What would Jesus buy?

A beautiful girl in Uganda, and a happy boy in Peru enjoy their Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts last year.


INSTEAD OF GIVING A MEANINGLESS GIFT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING, GIVE A SHOE BOX TO A HURTING CHILD IN THEIR NAME! It is not too late! Bring your gift filled shoe box to: Hilo Missionary 1044 Komohana, Sun.12-5. and Mon. 3-5,or drop it off at Big Island Toyota during their business hours at both Hilo locations! MONDAY IS THE LAST DAY!! What would Jesus buy?
To find a drop off site near you click HERE.

Sea Turtles born today at Punalu'u!

Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project Photos by Isaiah Berg

Isaiah and Kealani were able to participate in the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Project at Punalu'u today. Click HERE for a video and more information.

They found her!!

Meghan Olcott is found!!

Missing, Hilo girl, have you seen her?

Her mother is Brenda Olcott of Hospice of Hilo.
If you would like to see the news article, click here.

The Sound of Music

Jeri Gertz and Kealani (and Ursula)

When I was nine I was in The Sound of Music, directed by Jeri Gertz, at the UHH Theater. Here is Kealani with her at age 10. They just finished The Music Man at the Palace Theater. Jeri was Eulalie Makecknie Shinn, and Kealani played Amaryllis.

Before the Bridge

Ansel Adams Golden Gate before The Bridge

I have always loved Ansel Adams, but had never seen this photo before. Amazing.

SPICY Corn Chowder

Souper easy Spicy Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
Imagine Organic Harvest Corn Soup 1qt. carton
1/2 onion
clove garlic
1/2 stick butter
2 cups fresh or frozen corn(or more)
crispy BACON
chili pepper
salt to taste

Melt butter, and saute the onion till clear and soft. Add corn, and garlic,and saute a few minutes more. Add diced pepper, and soup base. Simmer 10 min.
Sprinkle with bacon, and serve with a salad and fresh bread.

Music Man

We have been very busy with rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and now performances. Hilo's Palace Theater presents: The Music Man.
Kealani has the role of Amaryllis, and Isaiah is an usher, and gets to shout out a line on a megaphone in the middle of the play. Kealani is SO thrilled to be a part of this show, and is having tons of fun. The play is very entertaining, and funny, even if you are not a big fan of musicals like me. The band is amazing! If you are in Hilo, you should not miss it, or the historical Palace Theater.

Processing Center in Hawaii!!

Operation Christmas Child Team at work

We are now going to have our own processing center here in Hawaii for the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes! This year is the first year as usually our boxes go to the mainland first and then around the world.

12,500 boxes were collected last year from the beautiful people of Hawaii for children in desperate need around the world.
Operation Christmas Child is kids- helping kids project that uses simple gift filled shoe boxes to let hurting children know that they are loved.

These shoe boxes are filled with basic necessities, like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper and pencils, and also fun stuff like, candy and toys. The boxes go to children who are living on garbage heaps, living in orphanages, refuge camps, and hospitals. Most of these children have never had a gift before in their lives.

Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts are hand delivered to hurting children using whatever means necessary, sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, canoes, camels, and even dog sleds.
Here in Hawaii our seniors, keikis, schools, businesses, Life Care Centers, Boy Scouts, and Churches have gotten involved in this wonderful project, sending Aloha around the world.
The Big Island alone gave 4,303 boxes last year, and we have relay centers in Maui, and Oahu. This year there will be a relay center on Kauai! The biggest most exciting news this year though is the Processing Center which will be in Honolulu this year!
The Collection Week is November 16- the 23, and the Hawaii Collection Center will be open for business Sat. Dec. 12- 17th from 10am-8pm week days and 9 am to 9pm on the weekend.

Infinity

Infinity is written in the heavens, in the ocean, in a sea shell, a grain of sand, a single cell, in our hearts, yet we can get so trapped in the immediate gratification of the now, and miss what is true.

Angel in my front yard

Ode to New York City

I just read an amazing article in National Geographic with the most amazing photos and artist renderings of New York before and after.

I have not been to New York since 1991. I still have photos of myself and classmates on the top floor of the Twin Towers, and in my scrapbook I kept my ticket stubs for my trip to the top of the building. New York City is an amazing city, with a fascinating history. Click on the link above to see the online version of the article complete with the computer generated artists rendering of what Manhattan looked like 200 and 400 years ago.

There hasn't been a beaver in New York for 200 years.
We hunted these buck toothed creatures for their soft fur. I wish I could have seen the towering Chestnuts,the mushroom cloud Oaks, and Hickory trees. The sandy beaches contained feasts of oysters and clams. The 17th century Dutch village had a lovely pond. Deer sipped the fresh water, and ducks played in the far edge while Sunfish swam and leaped. Now we have the Marriot Marquis Hotel on the corner of Broadway and West 46th St.
The streams, and hills, and swamps, the eels, and pickerel are gone. The pond is gone. It was polluted by a tannery, then was buried by a slum. Foley Square now lies there with it's grey cement, asphalt, silver towers, red brick, and "golden arches".
One tree remains there in Foley Square. It once was one of millions, and now exists as a remnant, a single specimen for a museum, for posterity, a single tree with roots far beneath the cement, down where there is still dirt, dirt that was there before trappers, before soldiers, and bankers, before hot dogs, bagels, and pasta, before Sicilian pizza, dollar bills, Gucci, and Times Square.

The Sailboat = Ultimate Green Transportation

Sailing 2009

I love the way sailboats look,
all happy, and free
bright, cheerful, serene
untethered, simplicity
independent, adventurous,
I stare into the ocean, and dream of sailing away where ever the wind could take me.

Tasty Vortex *BACON*

Do you need to laugh as much as I do? Jim Gaffigan is better than Prozac. Bacon. Also highly recommended, Cake, Camping, and Hot Pockets.

Hawaiian Paradise Park

Photos by Sunny and Isaiah Berg

Everlasting, neverending, fractals

These are amazing, and more of these beauties can be found HERE.

Imiloa

The Great Titanium Cones of Hawaii

The kids were at the Imiloa today.

This Summer

Photo by Isaiah Berg

I went to the beach
got lots of sand in the truck
laughed
worked
walked
got discouraged
was encouraged
had fun with family
sat by the pool
my heart broke in half
had dinner with friends, an artist,a famous author, and a Noble Prize winner
ate cake
played drums
passed the Hunter's Ed class
walked on the beach
was amazed by my kids
got 2 tickets
cried
went to Coconut Island
took pictures
saw some shooting stars
got a sunburn in a hurricane
picked lichees
went to the farmer's market
ate pineapple that tasted like candy
smiled
shoveled manure
mowed the lawn
wrote these words

Shoe Boxes!

We hope you you can join us as we get ready to send shoe boxes filled with love to children in need around the world!
We are thrilled to have, Matt Foster, Operation Christmas Child Regional Director of South and East Asia as our Guest Speaker.
Matt works with the National Leader Volunteers and oversees the distribution of gifts through the local churches in countries including: China, India, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines. He has lived in China and Thailand and speaks Mandarin Chinese.
You will hear how God uses our simple gifts to change the life of a child, a family, even an entire village.
Learn how a shoe box allows the gospel to be proclaimed in the most unreached, unrecognized segments of society in Asia.
Operation Christmas Child promtional materials that will help you to achieve and exceed your shoe box goals in 2009 will be available.
Leave inspired,challenged and equipped!
Please extend this invitation to your church, group, family and friends. We hope to see you there!
This exciting event will be Monday August 17th 6:30 pm Hilo Missionary Church.
For more information or to help, contact: Heather at 969-1953 or heybooboopeace@aol.com
OCC National Collection Week Nov. 16 - 23, 2009

Bishop St.

Bishop St.,Honolulu
by Bob Riley

Best Wedding EVER!

I smiled and laughed for 5 min. and 9 seconds, you can too:-)

Hilo Bay from above the Scenic Point

Hilo Bay 2009

I took this picture from a home I showed. I took the kids with me when I went, and they were trying to talk ME into buying the home while we were there!
It is a renovated Hilo home, in a quiet neighborhood, and as you can see, it has awesome views of the bay.

Masonry Oven

Before picture of Masonry Oven June 2009

Here is the almost finished base of the masonry oven my wonderful son is building for me(with help).
The rocks are from our land, and the fire bricks are used and were a trade from a friend. One of the men helping my son build it was able to get really good information, and left over fire bricks from a guy who has been researching masonry ovens. When this is built, I hope to bake bread,crackers, and many pizzas here.
The beauty of this oven is I will be able to cut down my gas bill, and burn "scrub" trees that are unwanted anyway.
After photos to come, hopefully before Summer is over, and there will be a pizza party.

2009 photos

Mauna Kea Beach 2009

This is my favorite picture so far, this year.

Moons and Jupiter

Please take a look at this beautiful photo. otherwise the sky might just come crashing to the ground. The photo is that good.
Ok, actually it is a toss up between yesterdays Astronomy Picture Of The Day, and this one, but maybe you could just look at them both, and comment below about which is your favorite?

Thankful

I am thankful for the country I live in. I don't believe America is perfect, but I believe it is amazing.
I am thankful for my family members living, and dead who gave to help keep us free. I am thankful for the brave men, and women so long ago, who knew we needed independence from the British, and fought to make that happen. Work, blood, sweat, and tears are what were sacrificed so that we would not be cruelly taxed, and unfairly monitored by a unjust governing power.

I am thankful that I live in the U.S.A.

Do you sit in your larger than average house, in your name brand T-shirt, crapping on a shiny white toilet, sipping a cold drink, while surfing the web? Do you have a car to drive to your local coffee shop so you can drink your favorite, flavored,whipped,latteed, coffee drink? Do you have the freedom to travel in expensive jet airplanes, to exotic places, then come back to your sweet smelling town, and sleep in your cozy comfortable bed again?Do you have the luxury to worship how you want to worship? Can you stand up and protest something without fear of death? Do you shop at giant super stores to buy your soft absorbent toilet paper, expensive iphones, ipods, bottles of ultra purified crystal clear water,and choose from 30 kinds of deodorant? Can you get married, and be blessed to have 4 children instead of just one with out fear that you will be forced to have an abortion? Can you read the Bible on a park bench without fear? How many Bibles do you own? Three? Or do you only own a shred of a Bible that you read over and over again because that is all you have?

If you think there is something wrong with America, then stand up(or kneel down), and do something about it, don't tear it down, and the people who serve this country with their lives. The very fact that you can complain without fear is reason to be thankful. I thank God for my country, and the millions who have been blessed because of it.

2 Chronicles 7:14
"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Isaiah

Isaiah's 13th birthday 2009
Photos by dee photography

We ate fresh Waimea strawberries, thanks to Nancy, fresh salad from the Ko's farm, pizza(Isaiah's favorite)tender rotisserie chicken, from Noelle, potato salad, and two kinds of cheese cake, New York style which took 7 hours, and a lovely little cheese cake that took 10 min. to make, then 3 hours in the fridge haha!
Oh, and adult guests enjoyed two kinds of home made wine from the famous Claudia Riley.

Isaiah got to show off the potato cannon he built himself. The cannon works well, especially if you like your potatoes to be flaming, and loud. He also let off a few fireworks. The young guests swam till late at night, and then had a sleepover.