Tortoise Farm

Lucy and I went to a Tortoise Farm today. We saw around 20 turtles ranging in size, the smallest could easily fit in the palm of your hand and the largest being about 500lbs.!
Lucy was a bit apprehensive about petting them and was not happy when I put her on the back of one(as you can see in the pic below). Now I know Lucy does not want a turtle for a pet, thankfully.

Lava Tube

Lucy and I explored the Thurston Lava Tube this morning. Here are some pics:







When we got home we were both hungry from all of the exploration. I made a 6 egg(thanks chickens!) ham and cheese omelet and ate all of it, Lucy eating her fair share.

Newest funky creation from yardbird threads

First, Lucy on the lanai with Bolik and Indy.

I was inspired to make this skirt by James Brown's "Make it Funky".... well sort of.

What's Lucy doing?

Lucy and Ella "riding our horse".


Lucy and I have been going to swimming lessons which are held at the ywca in Hilo. My favorite part is that it's a warmed salt water pool--it feels like a bathtub.


Lucy is totally into wearing "pretty dresses" and she thinks this Dora nightgown is the prettiest of all. She also loves climbing things, and as you can see she succeeded in climbing this fern.

the Great Light

This week we have been consumed with events and news that have made us slow down and be thankful. I won't go into any details, but we are grieving with some friends and rejoicing with others. It's easy to simply coast through most of life, then something happens that wakes you up and you see things more clearly. That's what this week has done.

In all of life Mark and I have one thing to cling to, the Great Light of Christ.

"The people that lived in darkness
have seen a great light;
light has dawned on those
who lived in the land of death's dark
shadow."

Goals/Dreams

We all have dreams. Things we want to accomplish or experience during our short life here on earth. I keep a journal. I write in it about once a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Anyway, one reason I enjoy keeping a journal is so I can look back and remember how events happened and how God taught me this or that. The other day I found an entry written in November 2009 about what some of my dreams or goals were. I thought I would share these:

1- Adopt a child from Ethiopia.

This is still a dream for us!(and if anyone wants to personally fund this dream let us know :-) !)

2- Move to Hawaii.

You know how this turned out.

3- Paint a landscape.

Hopefully later this year.

4- Finish another triathlon.

This is no longer one of my goals in life(sorry Denver).


If any of you would like to share some of your dreams, I'd love to hear them!

yardbird threads - handmade in Hawaii

Tomorrow is kind of a big day. Tomorrow is the first day I will selling my sewn creations at the farmer's market. A good friend already has a booth and wants to sell more things so he will sell for me--it worked out perfectly. Obviously the "company" name is yardbird threads, not your everyday name!

We went to the grocery store...

..and ended up taking some nice pictures. As we rounded the corner heading to the store, I spotted this beautiful tree that had dropped hundreds of brilliant orange flowers and just had to take a few pics.

Steam Vents and Botanicals in Volcano Nat. Park

Lucy and I went exploring today in the Volcano National Park. We found some steam vents, which Lucy wanted to dive in head first, and some beautiful botanicals.

Koa tree in bloom.




Familiar Honeysuckle!!

Coneheads

Our dogs all got fixed and are now sporting the "cone of shame"(from the movie UP). It is rather comical watching them wander about.

More flowers

It's amazing how I keep finding new plants and flowers on our 3 acres. Yesterday as I was walking around the yard with Lucy I spotted the white orchid pictured below. How could I have missed it before now? I guess it hasn't bloomed since we've lived here and was hidden behind some tall grass that was recently cleared. Isn't it beautiful?!
The pink hibiscus plant was one that was also hidden under the creeping ferns that grow so prolifically here. I have found about 6 different (very large) hibiscus plants that same way.

From Mark

For Valentine's Day Mark built me a table. It's not just any old table either. It's HUGE and quite handsome, too. I absolutely LOVE it and our family will use it on a daily, if not hourly basis. If you think about it, the table is a type of "meeting place" where you spend lots of time with your family and loved ones, so it should be durable, comfortable, yet beautiful. Mark made sure this one meets all of that criteria.
Thank you for the wonderful gift, dear!!

Hawaii makes us healthy

Since moving to Hawaii our family has been overall healthier, it seems. We are outside more, so no Vitamin D deficits, we eat more fruits and veggies thanks to the availability at the farmer's markets, our sleep patterns are more consistant-we get up at sunrise and go to bed close to sundown, and we are more active-hiking, swimming, gardening, playing outside. Mark has been getting lots of exercise by surfing and boogie boarding and has lost lots of weight.... doesn't he look great:


Now we understand why Hawaii is considered the healthiest State!

Floral/Hawaiian Fabric

I've been sewing a lot, lately. I've been inspired by all of the beautiful floral fabric available here, so sewing has been my creative outlet.

Happy Valentines Day!

Love, Ella

Chinese New Year celebration in Hilo

The fam went to the Chinese New Year parade and festival this morning in Hilo. We had a great time watching the dragons dance and listening to the thousands of fire crackers.

Ella and I went to Richardson's Beach

And we had FUN snorkeling, swimming, and seeing lots of beautiful fish!

Why?

Why do children think the weirdest things are also the most fun things?
I found Lucy playing under the house in the dirt with the dogs having the time of her life.

We have EGGS!!!

It may not seem like a big deal, but we are love having fresh eggs everyday!

Landscaping

Mark and I have been trying to do a little landscaping. We've been using the abundant lava rocks to form the perimeters of the beds and planting only those flowers and plants that we know likes our rainforest climate. Finally, Impatients that I don't have to water twice a day(like in Alabama!).