We Got a Rabbit!

Well, we finally replaced our two flooded and totalled cars. We got something that can sort of be a combination between my Miata and our VW Passat. So....we got a Rabbit. It's small and easy to park, but we can still fit 5 people and it has cargo space if we put the back seats down. We bought it "used"--it had 200 miles on it, so basically it is still brand new. We are excited not to have to look for cars anymore. It is a stick, so we are back to just us being able to drive it.

Back In Our House

After nearly seven weeks, and a whole lot of shopping

and work to get our house ready to live in again, we finally moved back

in on Friday, December 30. Here are some pictures that show the finished

product. Bonnie is especially proud of our new travertine tile floors and

the backsplash behind the oven in the kitchen. It was a heck of a way to get

new floors and a new kitchen, but we're pleased. There is still some work to do on

the house, and we still have boxes that need to get packed, a lawn that hasn't been

mowed for two months, and a garage that needs to be cleaned and organized, but

we'll be settled soon enough. In the end, our house will be better than ever, so all's well that ends well.

New Beginnings

Sean and I arrived in Hawaii just in time for the aftermath of the flood. Our family, along with thirteen other families on our street, had to evacuate their home for major restorative repairs. We also found that our Mom's mazda miata was totaled, and our VW passat was sitting in a shop. In short, our poor family was homeless and carless.

Sean and I are a benevolent sort and thought that we should lend a helping hand to our poor family. We immediately began the hunt for a temporary home and transportation.
We would have been happy with anything, but to our pleasant surprise our findings exceeded our expectations. We found some cozy quarters on beachfront property. We also found a large vehicle with great air conditioning and plenty of room for all of us. We have been so blessed this Christmas season.

Mom's Christmas Tree

This is Allison's Vocalmotion choir when they performed at Sunset Beach.

This is a picture from a more sane, normal time. I was in charge of our school's tree for the Turtle Bay resort Festival of Trees (for Elementary Schools). Since our school is really into recycling and the environment, we did a "green" tree, with everything being made from recycled products. It was a new challenge for me, but I think it turned out quite well and those who helped with it had a good time.

The Aftermath

Flood Pics

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Here are some pictures of the flood. But these were taken when there was only about five inches of water in the house; it kept flooding after that.