Monday, November 7, 2016

The appetite of our living

I was thinking today--I've experienced 32 autumns. Twenty-one in Pennsylvania, one in England, four in Virginia, and six in Maryland. It is now my 33rd October and I'll be spending this fall (and the next four) here in Hawaii. And friends, THIS is not autumn.






I haven't really had to deal with homesickness with this move. I mean, my husband, kids, and stuff are all around me. This IS home. But I'm without a doubt dealing with seasonal-sickness. What I would do for just a few hours huddled by a fire, cozy in jeans and a cardigan, sipping on a steaming cup of chai, listening to the kids romping in piles of crunchy leaves, and breathing in the cool, crisp air.

There's this one spot on the school playground ...

... that I like to go when I want to pretend it's fall.
And that's okay. Because I've got 32 bona fide autumns under my belt--32 years of autumnal memories to look back on and pull out when I'm feeling a wave of seasonal-sickness--if I have to fast fall for the next four (or six or eight or however many more) years we'll be residing this much closer to the equator, I think that's gonna be all right.





It's good to have passions and "big strong feelings" (as I'd tell my kids.) And it's just as good to go without the things we love for a little while, if only to appreciate them more when we return. And as the quote from Jim Elliot that's been bouncing around in my head all week goes: "Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."




I think it's safe to say we've been LIVING here in our new home state.

View from the Pali Lookout.

Our house is in front and to the right of that that mountain in the middle.


Yes, I'm longing for fall in one of the 13 original colonies. But today I'm living here in Hawaii. And that means lots of adventures of the green and blue variety. With a few pink and gold sunsets thrown in for good measure.

Had to stop washing dishes for a few second to snap this view from our front door.
Dusk at Sharks Cove, North Shore.


As for the appetite of our living, we're slowly working our way through a 4-year Hawaii Bucket List. That included a trip to Dole Plantation and things like the Pineapple Maze (not worth it) ...



And cool, fresh Dole Whip (worth it!)










We also spent a day at the Bishop Museum. And I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it felt to be in a building that (a) wasn't made of cement block and (b) was built prior to the mid-century. Because sometimes I miss things like wood floors and paned windows almost as much as crunchy leaves and jeans.






But lest you think our life here is all golden like sunsets and Dole Whip. Here's Julia with a reality check.


Because sometimes your big brother plants himself right where you wanted to sit and it's just.too.much.

Ah yes, when we're not perfecting our tan by the World's Most Beautiful Beach or hiking up yet another ancient volcano, we do normal people things. Like workouts with Daddy in the garage.



Or play soccer.





Don't ask me what our team record was. I just know it wasn't good. But look at how much fun we had!


Some days the clouds are so low you can almost reach them!
We also went ahead and became a Cub Scout family. At first, I was considerably opposed. Especially when Jon started traveling a lot this fall and I ended up dragging four kids to all these pack and den meetings. But every time the boys put on these uniforms, I cave just a little. No shame in my game--I'm a Cub Scout mom simply for the cuteness factor!


And while the boys are busy with school, soccer, and scouts, the girls and I are exploring some new ways to keep busy during the week. In addition to a new homeschool preschool co-op we just joined, we try to hit up all the library story hours.



MOPS started up in September and did I mention I'm one of the coordinators? It's fun, keeps me on my toes, and gives the girls lots of new friends for playdates and tea parties!



We gotta keep the family females busy because our baby is 3 now and if the 2s are "terrible" then the 3s are "trouble." And that's exactly what this girl gets herself into every time I turn around.


But it's not entirely her fault. In some instances, she clearly didn't act alone ...


And finally, you wanna know one really great thing about fall in Hawaii? No Daylight Savings Time. That's right! Nobody messing with my offsprings' already tenuous rising hours. And we're now only five hours behind the east coast instead of six. Which is also nice in some ways. Like, I can't even tell you how wonderful it feels to know that Election Day will already be half over by the time I wake up on Tuesday. Yaaaaaasssss!

Okay, I better stop now. But first, just one last picture of Hawaii at dusk (taken from a moving vehicle on our way home from a very normal trip to Costco.) Because this place truly is beautiful. And I refuse to let my longing slay the appetite of my living!


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