our baby girl is kicking, like she's at soccer practice, inside me.

It's Christmas time.

It's snowing outside...

This morning is quiet, and sweet, and this is the soundtrack for today.

Yeah, It's November...

Maybe I was a little depressed coming back from Kauai, and didn't want to blog about it.

Maybe we got so caught up in cleaning, and remodeling, and painting and moving into the house.

Maybe I got pregnant and lost my functioning brain.

Okay--no maybe on that last one. I am pregnant. My brain is gone. And so are my ankles.

I promise more pics coming soon--of pretty, lovely things. In the meantime, I'm trying to kick nausea and fatigue in the head.

Things to look forward to:
* Thanksgiving and leftovers!
* December and the visit from my amazing in-laws! (a whole month!)
* Finding out if we're having a boy or girl!
* Christmas!

Farewell Tour { Part II }

 Off we went, despite gathering clouds to visit the North shore.

 

 Driving through Anahola it rained and rained (nothing new...but scary when you can't see!)

When it dried up a bit I was able to snap a pic of the GLORIOUS countryside...

And then we stopped and stared at the beautiful lighthouse, and watched the birds curled up on the tree boughs. It was not a good day for soaring. 

We figured that since we were practically there already, we'd hit up Hanalei as well.

This is my favorite part of the road---it feels like you're flying through the tops of the jungle on a Disney ride.

Look at all those taro feilds!

It rained and was muggy and misty we sort of wandered around a bit at the shops and ate some sub-par Mex-Brazilain food.

The waterfalls were nice and full.

and...then we said...hey--we're here already--let's go over a few more one lane bridges and go to the end of the road!

The island is only 562 square miles--and you cannot circumnavigate it by car.

And we stopped in a cave and wandered about. (our little 'fake' baby in the pink there had just woken up from her nap. She LOVED the cave.)

The sun finally really decided to stay out for good, and we enjoyed getting our toes wet at the beautiful beach.

When the doctor tells you to find your 'happy place' --feel free to borrow this one. Ivan and I both agree that this is the most beautiful of all the beaches.

So...that's that--we hit Kilauea, Hanalei, and Ha'ena state park!

A quick note about family trees...

 

I count myself a pretty lucky person. One of the bajillion reasons is that someday my kids could have THESE gorgeous genes added to our family tree...

Are you seeing this?

Here, I'll show you again.   

My sister-in-law is so freaking gorgeous. She glows. And she's got a spirit to match.

Model stance...and she's honestly not even trying! She didn't even know I was snapping a pic.

My future kiddos are so dang lucky. 

What's that my little future children? Oh...your cool factor? Yeah, you get that from your Dad's side of the family.

Your love of cheese and ability to whistle? All me babycakes. That's ALL me.

Farewell tour { p a r t - I }

 

Yep, it's time to go back home. But before we leave this beautiful island, you can bet we're going to visit all of our favorite places!  

First up:  Waimea Canyon

 It's pretty breathtaking, and sometimes it makes my feet hurt to go up to the edge of the railing, but it's so beautiful, that I "nailed my courage to the sticking place..."

I didn't spot any mountain goats this time around, but the ohia lehua flowers were blooming. 

 There's a legend about how Pele the fire goddess was in love with a man named Ohia and wanted to marry him--but he had already pledged his love to Lehua. Naturally--jealous Pele was furious and as punishment she turned Ohia into a gnarled ugly tree. Lehua begged Pele to turn him back--but was refused. So Lehua begged the other gods to turn her man back--instead they turned her into a flower that would blossom on the tree. The story goes that if you pick a lehua blossom, it will rain--because they've been separated.

 

 Gorgeous Nelssie was able to come visit us for our farewell tour. I think Hawaii agrees with her. 

She could be a decedent of Pele, don't you think?

Here's Ivan doing an excellent impression of the funky sticker sign...(which probably read no posting stickers, and stay on the other side of the wall! ) One foot past this sign, is the cliff...and I couldn't see the bottom of the canyon. Yipes!

A May Day post! {Our Trip to Pearl Harbor}

 {I kinda sorta wish downtown Honolulu still looked like this...}

  { Really cool map at the Pearl Harbor memorial park}

{This was docked in the harbor, but we came too late to take a tour}

{Feeling very far away from the mainland all of a sudden...}

{Swabbing the decks of the Nevada --cir 1940}

{Took this picture of what you'd see through the periscope. }

 {Arizona memorial--very tiny on the left}

Birthday Blessings

On March 30th 1992--My 8th birthday,  I stood in front of this beautiful building, just after having been baptized by my Dad, in the Pacific Ocean.

On March 30th 2012 -- My 27th birthday,  I finally got to go inside the Laie Hawaii LDS temple. It was a dream come true, and an amazing miracle on how we got to be there! Ivan and I had been just wishing we could go--being SO close--(just an island away!)...but didn't know how we'd ever be able to island hop on a tight budget.

Perhaps you think you've got some pretty great parents, but let me tell you--mine are pretty stellar too. They planned this whole excursion for us to go, plane tickets, car rental and all--AND babysat our chickens and goats while we were gone for the day.

If you had a miracle happen in you life, would you recognize it? This was a miracle for me.

And what a gorgeous day we had! Look at that sky! No dreary grey March here.

These trees by the visitors center used to have all sorts of messages written--scratched-- on them, but I guess they've all fallen off and grown a new batch by now, huh?

 After working/worshiping/learning/crying/rejoicing/pondering/listening in the Temple, I wandered the grounds and talked with the gardener. I told him all about my Great-Great (great?) Grandfather Davis who organized the first Boy Scout troop on the island and who planted the royal palms that line the fountain up to the temple. He smiled and told me he had the best job in the whole world.

The design on the right symbolizes the Hawaiian tree of royalty and birthright, it was inside the temple as well.

The other symbol all over the inside of the temple was the Kukui leaf and nut. Kukui translates to "light". The Hawaiians would burn the oil from the nuts for lamps. It's also the symbol for enlightenment, protection and peace. 

All around the top of the temple are these amazing carvings. ART HISTORY TIME!

 { Hopefully if you click on these they'll get bigger }

OLD TESTAMENT: In the middle is Adam, and Eve is kneeling at the alter of sacrifice. There's Moses sitting by the tree, with the tablets on his lap, and Israel represented by the woman on the far right--looking forward to a Messiah.

NEW TESTAMENT: Mary waits with a shepherd on the left, John the Baptist is featured and Christ in the center, and his left hand is restraining Peter from using a sword (remember that part?), while Jesus heals a blind man. Cornelius is seeking baptism from Peter, and we've got Saul/Paul being touched by the rays of light--then the edict of Constantine, the growth of the church and the reformation. Whew! That's some history to cover in one tight frieze.

ANCIENT AMERICAS: Lehi holding the Hebrew scriptures in the far right, followed by his young son Jacob and Nephi standing up to his brother Laman. Then we have the "Title of Liberty" and Samuel the Lamanite looking at the star. Christ, again in the center signifying his visit to the "other sheep I have that are not of this flock"...then the story of Hagoth sailing and expedition in a canoe never to return (believed to be the descendant of the Polynesian people) and interestingly we have on the far left, Colombia (the United States personified.) with a shield and a protective hand over the people of Hawaii...

MODERN DAY: The young boy Joseph kneeling and seeking an answer to prayer with God and Christ in the center. Notice a family in the background representing the family bonds that are connected through the ordinances in the temples. Also see Women representing the Relief society and the divinity of motherhood.

Below is another amazing piece by Avard Fairbanks -- MATERNITY --

 (Which unfortunately in our society has come to be only tied to pregnancy--so lets go back the original meaning of MOTHERHOOD. Because let's be real, you don't have to birth a child to be a Mom.  )

The plaque at the visitors center says it was done to add "charm and spiritual significance to the landscape." Charm? How about, "Finally, a piece of art that honors and gives some voice to something we profess to hold in high esteem!" 

Anyway, it was still lovely and I was happy to see it there...and check it out, she's wearing at lei!