When envy warms the heart...

Recently we found out that some good friends of ours were moving to Utah. We couldn't be more excited for them and their two children! We first met them when Arnold worked for Chevron in El Paso, TX. Then we were elated to hear that they had moved here from El Paso not long before our move brought us here from Salt Lake City, Utah. We enjoyed having someone we "knew" here and someone that could help us make some sort of sense about picking up and driving 2000 miles across the country to a place we had no idea what to expect from.

Part of me couldn't wait to tell them all the things they had to look forward to! All the perks and pluses! All the activities and bonuses to living in a state that welcomed families such as their's! And then, out of no where, the other part of me felt those annoying anticipating little pangs of green jealous envy. I was taken back and a bit startled. Had I not found a place in my heart for Mobile, AL? Had we not loved being close to the water and enjoying the perks of being here on the Gulf Coast? Had we not found instant friends in the neighbors and ward members that became our new family far away from home?

I then came to the the realization that after all this time I still had deep feelings of homesickness for a place we called "home" for almost nine years. A place where my children were born and raised for the first few years of their lives. Where strong relationships were built. Where hearts were sometimes broken. Where tiny spirits were strengthened. And lasting bonds of love were created.

I really thought enough time had passed to where those feelings no longer existed in me. But hearing that friends of ours were on their way there and beginning that great journey back "home" to Utah quite frankly made me feel a bit ENVIOUS. Envious enough that I thought I might want to trade places with them for a moment. Envious enough to make me wonder if we'd ever make it back one day. Envious enough to wish I were in their shoes. And just envious enough to make me think and remember all the good times we had there and warm my heart for a moment. Having friends move home to Utah reminded me most about why we loved being there so much in the first place...

Friends vs. Hawaiian friends...

There are friends...and then there are "HAWAIIAN FRIENDS"...

FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Always bring the food.

FRIENDS: Will say "hello".
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss.

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad.

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just
being together...and help clean-up when all pau!

FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowd's okoles that left you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"

FRIENDS: Are for a while.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Are for life and eternity.

FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
HAWAIIAN FRIENDS: Will forward this to spread "da Hawaiian kine aloha"!

Hat boy, shakey boy, and cute boy...

After getting up at 3 am to be at the Birmingham Alabama temple by 9 am for our youth baptism trip we drove another 90 miles on the way back to Pensacola, FL that evening for a Tri-Stake Youth Dance. While there the youth were able to mingle with about 100 other youth who had driven to the stake center from Ft. Walton Beach, Pensacola, and Mobile, Alabama. For the most part there were a few familiar faces but when we see someone we haven't met yet, we come up with unique ways of identifying those that we are talking about until we have the chance to learn more about them.

For example, Hat boy was a twin and wore a golf hat that he thought went along with the "Hawaiian Luau" theme of the evening. (It did NOT!) Shakey boy just moved to Daphne, Alabama from Provo, Utah and seemed nervous about being at this first dance away from "home". (Hence the shaking...) Pretty hair boy needed a haircut but had really nice locks. (See picture for reference.) And finally, Cute boy (Marty from Pensacola, FL) was the highlight of the evening. Oh and actually cute boy started out that evening as "nice smelling" boy but we decided after a few dances that "cute" boy fit better.

I think Lisa is really going to enjoy her first Youth Conference this year! Hopefully she'll still think "cute" boy is cute. Shakey boy will get over his nervousness. Pretty hair boy will get a haircut. And hat boy will leave his golf hat at home.

Home with honor...

Elder Parker is one of those very special elders. One who persevered, overcame, served well and touched the lives of many people while serving here in the Florida Tallahassee Mission. Our paths first crossed in Woods Cross, Utah where Arnold and I were called to serve as the Sunday School teacher for the 14/15 year old class. That's where we met Elder Parker's mother and older brother and formed a relationship with his family. Moving to Mobile, AL two years ago we realized that there could be a chance Elder Parker would be called to serve in this area as we are a part of the Tallahassee Mission boundaries. Never having the chance to have him serve in our ward we were still blessed to see him on occasion at transfer spots in Pensacola, FL and during the Gladys Knight Missionary Fireside weekend at the Mobile Alabama Stake Center. This is a picture of us taken last Wednesday. Elder Parker was on his way home. Returning with honor. Full of hopes and dreams and goals that will fill a lifetime. Our area will be forever blessed to have had him in our presence. Good luck Elder Parker! We will miss you!

A life lived and remembered...

Growing up in Hawaii I had the unique opportunity to meet and grow up with several very magnetic personalities. Carlene Eiko Okimoto Mossman was one of those people. She passed away this month giving birth to her seventh child, Carly, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I remember the first day I met Carlene at Laie Elementary school in Hawaii. Her family had just moved to Laie and we became instant friends. Through the next three decades we went to dances together, laughed together, attended seminary together. We even fought over a few boys together. We both served our missions in Asia. Carlene in Japan and I in Korea. Our letters to each other came quicker than any we would receive from back home in Hawaii. We supported each other, loved each other, and became each other's strength while we were so very far away from home. Returning home from our missions we continued our schooling together, each getting married and moving on with our lives. Any time we met up again after that it was like we had never been apart. Our children, who are approximately the same ages, became instant friends and took up just like she and I always would. As if we had never been apart. As if no time had ever passed in between our visits. My children always referred to Carlene's family as their "hawaiian cousins". Whether it was in Laie, Sandy, or Woods Cross Carlene and her family were always a part of our family. We are devastated about her passing. We send our deepest sympathy to Vaughn and the children. To Bro. and Sis. Okimoto who always welcomed me into their home. And to the many, many people who's lives Carlene touched while she was here on earth.

To dye or not to dye...

What Easter would be complete without a traditional egg decorating activity? The elders came up with some very unique styles of egg dying as the kids enjoyed watching their creativity at work! What better way to spend an evening with the elders? Egg dying, ham eating, clothes washing…. (I guess it wouldn’t be really authentic without someone getting yellow dye all over their white shirt and tie!)

It's all about the hunt...

Easter weekend we got together with several other families and enjoyed one of the best Easter egg hunts ever! The children made crafts, played games, and searched for eggs all day Saturday as the adults sat around and enjoyed more food than we possibly could consume in one day.

We were amazed at how excited the kids got this year with being able to "hide" the eggs. Usually it is the adults that do the "hiding" and the kids wait anxiously until it is time to do the "finding". All of them this year, however, were in favor of letting us sit back and enjoy while they did all the work. I guess when you "know" where to look for the eggs it makes for an even more enjoyable hunt. Who knew the kids would have so much fun with it?! Even the teenagers enjoyed picking up an egg or two!

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a Saturday afternoon egg hunt! Cool and just a little bit breezy - we were able to stuff the eggs with chocolate this year and not worry about it melting while sitting out in the hot sun! I'm an okay fan of jelly beans, but if you're going to go through the effort of hunting for an egg why bother if its not filled with some kind of creamy milk chocolate?! Happy Easter everyone!

Can you see me now?

It has been two years since we moved here to the Gulf Coast. I often wonder what we will think about years from now when we think about the move here and what prompted us to make such a drastic life change. What benefits will we see in the future? What outcome will the future bring because we dared to venture into the unknown and take a chance on an opportunity placed so perfectly in front of us. Until then I guess we can wonder and try to speculate, but for now I would have to say that with two years behind us, the move has been a positive one and we've been able to reap all the benefits of being residents here in the South. One benefit in particular is Arnold's job at Chevron. A benefit that one would say would have the most overall lasting effect on our entire family. The one benefit I would guess that would mean the most to our success here and determine our overall feelings about the change. It was the one thing I hoped didn't get overlooked as we scrambled to get the children adjusted and our new lives formed. If Arnold found that this area wasn't what he expected the "big move" could've surely been all in vain. But to our excitement this new work environment has been the best thing for Arnold's future with the company. Something that has turned out to be beneficial for all of us. Recently, Arnold participated in an unprecidented expansion of the FCC at the Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula, Missisippi. Part of the process was overseeing the arrival, assembly, and take down of a 300 ft crane that assisted with the two month project.

Happily every after...

I absolutely love this pictures of my sister - Mibi, her husband - Lee, and my older brother - Scott at Turtle Bay Hilton in Kahuku, Hawaii right before her wedding reception began at the hotel. Mibi and Lee celebrated their second anniversary last November.

The Year of the Pig...

As luck would have it... some where deep here in the south there are a group of authentic Korean families who celebrate their heritage and hold on to the traditional values they learned before moving to the United States and making a home for themselves here in America. How fun it has been for us to be able to spend time with these families and give our children that same exposure to a unique culture and the many traditions they hold onto. For Chinese New Year, which fell on February 18th this year, we were invited to the home of a University of South Alabama Professor. He and his wife and their young son moved to Mobile years ago and travel back and forth to Korea. We prepared all the traditional food dishes for the holiday and ate on the floor like they do in Korea (and how we use to when Arnold and I were living as missionaries). Who knew that out here in the middle of Mobile there would be a group of people that would welcome us into their home and remind us of who we are and where we came from?

Valentine's Dinner for three?

Valentine's day fell on a school night this year and with Arnold at work we decided to have a sit down formal dinner at home and resist the urge to fight the crowds downtown for a place to celebrate. The kids had fun setting the table with everything from multiple sets of silverware to lighting the candlesticks. We grilled Rib Eye Steaks and had baked potatoes. We even found a left over bottle of sparkling grape juice from New Year's. During the dinner we had to remind Jessica from time to time which "fork" she should use, but overall it was a fun experience! Fun enough that the kids want to make it a Valentine's day tradition and do it again next year! As long as (Lisa says) they get to dress up for the picture I insisted on taking of them! I guess that's one detail we forgot to add! Oh well! What's a nice dinner if you can't be comfortable and barefoot?

Pine Wood Derby 2007...

Kenny took second place in the Pine Wood Derby this week! With a last minute trip to the Post office to weigh his car in we realized we didn't have as much weight on the car as we should've. We drove back home. Woke Arnold up (he was on Night Shift that week). And drilled two more holes in the car and placed a couple more quarters and nickels in to weigh the car down. When they were done with the add ons the car weighed a perfect .5 oz!
Kenny worked really hard on the design of his car and painted all the details by himself. I would have to guess that he was more proud of how the car looked than how it raced until he won second place. Then he decided it was pretty good to have a car that raced well AND looked cool all at the same time. Kenny also received the "Most Indestructable" car award at the Pine Wood Derby.

Jessica made a car to race in the Sibling heat at the Pine Wood Derby. Her car didn't fare as well as Kenny's did, but it didn't matter as long as she could get a picture holding the trophy! (And her's was definitely CUTE!)

Mobile Mystics and the Merry Mates...

Mr. Johnny and Ms. Linda brought us to our very first Mardi Gras parade a year ago and now it has become somewhat of a family tradition to meet them downtown on a Saturday afternoon and enjoy the Mobile Mystics parade with them.

Needless to say there was lots to be excited about and the kids had a blast! This was Kenny's favorite float as it had a shark at the front of it. Notice the beads hanging from its teeth? I am constantly amazed by the beauty of the floats and the unique masks and costumes that the parade riders wear for each parade.

20 Ways To Determine if you are a real Alabamian...

1. You can properly pronounce Arab, Cahaba, Opelika, Sylacauga, Oneonta, and Eufaula.
2. You think people who complain about the heat in their states are sissies.
3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.
4. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
5. Stores don't have bags or shopping carts, they have sacks and buggies.
6. You've seen people wear bib overalls at funerals.
7. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
8. You measure distance in minutes. (It's about 5 minutes down the road)
9. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
10. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
11. You know cowpies are not made of beef.
12. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
13. You have known someone who has a belt buckle bigger than your fist.
14. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, beer, and bait all in the same store.
15. A Mercedes Benz isn't a status symbol. A Chevy Silverado Extended Bed Crew Cab is.
16. You know everything goes better with Ranch Dressing.
17. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
18. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin' " to send them to your friends.
19. You have used your heater and air-conditioner in the same day!

Finally: You are 100% Alabamian if you have ever had this conversation:
20. "You wanna coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr Pepper."

Order of the Polka Dots...

We attended our first night-time Mardi Gras parade in downtown Mobile this year. We met three other families there and enjoyed the cool weather, the excitement of the colorful floats and the amazing "throws".
As always we took home way more beads than we'll ever need but for some reason the kids never seem to get tired of it! This group we went to see was called the Order of the Polka Dots. They are an all female group and the theme of their floats this year was "Birds of Paradise".