Lei all your love on me

It's always difficult to say good-bye to a place you might never see again. Especially when that place is constantly green, located near a beach, and between 75-85 degrees year-round.

The last few weeks in Hawaii were kind of a blur. Kaddi and the kids left ten days before I did. Although they certainly won't miss Laie elementary school, the kids both had good friends that they will remember fondly. Meg probably had the hardest time saying good-bye to her primary teacher, a former member of the 80s musical group 'The Jets'. I heard her perform at the Christmas party and thought, "that beautiful mixture of pop-rhythm and melody reminds me of the The Jets." Oh, was I right.

With her well-prepared lessons and fun pizza parties, Sister Fenga gave Meg one more chance to make it real.

On our last Sunday we took part in the Aloha tradition. I confess I'd been a little worried about this since arriving in the ward. Normally you stand up at the front while the ward sings 'Aloha Hawaii,' and people come up to put leis around your neck. we hadn't been there very long and didn't know very many people. I imagined us standing up there, smiling awkwardly, while no one came up to say good-bye.

Fortunately for us, we left the same Sunday as two senior sister missionaries who were beloved by the ward. Many people passed us as they came to say good-bye to them, so it looked like the ward was truly mourning our departure. We also had a few people come up to wish us well, including our good friends Chris and Katie, who were kind enough to make beautiful flower leis for us. It was very touching.




Anyway, we spent the week getting everything cleaned up and the suitcases packed so Kaddi and the kids could make their flight to Sacramento. I heard later that they missed their flight and had to fly to Oakland and catch the shuttle to Sacramento. (That's another story for another time.) I'm not sure who was to blame, but rather than wasting a lot of time conducting a thorough investigation I just gave Jakob a thorough spanking.

Then there was nothing to keep me company but a stack of research papers and finals. I felt a little awkward going back to church by myself the next Sunday, Father's Day, especially when the ward had given us the grand sendoff the week before. I tried to sneak into the back, but was tracked down by a lovely young woman who placed a fathers-day lei around my neck and gave me a kiss on the cheek. How can one not be charmed by a tradition like that?

Move On with a Greener Kind of Candidate

Whatever you might think about Barak Obama, there's no question that he is a different kind of Presidential candidate. We have never seen anything like him before. Listening to him speak is as refreshing as the smell of Old Spice deodorant on a crowded Hawaiian bus. The man is already making political history, and he's not even President yet.

As the candidate for change, Obama is not weighed down by the conventional baggage that comes with being a Washington insider. Unlike your typical Republican candidate, he hasn't surrounded himself with lobbyists or shady advisors who got sweet-heart deals from unethical mortgage companies. Nor will he be bothered by restraints like 'executive experience'. He's completely unhampered by any knowledge of the economy or foreign policy matters. This guy's so fresh he makes Presidental candidate John Kennedy look like Strom Thurmond.

And let's face it, America needs the completely new perspective Obama will bring in order to transcend its tragic racial past. Do you think McCain would have the foresight to ask two Muslim women wearing headscarves to move out of the camera shot during his campaign speech? Of course not. It takes a special kind of politician to show that type of leadership.

Never before have we had a candidate courageous enough to reject the limitations of public funds after promising he would accept them only months ago. This intrepid move will allow the Democrats to outspend the Republicans 2-1 over the course of the campaign. Others might characterize this as a flip-flop, but I recognize it as a bold move toward equality. After all, Republicns have been buying elections for years.

Yes, years from now I'll be able to tell my grandchildren that I witnessed the moment when America finally began caring for the poor and providing jobs for the unemployed.. When the earth began to heal and the oceans began to subside. And I was here to witness the greatness of the man responsible for it all, a man brave enough to move away from the tired, empty, hopeless rhetoric of the....what?....

Oh man...I've got to go. John McCain just stopped by to force Luke into the marine corp.

(You can't have him...John.)

That's why I was salesman of the month

Now that the family is gone I'm in charge of selling our car. I've spent the past week looking for efficient methods of advertising. Then I realized - Why do I need the classifieds? I have access to 301NIB...a website viewed by up to one dozen people every day!

Let's start the bidding...

Wouldn't you like to experience a new standard of luxury?

It's the type of automobile that tells people, "Why yes, I am living here temporarily."

Enjoy a driving tour of the island in beautiful buckets seats made of leathery goodness.

Vehicle also includes:

1) Head and tail lights.

2) Standard built-in crock pot.

3) 4.3 pounds of sand.

4) A engine specially modified to run on either gasoline or aloha spirit.

Asking Price: Two Costco containers of Kirkland chocolate covered raisins (o.b.o.)

Le voleur qui sourit

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Meet the Swappers

We never did make it down to Honolulu to walk through the swap meet. But today I witnessed a display of capitalist carnage no less fearsome, if on a smaller scale.

Since TVA is such a transient community, we have our own little swap meet every Saturday on the side road that runs past the university. Kaddi gathered up almost everything we'd purchased while here in Hawaii (except our vacuum and television, both too precious to part with just yet), and I loaded them into the car for everal trips out to swap-meet road.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical. After all, who sells their second-hand items by the roadside? Who buys items that way? This isn't Thailand.

As it turns out...it IS Thailand. We arrived at about 9 AM and almost all the prime real estate was already taken. There were tables and shelves set up. People selling DVD's, CD's, bikes, shelves, furniture, rice-cookers, books, Christmas trees, dishware, toys, and everything else.

And these sellers can be competitive. We almost got into it ("Are we doing this?") with the Vietnamese lady stationed next to us after she kept tipping over a bike she felt was positioned too close to her blanket display.

Merchandise moves fast. By the time I arrived with the second carload of goods, Kaddi had sold most of the first load. By the time I took the above photo, several moms had already purchased the household items (and their kids had broken the toys).

Kaddi's such a trooper she's decided to stay there until everything sells. I volunteered to come home so that Luke could take a nap.

I need a bath