Really, is there anything better? 

Christmas is so tiring, even for Kitties.  

Eye see 

The official tree lighting. 

Wendall got the chance to visit Santa 

This ripped my heart out

I cried while reading it yesterday. Today I reread it, and cried again. I know how hard it was for my son to have his father gone for six months. I can not imagine having to tell him anything this horrible. I would not know how to deal with his pain.

http://www.shns.com/shns/warkids/

You are 'Deck the Halls'! Let's be honest, it
isn't Christmas you are celebrating, is it? In
fact, you know full well that there were no
shepherds in the fields in December, and that
the date of Christmas was put at midwinter
specifically to coincide with the older
celebrations of Yule and the birth of Mithras.
An unashamed Pagan, you take great glee in the
number of carols referring to holly, evergreens
and Winter's end, and will sing them with
gusto. You know where they really came from.
And you do enjoy the seasonal celebrations,
regardless of their name... A merry Yule to
you!

What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

http://bookcrossing.com/journal/2035850

Ok, Hiking Diamondhead was worth it. I got a journal entry out of it at least! #34.

Don't ask me why, but I like this picture. I think it shows us well. The boys looking right into the camera, focused on the task at hand, and me, busy doing something else entirely. 

The view of the southern coast.

The view of Waikiki. 

The start of the trail. 

Sushi!

Yes, the view was worth the trek. We rewarded ourselves with sushi.

All’s Quiet on the Home front

Sorry to be absent for so long. We had a houseguest, and stayed insanely busy running around the island. I considered it practice for the coming month. I love having visitors. My brother said that his favorite thing is seeing someone experience life here for the first time. I have to agree. With a visitor I am able to forget that my life actually revolves around trips to the grocery store and the library. I can remember that this is an amazing place, and that the people here really are different than they are in other parts of the country. I tend to forget that in other parts of the country brown skin and long hair are not the norm.

We had a wonderful week. Lots of food and running around. We even found time to hike a mountain. Won’t be doing that again, but it was better than I expected! She is back to work in the morning, poor thing, but I know she is glad to be home.