Finding JOY in the JOURNEY...: I love Hawaii!!!!

May 15, 2008

I love Hawaii!!!!

The last few days I have really been admiring the beautiful island that I live on! This is a shot a took as I was walking to my car leaving work at Turtle Bay Resort. I see this exact view every day and it still takes my breath away! I am so blessed to be able to have a job that supports me, that is 15 mintues away and that I love to do...in a place as gorgeous as this!

I took this pictures as I was stuck in "surf trafffic" in Haleiwa. For those of you who don't know, "surf traffic" is when surf is good on the north shore and all the surfers are coming/going to catch a few sets or the tourists are slowly drivng by to gawk at trhe scenery or pedestrians are running across the street to get back to their cars after stopping to take pictures. On a two lane country road, this causes quite a traffic jam. Normally this is VERY irritating but as I crept along at 2 miles an hour I decided to enjoy God's handiwork and not scream at the people in front of me to MOVE IT!!! Where else could you be stuck in traffic with this kind of view?

Laie Point...has good and bad memories for me but mostly I have fond memories here. It's the place Lee and I go to when we just want to relax, hear the ocean waves, smell the salt air and reconnect with eachother and nature. We fish up here, bring the dog for walks and have romantic evenings together just talking and laughing. I almost died up here (thank you Alii for saving my dumb drowning butt) and Lee proposed after a "incident" we had up here. It's a very special place for us and everytime I come up here I am reminded of all the reasons I am grateful to be alive and be married to the love of my life!

One of the most important reasons I love Hawaii is this gorgeous view that I see everytime I leave my house. You would think that after seeing it everyday for the last 30 plus years that it would be no big deal...but to this day, when I look at the Temple I just feel peace, joy and awe. Especially when I come home from work and see it glowing from a distance...I know that I am almost home. When times get rough I walk outside and look towards the temple and realize how blessed I am to have the knowledge of the Gospel and to be able to live a stones throw from this sacred and magnificent place. Then all my troubles seem so insignificant and I think of the grander scheme of things...and am reminded that there is someone watching over me who knows what I need and will guide me no matter what I have done...HE is there for me always, through thick and thin, and I am a better person becasue of HIM. I dont think I would remember this as often if I didn't live where I do...and that is why I will probably never leave!

2 comments:

n8, Shannon, Allie, Janessa & Tommy said...: I wish we had view like that here in Ephraim! And by the way, I love your make-up!!; 12:50 PM
Mickell Gehret said...: Thanks for the post...I miss home so bad, and now, thanks to you I miss it more!! Just kidding. Those are all things I know I took for granted until I didn't have them. We live 2 hours from a temple now, and I'd give anything to be able to just walk through my backyard and go do a session. Enjoy it for me! lOVE YA!; 11:57 AM

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Once upon a time...

Mibi grew up in Laie and attended Kahuku High and Lee grew up in Haleiwa and Mililani and attended Mililani High. Mibi went to College at BYU-Hawaii and then served a mission in the Utah Ogden Mission before meeting the man of her dreams. After school, Lee jumped into the workforce looking for his career and eventually ended up working for Mibi's family flower shop at Turtle Bay while Mibi was serving her mission...and never thought that this job would lead him to his "Angel". We met in Septmeber of 2001 after I returned home from my mission. I came back to the flower shop to manage things for my Mom and Lee had left to pursue his education. Well a few months later, Lee's education path didn't take the direction he had hoped and instead life lead him back to Turtle Bay. The first thing he did was call Mom to get his job back and of course she said YES. So, I was Lee's boss and there was an instant friendship...it felt as if we had known each other our entire lives. We kept it strictly business for a few weeks and then one night I was gong to make a Wal-Mart run after work and called him to see if he wanted to come along. His phone was busy (the days before call waiting) and I almost gave up...but after a few more tries he picked up and from that night on we were inseperable. I think we told each other our life stories that night and we both knew then that our lives would never be the same! Over the next year, we formed a deep love and respect for each other which kept us connected through a few rough patches and across the ocean as Mibi moved back to Utah. Finally after a year of being best friends, we both realized that there is no one on earth we would rather be with than each other! We were a couple for about two years when Lee proposed to me and we tied the knot at the exact place we first met...the same hotel the flower shop was located when we worked there...TURTLE BAY. And to add to our JOY, we have a beautiful daughter Savannah (Lee's biological and Mibi's spiritual daughter ) who we just ADORE! She is so smart, funny, outgoing, a jabberbox like her Dad and just the cutest thing you have ever seen!!! We also are praying that we can give her a little brother or sister sometime in the next year or two!!! Until then we have a Doberman (Kayla) and a cat (Shadow) that we spoil rotten and of course all of our Nieces and Nephew's. It has been almost 8 years of wedded bliss and although we have had our ups and downs, each experience has made us grow more in love with each other and are still each others best friend!