Steam Vents trail with Lucy

Lucy and I visited the Volcano National Park today and walked the short, beautiful Steam Vents trail. 

Lucy, such a trouble maker, trying to climb over the safety rails.

Steam vent, one of MANY.

Lucy trying to decide which way we should go next.

Smoke from Kileaua.

Looking over a huge cliff that goes down to the Kileaua Caldera

The cliff from a side view.

Two things about living in Hawaii

But first a lovely landscape pic--

First, on being a minority. After living in the Southeast US my entire life as a white person, it's a change. I hardly even think about it or notice it though, but yesterday at the mall I made the point to look at all of the (beautiful) races of people. It is such a wonderful melting pot of races here. It's hard to know "what" a person is, and most people just don't care, thankfully.

Second, on going to church. The first practical issue we have is the fact that most of the churches are about 25 miles away....can you say, lack of the sense of community?
Second, hardly anyone goes to church. At least hardly anyone we've met. This is so totally different than living in the Bible Belt. This fact doesn't bother us, it's just eye opening.
Another issue we've had with the church we were attending is the lack of kids/families that were involved. And then, when the church would attempt to have Sunday School usually a teenage kids would teach it and many times would teach some very important facts wrong. For example, one kid was trying to teach about the story of Mary and Joseph and somehow thought that when Jesus was "conceived" they had been married a long time and were trying to have a baby for a long time and that's why they were so excited about Mary being pregnant with Jesus. Wow, there are so many issues there, where to begin?!
Anyway, we've been to church once since Christmas, and are still contemplating it.

I'm thinking about entering this contest:

Schaefer Portrait Challenge
2012 Exhibit Prospectus

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center is pleased to present the Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2012, a statewide juried competition opening on Maui, January 8, 2012. First held in 2003, again in 2006 and 2009, the Challenge continues to encourage Hawai‘i’s artists to chronicle the changing face of our community through exploration in portraiture in 2- and 3-dimensional work.


I just need to find someone to paint here on the BIg Island. If you know someone interesting that you think wouldn't mind being photographed---PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!!

Back to life

I'm finally feeling a little more "normal". I'm even thankful that I feel well enough to do dishes and change a diaper and make dinner! Last night as I was making Julia Child's quiche recipe I broke some of our chickens eggs and noticed that there were two yolks in two of the eggs. I've never seen that before, so I had to take a picture:

Also, before my surgery I was sewing lots of dresses to sell at the market, but yesterday I decided it was time for me to make a little dress for little Lucy:

Simple Faith

I believe faith is simple. It's easy to try and make our faith complicated. Why do we do this? To make ourselves think we've got it figured out while others don't, to exclude, perhaps. Jesus says we should come to him with faith like a child. Simple faith.

I was reading a book set in South Africa. The people in the book had simple faith. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book.

"I am very happy because I work for God. Even when there is no money, God can pay me. Everything we have, it comes from God."

A family with no food and no money:
"My wife was crying to me all the time." I say, "My wife, stop crying to me! Cry to Jesus!"
"You say we have run out of food and money. I say we have run out of faith."



Faith is a gift. An undeserved gift. I don't want to complicate that idea.

VERY Exciting News!!

Mark's Portrait DVD is for sale online! http://www.thecardermethod.com/store.html


You can watch him paint me.

APRIL 8th

April 8th was post-op day 5 for me and also, Ella's 8th Birthday. We had a quiet family birthday celebration here at home. Ella choose some new movies for her birthday, so they got to watch one of them. She wanted Key Lime Pie, so we made one together and all ate it together. Then last night we went to eat Thai, because Ella wanted Spring Rolls and coconut tapioca. It was a good day, I tried to take some pics:

Ella's thoughts about her Birthday, etc.:
"For my birthday I got a Moon Dough set for making pizza. I love it so much. And the BIG surprise was a bunk bed. I can't wait to put it up. I am going to sleep on the top bunk.
On my birthday I got to eat artichoke's with lemon butter dip, I love artichokes. I can't believe I'm 8 years old.
Yesterday at Pohoiki, I went swimming, but instead of jumping off the dock, Pop wanted me to swim to him. WE also went snorkeling, and I saw a flat fish that was very shiny and it was trying to blend in with the rocks, but because it was so shiny I could still see it."

Help Steve Malone

Steve Malone is one of our dearest friends. Even though he is about 5000 miles away, we want to help him all we can, so I shall repost here how you can help him:

I am sure you have heard that Steve Malone has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It has spread to other organs and the medical prognosis is not hopeful.

I met with Steve recently. He is very weak and has to rest a lot. He has had his lungs drained of fluid three times. He started chemo last week and it wiped him out. He will have two more rounds then a break and I think they will try to determine if it is doing him any good. Apart from divine intervention, he does not have long. He is so weak right now he can't take calls.

His financial situation is not good. He can't work and has basically gone through all of his savings. I want to make an appeal to many who know him to consider helping him financially on a monthly basis. I have talked with our elders about accepting donations in our mercy fund for this purpose.

I would like to find 30 people who would support him for $100 a month until his death. Do you know people who might want to help? I know he has lost contact with many people and many have questions about all that has transpired.

I want to keep a roof over his head and try to help cover his living expenses for the remainder of his life. If anyone has any questions they can call or email me.

Checks can be sent to me made out to First Presbyterian Church and mailed to 105 S. George Wallace Drive, Troy, AL 36080.

Please forward this email to anyone who might want to help.

In Christ,

Michael Alsup

(Some not so great)Adventures in the Hospital

What a weekend. Here's the low down on all that's been going on. I had a positive pregnancy test a couple of weeks ago. We were shocked, but excited, of course. I started having inexplicable abdominal pain on and off. I thought it was the new vitamins with probiotics, I thought it was nothing. The pain got so severe that I finally said I thought we should go to the ER, oh, and I had started bleeding some, too. We wake up the kids around 3am Sunday morning, arrive at the ER around 4am, they do some bloodwork and an ultrasound. The ER doctor, who happens to be a friend, reads the ultrasound but wants an OB/GYN to take a look. My OB reads it and comes in IMMEDIATELY to prep for surgery. I had an ectopic, tubal pregnancy. Not only that but it was about 12cm in diameter. All I can say is that God protected me!! Thankfully it hadn't ruptured, but he did have to remove one of my fallopian tubes and one ovary, along with about 500cc of blood/fluid from my belly. I spent 3 days in the hospital and am home now, continuing my recovery. I have a scar similar to someone who has had a C-section. We are so thankful for the care that I received, just glad to be home.

Here's a couple of pics from my hospital adventure. One of me looking very pale, but happy because I have a Morphine pump, and the other of some yummy, sweet smelling flowers my friend, Donna, brought me. Thanks again, Donna!

Went to dinner, saw some Koi fish

Last night we met some friends at the Coconut Grill for dinner. The food was good, the company was great, but the Koi fish pond stole the show.

More swimming at the ywca

Lucy LOVES the water, and today she got to swim with her Papa...

Hike on Mauna Loa trail

We took a hike on the Mauna Loa trail today, not only to see the beautiful scenery but also to escape the constant rain in Fern Forest, where we live. We were hiking at close to 7000 feet and had an excellent view of the smoking Kilauea Caldera.

We found the mouth of a lava tube:

Richardson's Beach Park

I took the kids to Richardson's Beach yesterday to meet some friends. Ella kicked around on the boogie board almost the entire time, while SJ waded in the water and played in the black sand.
Good times!

The kids are back!

Ella and St. John are back from their spring break in Birmingham. They start back to school Monday! Back to waking up at 5:45 and getting on the bus at 6:30 then home at 3:30. Thankfully only Monday-Thursday.

Honolii Paka

Mark's second favorite surf spot: Honolii Paka. And it also has a fun grassy area for the kids to play.

More yard pics

I took some more photos of what I thought was interesting in our yard. One of our banana plants which are getting BIG!
Another of a fern unfurling. And still another of our sage and zinnias blooming. And last but not least, an old pic of Lucy being her silly self.

Sunset and Prayer

I found it posted on a website and will repost it here:

Lord Christ,

You have no body on earth but ours,
No hands but ours,
No feet but ours.

Ours are the eyes through which your compassion must look out on the world.

Ours are the feet by which you may still go about doing good.

Ours are the hands with which You bless people now.

Bless our minds and bodies,
That we may be a blessing to others.

St. Theresa of Avila



And yet, many times I think,"oh, someone else will do it, not ME."

To the park in the rain

Even though it was raining in Fern Forest at 2700 feet where we live, I suspected it might not be raining down in Ke'eau. However, I was wrong. Lucy, on the other hand, didn't mind at all. And yes, she is wearing her tacky Elmo pj's in public.
But, as is typical of tropical weather, the rain cleared and the sun came out while we were there.