My Friend's Wedding

Today I got to go have a peak at a friend from work getting married to a truck driver Ross knows.
They were married at Kryal Castle in the little stone chapel which was very pretty. Both have children from previous relationships and it was so nice to hear them take each other as not just husband and wife but also as the mother and father of their respective children.

Reminiscing

I must have too much time to think lately, or maybe certain milestones in your life make you take stock of all that you have and where you have been. I thought I might share some memories.
I didn't really enjoy my early teenage years. Home was good, a place where I felt safe and loved, but school and social settings were different. I tended to be the class clown and was never really very close to any of my friends. The other areas of my life included pony club and the wider circle of my family's friends and relations. My closest friends were Julie, and my two cousins Danny and Leigh. And of course my animals. My dog Ding and my horses were really my constant companions. I would tell them my secrets and entrust them with my dreams.
Whenever I was in a social setting I just never felt comfortable, always the pretender and never belonged.
Soon after turning 16 our town was turned upside down by a group called the God's Squad motorcycle gang. This was way back in 1974 when the World was still very traditional and Christianity was part of the established way of life. John Smith and his bikers spoke at our school and for the first time I felt that this was more than just information about God, but something that related to me personally. I went along to the rally they held in the town's big grain shed and from the moment I entered I felt like I belonged. No one was extra friendly, no one was pushy, I just felt comfortable being with these people and I wanted what they had.
There were around 30 of us who made that life changing decision, many from non church backgrounds, and we spent the next few years trying to work out how to live as followers of Jesus in our town.
The local Churches struggled a bit to handle this little group of disciples who thought they could change the World. We had a few good mentors though and relied heavily on each other and some follow up from God's Squad. We jumped right in to ministry with a coffee shop/drop in on a Friday night and a Christian Fellowship at our school. We ran our own Bible studies and prayer times, and visited each other's churches to help with worship. Some of the group went on to full time ministry, others continued to live out their faith in workplaces around the country, and a few struggled to hold on to God through the tough times.
I sometimes relive the pain I felt in my early teenage years and wish it could have been different. I would have loved a best friend who really got me and let me rave on about what was going on inside - at least one who had two legs instead of four! But then I think that maybe that would have shielded me from my deepest need to have connected with God who "gets me" better than anyone can.
Andre Crouch's music was also a huge influence on my life in those early years. I think most of my theology came from John Smith's teaching and Andre's songs.
Also interesting to note that the first time I met Ross he was using one of Andre's songs to illustrate a Bible study he was leading.

Sezzy's Furry Friends

Just a few pics for Sarah to see how everyone back here is doing!

The horses also wanted to show off their new clothes.

Presidential Welcome to Washington!

Now that I am home and out of reach from Sarah, I am safe enough to share these photos with the World!

Yes we really enjoyed our time at the White House! Didn't we Sarah!

Breakfast in Bed!

Well today is Mother's Day and I guess I sort of got breakfast in bed.....
I boarded my plane at midnight on Friday and after flying for 9 hours and crossing the date line, the nice flight attendant woke me at 6am to serve cheesy eggs and hash browns. Not exactly what I wanted at the time.... maybe a nice comfy bed and another ten hours sleep before toast and marmalade would be my ideal! Anyway I am now in New Zealand for a few hours so escaped through customs and took the skybus into the city for a look around. The customs guys told me it was a waste of time as nothing is open on a Sunday. As I have 7 hours to waste I couldn't see the point of sitting around yet another airport lounge.
Auckland it seems is still as quiet on a Sunday as it was 30 years ago when we arrived here on a Sunday at 7pm and found there was no where to eat in the city as even the take away hamburger shops closed at 6pm. We did find a very expensive restaurant just closing their doors and the Chef agreed to cook us a ham steak that we both agreed was the best we had ever tasted. Today of course I found Starbucks!
I visited the Sky Tower which is just a little higher than the one we went to in Vienna - passed on going to the top though! Partly because Sarah is not here to hold my hand and partly because it is dearer than all the other incredibly high and scary things we have been on! OK OK it is mostly because I ain't going up there on my own! Too high!
In a few hours I will be back on board my last flight in this journey and get to see my honeymoon hubby at Melbourne airport.
Oh and the extremely frustrating thing that happened in Hawaii was me leaving my phone on the charger in the hotel lobby! My driver was going to go back for me when I realised but when he phoned the hotel they said it wasn't there. I called again just before I boarded and they said the security guard had handed it in.... Unfortunately too late for me to retrieve it! Now I have to wait for it to be shipped. So if you can't reach me on the phone.......

Tourist Town

For the most part, everything in Waikiki revolves around the tourist dollar. The town itself hugs the beach and is seperated from the rest of Honolulu by a wide canal. Soaring hotels mimic the palms as they break the skyline, and at street level souvanier shops are as colourful as the hibiscus and frangipani.

But like the frangipani perfume, all that glitter and lack of substance becomes very overpowering. I would love to see the real Haiwai but even the culture comes at a cost and at this end of my trip there is not a lot of time or money to venture too far from the prescribed tourist area. I think if I returned I would venture over to the other islands and find something a little less "made in China". The most prevalent shop here is the ABC store which appears on nearly every corner. There is no love lost by the locals who see these stores as a cheap imitation of their culture nicely packaged for the tourists. It is hard to find any unique souveneirs.

Today I fly out, but I took a shopping trolley trip to the bid mall which was quite a contrast to the streets of Waikiki as all the big name department stores were there with there big prices. Did manage to get a real bargain handbag at Sears - $49 reduced to $7.99!

Looking forward to being back home and seeing the rest of my family!

Waikiki

Last night I was taken by coach 45 minutes out of Waikiki for a feast and celebration Haiwian style. Our tour guide was a regular stand up comedian who kept us in stitches all the way our and back again. Jerry's claim to fame was appearing in Blue Haiwai along with Elvis who he said became a personal friend. He told us that upon arrival the women would be greeted with a flower lei and a kiss from a Haiwian warrior 6ft 6 with a moustache like Tom Selleck. He then told the men they would not miss out as they would be greeted by a former Miss Haiwai! Unfortunately she was Miss Haiwai of 1952 and now weighed in at 250lb and also had a moustache like Tom Selleck. It turned out we received our welcome flower lei and kiss on the cheek from Jerry and his sister (both in their 60's) !
The meal was great but even though it was an unlimited buffet, there were few who needed to return for seconds after piling up 34 different dishes on the plate! Even a small taste of everything was pushing the limits of comfortable eating. After the meal, which included dances from all over the islands, we were encouraged to come on to the stage to learn some dance steps. Nearly all the women there participated and when we finished they lined all the men up to give each of us a kiss on the cheek as we left the stage.
Today I spent time (about 4 hours) walking around Wakiki and some of Honolulu. I originally intended to walk into downtown Honolulu to escape the tourist area and then catch the bus back but I just kept walkinguntil I had done the full circle and returned to the beach, Very sore feet now but hopefully I have walked off last night's meal!
Not sure if my camera is working at the moment. I took some photos of the incredible sunset tonight but can't find them on my card! Will have to check it out tomorrow at the camera shop up the street. alowa

ALOHA!!!!

Well here I am in Honolulu!
The flight from Vancouver was longer than I thought but I did manage to sleep a little.
I arrived around 11pm local time with my body feeling more like the 1am Vancouver time.
I had peid for a shuttle to the hotel when I booked my room and was met with a kiss and Lai greeting as I stepped off the plane. My luggage was then loaded for me straight off the luggage conveyer and I was escorted to the mini bus. My greeter informed me that the service included a full breakfast in the morning at another luxury hotel and gave me a return ticket for the shuttle to my flight on Friday. He was a welcome help after the long flight.(yep, thats right boys! - no hula dancers for you!)
This morning I attended the breakfast which included eggs, sausage, coffee, melon and a warm blueberry muffin. They then gave us info on all the sights and tours you could book. Although there is so much to do here I just settled for a Luau tonight on the beach.
My hotel is only 1 block from the beach, but I don't think there are any hotels that aren't!
The weather here is not quite as humid as Bangkok but still nice and warm.
The hotel provides free beach mats to borrow so I am going to head down to the sand and fill in time until I get picked up for dinner. (photos to come!)