Looking back and reflecting

Let me fill you in on what has been going on in our lives starting from yesterday... the hose from the washing machine drain some how was removed from the drain so my laundry room is flooded... and I continued to spill stuff during the entire day... however I finally got to upgrade my phone and got myself a BB Curve for a great price at Costco. The boys also started t-ball and played in the rain.

We just got home on Saturday, 4 April from Hawaii... my father-in-law passed away... we were there for a week and a half... our extended 'ohana helped us so much with getting through the shock of his passing. He died of a massive heart attack... on the outside he seemed so healthy but on the inside he had some majorly clogged arteries. We will miss him dearly. I'm so sad that Lynea will never get to meet him. However, his memory will be perpetuated through the stories and memories of his family and friends...Piko's uncle told us some things about Daddy that I never heard before and helps me understand my own children better... considering personality is as genetic as physical characteristics are. There was so much going on and so much to plan to give everyone the opportunity to mourn. WayneKaupiko Kahalekomo Sr. was a well known and well loved man. And my husband wants nothing more than to pass his legacy (his love for fishing, hunting, the rodeo, and martial arts) on to our children.

As soon as I clean up my pantry... which was in the laundry room and is now sprawled out all over the kitchen... I'll post some of the photo's we took while in Hawaii and more of the kids.

On top of all that we have been struggling with the decision to reenlist in the Air Force. Piko had a breathing attack last November and was put on medical profile and his case had to be viewed by a medical board. We were hoping to reenlist but preparing to separate from the military. I was so worried because I had finally come to understand and love being a military wife. We don't have very much time to reenlist because his enlistment is up in the middle of this month. Well, his paper work just sat on some one's desk in the midst ofPiko checking consistently to see what was going on with it. It finally went to the board months after his attack and he got back theok to return to duty the Friday before his dad passed away. Talk about stress for him. Everything was on hold and must have been so surreal for him. Everything in life weighed on him even more after his dad's passing and we never prayed so much and so hard in such a long time. Heavenly Father surely humbled us to our knees and in the midst of much turmoil... I won't even go into all the details now, maybe later... and we survived and are so grateful to all of our family for encircling us with love and support.

So my excuse for not blogging regularly is the fact that I've been trying so hard to keep my house together so my husband wouldn't feel as much pressure as we waited for the results from the medical board for the past three months (he is so calm during trials, you'd never know that he was stressed unless you are close to him and recognize that he laughs less and only wants to stay home... if you know Piko you know that's not normal). Even tho' the pressure of reenlisting has dissipated, the passing of his daddy is still a heavy burden in our hearts. We are just very grateful that our older children got to spend time with him this summer. We are also grateful for our knowledge of the Great Plan of Happiness that our Heavenly Father has presented to us so we may all be together again some day.

Through all this I've learned that those who seek for righteousness can easily see the many blessings that come during a trial... those who are living a lie only see the trial!

It's raining now here in Utah and that makes for some gorgeous spring flowers... TULIPS my favorite.

Look for the blessings and you'll no longer see the trial!!!!