Aloha Furniture

Or should I say, "Aloha, furniture." Either way, we are living on some functional pieces of plastic-covered bamboo for the next few weeks while our furniture is heading to Europe on a boat.


After two days of mounds of boxes, piles of packing paper and tape, and swarms of flies (thanks to the open front door), the moving truck, with the wooden crates labeled "Lopez" loaded on board, left.

With the arrival of the Aloha furniture, we enter into a simpler time. Less stuff = less time spent on tasks = more time spent with people. We are also aware of the true beginning of the end of our time here in Hawaii. Just 24 days left. While there are still some tasks to be completed (shipping our mini-van, shipping our unaccompanied baggage, cleaning and clearing this house, and Patrick taking care of all the final work details of leaving this post), we are looking forward to enjoying these last days with dear friends. Bittersweet.

It is so much easier to say "Aloha" to the furniture.

Au Revoir, Velo

Most men remember their first car with an unexplainable attachment. Today, I handed off my road bike of 23 years. It was my first real racing bike. I was sad to see it go. So many miles, so many memories. In order to enjoy it one last time, Isaac and I rode up Tantalus Mountain before delivering it to its newest owner. It was the first true mountain ride for me, and the fact that I made it up slower than my son is not something I am choosing to dwell upon.

It has been such a good bike, and when I purchased it back in college, it was considered a moderately high-end racing machine. Lately, it has been admired by other riders as a “classic” machine. This I have chosen to receive as a compliment rather than a critique. Many of these admirers hadn’t yet learned how to ride a bike back when this one was new. Now the steel frame makes it a sought-after novelty. It has served me well even though I left it collecting dust in the garage for far too many years.

My next bike will be the one I purchase in Europe where I am sure I will get the opportunity to trail Isaac up much larger mountains and make many more memories. In my mind I dream of climbing the famous l’Alpe d’Huez, which is nearly twice the length of Tantalus and will cause me to suffer more than twice as long. I am sure Isaac will wait for me at the top.

Anniversary on the Beach

Tonight, my bride and I will get away to a cabin on the beach to celebrate our 17th anniversary which is tomorrow. We will wake up to dawn on the seashore and reflect upon the wonderful seventeen years God has granted us together and the past three years on Oahu which are so rapidly coming to a close. Two years together as a family surrounding one year with me in Iraq.


So much has happened in that time. Micaiah has become a young lady who has continued to excel in ballet and is rapidly becoming fluent in French. Isaac is becoming a responsible young man who just rode a hundred miles on his bike last weekend, dragging me along the way. Abigail, too, is maturing on this tropical paradise, and oddly enough, it is here that she recently discovered her talent for ice skating. For Bear, the world has changed so much. He learned to walk and talk on this isle and, at this moment, is fascinated by the slug that is making its way across our back patio and begging me to read Dr. Seuss to him in Latin. Virent Ova! Viret Perna! And, of course, number five is on the way - yet another blessing from God.

The blessings and grace of my Heavenly Father are far too numerous to comprehensively list here. Yet none of these rewards are mine without first receiving the gift of Shelly. She makes all of this possible.

I have been so blessed to have a wife willing to follow me wherever my Lord has led and to take so much upon herself while I deployed to the other side of the globe. Her strength never ceases to amaze me, and the honor she has brought me never fails to humble me.

A sunset, a sunrise and some much deserved peace and relaxation seem so insufficient to express the gratitude I have for her agreeing to marry me and for God giving me the wisdom to ask her. After our short getaway, we will come home to enjoy a Sabbath feast with our children. This seems appropriate since they are the fruit of our union and so much of our married life has included them. They have seen the blessing that their mother has been to me, and I pray they have seen how much I love their mother.