Updates and a Pictoral Essay

Greetings one and all!!

Yes, it's been a while again. I don't exactly check out my own blog to see what's going on...then the whole "outta sight - outta mind" thing kicks in.

We'll start off with a timeline of events and then go into details.

In late April Jake and Sarah came for a visit, a much needed break for them. Jake has been working on the Smuckers factory among other places currently. We both were working on dad's 1984 Honda Rebel he picked up a while back. We took the head off, and cleaned the carb, drained out the old gas and got it all street legal again. It was grand and we had a great time.
During their stay Pizzetta's called me and let me know that I was off the schedule due to cutbacks. Translated, the owner doesn't want to pay for workers any longer, so since late April I have only been back one night for work. They're not doing so well down there, and I don't anticipate getting anymore hours from them in the near future.

Unemployment is at about 10.5% in Kauai right now, so the concept of job hunting is a popular one and there aren't many jobs around. Almost immediately after getting laid off someone from the church asked me to detail their car, and I obliged. Since then, we've had a least one car a week, and as many as three cars in a single week that Su and I detail for people. Next week we have two more, so it is a blessing and a means of income to keep food on the table. The average job takes us about 5-6 hours, and we wash and wax the car, scrub and blacken the tires, clean the engine, vac in the interior, and use a quasi-steam cleaner on the upholstry and carpets. We also use a armorall like product on the vinyl after we scrub everything down. The windows get washed and the leather gets a special leather treatment. We also shampoo the mats and sometimes the trunk as well. Thus far, everyone has been very pleased with the way their car looks and smells after we get done with it, and we take anywhere from 12-18 buckets of filthy water out of the average car. Needless to say everyone's been thrilled.

Also during Jake and Sarah's stay was the church's family camp up on the North Shore. This is not far from where Pierce Brosnan lives (James Bond actor) and it's a lovely spot up there. The camp is located on beach front property, and it a great place to fish and enjoy the waves. Jake caught a ton of fish (squid is the preferred bait of fish and anglers alike), and Su and I went on a trip up to one of the largest caves on the north shore. Fresh water accumilates in the bottom of the cave and there is a sizeable little pond inside. The sun rarely shines into the cave however, so the water is extremely cold (for Hawaii). I managed to go for a swim and I went pretty far back into the tunnels. Our pastor said he'd never seen the water level so low, so instead of having to swim under water to get into the second area, we simply paddled on in. It was incredible to say the least.

Su and I also took a trip down south to the Kauai Coffee Plantation where a good chunk of Hawaii's coffee is grown. They boast over 4 million plants with multiple varieties and a tasting room where you can try all the different flavors they offer. The coffee is wonderful and the little self-guided tour is pretty fun as well. My wife enjoys playing tourist sometimes! We have videos and pix from that trip, but that's probably for another post.

Mom and Dad are doing well, and working for the Bible College over the summer. They're helping with the summer camps that the college is putting on, and additionally helping the school boost it's number of students through advertising. Dad's doctor has backed off a little on the certainty of his diagnosis regarding my dad's Parkinson's Disease. They are looking into the possbility of some of the symptoms being stress related rather than PD and it seems viable at least for now. Only time will tell the whole story.
In the meantime, he's content to be working and riding. He keeps humming Steppenwolf to himself though...

Josh is in CA working for a summer camp, and after which he will probably live in New Mexico near his girlfriend, Kiya. We anticipate "big news" there at some point. :)

Betsy just left for CO and is working at the summer camp there for the next 5-6 weeks or so.
She's been very excited about it and is enjoying the chance to be back in her old stomping grounds.

Hannah is playing on the worship team and continuing on with her schoolwork and improving by leaps and bounds as both an artist and a photographer. Check out her facebook page for more on that. She and Sarah have also been doing Hula, and both are doing very well at it...'specially for haolies!

Sarah has started helping Su and I with some of our cars that we do, and we hire her to give us a hand on the bigger projects. She's saving to go to summer camp here, so this gives her a boost in funds and takes some of the workload off our shoulders.

Su has been starting her classes for becoming a supervisor at Starbucks, and so far things have been going well for her in this regard. Many of the supervisors and managers are looking favorably on her and her chance to get promoted doesn't seem too far off.

I've been leading worship about once a month out here at the church and playing electric guitar every so often as well. I will also start running sound fairly soon and I'm looking forward to that.
I've got several job possibilities floating around, some of them quite good and serious, but in the meantime the car detailing keeps me busy. Oh yes, and I teach guitar lessons. My little students, ("skulls full of mush" as I affectionately refer to them) are doing quite well. One is learning to lead worship with the acoustic and sing, and the other is becoming quite the little lead guitar player. Both of them are quite phenomenal for how long they've been playing, which is amazing considering the teacher! Even so, I'm very proud of them.

One last bit for you all before we sign off here...
We happen to know a few families in the area with extra rooms/aparments that they do not use. These would possibly be available for you, our friends to rent for a week or two weeks if you should want a vacation out in Kauai. Airline fares from Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, and even Eugene are fairly reasonable, and with a drastically discounted place to stay, it really brings a trip out here within reach. We use Orbitz as a good starting place for tickets. Many times Orbitz is actually cheaper than going direct to the airline itself!
If done right, a vacation for two for 14 days can be done for around $2000, sometimes a little less. We know the places to shop and the cheapest way to eat and experience Kauai.
So please, consider coming to visit! It's definitely worth it, I promise! We just had a few friends of ours from Seattle visiting a few weeks ago, and it was wonderful to have some friends from the mainland stop by. So look in to it! It's much cheaper than you think. And email me when you are ready to find out more about a place to stay.
With that, we sign off! Keep us in your prayers as we are still considering schooling and some other drastic life changes in the future.
Blessings!!

Andrew & Su