Friday, March 30, 2012

Sorry it's been so long.....things imploded....

A couple of weeks ago we had a "Ward Chili Cookoff and Talent Show"  They've been doing this for 4 years to try to get neighbors, investigators, etc. to come.  This is a pic of one family (including one that played linebacker for BYU) that did an Swedish skit.  This family is from This is a dance they did.  It was so funny to see all of these big men dressed in kilts dancing.  We have a very talented Ward.  One man sang and played his ukelele and one investigator came and played his bongo drums while a missionary shook the tambourine.  I was in heaven because I LOVE chili and I got to try all these different kinds.  There were some that were amazing and I'd never tasted anything like them.  They had judges that tried every one of the chili's.  There were like 26 different kinds.  One of the judges played for the Washington Redskins.  He is in our Ward.  I haven't met him yet.  He has a BIG ring on both fingers. 
Sorry it's fuzzy, aren't these girls gorgeous?  My favorite talents were the hula dancers.  If I live here long enough I would like to learn some of the hula dances.  I will be wearing a grass skirt covering my belly though!  LOL
He leads the music in Sacrament Meeting and he likes Glenn Beck and Michael Savage.  They sang a Hawaiian love song.
They are serious about this!  Look at the trophy she won!  (First place)  It was about 4 feet high!
We took Preston to Bubba Gump's (his fave restaurant) for his 6th Birthday.  We were so proud of him for writing Bubba Gump while were waiting.
 This is the view we had from our table.  We watched the waves crash.  Thanks Preston for having a birthday!!!!!!!
He got the movie Puss and Boots for his Bday and a Puss in Boots TY doll.
 Ken got a job a few weeks ago as a Manager at Lowe's.  He is over the Exterior Project Division.  He will be running bids allover the Island.  He's going to get to know this place well!  He's also doing his other job part time.  This is in the Lowe's parking lot.  Do you recognize this statue?  I thought it was neat that the top of the Temple peers up in the trees.  
Preston playing with Kelsey, who is 6 too.  They played well while we lived with them for 5 days.  She is the cutest little thing, she is a professional swimmer and called me "Auntie Natalie".  Have you ever had this experience?  Your landlord puts a note on your door saying "vacate tomorrow" for no particular reason?   We hadn't either, but we have now!  Well, we found out, from her ex-husband, that she is, for lack of a better word, crazy.  So, I was freaking out, we went to the police station, they said they couldn't help us unless she assaults one of us.  (Let's stick around and wait for this to happen so we can report her......not) The nice thing about being homeless in Hawaii is it's not cold at night down by the ocean.  You can have an oceanfront property too for free.  Well, we didn't trust being there anymore since she had kicked us out and she's crazy, and she lived right above us, so we went to McDonalds to use the internet to find a hotel until we could find another place to live.  As you probably already know, hotels here aren't exactly price friendly here.  As I was searching for a hotel, in walked a woman from our Ward with her 3 kids.  Ken thought that was kind of odd since it was after 9:00 p.m.  They all got shakes and fries and came over and sat by us.  We talked for awhile and then we got up to leave.  Ken had accidentally knocked over my Pepsi and it was allover my backside.  I said, as I got up, this is how my day has been and turned around.  (Maybe that's a hint I should quit drinking it) She said, "what has happened!"  We proceeded to tell her our sob story.  She said, "don't buy a hotel, come, right now, and stay at my house.  I have a huge house and we have a guest room."  She wouldn't hear of us staying in a hotel.  I couldn't believe her kindness.  We were practically strangers to her, just in her Ward.  I had already bought a room for that night but she insisted we come the next day.  We came the next day with our stuff, reluctantly, because we felt like we were imposing.  She totally made us feel at home.  She kicked her son out of his bathroom and told us it was ours.  I asked her why she is so kind!!!  She said that her Mom died when she was 15 (her Mom was driving and lost control of the car and fell down a 95 foot ravine, her 11 year old sister died too) and her Dad wasn't around so a family in their old Ward took her in and raised her until she was 18 and old enough to be on her own.  She said she was so impressed and grateful for what they had done for her that she has tried to take in and help people. She didn't even ask her husband if it was ok!  I really don't know if I would have done what she did. We ended up having so much fun that week with them! I don't think it was coincidence they came in that night.  In fact, she said later, I didn't plan to go to McDonald's.  I was just driving by and thought, I should go in and get a shake.
The blue figure is Preston looking for seashells at Kua Bay.  Michelle took the kids while I got to relax in my Tommy Bahama chair on the beach.  They invited us to the beach with them while we were there.
These teenagers baptized their friend and then they all clapped and cheered.  Not something you see at the ocean everyday!
 Michelle loves all holidays.  She made us green mashed potatoes and corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's day.  The leprechauns went potty in the toilets in her house because the water was green.  Preston was very intrigued by this.  
Ken's sweet work truck we used to move our stuff out. 
Today Preston picked Ken's flip flop and this stick bug was on it.  He let out the biggest howl and ran into the house.  

Preston will be going to a new school that is 1 minute from our house up in the lush hills.  We found a house close to our old one, so this was lucky.  I will post pics of our new surroundings and home soon.  I will also post pics of our new cat, "Little Ears" as Preston named him.  He used to live here with tenants that used to live here and they moved to China.  They gave him to someone but he ran back home and stays here.  I don't mind, I like cats.  Incidentally, the lady we lived with had a cat I loved and this one here looks like it.  .....On to the weekend....we have to finish moving out and I think Saturday afternoon we will go to the beach.  We have BYUTV so we can watch GC in the comforts of our own home!  Yay!  Thanks to all who read this.  Spread Aloha!!!!!!!