Friday, September 26, 2008

Headed in the Right Direction

Today a couple hours after I purchased my plane ticket I ate lunch at Panda Express and my fortune in my fortune cookie said, "You are headed in the right direction"

I know that you can't live by trusting your fate to a by chance encounter with a cookie containing your fortune. But that is just down right funny!!!! I love my God's sense of humor!!!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step



A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)


I feel I've taken the first of many big steps today! :) I bought my plane ticket for my big big journey. Here is my list of countries

Colombia
Peru
Argentina
Chile
Brazil
El Salvador

I'm a bundle of mixed emotions. Its really a long time dream coming true. Wooo Hooooo

Well... more details to come

Aloha!

Luggage

Up until now this trip has seemed very conceptual, very big and a bit overwhelming.... today it crossed over into EXCITING!!!! :)

A few months ago I gave away my over sized suitcase away to a friend that really needed it. I was thinking to myself how crazy that was since I was considering taking this big trip within the year. But I did it anyway. :) Almost a month later a friend called and told me that she would like to provide me with luggage for my trip. :) How cool is that!!!! :)

Today we picked up my luggage. :) For some reason it made my brain switch from conceptual to REAL!!!! This is really happening! :) Now I have a BEAUTIFUL set of bags sitting in my room looking at me saying.... "Are we there yet???? Are we there yet?????"

My next big step is purchasing the airline ticket.... I have a phone appointment with my travel agent tomorrow morning. I'm trusting that the Lord will work out all the kinks! Good thing the He is in charge and providing everything I need! :)

Monday, September 22, 2008

One Crazy Day!

Aloooooha!!!!

So I was telling a friend this story the other day and he informed me that I really needed to put it into a blog. :) I had the craziest day! To those of you who read this I warn you now that it is going to be difficult to believe but I assure you its true! :)

So I was going about my day like any other. Check my e-mail, goof around the house blah blah blah and then get ready for work. Right around when I normally get ready for work I receive a text message from my boss saying that I should allow myself an extra 30 minutes to get to work because of a fire in Kihei. The problem was that the text message came in at the time when I normally start getting ready. I hurried around and tried to make up for lost time and may have gained an extra 5 or 10 minutes. Oppssieeee.... Looks like I'm going to be late for work! :) The nature of the particular job I was headed to allows for a little flexibility in my arrival time so I wasn't too worried about it.

While I was on the road to Kihei I get an update from my boss saying, "don't take the highway! Take South Kihei road" So as I approach the turn off for South Kihei road I can see that traffic is backed up and people were waiting on the shoulder of the highway trying to squeeze onto South Kihei road but traffic was moving freely on the highway. So despite my bosses warning.... I took the highway. Things were moving along nicely for a little while. A very little while! :) Eventually things slowed to a dead stop.

I jumped at my first opportunity to get off the highway. I turned onto a residential street and was inching my way to work at a snails pace. When all of a sudden an old friend popped up out of no where. Oh yes.... how exciting.... it was my fuel light. In this circumstance the only thing you can do is hope for the best and praise the Lord you drive a Honda! :)

So eventually I worked my way through the traffic. My boss met me on the curb of the job site (one of the resorts on Maui) I was headed to with my camera and some paperwork. I left my car running, jumped out of the car and ran over to pick up the gear.

Now here is an important footnote into this story... my car had been in a hit and run accident the week before and because of that the driver side door just doesn't open and close the way it used to.

So as I went over to retrieve the stuff I needed my door swung shut. And yes you guessed it.... the door was lock and yes the car is running, with the Air Conditioning on, with the fuel light ON!!!!! So my boss gets out and surveys the scene as I run into the resort to recruit the assistance of the security department.

I get the attention of the security officer on duty and I am informed that they wont be able to help me. They were in the middle of dealing with a shark sighting at the beach below the resort. He did inform me that there was a wire hanger in the women' locker room that I could help myself to.

Soooo.... eventually we got my car unlocked before it ran out of gas and I was a little over two hours late for work. :)

I love chaos! :)

The New Hair Cut


Howdy Folks!

Well in my last update I said just about everything had changed with the exception of my hair style. Well.... that is not true anymore. About a month or so ago I had seven inches cut off my hair and added a few layers. All of a sudden everything felt right in the world. :) Its funny how a haircut can put things into perspective. Allow me to explain.

I'm beginning to see a new and unexpected trend in my life. I've grown to fear change! This is foreign territory for me. When I was younger I hated making my bed because doing things out of routine was excruciating. I used to drive the long way home from school just because I couldn't handle taking the same old route.

I've been thinking about changing my hairstyle for a year! I've gone in to my stylist fully intending on having him do something new and chickening out as soon as I sit in his chair. After writing my last blog I realized that it really was time for something new. :) So I called my stylist of 5 years and turns out. He is getting out of the industry and only taking customers two days per week. I begged him to fit me in and found out that his appointment book was filled for the next three months.

More change....

So I put off the decision. Sat around hating my hair but still not willing to change stylists. Putting off the inevitable. Until one day I just couldn't take it anymore. I walked into Queen Ka'ahumanu Center, found Master Cuts told the first stylist I got.... "I hate my hair! Do what ever you want!

Half way through my hair cut I felt so happy I couldn't stop smiling. I knew I made the right decision!

So here is what I've learned. Change an be exhilarating. I cut seven inches off from my hair a little over a month ago....yesterday I woke up, got out of bed and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and said, "wow! I really love my hair!"

I'm trying to let that lesson carry over into my preparation for leaving for this mission trip. I'm so afraid to leave Maui. I gotta stop listening to the What ifs!!! :) They don't know what they are talking about! :)