It’s been much too long dear friends… I’m not even sure where we left off last time… ???
So how about a cup of coffee?
Let’s see, if we could have a coffee date…
We’d meet mid-morning—waiting to see if the day has
brought us abundant sunshine or clouds and scattered drizzle… In the case of sun, we’d meet at Morning Brew
in Kailua, and then meander ourselves down to the beach… Or, if the cloudy
skies threatened to open up, we’d meet at my place and curl up in the chairs
out on the lanai, listening to the rain pitter-patter down… I’d make the
coffee, mine with sugar and cream, yours made to order…
If we could sit down and have a cup of coffee together
I’d probably tell you…
·
That our sea-change to Hawaii is one of the best
things we ever did. We absolutely love
it here! Surrounded by wild beauty,
turquoise waters, bright sunshine, an incredible church body, friendly towns, pristine
beaches, epic sunsets, gleaming waterfalls, warm water, close friends, lush
mountain ranges and the sound of tropical breezes rustling through the palm
trees... how could we not?
·
That the beach is our playground~ hitting the
sand together and watching the breakers roll up on shore is currently our
preferred after-work decompress date.
·
That Matt has recently become scuba certified
and thinks breathing under water far superior to what it would be like to fly around
like Superman.
·
That I’m partial to cruising the ocean on my SUP
(stand–up-paddleboard).
·
That Hawaii is where you come to live outside~
exploring this world of mystery and surprise and spectacular scenery via hiking
trails is also a favorite of ours.
·
That the renovation of this bungalow took twice
as long and was four times as hard as we originally anticipated. I will never forget the day we had all three
of our sinks “under construction” and I found Matt, no exaggeration, washing
his hands in the toilet… (I, however, took myself down to the pool, like any
rational and sane person would do)
It was a bit like living our own
real life version of Swiss Family Robinson.
We share a lot of laughs as we look back at that whirlwind of a season
which, even then, we referred to as “camping in the condo.” And in retrospect, those first five months on
island produced a great many memories for us that we now both wonder at and
smile about.
·
But, oh, was it totally worth all the effort it
took to take this place down to the studs, and I did thoroughly enjoy playing architect,
designer and decorator… however, I’m not quite sure how Matt felt about playing
owner, investor, project manager, project foreman, contractor, sub-contractor,
and unpaid laborer J
·
That we still stare out to sea, with its
jaw-dropping shades of neon blue, mint green, vibrant emerald and deep
turquoise, and find ourselves still very much pinching ourselves on that front,
amazed that, these days, this is where the Lord has us… this idyllic place we
fell in luv with.
If we could have a cup of coffee, you and I, I would
probably tell you…
·
That Matt has never enjoyed his job in the
medical industry more than he has here in Hawaii. The team of guys he works on a day-to-day
basis have become his best “bruddahs.” And, while it’s still an intense job,
his relationships with surgeons have never been tighter, and the decrease in
his commute (from 2.5 hours a day to 20 min a day) have made all the
difference.
·
That for the first time in almost 8 years of
marriage Matt and I feel incredibly blessed to get to spend our mornings
together. Prior to our island move, it
was never quite a feasible option for us, seeing as Matt was almost always gone
before 5am. Now his schedule allows him
to leave around 7am we get to enjoy breakfast and time in the Word TOGETHER…
and this is, most definitely, one of my favorite island lifestyle changes.
·
That we love our local church! We started attending Tradewind Community in
Kailua about eight months ago and it feels like home, like family. Each Sunday we feel abundantly blessed by the
preaching of the Word, worship through song and encouraging fellowship.
And of course, we’ve jumped in
with two feet; Matt and Pastor Shawn meet regularly for discipleship and an
indulge in the local cuisine, myself in a weekly book study and we’re helping
co-lead a weekly Gospel Community Group through the study of Philippians.
And then of course, the news you’ve been waiting for…
·
That there’s a baby on board!!!
·
That, Lord-willing, we will be welcoming a baby
boy home in approximately 34 days from now! (ETA March 23rd )
·
That the doctor says baby and mom are both
seemingly healthy and we are so thankful.
·
That Matt was convinced that I was pregnant the
day I asked him to take me to Burger King for a Jr. Whopper. There was no hesitation on his part as he
stared at me from across the car and declared, “Danielle, you’re pregnant! You’ve never in 8 years of marriage asked me
to take you to a fast food joint (not that I don't frequent Taco Bell and enjoy myself a bean burrito (or two), but, given an option, fast food is not my first choice)….” I
thought he was crazy. He wasn’t. He was right.
·
That Matt is wonderful. He takes the best care of us.
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