Building Walls

I had someone tell me once that they thought I was building walls around my heart. I didn't know this person, but, could feel that it was said to me with good intentions. It was said out of love and concern. So, why are walls a bad thing? People who have them are only protecting themselves right?

I also heard someone say that being shy is a form of 'selfishness'. Those of us that have struggled with shyness would undoubtedly argue with that notion, if we weren't to shy to do so.. :)

The reasoning was that by not expounding on your thoughts and knowledge the shy person is depriving others of their talents and gifts. So, with that in mind, I'd like to say that perhaps building walls to protect ourselves is also a form of selfishness. We are not allowing others in our lives, thus shutting out someone that may be able to help us grow. Yes, there is always a chance that someone may hurt us. But, with out those experiences, the good and the bad, we can't become the person that God wants us to be.

Remember, He will not let us down, betray us, or hurt us. Oh How He loves us!

What about tearing those walls down and letting others get to know you? What about opening yourself up and allowing your gifts to be heard and used? It's time to allow others in your life, to expand your horizons.

Thoughts for today

As I was thinking about our Ladies Group at church, and the various activities we had planned last year, and what I thought we might do for the next few months, I started thinking about how much fun we had just playing board games. We sat around big round tables, laughing and sharing each others frustrations about the 'game' we were playing. But, then it occurred to me that it is also what we do in the 'game' of life. We attempt to build relationships on how we play our part in the game. We plan out a strategy, arrange our cards, and then go out into our world and expect to find fullfillment by winning the game.

When I consider this, I wonder how we build true relationships. Are we playing all the cards and finishing the game with a winning hand all the time? Or do we hold back a card or two, just in case. I would submit that occasionally we find that we are so busy working our strategy that we forget to immerse ourselves in real relationships. We only share that part of our life that we find lovable. We don't give in to sharing weaknesses or what is hard about our life. Thus, people don't really know us. They only know what we want them to know. We are playing a game. But, we don't set out to win this one. We just want to get by.

But, what does God want for us? I beleive He is asking us to have fullfilling, open relationships so we can build each other up, know when our friends are weak or hurting, thus needing our prayers. We need each other. We need to have people in our lives that know us well enough to tell us when we are headed for trouble.

Let's stop playing games with one another, and submerge ourselves in true relationships.

Catching up

I hadn't realized it had been so long since I had posted on my blog. There aren't many exciting things going on in my world! The last post was in February, so let's just hit the highlights!

I did work on a baby quilt for my nephew and his wife's new baby. Baby Ethan arrived in July, just a cute as can be! The quilt did get finished, but the baby shower isn't until next week, so I won't be posting a photo until after.

In June, Mike and I took a trip to New York City.



We saw all the 'tourist' sites. Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Empire State Building, and went to see "The Phantom of the Opera"
We met frieds there, Marion and Otti Nowak from Berlin Germany.

Day #7 - The last day.. Sunday

We packed a lunch then headed to Kona Baptist Church Then for another picnic and more whale waching at the Place of Refuge Park.

It may seem like it would be boring to spend so much time at the beach just sitting and waiting for the whales to show. But the truth is, I found it very relaxing. The air is crisp, yet warm. No humidity and a cool breeze. The palm trees give you shade, but, not too much. Paradise.

After a few hours it was back to the Honokohau Harbor and the
"Bite Me Restaurant" for another round of fish before I leave. The fish of the day was "Monchong". It's a white fish full of flavor, but not a strong "fishy" one. It was perhaps the best fish I had ever eaten.

Then we headed back to the apartment to get my bag packed. It will be a sad goodbye, but a vacation to remember for a life time.

Day #6 - Whale watching

Erin, Tad and I started the day early. We headed north to find a good whale watching beach. Once I learned to watch for the spouting, I could easily spot where the whales were playing in the ocean. At one time, there were four of them, it looked like "sychronized spouting". When you saw the spout sprays, if you used binoculars you could watch the whales rolling around in the water. It was quite fascinating.

The way to Waimea



Ranch in the valley




In Waimea, there is a place called "Church Row". There was a memorial there that told about all the churches and a little something about their history. One particular church said that in the 1840's they had over 1200 members of their church. Now that's a pretty big membership for a small community on an island it the middle of the pacific ocean!

It was a very clear day, which was a good thing for photo taking!

After lunch at Solimene's Restaurant in Waimea, we started back towards Kona. We stopped at a resort to take a short hike to see the Petroglyph Park. This is a lava field that the natives carved petroglyphs into the lava. When the Resort was built, they preserved the field and made a trail. I added the link to show a little about what the petroglyphs were, I'm not sure if it's the exact same park or not.



Here's a beehive on the beginning of the hike to the petroglyphs


Erin and I with the lava field in the background.


Honu (Turtle) carved in the lava



Tad and Erin



Sign explaining about the carvings

End of the World

Mom at the End of the World
Originally uploaded by ReporterErin

The last stop for the day, a place called "The end of the World". I don' tknow how it got that name, but, it's a pretty cool place. We stayed here for about an hour. With the sun reflecting off the black lava rock, I got a sunburn.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

While at the Place of Refuge we saw a group of people watching something swim toward the cove. We figured it would be a sea turtle as we've seen them there many times. But this time it was a little different as it came closer to shore. This time it was a Hawaiaan Monk Seal Since these are on the "Extremely Endangered" list, it was all very exciting.

Place of Refuge

After our tour of the Painted Church, we headed up the coast to a beautiful National Park called Place of Refuge

This park is a great place to experience some native Hawaiian culture, take a hike and have a picnic.

Picnic area.



This is on the hike, it is believed to have been a goat pen.


The end of the hike.

Day #6 - Friday First Stop, the Painted Church

I can't believe it's Friday already! Today we have a small hike planned and lunch agt the Place of Refuge. It's a warm day, and we are hoping to see some whales at the beach. But, our first stop is a little church called "The Painted Church".


I found the following information at this website: Painted Church
"In December of 1983 restoration work began on the deteriorating church, in collaboration with the Bishop museum in Honolulu. In February of 1985 the restoration was complete and the parish celebrated. On the hundredth anniversary of the dedication of the church in its present location, in 2002, more renovation was completed. A large plywood altar had been constructed after the changes initiated by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's, this enabled the priest to celebrate mass facing the congregation. This was replaced by a koa wood altar crafted by a parishioner, that was smaller and more in proportion to the size of the sanctuary. A matching pulpit was also crafted of this precious Hawaiian wood. The statues were refurbished and the carpet replaced. St. Benedicts sparkled once again. There are two mission churches in St. Benedict's parish, St. John the Baptist in Kelliakekua and St. Peter's Church in Milolii, 25 miles south of Honaunau. St. Peter's was built to replace a church of the same name, destroyed by a lava flow at Hoopuloa in 1926"

This tree as outside, I thought it was unusual.


Outside the church was a little souvenier stand that sold handmade christmas ornaments. I bought a wreath ornament made from the koa wood, with a nativity in the center.

Day #5 Continued

After horseback riding, Erin and did some 'beach hopping'. Meaning we just stopped at several places on the way back into Kona. Here are a few photos of the day.

Day #5 -Thursday

HORSEBACK riding day! Erin and I got up early and drove to the Waipio Valley to take the scheduled Horseback riding tour. I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time! To take a horse thru the valley and see some places that you just don't get to see unless you are willing to hike several miles up and down the rocks and hills! By the time we got there it was raining. Not to be deterred, we climbed into the 4 wheel drive van with 12 other people we didn't know to be cowboys for a day.

We got to the stables, though, I wondered a time or two if that van would just plummet over the cliffs, and began our orientation lecture. The lecture included how to get on and off the horse, when to lean forward, how to hold the reins, and what to do in the event that the horse lays their ears flat on their neck. We were also instructed that horses, much like people, do not like their "space" intruded upon by other horses getting too close. Great... :)



One by one we mounted our rides, the guides carefully pairing up horses with riders. Erin got a horse that wanted to lead the pack. I got the horse that none of the other horses liked. Figures. She is in front, me in the rear. Yeah.. our first day together and there are 12 people riding in between us.



About 20 minutes into the ride, one of the other rideres decided she wanted to take some photos, so she fell back behind me. Next thing I knew, Shady, the socially inept horse I was on, laid her ears back and began to make a fuss. I thought she wanted to climb the mountain beside the trail, or dump me on the ground. Luckily, I had ridden before, though, let's just say it's been a very, very long time. I pulled back the reigns and told her that she didn't need to get in a tizzy. Somehow she must have thought that I knew what I was doing because she calmed right down. You should have seen the look on the guide's face. Poor guy, thought he had lost a tourist! I assured him we would be fine, and the tour continued.

We rode for about an hour and half, thru streams of water, viewing waterfalls, wild mustangs, and baby colts. All the while it rained. It was a beautiful ride and believe it or not, not one person complained about the weather.

Hawaii - Day#4

It's Wednesday now, and again I head to the beach after I dropped Erin off at work. She had shown me another beach earlier in the week called the "Energy Lab" beach. Nearby there are salt water desalination plants, where they take the water and remove the salt. The salt gets sold as Kona Sea Salt, and they bottle the water for drinking. The surf was high today, so I thought it would be fun to watch the waves crash up on the rocks. I had the zoom on, so I'm not sitting quite as close at it might look.

Hawaii - Day #3

Wednesday, Day #3
Today I thought I should get some of my souvenier shopping done. So, up to Alii Drive I wandered. I found a little quilt/sewing store that I had to browse. The fabrics were very nice, but, much like at home, pricey. I wanted to stop at the farmer's market, but, not finding a place to park, I headed south of Kona to a small town that I can never remember the name. There's a big fabric store there, Kimura's, with a small Japanese woman that runs it. I love going there because they have plenty of Hawaiian fabrics to look at and the owner is so pleasant and helpful. I will visit her store every time I go to Kona as long as she remains open! I made my purchases and decided to head on over to the Kona International Marketplace. Much to my dissappointment, many of the stores had gone out of business. The floral shop was gone. I loved walking thru that and admiring the orchids. With my souvenier shopping complete, I went to the beach to wait for it to be time to pick Erin up for lunch. While waiting at the pavillion, a man approached me, and asked if I had come to attend a meeting. I politely explained that, no, I was only waiting to pick up Erin for lunch. When I asked what kind of meeting he was hosting, he told me it as an AA meeting. I told him I didn't want to seem rude, but I certainly wasn't in need of his services! We talked for awhile, he was from Minnesota. It seems like everyone I meet that lives in Hawaii is from somewhere else. Interesting.

Hawaii - Day #2

Tuesday, Day #2. Tuesday. I have a cousin that lives in Hawaii, her name is Ruth. She grew up in California and although I had never met her, I know her mother. Ruth and I had been planning to get together while I was visiting, so today would be the day! She picked me up at Erin and Tad's apartment and we went down to the Harbor to meet Erin for lunch. We ate at a cute little restaurant where they serve fish sometimes caught on the local Deep Sea Fishing tours.


Erin and Ruth talked me into having a Fish Taco. They put fish in a taco shell, shredded cabbage, tomato, some white sauce, and salsa on the side. I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Ruth and I then went back to her home, where I met Clouseau, her dog. She has a lovely home with an ocean view. We talked for several hours, like we had known each other our whole lives. Here is a view of the entryway, Ruth handpainted these Birds of Paradise. Lovely

Hawaii Day #1

I have returned from my trip, it's true. But, I'm trying to get this all written out before I forget what I did every day!

** On Day #1 - 3 Erin had to work. It's tough flying so far and seeing her go, but, I knew that I wanted to spend some time just laying on the beach reading books and hoping that I can get a tan. So, we decided that I would drive her to work, then I could have her jeep to get to the beach. I would then pick her up for lunch, then back to the beach.

Day #1 was the first day we did that. On the way to her office (West Hawaii Today), she helped me remember where some tourist friendly beaches and a few other places. Today was the day I would also get my hair done. She has a fantastic hair dresser named Shayla at the Icicles Salon in Kona. I highly recommend her!



After I got my hair done, Erin, Carolyn (a co-worker of Erin's) and I went to Subway for lunch. I dropped the girls off at the office after, and headed to the "Old Airport Beach" where I found a lovely spot near a tree. I could rest under the tree with the sun shining on my face.

Hawaii Trip.. the arrival

I arrived at the Kona Airport 20 minutes early, which meant that Erin and Tad weren't quite there yet. They only live about 10-15 minutes from there, and were watching my flight on a computer flight tracker. Before they realized it, the plane had landed and they needed to get down to meet me.

The sun was shining, the temp was about 85. By the time I got off the plane, found my luggage, they were pulling up at the curb. This is my greeting "lei"

Musings

On February 7th, I boarded a plane for a trip to visit Erin. If you don't know, Erin is my oldest daughter, she and her husband, Tad, live in Kona Hawaii. This would be my 5th trip to the Islands, but my first on my own. I have to admit, flying alone, navigating the airports with no support seemed a bit intimidating When I entered the airport in Fort Wayne, the temperature in Indiana was 12 degrees. How I looked forward to some warm weather and sunshine!

This is what I found when I landed in Maui, the last stop before I was to arrive in Kona.

Journey of Discovery

I finally finished the 12 month project, Journey of Discovery, Block of the month. Now to put them together!

Block #8 - Montana

 

The winter at Ft. Mandan, N. Dakota, involved hunting, trading, keeping fit, dealing with the cold, doing extensive repairs to old equipment and building new canoes. During this time the Indiana squaw, Sacagawea, had her baby on Feb. 11th. He was named Jean Baptiste, and nicknamed "Pompey". On April 7th, the men started out once again on their journey. Eight days out of Ft. Mandan, the expedition passed the farthest point upstream on the Missouri known by Lewis to have been reached by white men. They were now traveling through Montana and heading straight west.

Block #10 Washington

 

"Journey of Discovery"

On October 10, 1805, the explorers rode into the Snake RIver. The Snake joined the Clearwater River from the south. That night the expedition camped near the site of the present Lewiston, Idaho. Within a week the expedition passed from the Snake River into the Columbia River. The explorers had entered the present state of Washington. Throughout this part of the journey, the Native Americans were always friendly, and they were able to purchase food they needed from them. Clark believed they were friendly because of Sacagawea. "A woman with a party of men is a token of peace", Clark wrote.

January 2010

Yep, it's January. The snow is falling, we have about 6" on the ground with more coming tonight. It's the light fluffy stuff that blows into big drifts if the wind picks up. I'd rather have the 'snowman' kind.. heavy, and wet, it stays on the ground in one place better!

My birthday is this month, and today in the mail I got a "AARP" card.. yes, that means I'm about to turn 50. Entering the 1/2 century age. Old. Funny though, I don't feel old, I don't look 50 for whatever that means. What is 50 supposed to look like anyway? Grey hair, tons of wrinkles, falling out teeth?

Yep.. it's January.

South Dakota - Block #6

 

Block 6, of the Voyage of Discovery BOM

By the end of August, the expedition had reached what is now Yankton, South Dakota. Here the captains met five Sioux Chiefs and seventy warriors. These were the Yankton Sioux, who turned out to be peaceful. At the council meeting they listened patiently to Lewis's speech and accepted the medals and other gifts. Further to the North they ran into the Teton Sioux, which were believed to be the most troublesome of all bands of Sioux. Communicating through sign language they arranged a meeting and ended up spending 4 days among the Teton. Even after the exchange of gifts and participation amoungst the tribe, they left very cautiously and were glad to forge ahead.

Catching up

It's been a busy few months for me. We've taken a couple of trips, one for pleasure and one missionary trip. First we spent a week in Berlin Germany with new friends. We saw all the tourist spots, lot's of old architecture and went to a Holocaust memorial. Germany is filled with interesting history.

In November, we went to Santiago, Dominican Republic to help a missionary family with their work. We spent time handing out food to people that had little or nothing to eat. We prayed for the sick, helped with dramas, and shared our faith. The Dominican is a beautiful country.

The holidays have come and are gone now. It is my hope that I will continue to keep up with my blog, and keep get my Block of the Month challenge of 2009 finished soon!

Bonus Block #12 - Indiana Puzzle

This block is from Indiana and named "Indiana Puzzle". Lewis and Clark journeyed down the Ohio River bordering on Indiana's south border before they reached their first destination in Illinois.

Oregon - Block #11

On November 7th, the day dawned with a heavy fog. By mid-afternoon the sky cleared. THen came th emoment they had all awaited. "Great joy in the camp," Clark wrote. "We are in view of the ocean, the great pacific ocean we have been so long anxious to see." They could hear the ocean's waves breaking on the rocks. Clark also noted, "Ocean 4142 miles from the mouth of the Missourie River. Unfortunately, he was not exactly right. What the captains had looked out oupon was the wide mouth of the Columbia River. It was as much as six miles across. On November 17th, 1805 Clark took some men and set out by foot to see th emain ocean. After exploring the area a the mouth of the Pacific, the men set up winter camp at Fort Clatsop. They would remain here until heading back east on March 23, 1806.

Idaho - Block #9

In September the explores would be crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. The Bitterroots in Idaho, are part of the Rocky Mountain chain. This would be the most difficult part of the journey. Here they entered a great maze of snow covered ridges and passes. It was country harsher and more hazardous than any they had faced. Even today, few people inhabit this region.

North Dakota - Block #7

 

BY October 24th, the expedition was well north of present Bismarck and approching the Mandan villages. The captains knew from their research in St. Louis that the Mandans (and their neighbors and allies) were the center of the Northern Plains trade, attracting Indians from vast distances. This was the location the expedition would spend the winter. Relations with the Mandans was excellent and the Indians were delighted that the expedition would spend the next five months as their neighbors.