Aprons for Adoption

What a great idea! This lady is making top-quality aprons and donating the money toward the cost of adoption of a child from Korea. Please check it out HERE -
and buy one!!
-F

Hawaii - Part 1

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The above is the Flag flying at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning when we were there......

OK, for those of you asking - here's "Part 1" of how our trip went ("wonderful" is the word!!)
First 4 days were in Honolulu -
Hilton Hawaiian Village is great - beautiful locale, nice beach and ocean, convenient to almost everything, great food and service (although quite pricey)....Glad that was paid by the company!
Pearl Harbor - the one reason (and only one in my opinion!) to go to Oahu. Very moving, just a great honor to stand where so many brave men gave their lives. For me, also a special remembrance of my Dad's service in WWII.
The third night there was free from company activities and it was our 28th Wedding Anniversary so we went to a Hawaiian classic - Ruth's Chris' Steak House!! Ok, Ok, so not so Hawaiian but absolutely the best steak ever on this planet! (Yes, Matt, you were right!!!). We had attended a luau and show the night before so we didn't feel guilty about not being "Hawaiian" for one night!
Chinatown was interesting and a fun way to get in with the "locals" - a nice diversion from the packaged tours. The Royal Pink Palace was nice but the best thing was being with friends and having a really fun time with them that evening.
Overall, IF (and that is capital 'I' capital 'F' because of the killer plane ride!) we ever go back to Hawaii I have no desire to return to Oahu. Granted, we didn't see North Shore but..... well, wait until you hear "Part 2" of our trip - the last 5 days when we were in Kauai! Definitely worth the plane ride!

Father of Mine

I was thinking today about Father's day and thought about how my husband has always felt that his number one responsibility as a Father is to pray for his children, which he faithfully does. He says that by spending time praying for each child he focuses on how to be a better father and rely on the one Perfect Father of all of us. Here's a poem that came to me from a friend that says the same thing but in much better form (BTW, the book this is from is an excellent one and I highly recommend it for every family!)

Father of Mine

Father of mine, some years ago
You showed me the way I ought to go;
You led my feet past the treach’rous sand
By the gentle clasp of your own strong hand.

Father of mine, let me thank you for
The prayers you prayed and the burden you bore.
Like a guiding star thro’ the tempests’ strife,
All your precepts have shone on my path of life.

Father of mine, when the time has passed
And the work of my life is complete at last,
When I step ashore on the glory strand
With a grateful heart I will clasp your hand.

—Sarah K. Marinee

The above poem was selected from:
Poems for Patriarchs: The Verse and Prose of Christian Manhood,
compiled and edited by Doug Phillips.

Birds!

This past year my youngest daughter did Rod & Staff Science. She learned (among many other things) about 10 common birds, their habitats and their nesting habits. As we studied one of the lessons I made the comment that I had never seen a "killdeer". So what do you think we have about a dozen or more of nesting in our fields near the yard this spring? Yep. Killdeer (the right photo). I have loved watching them, listening to them and am amazed at this, another of God's beautiful creations. And now we have a nest of Purple Martins on our front porch and a nest of mourning doves under the eaves of our garden shed so we are just having a blast watching and waiting to see which "babies" emerge first, fly first, and how long they all stick around.

My Dad

As Father's Day gets closer, I am thinking of my late Dad. The one thing that sticks out in my mind the most is the fact that after my Mom passed away Daddy often told me something he had said once in a while when I was younger. During the last few years of his life, he sort of made this his "motto" -
"Every day ask yourself - 'What good have I done for somebody today just for the sake of doing it and not for the sake of getting anything back? ' " At his funeral he wanted the song sung "If I Could Help Somebody". He often read Luke 10:25-37 and reminded his grandchildren of the "Parable of the Good Samaritan". I'm going to try to do better at remembering (and applying) those words in honor of him, and teach them to my children, too.

Graduations

Well, I am now becoming a "professional" High School graduation and graduation party attendee - at least that's the way it seems this week. Anyway, I am writing notes of suggestions for our homeschool support group for next year's graduation based on what went well with each one while it's fresh on my mind. In the meantime, I just need to get the Pomp and Circumstance song out of my head!

Quote of the day

From my 5yo with his eyes wide as saucers:
"Look, Mommy! This plant is having tomatoes!"