Pre-Christmas updates and happenings

Hey folks!

We're back in the saddle again after a few odd weeks here and there. Here's a briefing on the happenings of our two parent-two guineapig family.

Housing
We're currently staying at the Bible College director's house up in the Wailua Homesteads, about 30 seconds from where we originally lived up there. They have a large ohana-style house, so it's a nice temporary place. They also have a small cottage on the property that is a wonderful little house...the tile and everything is modeled after the main house. I'm sure on squarefootage, but it has a bathroom, a nice little livingroom, an open and yet fully furnished kitchen with a decent sized bedroom. Even a washer out back with a clothes line! What more could we ask for?
The price is reasonable, so we're looking at additional jobs to help make ends meet. I've had an interview or so, and some leads that we're keeping tabs on.

Jobs
Su is working varied hours between the two stores, but the district manager came out the other day to look things over and she had to do some sort of little demo-dealie and they district guy was very impressed and spoke well of her. She's also earned several awards as well as the respect and appreciation of her supervisors and her peers. All in all, she's really doing well for the company. I've been working in multiple capacities for Pizzetta's, including chef, server, IT, outsourced spreadsheet work, dishwasher, host, busser, and bartender. So although my hours have been cut back on, I've made myself more valuable to the company resulting in (you guessed it) more hours. I just heard today that the owner wants to add to my work in the capacity of inventory on Saturday or Monday. So hopefully that all works out. Tips have been ok in spite of the economic happenings, but overall customers are down a little. Not bad though for all the "end of the world" headlines. I still hope to add a fulltime job in there somewhere, but the work market is very tight right now. No one is hiring, and everyone is looking for work. God has been faithful so far, and so wew have no reason to believe that things will be any different in the future.

Family
My Dad has been working hard for the church here. The church is looking perhaps to move to some new property and sell the old property, so the presentations of different proposals are being written up by him. Things were busy before, but they are crazy now!
Mom is cooking and baking and they're getting settled into their new house in north Kapaa.
It's a good spot for them, and a LOT closer than Princville was (see last update).
The girls are doing well and getting ready for Christmas. They're adjusting well to the new place and still involved in youthgroup and the other church activities.
Su's brother and sister-in-law are pregnant (well at least SHE is), and due in late January.
Hopefully if the "trip" envelope fills up soon she'll make a two-week long trip out there to see the new baby and have a good time with her folks. She may also freeze to death as well, but she says she misses the cold, so we'll let her get an icecold fix. :D

Misc. Stuff and Nonesense
Today was the Toys-For-Tots motorcycle ride from Lihue to Hanalei by way of the airport and the Kuhio Highway. As of yesterday it was raining cats and dogs and Timmy and I weren't really sure the ride was going to happen. Lo and behold the sun was shining this mornining and so we rode out to Wal-Mart to pick up some toys and then rode to one of the county buildings in Lihue.
One of the riders went down on the way out to the rally pointf--prary for him if you think of him. He broke 7 ribs, his clavical, and possibly had some bleeding around his heart. The word on the street is that he lowsided his CBR1000 on the wet pavement. Last we heard he was awake and talking to his wife...they did fly him to Oahu to keep an eye on his heart.
In spite of this the ride went well...roughly 80 or so riders with Harleys and choppers being the majority of the bikes with a few sportbikes (hubba hubba hubba), a couple of Hondas, and a lonely dual-sport. It was fantastic fun, and we were well recieved. The pix are from the ride...the ones of yours truly are up in Hanalei at the Bay near the Pier. Googlemaps will show you our ride...it was classic. The sound was huge...it was so loud I couldn't hear my own bike.
Anyway. Enough babbeling. More pictures. More Tuna, Less Mayonnaise.
I might add, click the pix for full size fun, and in many of these pix you'll find they're good wall paper material.
TOP: Me in at Hanalei Bay.
2nd: Bikes at the rally point...there's more to the right out of the picture, this was only about half.
3rd: Harley 883 Sportster. As I like smaller sporty bikes, I love this one.
4th: Chopper, possibly BigDog brand from either Oahu or the Big Island.
Engine might be a 117 Cubic Inch.
5th: Stopping for a break in Kilauea.
Not all the group is pictured...the lens wasn't wide enough to get 'em all!