I earned 6 new units!

As most of you know, I'm going back to school to finally earn by Bachelors in teaching and religion from Liberty University online. I am really enjoying the process. I wasn't sure I could still write a college level paper but I have and I am doing well. I decided to challenge the Teacher Pracitum course by showing proof of 20 years of teaching experience, plus numerous courses in the area of Special Needs. I had to write my autobiography, which was an interesting process. Well, I heard today that I met the challenge and received 6 units that I now don't have to take! Yahoo!

Grandma & Grandpa's 60th

Go to my blog before our Hawaii trip to read about the 60th anniversary celebration.
GS

2 Weeks in Hawaii Part 3 -Kauai

Heather and; I enjoy the leis Kirk got us at the airport in Honolulu.
(This is supposed to be the last picture)

It was fun to watch the rain falling in the distance; within 5 minutes, it was raining on us.

Here is the Kilauea Lighthouse on the North shore of Kauai.

Amazing scenery, wouldn't you agree?

We took a paved pathway from our condo area down to the private beach.
This was the view on the way down.

Kirk snorkeled here and saw many beautiful fish.



We paddled up to the sand and parked our kayak here. We found a cabana to use and stayed here for a few hours. We ate snacks and Kirk and I floated in the warm water. What a beautiful spot!

We kayaked up the Hanalei River to Hanalei Bay. Here we are going out to the bay.

This is one of MANY sunset pictures that we took from our patio.

This is what is known as the "Bali Hai" beach. This is where they filmed parts of the musical "South Pacific".

We rented a one-bedroom condo that had just been remodeled. It had granite counters and new appliances. We found it through Lynn Luttrell's friends at Remax Kauai. It is Pali Ke Kua #118.

Our condo on the North Shore was in Princeville. It was ocean front with a 270 degree ocean view. Here is a view from inside the livingroom.

Here are Lynn and I at church on Sunday. They attend Anahola Baptist Church. Lynn grew up at Granada and went to Kauai as a teacher for one term. She married Phil and they have been there for 32 years!

We spent a day at Phil & Lynn Luttrell's home in Lihue, Kauai. He works with Child Evangelism and she owns and is principal of Olelo Christian School. Kirk spray painted many desks while I organized her school files and mailing lists. Little Joey has been adopted by them and really took to Kirk. He followed him around all day, showing him his bugs and other interests. Kirk enjoyed his company. He came and sat by Kirk & I at church the following Sunday.

2 Weeks on Hawaii -Part 2 Hana

Kirk trekking to the waterfall.

This is the lovely road that we drove down every time we left our B&B to go somewhere.

A beautiful vista on the Road to Hana. We would recommend this trip to anyone going to Maui. The B&B is called Ala ania Ocean Vista. We found it on the web and were very pleased with it.

Here is where the waterfall finally goes to the ocean. What a beautiful area!

Here was our prize for the long hike. This waterfall feeds the "Seven Sacred Pools" (actually there are 24 of them).

You can see how red my face was! It was very humid. Kirk made me this walking stick from bamboo to help along the way.

Kirk and I took a 4 mile hike through the Bamboo Forest up to a 400 foot waterfall. When the wind was rustling the bamboo, it sounded like being inside a wind chime. Kirk said it reminded him of the bible verse about the trees clapping their hands to worship God.

Two Wonderful Weeks in Hawaii -Part 1 Hana (Ala aina Ocean Vista B&B)

There are so many waterfalls near Hana. This is one of the tallest in the area.

Kirk cut off the end of a coconut with a dull saw (!) and we drank the sweet milk with a straw.

A brief downpour brought our dinner inside to eat from the tray on our bed. We played Yahtzee and read in the evenings. It was so relaxing and romantic.

Here's another view from our deck. The mother-daughter team who run the B&B own 7 acres that were part of a banana plantation. They are off the electricity grid and are solar and propane powered.

Here's part of the view from our deck/lanai. We had an outdoor kitchen and table where we ate breakfast and dinner. We picked up tree ripened mangoes and bananas from the property to eat daily.

Here is the King size bed at our B&B ten miles beyond Hana. Each morning we awoke to a light rain and the birds trilling in the trees. The B&B has only one room, so we were the only ones there. It was so quiet! Only rain, winds in the mango trees, frogs at night and birds could be heard.

We picked up delicious smoked tacos here at "Up in Smoke BBQ". They were delicious!

Here we are in the Garden of Eden on the road to Hana. The road has 613 curves and 57 bridges. It takes about 3-4 hours to traverse. I rented Kirk a Sebring convertible for this part of the trip. It was so fun to have the roof down while traveling this beautiful road- one of the most scenic in America!

Mom & Dad's 60th Anniversary Celebration!

Yesterday we all came together for a celebration of Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary. We gathered at our house ( which is a MESS because of redecorating!). We caravaned down to The Laguna Art Festival. First we ate a lovely dinner at Trivoli Terrace, the outdoor restaurant on the grounds. Then we walked around the looked at the beautiful jewelry, paintings, sculptures and other lovely artwork. The Pageant of the Masters with the living Tableaus is always enjoyable. What a lovely evening!

Did you know you can freeze eggs??

I read that you can freeze eggs!
If you ever get a bargain on eggs or your hens lay too many at once, here's the solution:
Crack each egg into one section of an ice cube tray. Freeze them like ice cubes. When frozen, pop them out into a zip top freezer bag to keep. When ready to use, take out as many "square eggs" as you need, and let them defrost at room temperature. Cool huh?
Thought you'd like to know.