Blackout

The end of 2008 has been a trying time for people in Laie. We barely had the flood waters under control and people were ripping out carpeting and removing water wrecked furniture and other belongings when the lights went out. The day after Christmas there was a little lightning and it hit a couple of power poles and unbalanced the whole power transmission grid. The entire island of Oahu was suddenly powerless for about 24 hours.

There were a couple of interesting things during that blackout time. Our Stake had planned an after Christmas dance (actually two, one for adults one for youth) to replace the New Year's Eve dance activity this year. The food had been prepared and the decorating done when the power went down. We went over just to see what was going on instead. The adult activity looked like a soup kitchen with people sitting around eating the refreshments of clam chowder, homemade rolls, chocolate fountain (no power made it a dipping experience instead) and other good stuff. Lots of talk but no music. Battery powered boom boxes were not loud enough in the gym. It was a really fun camp-like get together.

The other interesting things was that Friday and Saturday when the power was down were the last two days that the temple was going to be open for the next 18 months because of renovation. A lot of couples had planned to have their weddings on Saturday. The temple generator worked a while on Friday to complete the in-progress session but then it too went down. Twenty-one weddings were conducted on Saturday by flashlight. Now that would be a memorable wedding, I suppose.

Even when the power came back there were a few remaining issues. Tim's office only came half back on. The side of the room with his refrigerator did not come back and we didn't know that until he lost his Lean Cuisines and other frozen lunches. Fortunately, Amber and Sandi gave him about 10 Indonesian homemade meals for lunches for a Christmas gift and they were in our home freezer. The other problem was that the blackout had burned out the Internet routing switch to our building and several others in the townhouses so we couldn't get online for a few extra days.

Lucky for us, the Hawaiian style of "no worries living on the beach" helped everybody get through these natural disasters coupled with the holidays. A little aloha helped us all get along.

'Twas the Birthday of the King

A couple of years ago as I sat pondering the children's Christmas song "'Twas The Birthday of A King" I was struck by how amazing it is that as we celebrate the King's birthday, He would be so generous as to let us remember Him by exchanging gifts with each other. Any earthly King would certainly expect lavish and expensive gifts and only to himself. People would work all year just to have gifts that were presentable to the King. They would travel from the far corners of the kingdom just to be present to bow before the king and give their gift. Now our Heavenly King wants us to commemorate His day by remembering and caring for each other. Of course He wants us to live righteously and keep His commandments, but that is not for some self aggrandizement, but rather for our own happiness. We can trust Him to always have our best interests at the focus of everything He does for us.

Gingerbread Extraordinaire

Gingerbread houses are one of the signs of Christmas. Those edible little buildings, that most people have such a hard time getting to stand upright and hold their load of candy, were the subject of our visit to Honolulu yesterday. At the Sheraton's Princess Kauilani Hotel in Waikiki, Chef Ralf Bauer has created a wonderland in gingerbread. He used 60 pounds of dark chocolate, 20 pounds of white chocolate, 30 sheets of gingerbread, and 120 gallons of icing to build a village that covers one side of the hotel's lobby with magic. It took him 250 hours to put this masterpiece together, but it certainly puts all my humble efforts with this art form to shame. Included in the village are a couple of small working trains, a carousel, and a sky ride with little electric lights and plenty of snowy landscaping all around. Topaz, our grandson, was totally fascinated watching the creation in operation. So was I. By the way, that's Chef Bauer with me in the picture.

GCB is Ruined

Oahu has been inundated with rain lately. Mayor Mufi Hanneman estimates the damage as at least 2.7 million dollars. Since Amber's blog published pictures of the flooding right here in Laie, I thought I would update you on the damage in one particular place. The GCB, general classroom building, is the headquarters for the School of Computing and Mathematics at BYUH. It also now houses offices for the school of Business. Your Dad's office is in this building. The entire building is a mess and all the carpeting is a total loss. Your Dad spent a number of hours after the rain cleaning the carpet in his office and one lab in order to do a final exam at 7:00 A.M. After all that, the Dean came in and said that he felt the area was too dangerous to have students come in. Your Dad finally told students that he would trust them to take their finals wherever they could find a computer to do it on, dorms, library, etc. and they were on their honor not to cheat. As all the carpeting was ripped up throughout the building, the custodial staff unplugged your Dad's little office refrigerator and left it unplugged overnight. Fortunately he went in early enough to discover that mistake before his Lean Cuisines all thawed out and he lost his lunches. Books and papers that were stored anywhere on the floor were lost, but most of the computers were on little shelves under the desks in the labs and so were undamaged. Special troughs that had recently been put in to hold the wiring however were filled with mud and water. It will take a few weeks to get this building so it can be functional again. The first two pictures are your Dad's office specifically and the third and fourth are labs. Of course there was other damage on campus but this is the closest to home for us. Rain has continued, although it is slowing. Streets in Laie are piled high with ruined belongings from residents in the area. Everyone is awaiting insurance adjusters before these things can be hauled off. Our ward, Laie 6th, was the most devastated in the Stake and so as you can imagine everyone has been doing laundry, taking in meals, and general cleanup for their neighbors.

I am the Bunny

While you may wish you were the Bunny, I am the Bunny- the energizer bunny , and I will keep going and going and going.

My recovery from surgery is progressing rapidly and later this week they'll let me drive again. I'm adjusting to life with a pacemaker and have learned some things, or at least I hope I have.
1. I can't control everything and I should quit trying, relax, let God help, and enjoy the journey.
2. People really do care. Put a sling on your arm for a few days and suddenly people offer to carry things, open doors, etc. Meals were brought in and phone calls were received. Love, concern, and support abounded all around.
3. I really only have one body and I ought to try a little harder to take care of it. Medical advancements are amazing, but natural good health should not be squandered.
4. I already knew God loved me, but once again He has confirmed it. I am awed by Him.

(note: Sorry-that whole "wish you were the bunny" reference is an inside family joke)

I'm Battery Operated

I've been in the hospital. I now have a pacemaker inserted in my heart. For about three days before Thanksgiving every time I stood up I would get really light headed. Even so I managed to help distribute the turkey dinners for the needy in the ward, wrap my kids gifts, and fix dinner for Thanksgiving. Tim did offer to bring me a stool to do all the work while sitting, but I said I would rather have help, so he peeled 4 potatoes. Amber helped whip them and made the stuffing and set the table, etc.

After dinner I could hardly walk to the bathroom without holding onto the wall. I felt like this lifestyle was just not going to work out for me so asked Tim to take me to Kahuku Hospital to see what the trouble was.

My pulse was 34 although blood pressure and everything else was OK they transferred me by ambulance to Castle. (They told your dad he couldn't drive me because the top and bottom halves of my heart were firing irregularly. It was a complete electrical blockage (not a heart attack or stroke. They told daddy if they both happened to fire at the same time it would be very bad)

At Castle it didn't take long to determine that I needed a Pacemaker put in my heart. They put in a temporary one very soon. A wire was threaded through the vein in my neck down to my heart and electrical pulses were applied with plans to put in a permanent one on Saturday. Unfortunately the temporary one wasn't so good so it often stopped catching and by Saturday after it had stopped about 6 times and so my diaphragm had started trying top create a pulse making me look like a serious hiccup case they zipped me into surgery for the internal pacemaker.

A small incision mas made in my left upper chest and the pacemaker inserted. Only local anesthesia is used. I will wear a sling for two or three days so that I don't move my left arm too soon and dislodge the thing and die on the spot. "Yes, I am 99% dependent on this little pacemaker in order to stay alive."If I need to talk to a doctor I can just call in, hold the receiver to my chest at the equipment site and it will transmit directly to him the battery life and status of my pacemaker and situation.

I should be able to go home tomorrow and as long as I keep my energizer bunny current I can just keep going, and going, and going, through the millennium I suppose.

l

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the admonition of the Lord. I am grateful. I love all four from the depths of my very being. They have all married wonderful chosen spouses whom they love and whom I love too, and my grandchildren are a delight in my "old" age.

I am grateful that like Nephi I was born of goodly parents, reared in the church, and taught the ways of the Lord and loved by a mother and father and sisters. I miss my parents but their example and teachings guides my footsteps today. I am thankful for sisters and a stepmom who give me a family to belong to and love to share throughout my life.

A wonderful and loving husband shares my journey onward through whatever joys and challenges we may face. I know he loves me and he leads and blesses me by priesthood power. His kindness and patience sustain and fortify our marriage for eternity.

Many times I have rued the day computers came into my life because they seem so complicated, but today I am grateful that they have made genealogical research so much easier. In the last week I was able to have 48 baptisms and confirmations done and 15 sealings for my ancestors because of the greater ease in finding what needs to be done through the church's new Family Search program. Though much work remains, I am grateful to be trusted with this awesome responsibility.

This Thanksgiving is the 85th birthday of my mother-in-law. I would like to say I am thankful for her and the patience and loves she gives to me. She is a great example of all the good things I hope I can learn to be. She must have been a great mother as she raised 10 children who all remain true and faithful. Her son, my husband is so like his mother in many aspects and they both continue to bless my life with a better vision and greater understanding of how to become Christlike. I love you Mom!

Polynesian Cultural Center Still #1

Friday and Saturday we went to the Polynesian Culture Center with a couple that is being interviewed for a job at BYUH. Tim is the head of the hiring committee for this particular position so we were kind of responsible for showing them around a bit. Anyway, we hadn't been for awhile and were anxious to see the new shows and updated features. You'll be happy to know that the Poynesian Culture Center is still the number one tourist attraction in Hawaii, although the down turn in tourism is certainly obvious during these economically stressed times.

A couple of changes to the place include an updated night show and a new section about the Iosepa,the boat built as a replica of the early sailing vessels of how the Polynesians first came to Hawaii. "Iosepa" is the Hawaiian word for Joseph. Several million dollars were spent on the A-frame shelter that the boat is stored in let alone the cost of building the boat itself. When in the ocean they often anchor the Iosepa by Hukilau beach area and have classes on board. The new presentation at the PCC tells in Hawaiian chant and dance the story of the coming of the early peoples to Hawaii. It is very well done and interesting.

Another change is that the island of Marquesas no longer has a show, which used to be a "pig hunt" because all the students from Marquesas have graduated and there are no new ones here right now. This village is now just an exhibit, which is a loss, I think.

One of my favorite villages has always been the Samoan one where they climb the palm tree, make fire by rubbing sticks, and crack the coconut with one blow and make coconut milk by shredding the meat and gathering it into coconut fibers and squeezing it. The leader of this village is an excellent comedian so the whole show is great fun. The new addition is a side show of this village where students and younger children explain the weapons used in early Samoa and show the fire dances that they are learning to some day be prepared for the big performance at the night show. It was a good close up of the practice and so interesting to watch. I shall attempt to include some videos with this blog of that practice.

An Author in the Book Club

One of my favorite "small groups" in our ward Relief Society is the Book Club. We get together monthly and take turns suggesting books to read and leading the discussions on the ones we have all read together. This broadens my horizons considerably as everyone has different tastes. I have enjoyed most all the books chosen.

In our ward is a relatively new author (front and center in the photo), whom we invited to lead the group on her second book. It is "Stoney Creek, Alabama" by Jennifer Youngblood and her mother Sandra Poole. We all liked the book so much that we asked her to do her first book at our next meeting. That one is "Livin' In High Cotton"

"Livin' In High Cotton" is based on the true story of her grandmother (or was that great-grandmother, I don't remember), but it is a very compelling story of the South during the years of the Depression and Prohibition. The fact that it is based on the truth drew me in even more that the equally well written Stoney Creek, Alabama. Stoney Creek is based on a story that takes place in a saw mill. A young girl returns to unravel the mystery of her father's murder.

For our book club I made refreshments of a Mississippi Mud Cake and Buttermilk Pie, both Southern specialities from the story. I had never tasted nor made Buttermilk Pie before so that was scary to try out, but Jennifer, who is a true Southerner said it was one of the best she had ever had. Wow!

Both books are available at Amazon.com and local bookstores. I recommend them. Jennifer's third one is due out shortly and will be called something like "Trailers, Pines, and Power Lines".

Improved Temple Readiness

During Sunday School I have started taking the Family History Class. This last Sunday we met in the Family History library adjacent to the Laie Temple. We saw a video about the new Church genealogy program FamilySearch. It is being introduced throughout the world with Utah being the last place so that it doesn't get too overwhelmed all at once and some of the bugs can be worked out before it get bogged down. Anyway, this new program will make genealogy so much easier. Get on the internet but do not go to www anything. Instead go to new.familysearch.org In order to sign in you need to know your confirmation date and your membership ID number which is found on your temple recommend or you can ask your ward clerk.

With this program you can look up your own name and get a pedigree chart then click on family names to see additional information on that person. Living family members will not show up other than the pedigree in order to protect their privacy. But if you want to do ordinances for any of your dead relatives you can just click on the person and the ordinance and print out your own sheet with the bar code necessary to take it to the temple and get the card necessary to perform the ordinances. The program will inform you of any duplications in materials. When you print the Temple ordinance page with the bar code the computer will mark that ordinance as "in progress" so that someone else can't get the same one. When you go to the temple the bar code will be read and the work you do recorded then the same day the computer program will read "completed" The program will also show you time lines of important events in the life of the person you have clicked on. It is really quite interesting and I have a lot to learn about it.
To my surprise I found a couple of uncompleted ordinances that I could print the materials for right away. One was having my deceased father sealed to his parents which I thought he had done. It feels like a really wonderful thing to do to get this paperwork straightened out and the whole program will be such a blessing to the Church.

On a sadder note however, the Laie Temple will be closing for one and a half years (18 months) on December 29th for remodeling. I've heard the interior remodel will make the building so different we won't even recognize it when it is done. I guess that will give me lots of time to work on records, but obviously to get work done I had better not procrastinate.

Pinto Bean Fudge

Our Relief Society Enrichment meeting is finally accomplished. It was a series of mini demonstration- discussions on preparedness. I gave the lesson at the beginning and as part of it thought it would be fun to get people interested in using their food storage in creative ways. I made a batch of pinto bean fudge that was a real hit. Everyone liked it so I thought you might want to try it too. Here's the recipe:

Mash together:
1 c. soft cooked pinto beans and milk to consistency of mashed potatoes
1 T. vanilla

Melt in double boiler:
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 T. butter

Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the beans and stir until slightly thickened. Work in 2 lbs. of powdered sugar. Knead with hands. Spread into slightly buttered pan. Refrigerate. Nuts and raisins can be added. It will keep well under refrigeration.

So I was tagged

RULES: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag four other people. Maybe you'll learn something new and with one word answers it will be short.

1. Where is your cell phone? recharging
2. Your significant other?married
3. Your hair? thinning
4. Your mother? heaven
5. Your father? heaven
6. Your favorite thing?postcards
7. Your dream last night? spacious house
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal?skinny
10. The room you’re in? computer
11. Your hobby? crocheting
12. Your fear? Dark
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mission (maybe sooner)
14. What you’re not? charitable-(but still trying to achieve that)
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. One of your wish list items? travel
17. Where you grew up? Iowa
18. The last thing you did? email
19. What are you wearing? sweats
20. Favorite gadget? Sonicare
21. Your pets? geckos
22. Your computer? Occupied
23. Your mood? tired
24. Missing someone? Mainland kids
25. Your car? Outside (because Amber's stuff fills the garage)
26. Something you’re not wearing?hat
27. Favorite store? Walmart (sorry Ben)
28. Like someone? everybody
29. Your favorite color? aqua-marine
30. When is the last time you laughed? reading
31. Last time you cried? movies

So, I tag my sisters: Vicky, Harmony, Melody, Angie

WOW, what a summer!

Gosh, it's been too long. I've forgotten how to do this blogging stuff. Anyway, we are back in Hawaii after a fabulous month and a half in the Mainland. We saw all of our children and their families and our siblings and folks. Our travels included Utah, Idaho, and California. I celebrated a great birthday although so many candles nearly burned down the house (see picture). Timothy and Amber created these "cows in the pasture" birthday cake by standing loaf angel food cakes on their sides in a platter of coconut colored green for grass. The coloring on the cows was melted chocolate chips, mixed with peanut butter. The eyes were blueberries with horizontally sliced strawberries for the mooing lips.

We saw so many fireworks this year at Timothy's neighborhood and those at Disneyland just went on and on. My favorite, new for me, ride at Disneyland was the Indiana Jones one that I had never ridden before. Of course "Pirates of the Caribbean" and and the Haunted House are old favorites. Ben's lawyer-magician friend got us into the Magic Castle in Hollywood for a fun evening of astonishing magic. Other highlights included a family reunion in Idaho and at Bear Lake with my sisters. Greatly missed was Harmony who did not come up from Texas this year. We had lots of fun activities with Timothy and Kristin in Utah and Peter and Eileen went with us to California to see Ben and Rebekah. Sandi and Amber celebrated their anniversary while we were in Utah and were able to attend a session at the Salt Lake Temple while I strolled around with their two children in the Visitor Centers.


Back at home now in Hawaii, the vacation memories will hopefully not fade. The complications are piling up at home. Sandi and Amber, Topaz and Emerald are living with us in our small two bedroom town house. Sandi was unable to get an early renewal to his green card so that he could ship out with the Army on Aug 20, so after much hassle, the Army has changed his ship out date to Jan. 14. Meanwhile that leaves him unemployed and them homeless. They have found an apartment (brand new) in Hau'ula that they hope to rent but with what for money. When it rains it pours so they say, thus not only are they unemployed and homeless but Hawaii Quest insurance canceled their coverage in July because they said they couldn't find their correct address. Obviously the caseworker was a little behind on her updates, but now they have to get that straightened out too. We shall see how it all works out in the next couple of weeks. Let this be a lesson to everyone to make sure the tithing check is paid before the vacation, not after, as those windows of heaven can stay tightly shut.

Getaway to Zurmatt's in Midway, Utah

My sister Melody won a two night stay at Zurmatt's Spa and Resort for four people to share. She, Vicky, I and our step mother Judy spent the time on the 25th and 26th of July. It was such a luxurious place all done in the Swiss style of the whole community. We swam in the pool with a waterfall into the hot jucuzzi, rode the carousel (twice), had gelattos at the bakery and played golf on the putting greens, and had sumptious meals at both Matty's Bistro and Schneitter's Sunday Breakfast Brunch. A very expensive place but worth every penny. Relaxing in the health and meditation rooms, sweating in the steam room ,and working out in the gym were all fun and rejuvenating. We stayed up past midnight and the coupon included pizza to eat while we played games. We also enjoyed two other activities while staying there. On Friday we rode the Heber Creeper Hay Train. That included the train ride with a barbeque dinner on board. Then we stopped at a small makeshift ranch where two Amish horses were used to pull the hay wagon around the area. Here we also had peach and blueberry cobbler for dessert and listened to Cowboy poetry. Back on the train, we returned to the train station. On Saturday my sisters and I toured three open houses in Midway looking at the architecture and furnishing of the homes ranging from 450,000 to 1.3 million dollars. After such a perfect relaxation you would think we had everything under control, but coming home we took the wrong highway and drove 50 miles in the wrong direction. No crossroads were available to fix the situation so we had to drive all the way back to Heber and get on 189 to get to Orem/Provo where we stopped by Mom and Dad's grave before touring Timothy and Krisitin's house where me parted ways until the family reunion at the end of this week. Such a fun vacation deserves a repeat next year if we can find a place we can afford without having to win it.

The birthday girl

Wow, what a party today has been. Today I turn 59. Timothy and Kristin and Amber and Sandi paid for lunch at Tucanos Brazilian restaurant where we had so many things to eat I'm stuffed. The waiters played their Brazilian drums and made me stand up while they sang. I was supposed to dance while they sang , but afterall I was holding Topaz and it was a little embarrassing in the crowded room. Then we polayed arcade games at Trafalga and right now Timothy and Amber are upstairs creating some birthday cake masterpiece surprise (while Sandi copped out of the festivities and went to see Batman's Dark Knight movie by himself at Scera theater)
The presents have been phenomenal too, including a new phone, books, candy, charm bracelets, foil scraper art, and lots of fun stuff. Thanks everybody, it has been a great day, even if I am getting old.

A Diabetic on Vacation

Here we are in Orem, Utah staying with mom-in-law and visiting Timothy and Kristin. So far it has been non stop partying with Krisitin's birthday on Saturday and Joseph's on Sunday. Still celebrating today we went to the India Palace for a sumptious lunch. My favorite was the Korman chicken over rice. Is my life punctuated with food? Most definitely. That's how I became diabetic in the first place.
Just a week before leaving for this trip I had to start on insulin. I use those fancy pen-like needles with the insulin already in them and dial in the amount to shoot in. It couldn't be made easier but who wants to do that anyway? My problem is that sugary foods call to me, especially when I am celebrating but also when I'm too tired to care.
Will I ever get this run away blood sugar under control or will I stay in denial and end up blind with kidney failure, or as an amputee. Of course I know the risks on an intellectual level, but my behavior is still delinquent.

Name's Origin

I intend Moo's News to help keep my family and other interested friends up to date on my family, so you will find links helpful and stories interesting (I hope). Many years ago my son, then in kindergarten was trying to write the word mom on his paper at school and misspelled it as Moo. He thought it was hilarious and began calling me Moo henceforth and forever. I didn't appreciate it at first but after about four years decided if you can't change the habit you might as well join it. I began to collect cows and have gone by Moo or Mooer ever since.